It’s another installment of Mile High Pollster! Should the Avalanche buck the trend and actually think about load management? How important is it to win the Presidents Trophy and break Boston’s 22’-23’
wins record? What’s Gavin Brindley’s role after the deadline? How good does the power play need to be? Let’s see what the fans think!
Saving Your Pennies
Today is sort of an awkward day to be staking this claim, but the Avalanche have a substantial lead in the division and league, just 46 games into the season. The Avalanche finally fell in defeat at home and in regulation at the hands of Ryan O’Reilly and the Nashville Predators after the longest break they’ve had in a while. Let’s not let recency bias cloud our thinking and ask ourselves whether the Avalanche could afford to give a few guys a night off (appropriately here and there) to get to April with as clean a bill of health as possible? I know, the sacrilege.
Now I know the Avalanche is one of the teams to have won the Presidents’ Trophy the same year as winning the Stanley Cup (2001), but I don’t think the trophy or wins record really means anything to a core group that has already tasted the bubbles from Lord Stanley’s shiny mug. Moreover, I don’t think the Avs should press on usage or rehabilitation to achieve these milestones. No matter how historic or impressive. It’s cup or bust around here.
The Pleasant Suprise of Gavin Brindley
I think it’s safe to say that the surprise of the season so far has been the arrival of Gavin Brindley, who has impressed fans, management, and the coaching staff during his time with the Avalanche. The kid the Avalanche snagged in exchange for Kurtis MacDermid has real staying power and potential if he continues to play the way he has so far. With all that solid work on tape, the Avalanche will undoubtedly make moves to acquire more forward depth before and at the trade deadline. This begs the question: Where does Brindley fit on a team with a bit more forward depth?
Voters say the kid should stick in the bottom six even if and when the Avalanche make their additions. I tend to agree. Brindley is top 10 among Avalanche forwards in P/60 this season, 6th in G/60, and hasn’t been a defensive liability. Kid’s got a motor on him, and every cup contender needs one of those guys!
Powerless Play
The Avalanche have been injured and now have lost two consecutive games, which officially allows some fans and pundits to stand on a not-so-new hill. The Colorado Avalanche power play is really bad.
It’s not even a matter of the Avalanche being stifled by puck luck or shooting percentage problems; this man-advantage unit looks disjointed, struggles to enter and set up, and just feels stuck in the mud. They have to find some answers soon. It has to be better when the playoffs roll around, or else we are going to get a repeat of last season’s exit. How good is good enough to get by that time of year?
The Mile High Hockey Lab has been clamouring for a more fluid power play, both in terms of personnel and approach, for almost five seasons now. MacKinnon, Makar, and Necas are all great players and find their stride in terms of danger while literally striding. The stationary, cross-ice, and bumper-fixed approach simply isn’t working.
I just said MacKinnon, Makar, and Necas, so clearly talent isn’t the issue. Perhaps getting these guys, who thrive on speed and agility, into a power-play system that also thrives on movement and escapability. Just a thought!
Let us know what your answers are in the comments, and be sure to follow us on X for future polls!
