Colorado Avalanche

There’s only about a week until the Colorado Avalanche are expected to kick off the 2013 season and the storylines are already starting to take shape.

It still has yet to be officially announced when and where Colorado will open the season, but Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reported that the Avs may be in Minnesota to take on the Wild.

But before the season can start, plenty of things have to happen.

While the team was participating in a captain’s practice in Colorado on Friday, head coach Joe Sacco took some time to speak with members of the media about the upcoming season (via Mike Chambers of The Denver Post).

Ryan O’Reilly’s Contract Status

Ryan O’Reilly means a great deal to Colorado and losing him would be drastically detrimental to the overall caliber of the Avs. He’s currently a restricted free agent without a new deal in place for 2013.

“He is not available, and that’s a situation that will be with Greg Sherman, our general manager, and Ryan’s representatives,” Sacco said. “I think you all know how I feel about Ryan. He’s a good teammate. He’s a good player. From a coaching standpoint, we have 26 players here in camp, so it’s not much different when you have a guy injured. My focus is on the 26 guys that I have available.”

It’s unclear as to when O’Reilly’s representatives and Sherman can begin negotiating a new contract for one of Colorado’s top forwards, but once they do, things might not happen so quickly.

Chambers reports (via Adrian Dater of The Denver Post) that O’Reilly is seeking a five-year deal and Colorado is offering just three years. In essence, these negotiations might not be as smooth as one would hope.

O’Reilly was Colorado’s points leader in 2011-12 with 18 goals and 37 assists.

Who Makes the Roster?

Of the 26 players in attendance on Friday, six were players from Colorado’s AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. The team’s official Twitter noted that those players were Tyson Barrie, Stefan Elliott, Mark Olver, Patrick Bordeleau, Mike Sgarbossa and David Van der Gulik.

Sgarbossa is tied for the most goals on Lake Erie with 13 and sits second behind Andrew Agozzino in points with 28. Barrie, Van der Gulik and Olver all follow Sgarbossa in points with 27, 23 and 22, respectively. Bordeleau has accumulated seven points in 29 games for the Monsters.

Elliot hasn’t had a very good year with Lake Erie—racking up eight points in 33 games with a minus-five plus/minus rating. Despite the poor numbers, 48.4 percent of voters recently felt that he has the best shot at playing in the NHL this season over Duncan Siemens and Sgarbossa.

Per the team's Twitter account, Sacco said, “There will be some healthy internal competition on the ice for [roster] spots.”

With an overload of defensemen already expected to make the team, it will be tough for Elliott to sneak on. As it looks now, Sgarbossa most likely has the best shot at cutting the Avs' final roster.

What Will the Lines Look Like?

It’s going to be interesting to see what the lines will look like once the Avs take the ice next weekend, especially if O’Reilly is still unsigned.

“I’m going to try some different combinations over the next 5 days,” said Sacco (via Twitter). “It will play itself out.”

The first line of forwards is what’s really going to be up for debate until Colorado plays its season-opener. One combination that could work—without O’Reilly—would be Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene and P.A. Parenteau. Parenteau and Downie could also end up being wingers alongside of O’Reilly and Landeskog.

If O’Reilly does end up signing before the start of the season, he’d be a great candidate to play on the first line. If he is on the front line, he’ll likely play with Jamie McGinn and whoever isn’t on Duchene’s line, which could mean Landeskog, Downie or Parenteau.

As the season draws nearer, we may get a better picture from Sacco as to who will play on which line.

After several months of pain and suffering, Gabriel Landeskog will finally get the opportunity to skate at the Pepsi Center as the captain of the Colorado Avalanche.

The recent lockout had prevented Colorado from taking the ice, but now that a new collective bargaining agreement has been agreed upon—although not ratified yet—the Avalanche will soon take the ice. Adrian Dater of The Denver Post reports that Colorado’s season will likely start on January 19, but that hasn’t been confirmed by the NHL yet:

If camp opens Friday—and that’s the day I think they will, but it might be Saturday—then I think it’s a lead-pipe cinch the Avs’ season will open on either the 19th or 20th. I’ll go with the 19th because I don’t think NBC will want to feature the Avs on their opening Sunday of games—no offense and all.

