Colorado Avalanche 2009 Season Preview, Picks & Odds

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Colorado Avalanche 2008-’09 record:
32-45-5, 69 points (5th in Northwest, 15th in West)

Colorado Avalanche 2008-’09 playoffs:
Did not qualify

Last year was a very tough season for the Avalanche. Captain Joe Sakic was injured in a freak snow blower accident and only played in 15 games and young star Peter Statsny only played half of the season after falling to injury as well. Unsurprisingly, the offense suffered in their absence. The Avalanche scored the fewest goals in the entire league last year and only wingers Milan Hejduk and Ryan Smyth scored more than 20 goals! The Avs also finished in the bottom five of the league in goals allowed and fell to the bottom of the Western Conference with a 32-45-5 record, which was the 3 rd worst in the National Hockey League. To cap off a terrible season, Sakic announced his retirement after 19 seasons, leaving the Avalanche with a major leadership void.

Colorado Avalanche 2009 Preview

Colorado Avalanche General manager: Greg Sherman (1st NHL year, 1st team)

Colorado Avalanche Coach: Joe Sacco (1st year, 1st team)

Colorado Avalanche Captain: Adam Foote

Colorado Avalanche Top Returning Scorer: RW Milan Hejduk (27 goals, 32 assists, 59 points)

Colorado Avalanche Top Returning Goalie: Craig Anderson (15-7-5, 2.71, .924)

Colorado Avalanche Key Additions: G Craig Anderson; LW David Koci; D Kyle Quincey; D Tom Preissing.

Colorado Avalanche Key Subtractions: C Joe Sakic; G Andrew Raycroft; RW Ian Laperriere; C Tyler Arnason; LW Ryan Smyth; D Lawrence Nycholat; C Ben Guite; C Nathan Smith; C Cody McCormick; D Daniel Tjarnqvist.

Colorado Avalanche Top Line: LW T.J. Hensick, C Paul Stastny, RW Milan Hejduk

Colorado Avalanche Top Defensive Pairing: Kyle Quincey, Adam Foote

Up front, there is no question that the top two centers on the team going into the year will be Statsny and Duchene. Expect a combination of Tyler Arnason, T.J. Hensick and Cody McCormick to fill in behind them but none appear to be more than your average muckers and grinders. As for proven scoring options at wing, Hejduk and Wolski seem to be the only two goal scorers, though Marek Svatos has the potential to be a 20 goal man. There is a clear lack of depth up front and the Avalanche will struggle to produce goals once more.

Defensively, there are some good pieces in Preissing, Quincey, John-Michael Liles and Ruslan Salei. Veterans Scott Hannan and Adam Foote are slower but should provide solid depth for the Avs and it wouldn’t be hard to argue that their defense is the deeper of the skating units. However, Foote is on the downside of his career and Hannan logged a team-worst minus 21 rating last fall. Needless to say, the Avs won’t be among the stingiest teams in the league this year.

In goal, Peter Budaj is expected to be the team’s starting goaltender once more, though his backup will now be the newly acquired Craig Anderson. But make no mistake; Budaj’s play will largely define the Avs’ ability to stay in many games this year. However, Budaj isn’t a lock as the Avs’ goalie of the future and his contract is up after this season, so his longevity in Colorado will be defined by his performance.

Overall, there are a number of major concerns surrounding the Avalanche this year. They’re extremely young, highly inexperienced, and most of their veterans are entering the last season of their contracts. While the defense might be improved thanks to the Smyth trade, there is next to no depth up front. What will happen when Colorado inevitably trades away veterans like Foote, Svatos, Salei and Hejduk?

Colorado appears to be planning to move most of their expensive veterans during the year and it would be surprising if the mixed group in Denver produced a playoff contender this season. Expect the Avs to begin dealing their high-priced veterans beginning in January after they’ve fallen behind in the standings and begin a full-fledged youth movement in earnest surrounding the core of Duchene, Statsny and their young defensemen.

2009 Colorado Avalanche Goaltending:

Strong play as Tomas Vokoun’s understudy in Florida the past two seasons paid off in free agency for Anderson, who gets his first chance to be the go-to goalie with the Avs. Very poised butterfly netminder is athletic and about as technically sound as they come. Aggressive netminder who tends to over commit at times has improved that aspect of his game.

2009 Colorado Avalanche Player To Watch:

C Matt Duchene. He grew up idolizing the Avs and now gets the chance to wear the jersey. Third overall pick in 2009 entry draft will be expected to have immediate impact on rebuilding club. Helped Brampton reach OHL final last season, with 31-48-79 totals in 57 games and 14 more tallies in playoffs. Undersized (5-foot-10, 200 pounds), but is a dynamic playmaker and exceptionally quick on his skates.

2009 Colorado Avalanche Offense:

The Avalanche missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 1994 when the team was still the Quebec Nordiques.

Colorado Avalanche 2009 Season Predictions

The Sakic era is over and the Sacco era has begun. The departure of the Avs’ longtime captain and the insertion of NHL newcomer Sacco behind the bench and Sherman in the front office isn’t merely a sign of change, it’s the start of a long winter in Denver.

We predict that the Colorado Avalanche will finish 5th in the NHL Northwest, 15th seed in West: 63 points.

Colorado Avalanche Betting

Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup Odds: +6000
Colorado Avalanche Western Conference Odds: +3000
Colorado Avalanche Northwest Odds: +1500

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