There’s still room for improvement for the Colorado Avalanche, especially when it comes to defense. Turns out that the answer is right in front of them… they just refuse to see it.
Maybe the title of this piece is a bit dramatic, but what’s not dramatic about the NHL and the Colorado Avalanche? I’ve previously addressed the whole “healthy scratches” issue, at a time where we were all frustrated over the fact that coach Bednar chose Ian Cole over Ryan Graves, for whatever reason.
Then, when the team made it the playoffs, I shared three simple wishes for the Avs on this magical wonderful time, one of them being “more Ryan Graves”, because something deep inside my soul told me he was going to be that healthy scratch during most of the playoff run – turned out to be worse because he didn’t play one (1) single post-season game. Why is he still being kept away from the ice?
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Age is not an excuse here. Sorry, it just isn’t.
The Colorado Avalanche are proof that a young team doesn’t mean unexperienced and overall green. On the defense department they have Sam Girard and Cale Makar (and Nikita Zadorov, who still counts as young player just because he is the same age as Ryan Graves), who along with veterans Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie have given the Avs a much-needed defensive boost. Graves proved to be a good addition to the team, and that Barrie/Graves pairing was a thing of beauty.
It’s not like there’s no room for him, either – I’m not saying Patrik Nemeth should be scratched instead of Graves but that’s exactly what I’m saying. I’ll just say that in 74 games played, Nemeth had one goal and nine assists; in 26 games played, Graves had three goals and two assists. Imagine if Graves had been given a chance, especially at the playoffs, where we (honestly) didn’t see much help from Nemeth. Cole was more productive (sorry, felt the need to drop that here).
That, of course, if Nemeth re-signs. He is hitting free agency this summer and we know anything can happen come July 1.
Coach Bednar should take a closer look at the players he has, stop being blinded by some names, and open his mind a bit. I believe Graves was kept for a reason that goes beyond just being there in case someone got hurt, mostly because they also had Mark Barberio as backup. I also believe he could be an important element in “solving the Avs’ defense issue”, given his talent and the teammates he could be paired with.
Will he begin the 2019-2020 season with the Colorado Avalanche? Maybe. Hopefully. Without getting into numbers and cap hit, if Nemeth signs somewhere else, there shouldn’t be an excuse to not keep (and play!) Ryan Graves.
However, there’s also the “free agents” topic and who could be joining the team… which I will address another day. Until then, I’m printing a shirt that says “Justice for Ryan Graves”.