No matter what day the Avs start the season, Landeskog will still be the captain. Coach Joe Sacco and former captain Milan Hejduk told Landeskog that he’d be the next Colorado captain in early September, making him the youngest captain in NHL history (via NHL.com).

The promotion was well-warranted after a miraculous first year for the Swedish forward. Landeskog played in all 82 games last season, scoring 22 times and racking up 30 assists. He was later named the winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the top rookie in the league.

But after such a successful rookie campaign, how will Landeskog play in his sophomore season—especially since Colorado will be playing 48 games instead of 82? Here are a few predictions on his point totals for the upcoming year.

Goals: 16

Landeskog led all Colorado skaters with 22 goals last season on a team-high 270 shots—80 more than Paul Stastny who had the second-most on the team.

Landeskog loves to shoot the puck at the net, and that’s shown in his shot total from last season. But to put that number in context, Landeskog had the 15th-most shots in the NHL in 2011-12 (via NHL.com). Unfortunately, however, he didn’t have a very high shooting percentage. Only 8.1 percent of his shots found the back of the next.

With a full season under Landeskog’s belt, I expect him to improve that shot percentage. I predict that he will take around 158 shots during the 2013 season and beat the goalie 16 times. Based on those values, Landeskog’s shot percentage would increase about two percent to 10.1.

Assists: 22

Landeskog had the third-most assists on Colorado last season with 30. He was mainly playing alongside linemate Ryan O’Reilly for the entire season, while also taking the ice with Daniel Winnik—who was eventually traded—and Steve Downie—who was acquired midseason.

With the offseason signing of P.A. Parenteau, Mike Chambers of The Denver Post projects the Landeskog-O’Reilly-Downie line to remain unchanged—but note that O’Reilly has yet to be re-signed.

O’Reilly is one of the best weapons Colorado has had, and bringing him back would really help Landeskog out. Downie didn’t play much since he was acquired so late in the season, but he would also provide value to Landeskog’s progression as a hockey player.

Neither O’Reilly nor Downie are big goal scorers, but Landeskog will still be able to get them the puck to create opportunities to find the back of the net. I believe that the Landeskog-O’Reilly-Downie line will be the most productive during the 2013 season, and most of that will be credited toward Landeskog’s ability to make plays for his teammates.

Final Predictions: 16 Goals, 22 Assists, 38 Points

Whenever the NHL and the NHLPA agree on a new collective bargaining agreement, Semyon Varlamov will be the starting goalie for the Colorado Avalanche.

Last year—his first with the Avs—Varlamov went 26-24-3 with a 2.59 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. The 24-year-old is under contract with Colorado through the 2013-14 season, but needs experience.

This current lockout has prevented him from playing in the NHL, so he took his talents overseas. Mike Chambers of The Denver Post reported that once the preseason was canceled, Varlamov was off to play in Europe:

Varlamov signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a team in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. It is the same team he played for before jumping to the NHL with the Washington Capitals in 2008.

The Avalanche netminder had been playing well in Russia, until he suffered a knee injury caused by a collision with Sergei Shirokov of CSKA, according to Adrian Dater of The Denver Post.

After missing a few weeks with the sidelining injury, Varlamov returned and played well in his first game back. He saved 24-of-25 shots on net for Yaroslavl in a 4-1 victory.

In 15 games this season for Lokomotiv, Varlamov has been standing on his head in net. He’s saved 453-of-477 shots his way for a .950 save percentage while only allowing 1.66 goals per game. If those numbers can translate back to the NHL once the Avs are back in session, Colorado is in extremely good shape.

But Colorado should be wary of the knee injury that he sustained in Russia. The details weren’t clear on what exactly happened or how serious the injury was. It could have been no big deal and he may have just needed some rest, but that hasn’t been confirmed.

As Dater points out, Varlamov has had knee issues in the past (via Greg Schimmel of The Washington Post). Back with the Capitals during the 2010-11 season, Varlamov missed considerable time with an apparent knee injury. After a Feb. 20 win over the Buffalo Sabres, he only played in three more games the rest of the regular season—missing about a month’s time.

