Avalanche give Brett McLean a chance to fix team’s biggest issue

The Colorado Avalanche are saying goodbye to assistant coach Dave Hakstol, as he takes on a new role at Arizona State University (ASU)

Now comes the hard part: figuring out whether Brett McLean can actually fix the team’s biggest issue. That issue, naturally, is the team’s languishing power play.

Colorado announced the departure of assistant coach Dave Hakstol following Wednesday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars, bringing an end to a frustrating stretch for a power play that has consistently failed to live up to its potential. The Avalanche went 0-for-4 with the man advantage against Dallas and, to make matters worse, surrendered a shorthanded goal.

That is not exactly a ringing endorsement of the unit's direction.

Hakstol's departure should not be interpreted as a verdict on his overall coaching ability. The opportunity to take over the program at ASU amid a tragic start to their season. Nevertheless, the situation offers the Avalanche power play a chance to push the reset button.

Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas give the Avalanche an embarrassment of riches offensively. Yet the team finished 27th in the NHL with a 17.1% power-play success rate last season. This season, Colorado has scored just once in its last 20 opportunities, with that lone goal coming on a five-on-three advantage.

At some point, something has to give.

McLean now gets the opportunity to change the equation. The question is whether he can do more than shuffle the pieces around.

Brett McLean must find a better way to use the Avalanche's elite talent

McLean arrives with a respectable track record. He oversaw Vancouver's power play last season, when the Canucks converted at a 21.8% clip. That rate was good enough for 14th in the league.

That is hardly a revolutionary number, but it represents a meaningful improvement over Colorado's recent output. More importantly, it gives the Avalanche reason to believe McLean can help them get more out of their personnel.

The first order of business should be improving puck movement. Colorado has enough skill to move defenders out of position, but the overall puck movement becomes way too predictable. That gives defenders a chance to stifle any chances before anything really happens.

Shot selection matters, too. The Avalanche do not need to fire the puck at the net every time they touch it, but neither can they afford to pass up quality looks in search of the perfect play. But one thing that does need to tick up is firing from the point. That’s something the team has moved away from, and it has taken away from opportunities to create mayhem in front of the net.

McLean has to strike that balance. Colorado's power play should be aggressive, direct and difficult to defend, not a fancy passing exhibition that ends with the opposition clearing the puck.

Avalanche cannot fix the power play by creating another problem

There is another wrinkle McLean needs to address: Colorado cannot afford to become careless with the puck while trying to generate more offense.

The shorthanded goal against Dallas was a particularly ugly reminder of the careless play seen at times. When a power play breaks down, the Avalanche can quickly find themselves defending an odd-man rush or scrambling to recover their defensive shape.

That is especially dangerous for a team built to attack. Colorado wants MacKinnon and Necas pushing the pace, but it also needs the players on the ice to recognize when a play is not there and protect against the counterattack.

McLean's job is not simply to increase the power-play percentage. It is to build a unit that produces consistently without handing opponents free scoring chances in the process.

The Avalanche have too much offensive talent to keep leaving this many opportunities on the table. Replacing Hakstol gives the organization a fresh start, but the real test will come when the same players step onto the ice for their next power play.

If McLean can improve the movement, sharpen the decision-making and make Colorado's man advantage dangerous again, this coaching change could pay dividends. If the same problems persist, the Avalanche will have to confront an uncomfortable possibility: the issue may run deeper than the person drawing up the plays.

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