Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche is a nominee for the 2010 Calder Trophy, awarded every season to the NHL Rookie of the Year. The other nominees are Detroit’s Jimmy Howard and Buffalo’s Tyler Myers. The next three articles will be taking a closer look at these nominees, and who should win the prestigious award.
We’ll start by looking at Jimmy Howard.

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Why He Should Win: Put up excellent stats for a rookie goaltender, comparable to Steve Mason’s rookie year, when he won the Calder Trophy last year. He was pretty consistent, and was a top ten goalie in wins [...]

First of all, take a look at this new site design! Not too shabby, eh? The Bests are doing a great job running the Fansided network, and their continued dedication to the best sports blog network on the internet is inspiring.
Now that all the brown-nosing is finished, let’s talk hockey.
Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks, the 2010 Stanley Cup Champions! The series was intense, and game six was a nail-biter. I’ve always felt that sudden death overtime victory to win the Stanley Cup had to be one of the most dramatic moments in all of sports. Uwe Krupp’s goal in triple [...]

Dylan McIlrath – Moose Jaw Warriors – WHL   6′5″  215 lbs.
The Colorado Avalanche has had a problem filling the need for a # 1 defenseman since Rob Blake opted for free agency back in 2006.
In those four years, never was it more apparent than when the San Jose Sharks manhandled us in the playoffs this year. I’m not talking about dominating the series itself (though they did a pretty good job of that too), I’m talking about the physical play. All six of the games we played against each other, they proved to be the bigger, stronger, meaner team [...]

According to the club’s official website, the Colorado Avalanche have announced that they have re-signed Peter Budaj and David Koci to one-year deals.

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I have always felt that Budaj would be a competent back-up for the Avs, and I’m not too surprised they re-signed him for another year. He seems to be one of those goaltenders who can play really well despite going through long breaks in playing time. He’s always prepared and he’s just an all-around nice guy. One thing I will say is that I certainly hope Joe Sacco can start trusting Budaj a little bit more [...]

Over the next few days, as the Fansided Network’s 2010 NHL Mock Entry Draft gets into full swing, I will be profiling a player at each position that, as a humble hockey fan, I would want to see drafted by the Colorado Avalanche. These are players that I believe not only would help this team as it mucks along in its rebuild, but also players that I think will realistically still be available by the time the Avs pick at 17th.
We’re starting today at goaltender, because that’s my favorite position.
Jack Campbell – US NTDP 6′3″  175 lbs.
This guy has had [...]

The Colorado Avalanche have announced that Adam Foote will return as captain for the 2010-2011 season.
Foote had originally signed a two-year deal with us after the trade that saw us send a first round pick to get him from Columbus. He announced his intention to return soon after the season, and it is now official. He has inked a one-year deal with the club, a deal that will likely be his last before retirement.
In my opinion, he willingly and eagerly took a job last season that nobody wanted. Who could possibly fill the captaincy after Joe Sakic? Well, despite rumors [...]

The Colorado Avalanche have officially made their first moves in building the team for the 2010-2011 season.
The team announced that they have signed two young defensemen, Joel Chouinard of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey Leauge and Jonas Holos of the Swedish Elite League.
Both players were drafted in the 6th round of the 2008 draft, and their signings indicate our continued success in the draft recently, especially with defensemen. Chouinard led all QMJHL defensemen in goals this season with 23 and had 68 points in 65 games this season for the Victoriaville Tigres. He was a finalist for the [...]

Well, the draft this year won’t be nearly as exciting for Avs fans as it was last year — and what a great feeling that is!
Nevertheless, the draft is fast approaching, and while four teams still fight for the chance to lift the Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche has now shifted its focus to the top prospects of 2010. There’s no question at this point that Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin are the first two picks of the draft. After that, however, things get a little more subjective. At the 17th spot, the Avs are kind of in a [...]