The Avs are set up quite well just in case something is wrong with Varlamov’s knee once he returns. Jean-Sebastian Giguere is a fine backup and is also under contract through the 2013-14 season.

Colorado also has a slew of goalie prospects awaiting a chance to play in the NHL. Calvin Pickard and Sami Aittokallio are both playing for Colorado’s AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, while Kent Patterson and Kieran Millan have been with the Denver Cutthroats of the Central Hockey League—also an affiliate of the Avs.

Dater recently caught up with Colorado’s vice president of player development Craig Billington to talk about the Avs’ young goalies:

I’m very encouraged by what I’m seeing from all of them, and how that position is in our organization right now. They’ve all had their moments. You see all four making strides. It’s all their first year of pro, and it’s not an easy task. But they’re all making contributions.

Now hopefully Varlamov will be completely healthy when he returns to the Avalanche, but each of these four prospects—along with Giguere—will be waiting for his opportunity to start for Colorado if Varlamov's not.

If the NHL and NHLPA are able to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement and there’s a shortened season, the Colorado Avalanche will likely look to some of their top young prospects.

Of course, Colorado will still have its stars on the ice such as Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Erik Johnson, but seeing some new faces wouldn’t hurt.

Since there will not be an 82-game season this year, it’s going to be tough for the Avalanche compete. Colorado probably won’t be playing many out-of-conference opponents. Instead, the Avs will likely be taking on more of their Northwest Division foes.

That means playing the revamped Minnesota Wild—who are now one of the top teams in the NHL after landing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter—more often as well as the Vancouver Canucks.

Making the playoffs is going to be extremely tough with a shortened season despite missing the 2011-12 postseason by seven points.

Due to the toughness of finishing in the top eight of the Western Conference, it makes sense for Colorado to use the condensed schedule as a time for its younger players to develop.

Here are some players who could get their feet wet with the Avs in 2013:

Duncan Siemens, Defenseman, Saskatoon Blades

Duncan Siemens is arguably the top prospect under Colorado’s control.

In his first full season with the Saskatoon Blades, Siemens racked up 10 points in 57 games—a fair point total considering he’s a defenseman. But Siemens erupted the next season for 43 points in 72 games. He slowed a little last season, totaling 28 points with a career-high six goals in 57 games for the Blades.

During the lockout, Siemens returned to Saskatoon has been playing decently. He has one goal and 10 assists through 33 games.

It would have been nice for Siemens to play for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships, but that didn’t happen, according to the Canadian Press (via The Star Phoenix):

Defenseman Duncan Siemens, who was drafted in the first round by Colorado in 2011 and playing in November’s Canada-Russia Subway Series, was also under consideration but did not make the cut.

Despite not making Team Canada, there’s a decent chance that Siemens could play with Colorado if there’s a season. He may, however, finish the season with Saskatoon and then come to the Avs—or Lake Erie Monsters—for the 2013-14 season.

Michael Sgarbossa, Forward, Lake Erie Monsters

One of the smartest moves Colorado made last season was trading Daniel Winnik, T.J. Galiardi and a draft pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jamie McGinn, Mike Connolly and Michael Sgarbossa.

Sgarbossa was still playing for the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League at the time, but he was playing incredibly. Sgarbossa finished the season with 47 goals and 55 assists in just 66 games for the Wolves—averaging about 1.5 points per game.

In fact, Sgarbossa's points per game average actually decreased after spending the second half of the 2010-11 season with the Wolves. During that campaign, he had 62 points in 37 games which works out roughly to 1.7 points per game.

Even though the NHL is locked out, Sgarbossa likely would have started the season with the Lake Erie Monsters—where he has been playing instead of Sudbury.

Through 31 games with the Monsters, Sgarbossa has scored 12 goals and tallied 15 assists. It has taken some time for him to adjust, but there’s no reason to doubt he will be a great talent once he reaches Colorado.

Stefan Elliott, Defenseman, Lake Erie Monsters

Stefan Elliott may have the best shot to make the Avs come the season opener just because he’s played in the NHL before.

