Colorado Avalanche: Andre Burakovsky 2019-2020 Season Outlook
The Colorado Avalanche picked up winger Andre Burakovski in trade in the offseason. Here’s what we might see from him this season.
The Colorado Avalanche didn’t make a huge splash this summer. However, they did quietly acquire some of the pieces that they felt were missing on their roster.
One of the big areas of weakness everyone agreed on was secondary scoring. The Avs had the top line, Tyson Barrie (may he rest in peace… in Toronto) and not much else.
Well, one of the changes they made to address that lack of secondary scoring was to trade for Andre Burakovsky. Colorado sent over a second- and third-round pick to Washington in exchange for the 24-year-old winger, who was a pending RFA at the time.
The team signed Burakovsky to a one-year show-me contract worth $3.25 million. So, the tall Swede has a lot on the line.
Burakovsky is new to us this season. I did do a Season in Review for him:
Related Story. Burakovsky's Season in Review. light
What’s more, I saw him at captain’s camp, and I was impressed by his skating. I’m excited to see what he can bring to the team.
2018-19 Stats
Andre Burakovsky played third-line minutes with the Washington Capitals. His average time on ice was 11:08, a career low for him. He didn’t see any significant time on the power play.
He wasn’t able to do a ton with that time. He recorded 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists). Impressively, four of those goals were game-winners.
Burakovsky played all seven of Washington’s playoff games last season. He recorded a goal and an assist in those seven games. However, his average time on ice decreased a little to 10:54.
Andre’s game was overall pretty even. He recorded 29 blocked shots and 35 hits. His takeaway to giveaway ratio was also even — 28:29.
Projected 2019-20 Role
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Andre Burakovsky is the Colorado Avalanche’s favorite style of reclamation project. He has such a high-end skill set between his skating and stick handling. If only he had the right situation.
Well, the Avs are aiming to be that situation. I must say, I do think the Caps play a heavier game than Colorado. Just like with Joonas Donskoi, I can see how the winger wouldn’t vibe well with that style.
I believe the second-line wing position is his to lose. I think the Avs might also try him out on the second power play unit. Burakovsky is going to have his chance to shine on a team seemingly built for his style of hockey.
More Season Outlooks:
Projected 2019-20 Stats
If Andre Burakovsky is on the second line and seeing some power play time, he should definitely get some more minutes. With more minutes, the hope is his scoring will go up.
I could see Burakovsky getting around 15 minutes of ice time a game, which would be a career-high for him.
Last season, he recorded 0.029 points per minute. He was pretty even across goals and assists — 0 .014 goals and 0.015 assists per minute.
So, if Colorado bumps him up to 15 minutes a game, we might expect 0.43 points per game or 35 points across 82 games. Those aren’t the most stellar second-liner numbers.
Well, his best season was his third year in the league. He recorded 35 points in just 64 games. He was at 0.55 points per game that year. Across an 82-game season, he’d get 45 points. Not too shabby.
He certainly does have the impetus to play like that this year. He’s playing for a job next season.
Next. Strange Shenanigans of Andre Burakovsky. dark
The Colorado Avalanche’s training camp is just beginning. The first preseason game is Tuesday, September 17 against the Vegas Golden Knights. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Burakovsky debut in that game.