Colorado Avalanche Fan Venting Some Frustrations

The Colorado Avalanche are a very confusing hockey team. They lack a true identity, and their coaching strategies are not leading them toward one.

The Colorado Avalanche lack a true identity. They are a team full of young skilled players, yet they have the worst overtime record in the NHL. Shouldn’t a team as talented as the Avalanche be even more talented with fewer players on the ice?

All the potential in the world can be ruined by coaching strategies.

The Colorado Avalanche have so much potential, but potential doesn’t win you hockey games. How you develop that potential is the difference between a championship caliber team and a team that could of been.

Now obviously players like Nathan Mackinnon, Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby had potential that couldn’t have been diminished by a coaching staff; however the rest of the NHLers had to be developed properly.

Are the Avalanche properly developing their potential?

Short answer: NO.

Long Answer:

There are a few different scenarios where I believe the Colorado Avalanche have been doing a disservice to their youth.

Let me start with the most recent problem.

Ryan Graves will be in the lineup Thursday night, but not for the reason he should be. Nikita Zadorov is out with an upper body injury. The best Avalanche team has both giants on the same ice.

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I understand that the Avalanche are in the thick of a playoff race, and throwing young prospects into a lineup could be a catastrophe, but Graves has proven he can be a quality player at the NHL level.

I, for one, am sick and tired of Ian Cole taking stupid penalties that change the outcomes of games. However he’s not the one that should be taken out of the lineup. It has to be Patrik Nemeth.

Plain and simple, Nemeth is not good enough for this Avalanche team to make the playoffs. He is a slower defenseman with almost zero offensive output. Nemeth will be gone next season, and the Avalanche have a magnitude of defenseman who could come in and play top 4 minutes next season, so why are we giving an expiring veteran minutes over an up and coming defenseman?

I know who I would be putting in my lineup every night.

Speaking of the lineup, why was Gabriel Bourque playing in NHL games again?

AJ Greer and Andrew Agozzino looked pretty good in their limited time up with the big club. Sheldon Dries has had a surprising season and seems to make the right plays every night he gets in the lineup.

Let the youngsters play.

Last but not certainly not least, Tyson Jost.

As all Avs fans know, Tyson Jost has been incredible since his return from the Colorado Eagles. Jost is flying out on the ice and his confidence is at an all time high.

Why did our minor league affiliate have to come in and save one of our top forward prospects? What is going on at the NHL level that can’t get Tyson Jost to play to his best ability?

Next. The Relevance of Player Development. dark

The Avalanche need to figure out what the major issue is with our developmental team before we attempt to ruin another top prospect.

Thankfully, Tyson Jost is here to stay.

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