Elliott played in 39 games for Colorado during the 2011-12 season, scoring four times and totaling nine assists. He is another prospect who has played for the Saskatoon Blades, completing four seasons with them. He finished the 2010-11 season with the Blades with 81 points in 71 games.

What’s been troubling for Elliott is that he hasn’t played well during the lockout with the Lake Erie Monsters. Through 30 games, he’s scored three times and has five assists, but hasn’t played well on either side of the puck.

“Stats don’t always tell the whole story,” said Avalanche vice president of player development Craig Billington (via The Denver Post). "I think Stefan has played really well the past few weeks. I saw him last night and I though he played well. He had a slow start.

The American Hockey League is a very good level of hockey and very challenging. He’s still learning. I think he’s on the right side of the curve if you will. It’s going to work out just fine. He’s a good evaluator of his own play. He’ll keep learning.”

Based off of what Billington said, as long as Elliott can continue to play hard there should be a spot on Colorado’s roster once the season begins. He doesn’t have to score a lot of be a part of a lot of goals in order to make the team.

On June 24, 2011, Gabriel Landeskog pulled a Colorado Avalanche jersey over his head, becoming the team’s first-round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

On September 4, 2012, the Avalanche decided to stitch an extra letter onto that jersey: a "C."

Landeskog became the youngest player to ever be named captain of a franchise at 19 years, 286 days old, 11 days younger than Pittsburgh superstar Sidney Crosby (USA Today).

The move is one that many people might consider risky, but the Avalanche seem unafraid of entrusting their team’s future to a sophomore whose leadership skills have already made him the focal point of the once-proud franchise.

This trail of young leadership has been blazed heavily in the last 12 years, beginning with Vincent Lecavalier in 2000. Lecavalier was named captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning at age 19, at the time the youngest captain in NHL history.

In 2007, immediately following the conclusion of his sophomore season, Crosby became the youngest captain in league history. Crosby, of course, was seen as a natural leader going back long before he was drafted into the NHL, and neither the decision nor its unprecedented timing surprised anyone in the hockey world, especially since the captaincy had been vacant since Mario Lemieux’s retirement 16 months prior while Crosby matured.

More quietly in 2008, Jonathan Toews was named the third-youngest captain in NHL history when he accepted the “C” on his Chicago Blackhawks jersey. Toews was just over 20 years old at the time.

Landeskog is not only in a very exclusive class of young captains, he joins an incredibly successful one. Each team appears to have made the right choice putting its faith in their respective young leaders.

Toews would lead his team to the Stanley Cup in 2010 and capture the Conn Smythe Trophy as the best playoff performer, a run that would end a 49-year championship drought for the Blackhawks.

Crosby would likewise only need two years as captain to lead his Penguins to a championship. The Pens lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, but defeated those same Red Wings in 2009 as Crosby became the youngest captain in history to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Lecavalier’s Lightning would likewise win a Stanley Cup within a few years of appointing their baby-faced captain. The team would capture the Cup in 2004, just over four years after Lecavalier was given the “C.”

It is worth noting that, in the case of Lecavalier, he was not captain at the time the team won the Cup. Head coach John Tortorella stripped Lecavalier of the role during a contract holdout.

Still, Landeskog’s company cannot be described as anything but successful: three young captains, three Stanley Cups within four seasons of the decision.

For fans and analysts nervous about the decision to put a 19-year-old in a role once occupied by Joe Sakic and Adam Foote, the precedent seems to work in Landeskog’s favor.

No 19-year-old would ever be given the reins to the team flippantly; if the Avalanche see Landeskog as the best leader in their locker room, there is no doubt that head coach Joe Sacco has a good reason to do it.

The initial suggestion was even made by the reigning captain himself, Milan Hejduk (source: NHL.com). For a 14-year veteran to unilaterally decide to hand the “C” over to a 19-year-old speaks volumes about Landeskog’s character and capabilities.

No team would ever make this move to grab a quick headline. The Avalanche are committed to turning their young roster into a lineup of champions as quickly as possible.

The selection of Landeskog may be unexpected and unorthodox, but it is not unwarranted and success after the fact is not unprecedented.

Avalanche fans can rejoice in the new face of their franchise, and fans everywhere else can watch the Avalanche’s return to glory begin.

