Avs Talk - A Colorado Avalanche Blog

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2009-07-07T14:50:00.001-06:00

Joe Sakic to Announce Decision on Thursday

2009-07-07T13:45:00.001-06:00

Joe Sakic will announce his decision this Thursday at 1:00pm MT.

I still believe.

Colorado Avalanche Roster Updates

2009-07-07T13:17:00.004-06:00

The Avalanche announced a slew of signings over the weekend. David Jones, Darren Haydar, Chris Durno, Matt Hendricks, Brian Willsie and Saskatoon native Tyler Weiman are all back with the franchise.

AD has scooped us up the contract numbers for David Jones. The rest should be minimal value and are likely headed to Lake Erie anyways.

I've updated the Google Spreadsheet with Jones' contract - which wasn't far off from my estimate - and I also removed Sakic's contract but left his name in. Why? Because he's not part of the team (yet), his numbers shouldn't be counted.

Duchene is still on the squad as people seem adamant to keep putting him in there. However, I'm going to keep his cap hit at the maximum salary an entry-level player can sign. He will have a bonus-laden contract for sure, but those bonuses don't need to count against the cap this year. The reason last season's values counted against the cap was because the NHLPA had the option of not renewing the CBA for this season. But they did renew so again, the cap hit for bonuses can be deferred to next season.

I left seven D on the squad but it's looking like one or more of them are moving out by the end of the week. I hope we don't see Hannan tossed out simply because he has the highest salary among the D.

As always, feel free to correct any errors or omissions in the sheet, open it up and make the change.*

*But as mentioned, Duchene should stay at an entry level salary. It's already a compromise to leave him on the sheet, which is a bit premature in itself :)

Colorado Avalanche to Sign Former Griffins Captain

2009-07-03T22:52:00.004-06:00

Geore Malik is reporting that a Swedish paper is reporting that the Colorado Avalanche are about to sign former Grand Rapid Griffins captain, Darren Haydar. Grand Rapids is Detroit's AHL affiliate and we've seen the products they churn out.

Haydar put up 80 points in 79 games this season playing on the right wing, but he's torn it up in the AHL before and it's amounted to little in the NHL so far.

Related Links
Darren Haydar Stats on hockeydb.com

The Rebuild Begins

2009-07-03T22:26:00.005-06:00

It was the trade heard 'round the world. The Ryan Smythtrade signaled the end of an era for the Avalanche. An era that included greatness, dominance and glory coupled with a steep fall from grace which included shame, ridicule and frustration.

Now, it's time for Paul Stastny. Time for Chris Stewart. Time for T.J. Galiardi. Time for Matt Duchene. Time for Kevin Shattenkirk. Not all this year of course, but these players will be the new face of the Avalanche.

But was it time to let Ian Laperriere walk after offering him less than he deserved? Was it time to trade Ryan Smyth for Kyle Quincey + two bags of pucks? Was it time to keep Darcy Tucker knowing they would be shedding salary so would have the cap space to eat his buyout. No.

And if it turns out Sakic told Sherman "I'm retiring" and he still got rid of Smyth, then heaven help the man because I think he might get beat down by a crazed fan.*

So prepare yourselfs, Avs fans because it's going to be a rough couple years in terms of standings. But the joy of watching these young kids grow and cheering them on is untouchable. New leaders will emerge, new stars will blossom, and the organization will have a new identity when all is said and done. And I (have to) believe that identity will be a good one.

But I've got concerns with Stan Kroenke's ownership recently. A rebuild is one thing, but cutting costs is another. And the cost-cutting isn't coming just in the player salary department, but throughout the organization. I'm a penny-pincher by nature but you can't let that blind you to your surroundings.

It appears Kroenke is being blinded and possibly distracted by his many other sporting endeavors. Given that he's pouring more money into Arsenal, the cost cutting can't be due to tanking Wal-Mart shares or real estate holdings. Something else is behind his apparent disregard for the Avs and it is concerning.

This rebuild could be spectacular. But it could be hamstrung by an owner not willing to open his pockets for his former favorite child while still expecting fans to open theirs. A rebuild is mutual, as is the partnership between a team and its fans.

Let's hope we can work this out together.

*I'm not implying I would do it. This was not a threat. Please stay away from me, FBI. I'm also not saying I wouldn't do it...

Colorado Avalanche Trade Ryan Smyth

2009-07-03T21:10:00.008-06:00

I'm in shock. I didn't want to believe the rumors. In fact, during the trade deadline I was quite emphatic that it was all bunk. Turns out, I was wrong.

The Avalanche have traded Ryan Smyth to the Los Angeles Kings. I haven't yet heard what we're getting in return but I'd guess Doughty is not an option.

This frees up $3M in cap space which should help with Kroenke's goal of driving away fans...I mean trimming payroll. It would also create some extra space to allow both Sakic and Duchene to fit on the squad. So maybe I'm not wrong on Sakic...

