The 2008-09 Colorado Avalanche team is a rebuilding project of sorts.
It’s not your usual project, mind you, as it has a few lingering superstars from one of the greatest modern-day hockey teams.
The 2000-01 Avalanche won the Stanley Cup for the second time in five seasons. On that team were the likes of Milan Hejduk, Joe Sakic, and Adam Foote—who are still around and bent on making an impact.
This year, there is also the addition of an old face leading the team again. Former assistant and head coach Tony Granato has replaced his former boss Joe Quinneville as the new headmaster of the Colorado Avalanche.
Currently Joe Sakic is injured and healing in what will most likely be his final season in the NHL. Sakic seeks a return to the lineup possibly as early as Thursday, November 20, when the Avs host the Calgary Flames in Denver.
Adam Foote is currently at a minus-three while on the ice defensively and has not score a goal yet this season. Milan Hejduk currently leads the team with eight goals scored. Just as these three leaders are current stats are a bit of a mixed bag, the makeup of this Avalanche team has also started out as a mixed bag as well.
There’s still plenty of hockey to be played in this young season, but it is important to identify some mile markers for where the Avalanche are at this juncture. The Avs have had one streaky season, which has been hot-blooded or cold as ice—depending on the streak they were on.
Colorado dropped their first three games, reeled off five wins in a row, only to drop another five in a row, which led to their current two-game win streak. This roller coaster now puts the Avalanche at 7-8, currently 13th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference, and dead last in the Northwest Division.
However, the Avalanche are in a decent position to make a move within the division sooner than later. While Colorado currently has 14 points, current eighth-seed Edmonton has 17 and third-place Minnesota has 19. So it’s entirely possible for the Avalanche to stay in striking range for much of the season. Moreover, if the last two games are any indication of the improvement of their defense, it could be an interesting run the rest of the regular season.
The Current Breakdown
For the most part, hockey is a simple game where teams simply try to outscore their opponent. In order for this to take place teams need to score goals and stop the other team from scoring. So when looking at the Avalanche at their streaky best and worst they are fortunate to be 7-8, with their goals-for to goals-against set at a minus-five on the season.
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