Sitting dead-last in the National Hockey League (NHL) standings with 32 points, the Colorado Avalanche have become the laughing stock of professional hockey. Despite having several high draft picks on the team, Colorado ranks last in goals for per game (2.04) and goals against per game (3.35). Seven teams have more wins than Colorado has actual points.
General Manager Joe Sakic joined the Avalanche’s front office in May 2013, but a flawed vision, mismanagement of assets and over-valuing certain player characteristics have marred his time as an executive.
Early in Sakic’s tenure, Colorado seemed to finally be entering contender status after finishing first in the Central Division in 2013. Colorado won their division despite having terrible advanced statistics, a red flag that their record did not fully reflect their performance. Despite this fact, Sakic pulled the trigger on short-sighted deals to patch up roster holes instead of building for the long-term.
In all, Colorado has sacrificed the equivalent of three second-round picks, one third, one fourth, one fifth, one sixth and AHL-All Star prospect Kyle Wood for Reto Berra, Brad Stuart, Eric Gelinas, Daniel Briere, Shawn Matthias and Mikkel Boedker since 2014. None of the acquired players are on the Avalanche active roster as of 2017.
Valuing leadership and savvy over skill and potential has also plagued Sakic. Free agents Jarome Iginla and Francois Beauchemin were each handed three-year contracts, despite being past their primes. Iginla has only 15 points this year, while Beauchemin has 13. They collectively use $9.8 million in cap space.
Iginla, a former captain, and Beauchemin, a former and current alternate captain, haven’t been able to translate their leadership qualities into wins once their skills declined. Sakic previously acquired Danny Briere, another former captain, who flopped for the Avs.
Former Colorado first-round pick Connor Bleakley was a captain for his junior hockey team but didn’t necessarily have great offensive or skating attributes. Another misfire, he was the only first rounder in the 2014 draft to not be signed.
Veteran bottom-six forwards Joe Colborne, Blake Comeau and John Mitchell have combined for 17 points, illustrating a lack of youth and talent to help with depth scoring.
Presently on defense, Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie and Nikita Zadorov provide a flawed, yet solid base for the future. Johnson has struggled with injuries in the past three seasons, Barrie owns a negative 27 rating this season and Zadorov has yet to curb his affinity for taking unnecessary penalties.
Former second round picks Chris Bigras and Nicolas Meloche could accentuate the top-four in the future, but both are at least two years away from those responsibilities.
Moving forward, Sakic may be able to salvage his job, whether he deserves to or not. Players on expiring contracts will be actively shopped to teams at the trade deadline, while moving Beauchemin, Colborne or Comeau would help clear cap space for next season.
Duchene and Landeskog have been involved in trade talks, but Colorado doesn’t have the players or prospects to replace them. Although it’s tempting to fix the league’s worst defense by dangling top forwards, the reality is the Avalanche also own the league’s worst offense.
Colorado will have about $23 million in cap space for 2017, per spotrac.com. After making some necessary re-signing moves, that number comes closer to $17 million to fill two defensemens’ and four forwards’ spots.
Even if the Avalanche finish last in the NHL standings, the team’s odds of receiving the first overall pick are only 17.9 percent. Enduring this terrible season only to potentially receive the fourth overall pick and missing on the draft’s top two talents, Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier, would be a punch in the gut.
If Sakic has translated his view into a long-term one, the Avalanche can begin rebuilding before the trade deadline on March 1 by accumulating assets. If he continues to overextend players in free agency and misjudge the team’s progression curve, he may not only bury the Avalanche’s hopes for the next couple years but also into the 2020s.
