Colorado Avalanche and Their Reclamation Projects
By Anthony Noga
Pointless
Jordan Caron and Brandon Gormley were just about pointless additions. I mean that literally, they scored a combined 1 assist for the Colorado Avalanche. Both guys were 1st round picks in the 2009 and 2010 drafts, respectively, two pretty strong draft years. A lot of players have gone on to impressive NHL careers from those two classes.
These two, unfortunately, are not among them.
Caron
Jordan Caron had a good junior career, a theme that will play out again and again. His better than point/game scoring and selection to the 2010 Canadian World Junior team convinced the Boston Bruins to take him with the 25th pick in the 2009 draft. He had a respectable start to his career, scoring 7 points in 23 games in 2010-11 and doubling that to 15 points in 48 games the year after. He could never replicate that success though, tailing off to 3 points in 17 games the next year and 0 in 11 games in 2013-14.
But Caron was big and had connections to the QMJHL, so the Colorado Avalanche gave him a shot. In March 2015, they traded Maxime Talbot and Paul Carey to Boston for him and a 2016 6th round pick (Nathan Clurman), and former coach Patrick Roy started him in the top 6. He didn’t score a point in 19 games and became a UFA after he wasn’t qualified.
Caron had another 4 games with St. Louis in the NHL the next season, but spent all of 2016-17 in the AHL.
Gormley
Brandon Gormley was the 13th overall pick in 2010, and seen by many as a can’t miss defensive prospect. He had an impressive junior career, being named to the Memorial Cup All-Star team and the best defenceman in the 2012 WJC. His touch continued into the AHL, where he scored 29 and 36 points his first two years, looking to be well on his way to a strong NHL career.
But it never materialized.
Personally, I remember being shocked that the Arizona Coyotes let him go in the fall of 2015 for former can’t miss Avalanche prospect Stefan Elliott. Gormley seemed to have all the tools to be a decent NHL defenceman, but he never impressed Roy enough to get a regular chance.
He played 26 games, registering a single assist, and spent most of the time watching from the press-box.
The team placed him on waivers in early 2016, and sent him to the minors awhile after he cleared. He has since signed with the New Jersey Devils, who traded him to the Ottawa Senators for basically nothing. His last look at the NHL came with the Avalanche over a year ago.
Verdict
Two promising looking youngsters never really worked out for the Colorado Avalanche. In a combined 45 games, Gormley registered the lone point these two contributed.
Though these two certainly didn’t work out, they didn’t cost much for the Avalanche to acquire. However, the fact that they were ever considered part of the solution speaks to this franchise’s desperation to add talent to a depleted base without breaking the bank.
Sometimes you get what you pay for.