Colorado Avalanche

Just a few hours after falling to the Minnesota Wild in the season finale, the Colorado Avalanche announced that head coach Joe Sacco would not be back next season (via the team's official Twitter feed).

The Avalanche has announced that head coach Joe Sacco has been relieved of his duties.

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 28, 2013

The move was well-warranted after a disappointing season that resulted in Colorado finishing with the second-fewest points in the National Hockey League; just three more than the Florida Panthers.

Sacco’s Avalanche only made the postseason once during his four-year reign over the team, coming back and achieving the task in the 2009-10 season, his first at the helm. Since, Colorado has finished fourth, third and fifth in the Northwest Division, respectfully.

Despite this season being shortened due to the lockout, the Avalanche still finished with a .406 point percentage, the lowest since coming to Colorado and the sixth-fewest in franchise history.

Matt Duchene and newcomer P.A. Parenteau finished the year tied for the team lead in points with 43 apiece, which was tied for the 25th most in the NHL.

Because of Colorado’s second-to-last place finish this season and the new NHL draft lottery, the Avalanche will have a great shot at landing the No. 1 overall pick, which is expected to be Seth Jones. Colorado cannot drop past the third pick, which will most likely mean drafting a franchise player come June.

NHL draft lottery skinny: 18.8% chance Colorado wins first pick; 25% chance Avs get 2nd pick; 56.2% chance they slip to 3rd pick.

— Brian Costello (@bcostellothn) April 28, 2013

As of now, the Avalanche has yet to name a replacement for Sacco, who went 130-134-30 in his career with the team. Among those who could become strong candidates for the position is Dean Chynoweth, according to Renaud Lavoie of RDS.

Chynoweth coached the Lake Erie Monsters to a 35-31-3 record this season in the AHL but missed the Calder Cup playoffs by nine points. Chynoweth has, however, worked with many of the young players on the Avalanche as well as some of the top talent expected to make a difference in the future.

Many fans may want former players such as Joe Sakic to become the next head coach, but that seems unlikely. Adrian Dater of the Denver Post reports that Sakic “will NOT be the next coach.”

Dater also reported that Eric Lacroix, the team’s vice president of hockey operations, decided to leave on his own. President Pierre Lacroix and general manager Greg Sherman are still with Colorado, according to Dater. Whether that will stay the same throughout the upcoming offseason remains to be seen.

For now, though, the current search is for Colorado’s next head coach.

The Colorado Avalanche haven’t gotten off to the best of starts since the NHL lockout came to a close, but there have been some bright spots.

Colorado has come away with some huge victories, none bigger than defeating the Chicago Blackhawks while they were riding a 24-game point streak. The Avs also have defeated the reigning Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings as well as the revamped Minnesota Wild.

But Colorado has also had a handful of struggles. Countless players have been sidelined due to injuries including captain Gabriel Landeskog, who was missed for more than 10 games due to a concussion. Ryan O’Reilly wasn’t re-signed until well after the season started and it was clear that the Avs missed his offensive and defensive prowess.

Heading into the weekend, Colorado sits at the cellar of the Western Conference tied with the Calgary Flames with 24 points in 26 games. With just a couple more weeks until the postseason begins, let’s take a look at who Colorado’s biggest winners and losers are.

Most Valuable Player: Matt Duchene

Matt Duchene has been quite impressive this season, especially when Colorado didn’t have Landeskog or O’Reilly on the ice. He leads the Avs in goals and points and is tied for the most assists. He’s currently tied for 13th in the NHL with 28 points through 25 games.

Duchene has been very smart on both sides of the puck and has stepped up when his team needed him most. He doesn’t take dumb penalties and makes the most of opportunities when he’s presented with them. Remember when he scored the game-winning goal with just seconds left in overtime against the San Jose Sharks?

That’s what I’m talking about.

Duchene may not be the captain of Colorado, nor does he wear an “A” on his jersey, but he’s about as important as it gets for the Avs. Without Duchene on the ice, Colorado would be considerably worse—which is somewhat hard to imagine. There’s no doubt that he’s been the most valuable player on the ice for the Avs this season.

