Patrick Roy: Is He Calling the Wrong Shots?

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Sep 29, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Flames won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Patrick Roy is a hockey innovator.

Avs Nation became divided today when head coach Patrick Roy announced his final roster decisions. We already knew forward Curtis Glencross had been cut and that Jesse Winchester was on injured reserve. That left the decision of who would be the last person cut from the team.

Coach Roy announced that right wing Dennis Everberg was being sent to the San Antonio Rampage. That would have been enough to send rumbles through Avs Nation.

And then coach Roy made the proclamation that proved to be the dividing line in the sand:

“Barrie will play with Guenin.”

Those five little words heralding that Tyson Barrie would be partnered with his partner from last season, Nate Guenin, might have been shots fired in what proved to be a civil war in Avs Nation. There were those saying “In Roy we trust” and those claiming Patrick Roy was hurting the Colorado Avalanche.

Some tried to be Switzerland and remain neutral, but that mostly looked like “Let’s wait and see what happens opening night — then I’ll jump into one of the camps.”

You know by now in which camp I fall. Rather than argue why I’m convinced head coach Patrick Roy (4-time Stanley Cup champion, 3-time Vezina Trophy winner, 3-time Conn Smythe winner, Memorial Cup finalist as QMJHL coach and Jack Adams winner as NHL coach) knows more about hockey than me (a fan).

Instead, I’m going to explain what I think Patrick Roy is thinking.

Next: Rantanen and Skille

Mikko Rantanen and Jack Skille

Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Mikko Rantanen poses with team executives after being selected as the number ten overall pick to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The immediate fate of forwards Mikko Rantanen and Jake Skille was unknown until today. Rantanen was trying to make the team as this year’s draft pick, and Skille was on a professional tryout.

We were all pretty sure both had performed well enough in training camp and the preseason that they had roster spots. I don’t know if all coaches are this way, but Patrick Roy seems to be a big believer in letting certain players earns spots in the preseason. (Nate Guenin a couple years ago, Dennis Everberg last year.)

Assigning Rantanen and Skille roster spots left very little wiggle room once you considered nine spots were already claimed. That left two openings, and only one that could make opening night.

With Winchester on injured reserve, that left three players competing for those two spots — right wings Borna Rendulic and Dennis Everberg and center Mikhail Grigorenko.

The Word of Roy on Rantanen: “He’s been impressive. I like his work ethic. I like the way he is on the ice. He’s strong on the puck. He seems ready to me.”

The Word of Roy on Skille: “I like the energy that Jack has brought to the team. He understands his role. He will play on the fourth line, and he accepts it. It’s good for us.”

Next: Everberg

Dennis Everberg Sent to San Antonio

Feb 7, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Colorado Avalanche forward Dennis Everberg (45) skates with the puck in the third period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Dennis Everberg is a likable player who has earned a lot of love from Avs Nation. Naturally, news of his reassignment to the AHL San Antonio Rampage was met with consternation.

I’ve said more than once that he and Borna Rendulic were neck in neck for a roster spot last season, and it was Everberg’s goal in the LA Kings game that sealed the deal.

Rendulic eventually got his chance in the injury-plagued season, though he suffered a season-ending broken leg. Everberg also suffered significant injuries, including a shoulder injury that required surgery. He wasn’t even expected at camp.

The big difference maker this year was that Everberg got injured again. He was day-to-day for a few games with a hip injury. Rendulic also suffered an injury. But it was “just” a puck to the mouth that a face cage solved, leaving him free to showcase his talent and skill during the preseason.

I wasn’t at all surprised to hear Everberg got sent down. Indeed — I predicted it a couple weeks ago. After last season, Roy is sure to be a little gun-shy about injury-prone players.

I mentioned that to a fellow hockey fan, and the response was “You don’t make a decision based on whether a player might get injured. You play him until he gets injured.”

Well, Everberg probably isn’t 100% after shoulder surgery. And he did get injured again. The team is having some trouble with chemistry. Why put him into the lineup if you’re pretty sure he’s not 100% and might succumb to injury at any moment? That’ll be a disaster considering the open spot is on the third line with newbie Carl Soderberg and rookie Mikko Rantanen.

Besides, Patrick Roy runs a meritocracy. Everberg was unable to earn his spot on the team in the preseason.

The Word of Roy on Rendulic: “Borna had a good camp. I like his speed. He had a bad injury last year, then we feel that he deserves a chance to start. He played well enough to have his chance.”

Next: Mikhail Grigorenko

Mikhail Grigorenko, 13th Forward

Sep 29, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman (6) is checked Colorado Avalanche center Mikhail Grigorenko (25) at Scotiabank Saddledome. Flames won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

This decision caught me by surprise. However, it probably shouldn’t have. In five preseason games, Grigorenko got seven shots on goal and no goals or assists. If the Colorado Avalanche is a pure meritocracy, that’s not enough to make the opening night roster.

Remember, one of the things that Patrick Roy praises above all else is work ethic. It’s one thing if he thinks centers Matt Duchene or Nathan MacKinnon aren’t giving it their all — he might take them out of the power play or let them sit on the bench. Those players are the future of the Colorado Avalanche, though.

It’s quite another if he thinks someone who’s known for being lackluster in his work ethic isn’t giving it his all. Grigorenko is essentially on his own professional tryout, though he has an actual contract with the team. The party line has always been that he has to prove himself.

Some of the dissatisfaction from this decision has to do with the fact that the Buffalo Sabres mishandled his development thus far. The 21-year-old wasn’t given the tools to develop properly.