Landeskog will have to prove why he deserves to be captain of the franchise, and he will have to prove that he can lead the team to a championship. But critics of the decision to anoint him so young are blind to everything that he has already proven to the Colorado Avalanche.

Less than two weeks before the current collective bargaining agreement expires on September 15th, and with the dark prospect of another NHL lockout looming, Colorado Avalanche fans got some surprising news today.

Milan Hejduk has reportedly relinquished his role as Colorado Avalanche captain and management has subsequently named incumbent Calder Trophy winner Gabriel Landeskog the team's new captain.

Hejduk spent less than a full season as captain, being named on November 14th of last year.  No real reason has been given for Hejduk's decision to step down from the role, but he did experience career lows in goals and points last year and it's certainly reasonable to surmise that Hejduk wanted to get back to just focusing on hockey at this point of his career and not have the added pressure of being the team's leader.

He along with Paul Stastny will remain alternate captains for the Avs.

Landeskog is now the youngest captain in NHL history.  At 19 years, 286 days, he is 11 days younger than Sidney Crosby, who was 19 years, 297 days when he was named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 31, 2007.  Not bad for Landy to be mentioned along with Crosby, who is unquestionably one of the game's most talented players today.

Even before he was drafted by the Avs second overall in 2011, phrases like "mature beyond his years," "NHL-ready," and "leader" were used to describe the young Swede.  Less than two years ago, Landeskog became the first European-born player to be named captain of his OHL team, the Kitchener Rangers, so Landeskog's leadership abilities were certainly present before he entered the NHL.

Landeskog's rookie campaign was certainly a success.  He led all rookies in scoring as well as finishing very high in other categories such as hits and plus/minus and earned himself the Calder Trophy for the NHL's rookie of the year.  Although if you ask Landeskog about his rookie year, his answer would be that he would have preferred to make the playoffs. 

No one can question the young 19-year-old's maturity, work ethic and talent that has already made him a success in the NHL and he has all the tools and abilities to propel himself and the team much further.  Unlike Adam Foote and Milan Hejduk, who were placeholder captains, Landeskog has the potential to wear the "C" for the next two decades. 

Landeskog is certainly a great choice to don the "C" and it is good that Sacco and company made the decision immediately rather than dragging it out for months like they did last year before finally giving it to Hejduk.

However, Landy was certainly not the only choice to succeed Hejduk.  The Avs are full of young, talented, up-and-coming players.  All of whom could have made a case to get the captaincy.

First and foremost is veteran center Paul Stastny.  Like Landeskog, Stastny blossomed young and was thought by many to be the next leader and superstar of the Avs and he has already worn the "A" for several years.  However, Stastny's best years have come when he was the second line center behind Joe Sakic and Stastny has shown that he is a solid No. 2 NHL center, but has not elevated his game to a No. 1 status. 

Former No. 1 overall pick Erik Johnson has worn the "A" with his former team, the St. Louis Blues as well as with Colorado.  He is thought to be the defensive anchor of the team and will have to be a great leader of the defense on and off the ice.  Johnson has yet to tap into his full potential which is why he was not given the "C," but his new $15 million extension proves that the Avs still believe he can and will succeed.  Expect him to don the "A" in the event of an injury and eventually get it long-term.

Ryan O'Reilly is fast becoming legendary for his work ethic on and off the ice.  He is always the first guy on and last guy off the ice.  Last season, his hard work began to payoff on the stat sheet and he saw himself become the Avs' leading scorer.  O'Reilly is just 21-years-old and has already shown tremendous leadership abilities.  Many thought O'Reilly would naturally be Hejduk's successor.  However, he currently remains the only player unsigned, but he will not holdout.  If camps start on time next month, he will be there.

Until the Avs got Landeskog with the second overall pick, the team's highest selection to date had been Matt Duchene.  The most offensively gifted player of the Avs roster, Duchene earned himself a Calder nomination his rookie year as well as an All-Star Game appearance and the team's leading scorer in his sophomore campaign.  Injuries plagues his third season, but with a big hometown discount on his new contract, Duchene should be hungrier than ever to succeed.  I have no doubt Duchene can earn himself an "A" in the future. 