Least Valuable Player: David Jones

What a major disappointment David Jones has been in Colorado this season. Through 24 games, Jones has only put the puck in the net three times and has assisted on just four goals for a measly seven points. But that’s not the biggest detriment of his play. He has the worst plus-minus on the team at minus-11.

“It’s been a while now, where Jonesey has had some struggles. He needs to get his game going,” head coach Joe Sacco told Mike Chambers of The Denver Post. “He’s a big-bodied winger. He’s got to play physical. He’s got to win one-on-one puck battles. He’s got to get going, and I have to find a way to get him going. He needs to be a bigger part of our team, and he can be.”

Sacco's words came after he had to demote Jones to the third line. Jones just hasn’t played well altogether, and it’s about time that the coaching staff took action against him.

Jones hasn’t played like a top-six forward, so there’s no reason to keep him on either of the top two lines. Until he shows that he’s capable of producing at a high level, he deserves all the criticism he’s gotten.

Best Newcomer: P.A. Parenteau

What a bargain P.A. Parenteau has been for Colorado. By the slimmest of margins, Duchene has been better. But don’t get me wrong, because Parenteau couldn’t be any better. He’s scored 11 goals and currently has 16 assists through 26 games. His 27 points are the second-most on Colorado and tied for the 16th-most in the NHL.

It’s safe to say that Parenteau’s four-year, $16 million deal that he signed over the offseason is already playing dividends, despite Colorado’s early season struggles. He and Duchene have gelled perfectly, and they are already one of the most dynamic pair of linemates in hockey.

The best part about Parenteau’s game thus far is that he’s been consistent and dependable. He’s playing on Colorado’s top lines and has been effective on the power play. Colorado hasn’t been anything special when on the man-advantage, but he’s scored three power-play goals this year. If Parenteau keeps this high level of play up, it’ll be one of the best decision the Avs have ever made.

This season could be the end of Joe Sacco’s term as head coach whether the Colorado Avalanche make a second-half run toward a postseason berth or not.

The reason, you ask? The possibility of taking a job at a lower level that means more to Sacco. That would be the head coach position at Boston University, the alma mater of the current Colorado coach. The job became available when Jack Parker announced his retirement from the university, effective after the season concludes for the Terriers.

With the position now open for the taking, Adrian Dater of The Denver Post speculates whether Sacco would be interested in taking over at the university. Dater writes that one would assume it would be tough for Sacco to turn down that type of opportunity if it was offered to him, citing his close ties to the school and the area.

Dater also notes that if Sacco wants to leave the Avalanche, he would have to be granted permission beforehand. This is because in April 2012, he signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him the head coach in Colorado until after next season.

But if Sacco really wants to leave, Colorado should absolutely let him go.

There’s no reason to keep Sacco—an argument that should stand true even if he doesn’t go down to the college level after this season. The Avalanche's results over the years haven’t been favorable for Sacco, despite the product that general manager Greg Sherman has given him.

After losing in the 2009-10 NHL quarterfinals in Sacco’s first year at the helm, the Avalanche have yet to return to the postseason. In fact, they haven’t finished better than third in the Northwest division over the last two seasons either.

This lockout-shortened season has been underwhelming as well, even though Colorado is just a handful of points outside of playoff contention. Sacco hasn’t done a good job of managing Colorado’s special teams as the Avalanche currently sit near the bottom of the league in power-play and penalty-kill percentage.

Earlier in the year, Dater questioned whether Sacco as well as much of the front office was in a bit of denial as to the current state of the organization. It seems as if the team is content with mediocrity or just being flat out terrible. Sacco can’t motivate his players to win games and it’s time to stop the bleeding. He can’t continue to make excuses for the losing.

If Sacco wants to go coach at Boston University, let him. Help him pack his bags. Pay for his flight. Do whatever it takes to make sure that he is no longer the coach of the Avalanche again.

It’s time to move on from Joe Sacco.

Hollywood might as well script a movie about the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago is the story of the year in the National Hockey League.

The Blackhawks continue to shine night in and night out. With a 5-3 win over Minnesota Tuesday night, the Blackhawks extended their points streak to 23 consecutive games, breaking a tie with the 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens for the second-longest streak in league history.

Moreover, the Blackhawks have won 10 straight games, a franchise record.

