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Colorado Avalanche: Checking in at the Quarter-Season Mark

By Nadia Archuleta

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 04: Members of the Colorado Avalanche stand during the National Anthem prior to the game against the Minnesota Wild at the Pepsi Center on October 4, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 04: Members of the Colorado Avalanche stand during the National Anthem prior to the game against the Minnesota Wild at the Pepsi Center on October 4, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 07: Alexander Kerfoot #13 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates a goal against the Nashville Predators at the Pepsi Center on November 7, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Analysis

That last slide was an amazing one to type. Blogging didn’t exist in the Golden Era of the Colorado Avalanche. And even if it had, we didn’t appreciate what we had in those Avs greats. We didn’t know anything else in hockey besides their dominance.

Now we know better. Now we know our Avalanche can skate to a dismal 48-point season. Avs hockey can hurt.

That’s why it feels so euphoric to be here in the now. We’re not Stanley Cup contenders yet. However, I feel like the Avalanche have a solid foundation for the future.

Besides the above observations, I’d like to add a few things about Avalanche hockey that should make us all feel good:

  • Alexander Kerfoot seems to be the real deal as a second liner. He’s number 14 on the team again with 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) and leads the team in faceoffs with 61.42% wins.
  • Samuel Girard unofficially leads the NHL in spin-o-ramas. No, seriously, he continues to amaze every night. He’s at a 3.2 CorsiFor relative.
  • You know who else has great fancy stats? Tyson Jost. He’s second on the team with 51.4 CorsiFor% and third with 4.3 CorsiFor relative. Eye test wise, he seems to be finding his NHL legs this season — and that translates into a 200-foot game complete with both forechecking and backchecking.
  • Due to a head injury, J.T. Compher has been limited to just five games this season. However, he was showing real promise in all areas of his game including faceoff percentage (54.9%) and CorsiFor relative (1.9). He recorded one goal and three assists in those five games. Hopefully, he stays on that track when he returns.

In addition to those tangibles, we have the continuously improving play of Vladislav Kamenev. What’s more, there’s hope that Conor Timmins’ concussion symptoms will clear up, and he’ll be able to take his rightful place with the team. And, you know, Cale Makar.

In other words, the future looks bright for the Colorado Avalanche.

10 Bold Predictions for the 2018-19 Season. dark. Next

If the Avalanche don’t make the playoffs this season, it won’t be because they don’t deserve it or that they’re not moving in the right direction. It will be because they play in the ridiculous Central Division. They’ll have a record that would put them into the playoffs in a different division.

I do hope the Avs make the playoffs, though. Not only are playoffs fun, but they’re useful for the youngsters who need development in that playoff intensity. Who knows — they might even have a team to make the second round this season.

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