The Colorado Avalanche’s 8-2 demolition of the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night was a welcome sight. It was welcome, not so much because of the score itself, but because the Avs got back in the win column after back-to-back defeats. It was a statement game that erased any doubt regarding Colorado’s dominance.
That being said, there was something that stood out to me. The Senators are often described as a “plucky” team with grit and toughness. Frankly, they are borderline dirty. The club is filled with agitators who try to provoke mayhem.
The Avalanche deserve a ton of credit for standing up, without descending into anarchy. In particular, the fights involving Josh Manson and Samuel Girard stood out.
The Manson fight in the first period against Ottawa was a reasonable outcome. Tyler Kleven leveled Ivan Ivan, and so, Josh Manson made it known that it wasn’t okay. The fight featured Kleven getting his clock cleaned, and well, that was that.
But it was the puzzling third-period bout between Tim Stutzle and Samuel Girard that was a targeted attack. Stutzle really had no reason to go after Girard, except for the fact that Stutzle was visibly frustrated by the game and the score.
Girard didn’t want any part of the fisticuffs, but didn’t back down. He stood his ground and dropped Stutzle.
There was one other incident. The bump that Brady Tkachuk gave Scott Wedgewood following the Senators’ second goal. Cale Makar stood by while Nathan MacKinnon kind of gave Tkachuk the evil eye. Now, it’s not that I want Makar and MacKinnon fighting, but the situation begs the question: Do the Colorado Avalanche need an enforcer? It’s a valid question for a simple reason.
Why Avalanche need an enforcer
Ottawa’s reaction in the third period of Thursday night’s game signaled something some teams might try down the line: Play a dirty, agitating game, hoping to knock the Avalanche off beat. If they can slog the game down with fights and scrums, the opposition could have a chance to win by disrupting the Colorado offense.
That didn’t work for the Senators, but it may not preclude another coach from trying it some other time. That’s why an enforcer type could be a decent addition. That enforcer could be a forward with some decent defensive or offensive upside who can set people straight. I would have loved to see a Ryan Reaves or Arber Xhekaj put Brady Tkachuk in his place.
Why not have someone like Mathieu Joseph or Nic Deslauriers calm things down? This player’s role wouldn’t be about protecting anyone per se; it would be more about sending a message to other teams that no shenanigans will be tolerated.
The Avalanche could spare a fourth-line spot for a forward who might play under 10 minutes a night on certain occasions. But when that forward is in the lineup, the opposition had better know that it will only be a matter of time before the ante goes up.
It’s something the Avalanche may not want to do. But acquiring such a player, an enforcer, will be something team management may have no choice about.