“They’ve been, game in and game out, bringing it and the consistency [of] our team game has been in place,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said, courtesy of NHL.com. “Finding ways to win each and every night, whether it’s one line, whether it’s the whole group. Somebody jumps up and contributes a little more. Nobody wants to let each [other] down and keeps pushing each other in the right way.”

Though, every game presents another challenge for the Blackhawks to continue their dominance. Tonight, Colorado will arrive at the United Center looking to extinguish the flames in the first of a back-to-back home-and-home stretch against Chicago.

There’s reason for optimism for the Avalanche and alarm for the Blackhawks. Everyone is fully aware of this dream-like fairytale the Blackhawks are entrenched in.

It would be easy for the Blackhawks to overlook the visiting Avalanche, who will look to avoid losing three straight and six of their last seven games.

The Avalanche suffered their second consecutive defeat Tuesday night, falling 2-1 against the Detroit Red Wings. Paul Stastny netted the only goal for the Avalanche.

“He was incredible [Tuesday night],” Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said, courtesy of NHL.com. “We played a good game. We did everything we could do except score.”

Scoring will be vital for the Avalanche against the Blackhawks—something that’s been virtually non-existent this season.

Colorado is currently tied with Calgary for fifth place in the Northwest Division with 20 points. But the Avalanche trail Edmonton by one point, Minnesota by four and division-leading Vancouver by seven.

At first glance, this game appears to be a complete mismatch. The Blackhawks boast the fourth-best scoring offense, allow the fewest goals per game and possess the second-best penalty kill.

On the flip side, the Avalanche are 24th in goals per game, 19th in goals against, 29th on the power play and 24th on the penalty kill.

There’s no question the Avalanche will be the heavy underdog. However, that might be all the motivation needed for a potential upset.

The Avalanche will need to be crisp in every facet against the Blackhawks.

It starts with playing physical. The Blackhawks boast three forwards upwards of 220 pounds, including Bryan Bickell—who heads the team with 51 hits through 23 games—Brandon Bollig and Jamal Mayers. There's also Brent Seabrook, a big and aggressive defenseman.

It will be critical for Jan Hejda and the rest of the Avalanche defense to be physical and play through the whistle.

Colorado also needs to get pucks deep in the offensive zone. They need to spend as much time around the Chicago net as possible while limiting Chicago’s chances on the other end.

Finally, Stastny and Landeskog need to lead by example. Stastny has posted two goals in his last three games, but Landeskog has just four points, including one goal in his last six games.

The Avalanche have two shots at knocking the Blackhawks off their thrown. If the underdog rises to the occasion, the Blackhawks could be in trouble.

The Colorado Avalanche had a wild couple of hours on Thursday.

Shortly before the puck dropped in Denver, Colorado’s opponent for the night, the Calgary Flames, made a bold move. The Flames signed Avalanche holdout Ryan O’Reilly to a two-year offer sheet, putting the pressure on Colorado to either let him go or match the offer.

But while the Flames were playing very good hockey in the first period, Colorado was discussing whether to match the offer to O’Reilly—even though the Avs had seven days to come to a final decision.

The Avs would match the Flames’ offer, signing O’Reilly to a two-year deal, and that must have lit a spark underneath the players because the momentum shifted toward Colorado. The Avs, who were down 3-0 after one, went on to defeat the Flames 5-4 for their second win over Calgary on the night.

But now that O’Reilly is back with the Avs—and cannot be traded until Feb. 28, 2014—who are the true winners and losers of the deal? Here’s my take on the situation.

 

Winner: Ryan O’Reilly, Forward

Throughout this entire process, there was one thing keeping Colorado from bringing O’Reilly back sooner: money. All of the negotiations were about money—how much Colorado was willing to give him compared to how much he wanted.

Colorado clearly didn’t want to sign O’Reilly to the lucrative contract he ended up getting. The Avs were forced into making a decision where they could either fork up the extra money or lose out on a potential superstar. Colorado figured it’d be better to pay more.

O’Reilly told Ontario radio station CJBK that he was quite pleased with the final result (h/t Adrian Dater of The Denver Post): "It was a big number. I didn’t really expect that. But it’s great. It’s what we wanted, and was worth it to wait this long. Now it’s strictly business now, as it was then—just perform on the ice."

