As Joe noted earlier, Dr. Jones' season is over after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during last night's "game" against he Minny Wild. I say "game" because game implies that effort was given for the length of the contest and I think we all know that wasn't true for last night's practice.
Anyway, I'm not here to talk about that, I'm here to talk about another shortened season for one of Colorado's bright young forwards. Over the last week, I've thought a lot to myself that the Avs may have top six talent down the middle, but they are sorely lacking depth on the wings. After Hejduk, there are a bunch of guys who are just filling top six roles without really having the skills to stick on a top line. Wolski is an enigma wrapped in a riddle; Svatos needs two Hall of Famers on his line to do much of anything, because anything less and he's as effective as Koci (my new meme, I think. It works pretty well: "She's as hot as Koci is effective."). Tucker? Blech. Stewart? I don't think HE even knows what his role is anymore. Galiardi has flashes, but the only guy that has genuinely stepped up this season, in my opinion, is Jones.
Let's consider: 16 points (10 G, 6 A) in 23 games, a career mark. 2 SH goals (league leader), 3 GW goals (8th in the league), 25.6% shooting percentage (9th in the league). He's been one of the Avs' best forecheckers, one of the better penalty-killing forwards, and has shown that he can play just fine on SoS' line. In fact, he was responsible for generating just as much offense as he was a benefactor of his linemates doing the work. That's the mark of a balanced offensive player. He hits, he steals pucks, he's got deceptive speed, and he was having the season we all thought he had in him last year. After missing most of last season with shoulder issues, he gets to watch another lack-luster Avalanche hockey season from the trainer's table after Chuck Kobasew fell on his leg and tore his ACL. I don't know if he kicked boxes full of puppies as a kid or if he spit pissed in the Devil's eye, but that's some bad luck.
We already miss you David. Get well soon and come back with the same fire next season. I enjoyed watching you play this season. Hopefully, you'll have a full recovery and continue down the path of a valued member of the Colorado Avalanche.