Ron Chenoy – USA Today

The Colorado Avalanche owe the Calgary Flames a huge favor.  They did the work in getting Ryan O’Reilly signed and under contract.

O’Reilly was an RFA hold out, unable to play with his team because of a contract dispute.  Not wanting to see the talents of the young center go to waste, the Calgary Flames stepped in and said, if you don’t want him playing for you, we would gladly take his services.

Not long after the offer sheet was signed, the Colorado Avalanche matched the offer sheet, and Calgary was able to keep their first and third round draft pick.

Was this the right move by the Avalanche?  With the Flames being division rivals of the Av’s – letting O’Reilly walk could have actually put a hurt on the Flames for the future.

With no second round draft pick this year, and no fifth round draft pick – the offer sheet would have limited the Calgary Flames in the draft to selecting only in the fourth, sixth, and seventh rounds.  While yes, they would have had O’Reilly under contract for two years, the development of a first and third round draft pick in this upcoming draft could be important.  Nestled into the bottom of the Northwest division, we would be talking about early round selections.  Colorado would have been stacked in the first round, with potentially two picks in the top six selections of the draft.

Such a draft class would have given the Colorado based hockey club serious leverage on deadline day or even draft day – as they could utilize their picks for impact players, or use them as trade offerings to build their clubs with proven NHL talent.

Is Calgary’s move a new trend in the NHL that will see teams use the offer sheet more and more?  Or does Colorado’s matching of the sheet further relinquish the offer sheet into urban legend status?

Dutchy will be in the lineup tonight. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Early in February, it seemed as though the Avs were going to have yet another season with injuries galore. Lately though, the news has been pretty positive regarding players healing up. Captain Gabe Landeskog is back in the lineup after missing 11 games with a concussion. Now that he’s played three games, I’m feeling more confident that he’s back for good, and not about to suffer a relapse. Matt Duchene will return to the lineup tonight after missing one game with a groin injury. Both Erik Johnson and Ryan Wilson skated this morning, (Johnson for the second time, Wilson for the first). Steve Downie is obviously still out with his season-ending ACL tear, but it seems as though everyone else is feeling a bit better (knock on wood). There’s still no timetable for Wilson or Johnson’s returns, but Coach Sacco said this morning that there is a possibility that each of them might join the team on the upcoming roadtrip.

By my calculations, it is going to take 56 points to make the Western Conference playoffs. The Avs are sitting in 14th place with 17 points. While they are only four points behind 8th place San Jose, it’s clear that they need to start winning at a consistent pace if they want to make the postseason. In these final 30 games, they’ll need a record of 19-10-1 to reach my estimated point value. A healthier team certainly makes that a more likely possibility. Landeskog and Duchene are going to need to put up points as two of the best forwards (Duchene needs to continue his fast pace, and Landeskog needs to start earning some of his own) if the team wants to give itself a chance to win. Paul Stastny and David Jones have been much maligned recently, and while I think they’ve been working hard, it’s true that they need to start putting the puck in the net for the team. If Johnson and/or Wilson can rejoin the team by the start of April, they would certainly provide a boost in the team’s capabilities, as the top two defensemen.

Of course, Ryan O’Reilly and his contract situation still provide a headache for everyone. I think most everyone would welcome him back, but at the same time, it seems like a pipe dream that we’ll ever see him in an Avs jersey again. I understand that management realizes that they need to “win” any trade that involves O’Reilly, and for that reason, they’re going to wait for the best trade. At the same time, this team needs help now. This team has said that they intend to get into the playoffs-but right now they’re sitting in 14th place. I’d personally like something to happen in the O’Reilly situation before the trade deadline at the beginning of April.