It’s a little disappointing that O’Reilly was holding out for the money, but that’s the way some players are. Colorado desperately needs him in the lineup, and it’s a little surprising that the team waited so long. The Avs were nearly in the cellar of the Western Conference before, but now have the star power necessary to compete for a postseason berth.

Loser: Greg Sherman, General Manager

Greg Sherman is easily one of the worst general managers in the National Hockey League. It doesn’t appear that he cares about winning or about the future of the team.

Sure, he made a couple of good moves this offseason—signing P.A. Parenteau and John Mitchell—but that doesn’t make the countless bad moves disappear. But this battle with O’Reilly is the final straw. Sherman doesn’t deserve to be the general manager of the Avs anymore; he ruined his shot.

Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post agrees, saying that Colorado needs to make some changes:

Sherman might well end be the fall guy, when fingers of blame get pointed. The Avs, however, were built into champions under the astute guidance of Pierre Lacroix. Now, team management is lost and can’t find its way out of his shadow, even as Lacroix’s power and acumen wane.

Although the length and status of Sherman’s contract are unknown, writes Dater, he has to get the boot. There’s no way that he should be making hockey-related decisions going forward.

Colorado has a handful of talented prospects coming up through the system, and Sherman is only going to ruin it. If owner Stan Kroenke is smart, he’ll find himself and his team a new ringleader going into the 2013-14 season. If Kroenke decides otherwise, the Avs are in more trouble than I originally thought.

Winner: Gabriel Landeskog, Forward

It may seem a little weird that I’m deeming Gabriel Landeskog a winner here, but let me explain. Not only is the Colorado captain getting a top-notch forward back, he’s also going to be very rich in the near future because of O'Reilly.

Kiszla proposes the biggest question of them all: "When O’Reilly takes home $6.5 million next season, then how much is captain Gabriel Landeskog worth when his contract expires?"

Simply put: a lot.

Landeskog will become a restricted free agent after next season, and Colorado is going to have to empty its pockets to retain him. O’Reilly may have been the team’s leading scorer last season, but Landeskog is the better player.

Landeskog was last year’s Calder Trophy winner. O’Reilly has yet to win anything. Landeskog is the team captain. O’Reilly doesn’t have any letters on his uniform outside of the name spelled on his jersey. Landeskog hasn’t had the opportunity to yet, but I wouldn’t expect him to hold out over money.

The Colorado captain is making $3.575 million this year, and he’ll make the same next season. So what happens after that? How much will he get? The market can change before that time comes, but one can assume he’ll ask for at least what O’Reilly is making, for starters. 

After a long and drawn-out process, the Colorado Avalanche now have a number in mind when it comes to re-signing Ryan O'Reilly to a contract.

Unfortunately, they didn't negotiate that number themselves.

That's all thanks to the Calgary Flames, who signed O'Reilly to a two-year offer sheet on Thursday. The Avalanche now have a big decision to make when it comes to bringing the talented Canadian back into the fold. 

UPDATE: Thursday, Feb. 28, at 9:25 p.m. ET by Ethan Grant

According to this tweet by the Avs' official team account, the team has matched Calgary's offer sheet and O'Reilly will not be joining the Flames after all. 

BREAKING: @Avalanche announced tonight that the team has matched the Calgary Flames’ offer sheet for forward Ryan O’Reilly. More to follow..

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 1, 2013

---End of update---

Sportsnet's Chris Johnston confirmed the Flames had filed the signing with the NHL on Twitter:

I can confirm the #flames have signed Ryan O'Reilly to an offer sheet. $3.5M and $6.5M.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 28, 2013

As TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on Twitter, the Avalanche now have a week to make a decision on his future with the team—a decision that will be final for at least one year after said contract is matched:

If COL matches the offer, COL cannot trade O'Reilly for one calendar year from day it matches the offer.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 28, 2013

The 22-year-old center has been one of the biggest stories of the season for the Avalanche so far, specifically because he hasn't come anywhere close to a contract agreement. O'Reilly, who last played pro hockey in late January with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League, has yet to suit up for an NHL game this season.

