Johansen vs Dvorak

Honestly, I think Avs fans need to give up trying to trade this team to SC contention; it almost never works and is typically extremely wasteful; they have very few assets and need to commit more to drafting and developing well. Is Morgan Frost going to put this team over the top? Adding Mitts by trading Byram? Those options are unlikely to work the way people want them to and it just puts them further behind.

The core still has a lot of years of strong play left but they need to remake the team a bit more organically. Gotta see what's going to happen with Landy, going to have to figure out the G position after next season, probably going to have to shed at least one D (Manson is the most likely to go and he should be the one traded). Ultimately, they're going to have to be patient and work their way back to top contender. I can see it being a situation like Pittsburgh: win a Cup the have to wait several more years to get back to the final but win a few in a row or within a couple years of each other.

I'm pretty much with you. It just doesn't seem like it's the Avs' year for a variety of reasons, some of which (like two key players missing extended time in the assistance program) is outside of team control. We have to be cautious with assets or the team could be in real trouble in a few seasons. But, we're on ACGM, so it's something to do Time to turn my attention to making 2024-25 teams, I guess!

(Seriously, though, Avs should take the L and move Ryjo ASAP.)

I know what you mean but i think with the current core group we've basically past the point of drafting and developing. Unless we move byram for draft capital we won't be drafting anywhere near the beginning of the draft so odds are the earliest we would see any new prospects nhl ready is 3 years. We're gonna be a completely different team in 3 years from right now. We missed on a few of the higher picks which could have helped out right now (newhook, jost, kaut).

You're right on the money with the point about landy though and with that being said i think you basically have to trade for a temp 2C or else you're basically throwing in the towel on this year and after last years disappointment i think burning 2 years of the cores prime years would be a mistake.
I agree we could be like pits since the guys are still prime right now but we'd need the 2C. Crosby malkin could have average wingers and they'd produce because of the center skill. While Mack can do that we don't have anyone on 2C that can carry that load and give us another top scorer against 2nd line D.

I think a big thing right now is our lack of captain. Obviouly macks skill is unmatched and everyone respects that but I don't know if players respond well to Macks intensity and basically yelling at them when he's starting to get heated and mistakes happen. He holds himself to a higher standard which some guys just can't get to and i think landy was perfect at bridging that gap. Landy kept a cool head and had the maturity we need in a leader and without him i think we're a ship without a captain. after this year hopefully we can know if he's coming back or not and if he's not we can move the C to someone else, although i don't know who can handle mack like landy could.

I agree, that and losing the D corps leader who was basically Vice Captain, and there is a sudden dearth of leadership. People can say all they want about 'we have lots of leaders' 'veteran leadership who don't need a letter' and so on but those two were crucial in that capacity.

This is total garbage

Aww, thanks! Have a nice day!

I can agree that they can't afford to be too patient but a guy like Ritchie, if handled properly, can be brought in within the next few seasons and be groomed for that 2C spot at a very affordable rate. RyJo is definitely a black hole but now they're going to have to either buy him out or pay for someone to take his contract then they'll still be looking for a 2C. Frost, one of the options discussed extensively, may not be available at all and would cost a lot to acquire. He has only one more year left on his deal so, if he came in and did well, that's good for the moment but he'll want to get paid after that which puts them back at being forced to trade out roster players to free up space. The biggest problem is, they can't afford to lose anyone significant off the roster because then they have to replace them and they don't have cap space to bring in anyone that will make an impact. Any trade they make to acquire someone will invariably leave a hole or won't move the needle much. I mean, they could get lucky and find someone on a decent contract that has another level to find but it's unlikely. I just don't think there is a knight in shining armor coming along to help them.

There probably is no 'knight in shining armour' I'll agree but I still believe Novak is perhaps the one that might be worth a punt on. $800k this year. Even at 4 mil he fits styslistically as a re-sign and with RyJo moved (assuming we can) he can be worked into the cap situation. Gamble? Yes! 100%! But......if it fails he almost certainly bridges the gap productively until Ritchie.

Novak is intriguing, for sure. Obviously, the Avs would have to pay to get him now but the risk of him hitting UFA is that someone else beats the Avs offer. $4M seems pretty rich for a guy with a limited history but he does fit the mold the Avs like: young-ish but not a kid, won't need to sign a huge deal, etc. Not sure what the Preds would want back for him, though.