You can’t say the Colorado Avalanche don’t know how to develop young talent. They’ve had a lot of practice at it, and I can’t imagine anyone is going to say Matt Duchene’s, Ryan O’Reilly‘s, Gabriel Landeskog‘s or Nathan MacKinnon’s development has been hampered by the organization.

Well, pundits might — they’ll argue anything.

Next: Barrie-Guenin

Tyson Barrie-Nate Guenin Pairing

Apr 7, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Nashville Predators center Colin Wilson (33) controls the puck away from Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie (4) in the first period at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

This decision didn’t surprise me in the least, yet it rocked some Avalanche fans’ faith in Patrick Roy to the core. Coach Roy has already made this decision, last year. The organization went out and got Brad Stuart to partner Erik Johnson. When that didn’t work, they gave him back an old d-partner that had always worked fine, Jan Hejda.

This year, the Colorado Avalanche ostensibly meant for Nikita Zadorov to partner Barrie. As I examined the implications of that partnership — two youngsters who both consistently get out of position — I started getting a cold sweat.

Turns out I wasn’t the only one. The Avalanche acquired defenseman Brandon Gormley from the Arizona Coyotes, and Zadorov was never paired with Barrie, that I can tell.

Plenty of Avs Nation was fine with the Gormley-Barrie pairing. I didn’t see enough of it, but it looked fine.

Brandon Gormley is only 23 year old, one year younger than Tyson Barrie. He’s only played in 32 NHL games. He’s still very green.

Barrie has a lot more experience, but still just 186 NHL games. He’s still very much developing. He’s learning in leaps and bounds, but he’s not in his prime yet. Some of the arguments against pairing him with Zadorov work with Gormley, too.

Coach Roy has shown that he likes to help his young defensemen develop by pairing them with a veteran. That was the rationale in acquiring Stuart in the first place, and probably why Hejda got promoted back to being Johnson’s partner.

We saw it with how Stuart mentored Nick Holden last season. Coach Roy praised how much Holden improved under Stuart’s tutelage.

Tyson Barrie has the talent to be a superstar in this league. But he has to develop properly. Last year he became just the fourth Avalanche defenseman to hit the 50+ points mark, and he did so with Nate Guenin as his defensive partner.

It could be that coach Roy felt Gormley would hamper Barrie’s development since he’s still developing himself.

Patrick Roy also likes to partner offensive defensemen with stay-at-home defensemen. Again, look at Hejda and Johnson. Johnson’s new partner, Francois Beauchemin, is also more shut-down.

Nov 4, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nate Guenin (5) before the game against the Vancouver Canucks at Pepsi Center. The Canucks won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Some Avalanche fans call Nate Guenin a traffic cone. Well, that’s about as stay-at-home as you can get. But then, Barrie’s more of a throwback rover than proper defenseman. Maybe coach Roy wants to see that anchoring of the second defensive pairing. Maybe he wants Barrie to learn a little more shut-down play.

Or maybe Patrick Roy is acknowledging how important chemistry is for defensive pairings in particular. Barrie had a career season with Guenin as a partner — that’s got to take some chemistry.

Honestly, I always expected Guenin to end up as Barrie’s partner again. I just thought coach Roy might give it a couple games like he did with the Stuart-Johnson pairing.

However, Patrick Roy wants to see the team get off to a strong start. He doesn’t want to see a replay of last season’s dismal beginning.

If he didn’t see what he wanted — and this season the byword seems to be “consistency” — in the Gormley-Barrie pairing, why even start with that? Anything else you say about Nate Guenin, he’s not inconsistent.

Next: Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts

Jun 24, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy poses with the Jack Adams Trophy after being named head coach of the year during the 2014 NHL Awards ceremony at Wynn Las Vegas. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

There is so much that goes into roster decisions. Most of it is miles over my head. I admit that. The decisions above aren’t even the ones that surprised me the most. As it stands, head coach Patrick Roy has stated these are the lines for opening night:

Blake Comeau-Matt Duchene-Jarome Iginla

Gabriel Landeskog-Nathan MacKinnon-Alex Tanguay

Mikko Rantanen-Carl Soderberg-Borna Rendulic

Cody McLeod–John Mitchell-Jack Skille

Erik Johnson-Fracncois Beauchemin

Tyson Barrie-Nate Guenin

Nikita Zadorov… The decision hasn’t been made, but I’m guessing Brad Stuart (Leadership).

Some of those forward lines leave me scratching my head. I didn’t expect coach Roy to promote MacKinnon up to the second line centerman already — I thought he’d ease in as the third. I don’t love Comeau on Duchene’s wing, but, hey, if it’s good enough for Sidney Crosby… I don’t understand breaking up the chemistry between fellow Swedes Carl Soderberg and Gabriel Landeskog.

That’s just it — I don’t understand. I could watch hundreds hours of hockey tape and still not see the game a fraction as well as Patrick Roy does stinking drunk with only one eye slitted open. (To be clear, I’m not suggesting he’s even been in that state — it’s called hyperbole.)

Head coach Patrick Roy has a plan for the Colorado Avalanche. He’s got play he wants to see on the ice. He has skills he wants to see complementing other skills between players. He has matchups with different teams that he wants to see.

Because Patrick Roy does watch hundreds of hours of hockey tape, and he’s already coming into it with a brilliant hockey mind.

So, rather than question a great man who has proven himself on both sides of the bench. I’m going to watch and learn.

Who’s with me, Avs Nation?

Next: Why Roy and Sakic are Invaluable

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