The lockout put a damper on negotiations, and the two sides were reportedly still far apart as recently as Wednesday (as reported by Victor Fernandes of the Erie Times-News).

With that in mind, the Flames swooped in and made an offer that the Avalanche now have the opportunity to match. However, as noted by ESPN's Pierre LeBrun on Twitter, the second year of the contract could keep the Avalanche from striking back:

As per @DarrenDreger, Flames sign Ryan O'Reilly to offer sheet, two years, $10 M. Key is Year 2 at $6.5 M; that's big QO in two years

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 28, 2013

While the move certainly comes as a shock to Colorado fans who are excited about the future for the young star-in-waiting, it's also a shock to the entire league. As Johnston notes, qualifying offers are rarely signed by a restricted free agent in the NHL:

This is just the sixth NHL offer sheet since 2007.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 28, 2013

O'Reilly has 41 career goals in three seasons with Colorado since joining the team via the 33rd pick in the 2009 NHL draft. Also a member of Canada's 2012 World Championship team, O'Reilly could be heading back to his hometown country to play professional hockey in just seven short days.

One thing is clear—the Jeopardy music is now playing as the Avalanche decide what to do about O'Reilly's future with their franchise.

Injuries have plagued the Colorado Avalanche’s entire season thus far.

Colorado currently sits in 14th place in the Western Conference with a satisfactory 17 points—the second fewest and just four points ahead of the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets. Much of the team’s struggles have been due to various injuries.

Rarely has head coach Joe Sacco been able to put whatever lineup he wanted out on the ice. It’s getting to a point where nearly every player on the roster has missed a game here or there, and several players have missed considerable amounts of time.

Captain Gabriel Landeskog recently returned after missing 11 games with a concussion. Steve Downie only played in two games before tearing his ACL. Shane O’Brien has played sporadically, taking the ice just seven times this year. And the list goes on.

But here are updates on three players currently on that list who the Avs desperately need to return as quickly as possible.

Erik Johnson, Defenseman (Concussion)

Colorado’s defense, in general, this season has been lacking a spark. No one has stepped up by any means, and each Avs defenseman is having issues contributing on the offensive side of the puck. Erik Johnson is a part of the problem.

A concussion has limited Johnson to just 11 games this season. In the short amount of time he has been on the ice, he only has one assist. But the fact that Johnson is scoreless on the year isn’t that surprising since no one is scoring. Tyson Barrie is the only defenseman with a goal this season—a statistic that’s more than concerning.

But Johnson isn’t going to score if he’s on the bench—a place he’s been accustomed to lately. Mike Chambers of The Denver Post writes that Wednesday was the first time Johnson skated since sustaining a concussion on Feb. 11. Sacco felt that the skate was encouraging, according to Chambers.

The defense needs a spark, and Johnson could end up being that spark should he return to the ice soon. Since he was able to skate on Wednesday, one would think that he'll be able to play by sometime next week.

That’s just a guess, though, as every concussion is different. If he isn’t back soon, Colorado will be mathematically eliminated from postseason contention before Johnson could even spell concussion.

Matt Duchene, Forward (Groin)

Matt Duchene has been Colorado’s best player this season, and it’s not even close. He currently leads the team in points and assists, picking up a lot of the slack in a year where Landeskog has been sidelined and Ryan O’Reilly has yet to take the ice for the Avs.

Mike Chambers of The Denver Post reported on Tuesday that Duchene was going to miss Colorado’s matchup against the San Jose Sharks. He also noted that Duchene suffered from a charley horse earlier in the year, which could’ve contributed to the injury.

On Wednesday, though, Chambers reported that Duchene didn’t practice but hadn’t been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Calgary Flames.

Colorado is coming off a three-game road trip where the Avs came away with two points, one for an overtime loss and another for a loss in a shootout. If the Avs are serious about competing for a playoff berth, they need Duchene on the ice. Duchene is the X-factor who could bring some life to a team that barely has a pulse.

Ryan Wilson, Defenseman (Ankle)

I’ve already talked about the defense’s inability to put the puck in the net, but the fact that Ryan Wilson is tied for the third-most points by a defenseman on the team and has missed the last 10 games is baffling.