Hockey, more than any other sport, relies on its captains to lead the teams on and off the ice.  If you look at any successful NHL club, its captain is an integral part of its success.  Whether it's scoring big goals, making a big hit or just leading by example with all the intangibles of the game, Gabriel Landeskog will put a "C" on his sweater and lead the Colorado Avalanche for hopefully many, many years to come.

With all of the news around the NHL surrounding the impending lockout, and all of the news surrounding the Colorado Avalanche revolving around when Ryan O'Reilly will be signed, today's announcement by the Avalanche qualifies as a bit of a bombshell.

The Avalanche have named second-year star Gabriel Landeskog captain after a fantastic rookie season.

This makes Landeskog the youngest captain in the league, and the youngest in the history of the NHL at just 19 years and 286 days old, according to the team.

It's fair to say that this news is a bit of a surprise, especially since we all know that Milan Hejduk, the team's previous captain, had been signed for another season early in the summer.

According to the team's press release (via Avalanche.nhl.com), "Hejduk informed the coaching staff that he was relinquishing his role" as team captain, which led coach Joe Sacco to this spot.

First impressions on this are that Hejduk made absolutely the right move and this was actually something that I discussed on The Burgundy Brigade Podcast a couple of months ago.

Since being named captain last season, Hejduk really wasn't productive, got dropped to the fourth line, saw his ice-time diminish to under 10 minutes per game and just looked old for the first time in his career.

It was time for him to step up to his teammates and say that it wasn't his time to be the leader anymore, it was time for the young core to take on the leadership role of this team and move ahead with it, and that seems to be exactly what he did.

Second, people might wonder why on earth Ryan O'Reilly wouldn't have been named captain? He has been the fan's clear choice since about November of last season.

That question can likely be answered by the fact that he is still in a contract dispute with the team.

If O'Reilly and the Avalanche weren't still trying to figure out the years on his contract, it's quite possible that Sacco sends the C over to him.

Third, this is still the right move for the next captain. It's a little bit earlier than really anybody would likely have expected, but it's the right move.

Ever since people were touting Landeskog as one of the top prospects coming into the NHL Entry Draft, one of the first things people would mention about him is his leadership ability and how he was destined to become an NHL captain.

His play on the ice and the way he carries himself off the ice only furthered this assertion as people saw how calm, collected, mature and intense this young man is. You just had the feeling that, despite the fact he can't yet legally drink in the United States, you were standing in the presence of a leader.

Some guys this age would shrink under the pressure of being told you are the face of the franchise at this young of an age, but Landeskog is the right type of person for this.

He's the type of person that wants this kind of responsibility and it will elevate his game. It will make him feel bigger, play better, work harder and be more vocal. 

The team will want to begin to rally around him and play the game like him, and that is absolutely what you want out of your captain.

Milan Hejduk was absolutely right to step down, and Gabriel Landeskog is the perfect choice to be the captain of this young team.

This will be the first year of what will be a long reign for Landeskog as the captain of the Colorado Avalanche.

We are getting close to the one-month countdown to the start of the NHL season.

Here is a look at how the teams in the Northwest Division spent their summer and what they will be bringing to the table this season.

Edmonton Oilers:

Let’s start in Edmonton, the epitome of youthful skill, where the Oilers had the first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft for the third year in a row.

The selection of Russian dynamo Nail Yakupov, coupled with the recent re-signing of both Jordan Eberle and 2010 first overall pick Taylor Hall will give the Oilers two young gun scoring lines that will frustrate opposing goaltenders for the foreseeable future.

The only weak spot in Edmonton is in net, where Devin Dubnyk will have to do his best to not let the puck in too many times so his team can score more than the other guys. Winning every game 7-5 is still winning, right?

Vancouver Canucks:

The complete opposite can be found in Vancouver. The Canucks are fast becoming the definition of consistency, with an excellent balance of talent and experience to carry them to success.

The Vancouver Canucks are coming off a trip to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011 and a President’s Trophy in 2012. Although they dealt with goaltending issues last season, those seem to have been handled, and I expect to see Cory Schneider in the Vancouver net for the majority of this season.

