In my opinion, one of the biggest areas of weakness of the Colorado Avalanche this season is their ability to pass the puck.
At the NHL level, everyone can “pass” and stick-to-stick passes are a common occurrence. The Avalanche just don’t seem to be on the same level of passing as many of their counterparts this year, and I think it has been one of the leading causes for their struggles.
Two of the biggest subtractions from last season’s roster were Paul Stastny and PA Parenteau. Both of these guys are known for their ability to flip the biscuit around the rink, especially Stastny. The Avalanche have seen their goals per game drop from 2.99 to 2.41 this season, and I think losing these two guys may have had a bigger impact than people think.
The Avalanche were never a sparkling possession team by the numbers, even last year. However, they have slid even further into the muck this season. The Avs’ Corsi for % has dropped from ~46% last season to ~43% this year, which means they are directing 43 shots at their opponents net for every 57 that are shot at their own net. Yikes!
This slide in possession means that the Avs are better than only Buffalo in that regard. Double yikes! I think losing Stastny and Parenteau have a lot to do with that. Both guys had some nice chemistry with the team, and they both possess excellent passing ability as well as vision.
Breaking down the current Avalanche roster, you don’t really see much of that elite passing or vision in the lineup. Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon are excellent playmakers, but they rely more on speed than crisp passing or vision. This isn’t to say they are necessarily bad passers, but they aren’t in the same class as Paul Stastny.
McKinnon always has had a great passer on his line, starting in Juniors. Jonathan Drouin was perhaps the best passer in the QMJHL, and MacKinnon played with Stastny for much of his rookie NHL season. Perhaps this is why MacK has looked lost this season.
Wingers Gabriel Landeskog and Jarome Iginla are both power forwards. They each have big shots, and are excellent at driving the net. Precision passing isn’t at the top of their skill-set. At least not relative to some of the better passing wingers in the game.
Ryan O’Reilly is a blue-collar forward, who is very versatile. He’s an extremely smart hockey player, and is good in all three zones. However, his passing isn’t going to blow you out of the water. He certainly isn’t magical with his ability to dish it.
Alex Tanguay is probably the best passer on the team, and he is a wizard. Overall though, the Avalanche don’t seem to measure up with some of the better teams in the NHL as far as passing the puck around the pond. The Avs just don’t seem to have many players who are “pure passers.”
Too often, the Avs seem to lose control of the puck or give up possession because they can’t make passes that break down the opponents defensive shell.
The defensive core certainly isn’t littered with exceptional passers either. Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie both have offensive minds, and can hold their own. After those two, it starts getting pretty sparse. Even EJ and Barrie seem to prefer to use their skating than their passing at times to advance the puck. I would rate both as better skaters than passers overall.
Nate Guenin and Brad Stuart would have similar success to what they are having now if NHL rules changed out pucks for lobsters. They are both atrocious passers by NHL standards.
Zach Redmond is pretty smooth with the puck, but he has been in and out of the lineup, and hasn’t had a lot of opportunity to gel with the key offensive guys. Nick Holden is pretty sporadic with his passing.
The Avalanche seem to struggle when they can’t skate the puck out of their zone and when teams are able to clog up the neutral zone on them. This is because they aren’t a great passing team. They can’t break teams down with the pass.
They also seem to lack potency in the offensive zone and especially on the power play. Once again, poor passing is the culprit. In the recent contest between the Detroit Red Wings and the Avalanche, the difference in the power plays was stark.
There is a reason the Avs’ power play is about to go into the negative percentages for success. The Wings whipped the puck around, penetrated the Avalanche’s defensive diamond, and were quick with their passes. This led to several scoring chances and a goal on their power play.
The Avalanche passed the puck back and forth near the blue line more often than not. Sometimes they’d get the puck down low, but they’d often quickly lose control. The Avs never threatened with any passes through the seams, and never penetrated the Wings defense.
They just don’t have the elite passers to make it happen, and the guys they do have don’t have the confidence, trust, and chemistry to form a well-oiled passing machine. I think improving this team’s passing is a must if they want to get better. Their dismal power play and puck possession numbers are major evidence of that fact.
The defensive core is in need of an overhaul, and I think the Avs could use another forward who can facilitate the offense with superior passing and vision. The Avalanche need another Stastny-type player for their top lines. A “pure passer” to set-up the young-guns. The Avalanche lost two of their better passers in the off-season. Their dreams of returning to the playoffs seem to be passing them by as a result.