Wilson has been out since suffering an ankle injury against the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 2 and apparently isn’t getting much healthier. Chambers reports that, despite missing so much time, Wilson still isn’t ready to start skating again.

The extent of Wilson’s injury is still in question, but it’s been nearly three weeks, and it doesn’t appear that much progress has been made. That’s not good no matter which way you try to spin it.

Without any sort of progress report, it’s unknown when Wilson will be in game action again. You have to figure that if he’s not even close to skating again, it’s going to be at least a couple of weeks more. First, he has to get cleared to skate. Then, he has to feel good skating on it in practice. And then, maybe, he gets to play again. That’s a long process considering how long it’s taking him to feel better.

The young replacements that the Avs have called on haven’t done a bad job, but Wilson is definitely missed. He’s one of Colorado’s best two-way defensemen, along with Johnson, and without them both, the Avs have quite the hole on their hands.

It's been a frustrating 2013 season for Colorado Avalanche fans. Their team has struggled to win games consistently and RFA center Ryan O'Reilly has not re-signed.

There is some good news, however, because captain Gabriel Landeskog could return to game action soon. The team captain suffered a concussion in the fourth game of the season as a result of a huge hit from San Jose Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart.

According to Adrian Dater of The Denver Post, the 20-year-old forward might travel with the team this weekend.

Landeskog speaks to media, says he feels good, could go on weekend Cali road trip

— Adrian Dater (@adater) February 20, 2013

Here's a video of Landeskog giving an update to reporters after skating earlier this week.

Landeskog's return to the lineup will have a dramatic impact on the team's performance at both ends of the ice.

As one of the premier two-way wingers in the game, Landeskog will add a physical presence to the Avalanche lineup. He's someone who will be responsible defensively by backchecking and blocking shots.

Without O'Reilly and Landeskog in the lineup, the Avalanche don't have a forward who can shut down opposing teams' best goal scorers.

He will also improve Colorado's special teams. The Avalanche penalty kill is ranked 22nd in the league, and there's no question Landeskog will play a key role in this area of the game when he returns. The young winger ranked second on the Avalanche among forwards in short-handed time on ice last season.

The Avalanche power play has also struggled in 2013 without two of its best scorers in O'Reilly and Landeskog. The captain's six power-play goals were the second-most on the team last season, and his 12 power-play points ranked fourth.

Landeskog's ability to score goals, create plays with his vision and passing skills, and also keep possession in the attacking zone by winning puck battles below the goal line will be valuable additions to the team's power play.

Overall, the Avalanche rank 22nd in goals scored, so getting their third-highest scorer (52 points) from last season is certainly going to help. Landeskog and star center Matt Duchene will be a productive duo on the top line that will give good defensive teams problems every night.

In addition to his contributions at each end of the ice, Landeskog's leadership will be a tremendous boost to the team.

Even though he's the youngest captain in NHL history, Landeskog's ability to motivate his teammates is quite impressive. He's a fantastic leader whose hard work and effort sets a great example for his teammates to follow.

The Avalanche are in 13th place in the Western Conference with 13 points through 15 games, but they are only four points behind the Dallas Stars, who are in the eighth and final playoff spot.

Landeskog isn't ready to join his teammates for real game action yet, but the progress that he has made in his recovery from a concussion is an encouraging sign for the Avalanche.

Nicholas Goss is an NHL Lead Writer at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter. He was a credentialed reporter at the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and 2012 NHL playoffs.

A pair of former NCAA players teamed up late Wednesday night to lift the Colorado Avalanche to a 1-0 victory over the visiting St. Louis Blues. 

Former University of Michigan defenseman Matt Hunwick fed Dartmouth College alumnus David Jones for a wrist shot that eluded St. Louis goaltender Jarolsav Halak with 16.4 seconds remaining in sudden death. Colorado improved to 7-7-1, while St. Louis fell to 9-7-1.

Hunwick skated across the blue line on the left side and dropped the puck to Jones, who moved forward and then cut to his right before letting go from the top of the left circle and beating Halak on the glove side, just inside the juncture of the post and crossbar.

“I just went to the middle,” said Jones in a post-game interview with Brian Engblom of NBC Sports Network afterwards.  “I don’t know if it hit something, but it felt real good.”

