On the Colorado Avalanche …
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Pierre LeBrun said on TSN 1040 radio that he thinks Joe Sakic will soon have to decide if he will blow up the Colorado Avalanche or not.
“I’m not saying he will, but they’ve seen enough now to know that the team that surprisingly won the division a few years back is really the aberration, as opposed to what’s happened since, right.”
Patrick Roy was criticized for coaching the wrong way, but their appears to more issues than just the coach.
After their top one or two defensemen, they aren’t very good. They spend too much time in their own zone and guys like Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene are suffering.
LeBrun when asked what “blowing it up” would mean for the Avalanche.
“It’s a good question,” wondered LeBrun. “Easier said than done. Certainly mid-season I don’t know how you can really do that. But I think off-season there are some hard, hard decisions to be made here.
“And I think you have to ask yourself this – are we still doing this thing around Landeskog and Duchene, etc. Is this still our group. Is this still our core. No question MacKinnon is untouchable. He’s a young superstar. But what about the other stars. I mean, they’ve been here awhile now. Is this working.
“I think if you’re Joe Sakic, you have to ask yourself that question here over the next few weeks in terms of what your next big move is. And maybe his answer is that he still believes in the core and doesn’t want to touch it. That may be. But I know when I talk to a few other team executives around the NHL, they’re wondering the same thing as me – is the shoe going to drop there in Colorado.”
The Avs will be an interesting team to watch ahead to the trade deadline, and in June.
Joe McDonald of ESPN: Jarome Iginla last week when asked how much longer he wants to play.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. I know this is my last year of my contract, I’ve got three kids and they enjoy it, though. It’s probably more of my wife wouldn’t mind a little bit more help around the house, but the kids enjoy watching it and all that, so there are a lot of things to consider. It’s still fun and it’s great winning. It’s still fun winning and competing. It’s truly a decision I’ll make at the end of the year and see how it goes. I’m just trying to enjoy it right now.”