The Canucks lost some of their gritty style of play that gave them success in the 2011 playoffs, but were still able to dominate the NHL. If they can put the finesse style that won them the President’s Trophy with a hard checking style, forget the division, they could be contending for another run at the Cup.

Minnesota Wild:

If there was a trophy for winning the offseason, it would go to Minnesota. The Wild had a good core of players last year, but injuries eventually led to an early end to their season.

The addition of the two hottest free agents, Zach Parise and Ryan Sutter, will make the Wild better all over the ice. Both players play an all-around game and are equally talented at lighting the lamp at one end and keeping the puck out of the net at the other.

Depth was a real issue in Minnesota last season. If the Wild can stay healthy, they can challenge for home ice in the playoffs.

Colorado Avalanche:

Hockey fans in Colorado have discovered that life is not all Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy and Stanley Cup parades.

In their first five years in Colorado, the Avs won two Cups. In the 10 years since, they have steadily declined from contender to playoff team to “boy, I sure hope we get in this year.”

It’s hard to pin blame on anything or anyone for the decline, so let’s do the popular move and blame the NHL. Their ridiculous idea of giving worse teams higher draft picks has completely crippled good teams like the Avalanche. How dare they.

Calgary Flames:

The Flames are dealing with a crisis of conscience. The divide between whether or not they should support old loyalties at the risk of declining talent may come back to bite them, especially since the rest of the division seems to have figured out how to balance youthful skill and aged experience.

Exhibits A and B are aging stars Jarome Iginla and Mikka Kiprusoff. While they both might have enough left in the tank for a few more years, the lack of a contingency plan for the future is starting to raise eyebrows in Cowtown.

Unless the Flames have some master plan they have so far hidden from the world, they will be hard pressed to finish even close to the playoffs this season.

What most Avalanche fans expected to be the first priority for the team during this offseason has now dragged on nearly into September.

With less than a month until the impending lockout, the Colorado Avalanche have yet to re-sign star forward, Ryan O'Reilly.

Well, some news surfaced a couple of days ago that might help to explain why it is taking a little bit more time for this deal to get done.

Mike Chambers, of The Denver Post, reported that Ryan O'Reilly wants to sign a five-year extension with the Avalanche.

Word is he wants a five-year deal and the Avs are only offering three. He figures to make between $3 million and $4.5 million annually.

While five years seems like a good number for a guy that exploded onto the scene, and many Avalanche fans in the Twitterverse have expressed a desire to see O'Reilly locked up long term, there are some down sides to that.

In a previous article, I predicted that Ryan O'Reilly would likely be given a three-year contract at about $3 million a year for a salary cap, which seems to be the what the Avalanche are offering.

My reasoning for this was very simple:

The team wants him to play hard for the next two seasons and prove that his performance this year is the type of thing that the team can expect from him year in and year out.

The team will also want to guarantee that O'Reilly will still be a restricted free agent when his next contract ends so that they will continue to retain the same bargaining power with him that they currently have.

I don't really see the Avalanche moving from that number of three years specifically because of the reason mentioned above. They are going to want to make sure O'Reilly is restricted when his next contract comes up.

Anything over three years in his next contract will leave O'Reilly as an unrestricted free agent once that contract ends. 

The only saving grace that might show up for this is if the owners get their way with the next collective bargaining agreement and players must play for 10 years before becoming unrestricted. This seems unlikely, though.

However it goes, at least the Avalanche faithful now have a picture as to why this particular stalemate has taken so long. 

You have to believe that both sides are going to be desperate to get a deal done before the lockout comes along, which seems more and more likely every day, so fans have to hope for a compromise.

I don't think that the money has ever been the issue, and Greg Sherman has done a great job at finding solid dollar values for the contracts he hands out. 

The thing that is making or breaking things right now seems to be the years. If the Avalanche want a deal done, they may have to go above the number that they want and deal with the fact that O'Reilly may have to be unrestricted.

To make certain they get this deal done, the Avalanche may have to offer four years to O'Reilly. That would likely seal the deal.

If nothing else, at least nobody else will be able to offer O'Reilly anything during a lockout.