The puck may have deflected off the stick of St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, a former Boston University blueliner, but it still lifted the Avs to the win and gave Jones his first goal in 10 games.

Jones now has two goals and three assists for five points in 13 games with Colorado this year. A ninth round draft choice of the Avalanche in 2003, the Ontario native played three years at Dartmouth where he collected 44 goals and 48 assists for 92 points in 100 contests from 2004 to 2007.

Jones turned pro in 2007-08 with Lake Erie (AHL) and joined the Avs for good later that season. In 252 career NHL games, he now has 69-53—122 points, including a pair of 20-goal campaigns.

Hunwick played four years at Michigan, where he posted 24-73—97 points in 163 games from 2003 to 2007, and helped the Wolverines to four NCAA Tournament berths. A seventh-round selection of the Boston Bruins in 2004, he joined the Avalanche in 2010-11 and has collected 16-46—62 points in 259 career NHL contests. His assist on Jones' goal was his first point in 11 games this season.

Colorado will now visit the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon. The Avs are just one point behind the Kings, who sit in 10th place in the Western Conference and are tied with the Minnesota Wild.

Ryan O’Reilly may soon be a member of the New York Rangers.

The Colorado Avalanche have stumbled to come to an agreement on a new contract for the restricted free agent who led the team in points just a year ago. O’Reilly, who played in Russia during the NHL lockout, has rejected every offer the Avs have presented him with.

The stalemate has to end eventually, and as time drags on, it becomes more and more likely that Colorado decides to trade the young center instead of hoping that he signs on the dotted line to play for them anytime in the near future.

Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports that, “because of an impasse in negotiations between O’Reilly and the Avs, the team is listening to trade offers.”

It appears that one of the teams interested in acquiring one of the top two-way centers in the league is New York. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News confirmed the interest:

That dearth of consistent centers is also why, according to a Friday report the Daily News has confirmed, the Rangers are one of several teams who have shown interest in restricted free agent center Ryan O’Reilly, 22, who appears more likely to leave the Colorado Avalanche via trade or offer sheet than to re-sign with the Western Conference club.

So what could Colorado get from the Rangers if New York really wanted to get its hands on O’Reilly?

Elliotte Friedman said during Hockey Night in Canada (h/t Adrian Dater of the Denver Post) that Colorado asked for Michael Del Zotto and another prospect that could have been either Chris Kreider or J.T. Miller. Dater notes that Colorado is clearly trying to get the best deal possible if it’s going to give up on trying to re-sign him.

Del Zotto is a good defenseman who would provide a major boost to Colorado’s lackluster defense. The Avs are tied for the second-fewest points in the NHL and have given up an average of 2.92 goals per game this season, 19th in the league.

Part of Colorado’s problem is that the defense hasn’t played well whatsoever. Careless mistakes are constantly being made and goals by the opposition are being scored because of them. The Avs also don’t have a goal from a defenseman this season, the only team in the NHL without one.

Several players are banged up and it doesn’t seem like things will get better.

Del Zotto would at least give the Avalanche another option that has the potential of putting the puck in the net. Erik Johnson is currently Colorado’s top two-way defenseman, but he only has one point in 11 games and no goals on 21 shots.

Looking past Del Zotto, acquiring Kreider or Miller would be enormous for the Avs. Both are two of New York’s best prospects and they’ve already seen time on NHL ice. There isn’t a waiting period if Colorado lands one of the two. They can make an immediate impact in the daily lineup for the Avs.

Colorado already has a ton of young talent, but adding more couldn’t hurt. The Avs could end up having a team that features Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, P.A. Parenteau, Joey Hishon, Michael Sgarbossa, Stefan Elliott, Duncan Siemens and either Kreider or Miller, among others.

That, right there, is a team with a bunch of talent and a bunch of potential.

Obviously, O’Reilly brings a lot to the table when he’s on the ice, but if Colorado really wanted him on the ice, he’d be there. The Avs have the money to bring him back, but it appears that the bridges have already been burned.

If the Rangers are willing to give up Del Zotto and Miller or Kreider, Colorado general manager Greg Sherman needs to pull the trigger immediately.