Thread: THE official Colorado Avalanche/NHL thread!!!

Originally Posted by pnbronco

That was a great game...at the end it looked like Varly didn't have much left in the tank, but he pulled it off. It was nice to see that happy smile on him in his interview.... Really enjoyed the game.

Yeah, Varly looked gassed, and maybe sore/hurt?

Nonetheless, he put up superman type numbers against a relentless redwings crew and allowed his guys to steal one on the road. He needs to get more help.

Numbers (and a rough start to the season) aside, if anyone sees varly play behind this puck handling/forechecking/defensive group and doesn't see him as a top goalie in the NHL... I'm just not sure what you are looking at.

Varley is a top goalie in the NHL.

Originally Posted by SR

Varley is a top goalie in the NHL.

Yeah he is and played 2 hard games in a row....

Dude is a baller for sure. He needs his rest though. My goalie had been called in to substitute during some of the avs practices. He always says when barely faces 5 games straight or a ton of shots he just tanks. My goalie nick has gotten more opportunities lately to take shots from the avs, maybe they are recongizing this. For the record, my goalie, while very good for our league, is not anywhere near pro level. Like at all.buuut he gets to work with the guys and he sees it. I just don't want them to burn Varly out because I was not fond of the compensation for the trade and he has proven me wrong in nearly every instance.

I think the Avs have gotten more than what they traded to Washington with Varley. Without his play two years ago this team doesn't make the playoffs. He flat out keeps this team in games they have no business being in, and when the game is put squarely on his shoulders he delivers more often than not. He's a damn good goalie and the Avs are playing on house money with him now.

*dusts off Avs gear* Well, since football season is over might as well switch to full on hockey mode.

All the above

Varley looked like a flat tire last night.

Originally Posted by SR

Thats pretty far off. If that were the case, the league would be full of backup goalies that were, by your statement, just as talented as the starting goalies. There are a lot more variables than just what kind of workload a goalie can handle.

that's not what I meant, I may have worded it incorrectly. I meant the difference between being a good goalie and a good #1 is the workload. You are saying being a good vs great #1 goalie. good is good, great is great, which is what top 10 is. That's why I stated that first. Basically the difference between a #2 and #1 is the workload, Pickard looks great enough to be a #1 but nobody knows how he will handle a #1 workload.

There are a ton of good goalies that are just as good as their #1 teammates but cannot handle the workload. You put them in for a few games and they will put up great numbers, you put them in longer and they slow down. There have been plenty of examples of these guys in the league. Generally US college goaltenders fall into this category for a long time because they are use to playing a very short schedule. It doesn't mean they won't be a great #1 in the future, but for the most part it takes them a long time to make it.

DENVER (AP) – The Colorado Avalanche received an offensive boost by picking up forward Shawn Matthias in a trade with Toronto on Sunday.

The Maple Leafs received forward Colin Smith and a fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft. The 6-foot-4, 231-pound Matthias won’t be with Colorado when the team plays Sunday night in Vancouver.

But he will add depth down the stretch as the Avalanche push for a playoff spot. Matthias joins a formidable front line that includes scorers such as Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Carl Soderberg, Gabriel Landeskog and Jarome Iginla.

rest - http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/02/2...-with-toronto/

FNG scores!

For those interested in watching the Avs, Wings outdoor alumni game today/tonight, pregame coverage will be covered by Altitude 2, starting at 4:30, and the game will be broadcast on Alt 2 and the NHL Network at 5:00

That was a fun alumni game. Not over the line by any stretch but definitely more physical than I expected.

Couldn't hang on for 1 minute. Sigh.

Alex Tanguay has been traded to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Mikkel Boedker, a 26-year old native of Denmark and former 8th overall draft pick in 2008. Craig Custance reported the first part of the trade via Twitter shortly after 11:00 AM MST on Monday.

But he wasn't the only piece headed back in exchange for Boedker. Junior prospects Conner Bleackley and Kyle Wood were also included.

More to come....

http://www.milehighhockey.com/2016/2...rizona-coyotes