Colorado Avalanche: Resolutions for the New Year, 2018
The Colorado Avalanche players and team as a whole should make some new year’s resolutions to improve their play.
The Colorado Avalanche have some bad habits. Every team has bad habits, and the Avalanche have a lot fewer than they did last year at this time. However, there are some things that the players and the team can improve on.
Well, New Year’s Day is the time for resolutions. In the NHL, it’s not exactly a start over. That comes in the fall, at the beginning of the season. Rather, New Year’s tends to be when teams gear up for a playoff push — no matter how far-fetched that may be for a team.
It’s not as far-fetched for the Avalanche to make the playoffs this season as it was at this time last year. At the conclusion of the 2016 calendar year, Colorado had a 12-23-1 record. Yeah, remember how good that did NOT feel?
Well, Colorado is already a lot better than that record — 19-16-3.
The Avalanche are a young team, plus they have several players who have seen too many losing seasons. So, with this new calendar year, here are some resolutions for the players individually and for the team as a whole.
Restart the Scoring Touch, Colin Wilson
I think we all expected a little more out of Colin Wilson. Last season he had 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) in 70 games. This season, he’s managed just eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) in 28 games. He’s not a top scorer, but he needs to rekindle his scoring touch.
Get Your First Avalanche Goal, Sam Girard
Defenseman Sam Girard is a 19-year-old rookie with just 23 NHL games on his NHL resume. I’m not worried about his offensive talents coming through. However, I think we’d all be happy — most of all the kid himself — if he got that first Avalanche goal off his chest. He does have one NHL goal, but it’s with the Nashville Predators.
Get Back to Basics, Tyson Jost
The Colorado Avalanche signed Tyson Jost right after his college season ended, and the teenager came out like gangbusters. This season he’s shown flashes of that energy, but he’s also disappeared at times. It’s time for the rookie just to get back to the basics of his forecheck and his shot — that will help him find his role on the team.
Shoot More, Alexander Kerfoot
Speaking of shots, that’s something I’d like to see everyone’s favorite Harvard grad do. Alexander Kerfoot’s shooting percentage hovers around the ridiculous 30% range, but he averages fewer than one shot per game. I know his shooting percentage would drop, but it would still be great to see him get more pucks on net.
Shoot on the Power Play, Avalanche
In that vein, I’d like to see the Colorado Avalanche shoot more on the power play. They’ve always been a team to try and set up the pretty play with the man-advantage. They would do so much better if they’d just keep throwing the puck at the goalie and swooping in to capture the rebound.
Play 60 Minutes, Avalanche
I’m sure every team goes through this at times, but the Colorado Avalanche have poor game management. It’s gotten to be a cliche with them. They come out soft, or they let teams off the ropes, or they go daft for several minutes in a row. Hockey games last 60 minutes, and the Avs need to find a way to consistently play all of those minutes.
Keep Doing You, Nathan MacKinnon
Nathan MacKinnon has arrived. The way he’s played this season is reminiscent of his Calder Trophy rookie season, only as a franchise-player now. He’s just 22 years old, but he’s playing mature hockey — superstar, mature hockey. The kind of hockey that not only elevates his linemates but also steals games. Keep doing you, MacK.
Next: Patience is Key for Sakic's Trades
Happy New Year’s, Avs Nation. We’ve got some fun Colorado Avalanche hockey coming up.