2015-16 Colorado Avalanche Year-End Review: Blake Comeau

When the Avs signed Blake Comeau to a 3-year deal at $2.4M per last summer I definitely got the feeling this was a kind of player the Avs had been missing for a while. A gritty, complementary scorer that can kill penalties is something every team wants in their middle 6 forwards. Comeau didn’t disappoint.

Along with Carl Soderberg, he led Avs forwards in shorthanded TOI, averaging 2 minutes per game. He chipped in with 12 goals and 24 assists, good enough for 6th on the Avs among forwards. The one knock would be his prolific penalty generation, he led Avs forwards in minors although Johnny Mitchell took calls more frequently.

On the fancy side, Comeau's CF% at evens and score adjusted was 46.32% (+3.01% Rel), good for second on the team among regulars behind only Nate MacKinnon. Interesting to note that he had 21 points (5v5, SA) same as Tyson Barrie.

Is Blake Comeau the kind of guy you'd like in your top-6? Probably not if you’re a Cup contender but for a team that’s 20th in the league it's not all bad. I think we all were a little frustrated about the amount of time he had on the power play but as far as I can see the only guy behind him I wanted to see more of was Mikhail Grigorenko and I have a feeling that will sort itself out next year.

MHH Survey grade: 77.4% - C+

As with many of the grades on a disappointing team, this one seems a bit low but not out of line.

MHH Staff Grade: B

Comeau exceeded my expectations in scoring for sure and became a vocal veteran leader in the locker room, something that was needed by all accounts. Unfortunately when you have a collapse like the Avs did then team leadership is questioned so whether this is a plus or a minus is for the players to decide. Having a solid penalty killer that can create a little offense shorthanded is a big bonus too. He did his job and did it well for a guy in his salary range.