Now that everybody is in full on piss-n-moan mode about the Avalanche front office and thier lack of anything resembling a hockey move since last year's trade deadline, I thought I'd reiterate one quick point:
GOING INTO THIS SEASON:
- Combined $$ Spent on Top 6 Forwards: $20.46 million (Smytty, Joe, The Duke, The Baron, SoS, and The Svats Machine)
- Combined $$ Spent on Top 4 Defensemen: $14.45 (The Hobbit, Footer, Clark, Male-Model)
- Combined $$ Spent on Goaltending: $1.6 million (Boots and Rayzor)
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THIS SEASON:
- Combined $$ Spent on Top 6 Forwards: $19.45 (Smytty, The Duke, The Baron, The Svats Machine, Sham-WOW, Sanjaya)
- Combined $$ Spent on Top 4 Defensemen: $14.725 Million (Same as above, but substitute Leoprone for Footer)
- Combined $$ Spent on Goaltending: Same as above.
Look at those two lists. Then go here to see how the Avs rank on Offense and Defense. Of the three groups in each, which one is performing up to the level indicated by the money (all numbers taken from nhlnumbers.com)?
Seriously, if you want to argue that the goaltending is the big issue, then you show me how the Top 4 defensemen have earned that cash and how the Top 6 forwards are worth their salary and THEN we can point at the men between the pipes.