Final Grade: Tyler Arnason

	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	ESG	PPG	SHG	GTG	GWG	SOG
1st Half	40	2	8	10	-7	12	1	1	0	0	1	73
2nd Half	31	3	9	12	-9	2	2	1	0	0	0	35
Total	71	5	17	22	-16	14	3	2	0	0	1	108

Final Grade
2008 Grade	2007 Grade

Midseason Grade: D-

Final Grade: F

Joined Team: Signed as a free agent, July 1, 2006.

MHH Nicknames: Arnie, Sanjaya, Lumpy Gravy

Lines:

• 3rd (36)
• 2nd (23)
• 4th (8)
• 1st (4)

Pos:

• C: 66
• LW: 5
  

Linemates:

LW:

• McLeod (25)
• Wolski (12)
• Tucker (7)
• Smyth (5)
• Jones (5)
• McCormick (3)
• Willsie (3)
• Hensick (2)
• Laperriere (2)

C:

• Galiardi (3)
• Stastny (1)
• Wolski (1)

RW:

• Svatos (38)
• Jones (11)
• Hejduk (6)
• Willsie (4)
• Tucker (4)
• Hensick (3)
• Stewart (2)
• McCormick (2)
• Laperriere (1)

Ice Time:*

• TOT 13:18 (6th)
• EV 12:25 (4th)
• PK :01 (15th)
• PP :52 (9th)

*Rank is based on total minutes, not average per game.

Best Month: February (5 points in 11 games)

Career Highlights: Arnason sent full-season lows for goals, assists, points, +/-, penalty minutes and shots on goal.

During the season, Arnason scored his 100th point as an Avalanche. He is currently 16th on the all-time list, 2 points behind Steve Reinprecht.

Report: For a brief moment, I contemplated going the silly route here where I would just put up a blank page. I quickly decided that was too mean-spirited and decided to go the straight route.

I guess it's probably enough that I'm giving Arnason the first "F" in my three years of doing these. Antti Laaksonen and Wyatt Smith have both come close (D-), and I've given 8 D's overall, but Arnason is the first genuine F. I'm sure Tyler Arnason is a fine individual and all that jazz, but he was simply an awful, awful hockey player last year.

It's not a knee jerk reaction at all. I've given Arnie decent grades in the past, and even wrote this article in his defense last fall. In his previous two seasons with the Avalanche, Arnie at least showed some flashes of talent, whether he was stickhandling through traffic or firing that funky shot of his on net. He wasn't exerting much effort, but he was still making some stuff happen on the ice from time to time. Not last year. I'm a glass half-full guy; if I can find something nice to say about someone here, I'll find it. I can't find one positive about Arnason's 2008-2009 season, except that it's over.

Fun Fact: Arnason recorded 14 hits during his 3-year tenure with the Avalanche, or an average of one hit every 16 games.

The Tyler Arnason Drinking Game: Drink when Arnason gives a damn Drunk potential: Not going to happen

What I Said Last Year: "I think he can be a very useful player to us. He can be dangerous at even strength, enough to provide some much-needed 3^rd line pop"

2008 Salary (and Cap Number): $1.75M ($1.65M)

2009-2010 Status: Ladies and gentlemen, Tyler Arnason is an unrestricted free agent.

Outlook for 2009: The Avalanche have botched just about everything so far this offseason, but this one they'll get right. Tyler Arnason is not coming back. No way, no how, nuh-uh. Frankly, I'll be surprised if Arnason lands any NHL job next year. He was simply that bad.

Next Up: Marek Svatos