Colorado Avalanche: GM Joe Sakic See Positives in Pause

Colorado Avalanche GM likes the team’s chances when they’re healthy — and he acknowledges the NHL pause has given them the chance to get healthy.

Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic is sheltering at home same as everyone else. As he spoke with Sports Social the other day, he hoped everyone was safe and stayed safe.

That said, Sakic was able to see the positives in the bleak situation — silver lining kind of thing. Essentially, it’s given the Avalanche a chance to get healthy.

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Altitude TV reporter Kyle Keefe asked if the possibility was “weird” that the team could go into the playoffs completely healthy. Teams almost always limp into the playoffs with injuries and accrue more as they keep playing.

Sakic, who himself played in the playoffs injured throughout his career, agreed. He added:

“You never see that. You always see injuries. Teams are limping into the playoffs because of the stretch run. And guys are fatigued and tired.”

One of my favorite things after a team is eliminated or wins is the catalog of injuries they were playing through. I have great respect for how much of themselves they put into these games.

Jared Bednar had thought the players could get back into playing shape in two weeks or less. Sakic is a little less optimistic — he reckons two or three weeks.

Now, in addition to that training camp time, the players have pretty universally said they want to play some regular season games before they jump into the all-important playoffs games. There is a potential that a player or two could get injured — especially with how things have been going for the Colorado Avalanche this season.

Sakic said a factor that especially related to that is that the players will have to get into shape in a “short amount of time.” The big problem is that the players have varying access to exercise equipment, and I think almost none of them have access to ice. They can’t train even how they do in the offseason. That’s a large part of the reason a lot of players want that regular season time.

Now, Sakic did acknowledge that the Avalanche wouldn’t be able to make use of the momentum they had before the hockey hiatus. He pointed out, though, that “everyone is in the same boat.”

“Once we get to the playoff time, I’m sure the energy, everything will be ramped up. Whether we have fans in the building — hopefully we do — but if not, just to have the sport back will be a big thing.”

There will not be fans in the stands. Best-case scenario is to play in front of empty seats this summer. That said, with technology the way it is, you’d think we could Zoom in or otherwise cheer remotely and have it broadcast over the sound system.

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One thing Sakic did mention is that, because of the majority of the players being healthy, the playoffs would be that much more exciting. The parity in the league would lead to some close playoffs.

That’s all the Colorado Avalanche need. They can beat any team in this league even when they’re not healthy. They deserve the chance to prove it in the playoffs.

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