UPDATE 1: AD has the early scoop on the details: Tom Preissing, Kyle Quincey and a 5th-round pick next year. Without researching more on those players, it's a "meh" from me. And dangerously close to a "WTF?".

UPDATE 2: Tom Preissing was looking like a stud early in his career but he completely tanked in LA and ended up spending time in the AHL. I remember him now from his time with the Ottawa Senators during their run in '07 and he looked like a blossoming defenceman so I'm not sure what happened but based on his last two seasons, he's not worth $2.75M. But I suppose if you want someone to take a big contract off your hands, you've got to take back an unwanted one in return.

Kyle Quincey actually had a solid season with the Kings and could be an excellent pickup. He spent time in the Detroit organization and there are definitely worse places to be trained. The Wings did waive him this season, leading to his LA picup He scored 38 points in 72 games with the Kings and feels a bit like John-Michael Liles' doppleganger. There are worse things to be, especially with a 500K price tag.

The 5th-round pick should have been a 2nd or 3rd-round pick since those later rounds are basically throw-aways. Yeah, yeah, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, blah blah blah.

The end result leaves me going "WTF?!". Note the extra exclamation point. It's not the loss of Smyth, it's the lack of return. I know Smyth had a large contract for what some viewed as limited point production, but Smyth did so much more than just put up points. This leaves room for young guys to step up which I'm actually excited for, but I still feel Smyth was worth more than this. It's probably the 5th-round pick that's really sticking in my craw.

Logjam in the backend
This possibly squeezes out Kyle Cumiskey for another season since there is a bit of a logjam on defence now. To be honest, I'm not that sold on Cumiskey and Quincey looks to be a better version. Of course, I say that without having had enough time to really watch Quincey.

Surely you would think there's another d-man on the move. That's a lot of salary on the backend for a squad of that calibre and there's a lot of offensive d-men, and not many shutdown guys. But when you're in cost-cutting mode, I'm guessing filling roles is a secondary priority.

Youth Movement
So it's officially time for the youth movement (come on, let's spin it a bit). There's now room on the squad for T.J. Galiardi, who should make the team based on his play last year, as well as Matt Duchene.

But just because you're going younger doesn't mean you trade the vets for nothing. I'll say this, Duchene better be as good as we all hope he is and Stastny better stop blocking shots with bare body parts. And for the love of Pete, let's hope Hejduk stays healthy. And that Wolski picks up his game. And that Svatos decides to score 30+ again. And that...oh hell, let's just call next season a full-on rebuild season and get it over with.

Leadership
This leaves a lot of leadership room that needs to be picked up by guys like Milan Hejduk, Scott Hannan and Adam Foote. Especially if I'm wrong on Sakic coming back. Smyth, Sakic and Ian Laperriere contained a lot of leadership. Losing all three at once would be a big hit.

Do the Avalanche have room for Super Joe?

2009-07-02T01:26:00.006-06:00

The Avalanche are likely done with the free agent signings after nabbing Craig Anderson (good stuff) and David Koci (WTF?) on the first day. And since I believe Joe Sakic is coming back, we should take a look to see how much cap space is left for his contract.

I've put together a quick Google spreadsheet which includes a couple projections to fill out the Avs 2009/2010 roster. I've got T.J. Galiardi making the team while Ryan Stoa and Matt Duchene do not. I also put in some projected numbers for David Jones and Kyle Cumiskey, who both received qualifying offers but no contract has been signed. I believe both will re-sign and neither should be getting any large increase in salary, but I did give them a modest bump because I'm nice that way. And finally, I brought back Daniel Tjarnqvist as a 7th defenceman, but you can slot in any serviceable name in that 7th-D slot.

With all the dust settled, there is enough space to give Sakic a $5M contract. I went conservative and gave him a $4.5M contract, leaving some flex in cap space. Of course, this is complete conjecture on whether Sakic would take "just" $4.5M for what would undoubtedly be his final season. And it's still conjecture on my part that he's coming back but let's not ruin the entire point of this post.

Would it be disappointing for Matt Duchene to not get a chance to skate with his idol, Joe Sakic? Absolutely, but I'd be willing to bet that even if he doesn't prove NHL-ready during the development and/or training camps, he'll stick around for at least one game to start the season so he can say he skated with Joe.

There's also plenty of time for Greg Sherman to work on unloading a bloated contract or two to some sucker GM out there - maybe Burke would take Darcy Tucker? - to open up more space for youth. Of course, the odds of that happening are slim to none but one can hope, right?

If you notice a mistake in the spreadsheet or think I'm flat-out wrong, feel free to either comment below or open up the spreadsheet and make a change.

Avalanche Sign Craig Anderson

2009-07-01T11:38:00.004-06:00

Greg Sherman starts off his tenure with a solid pickup, signing goaltender Craig Anderson to a 2-year deal, rumored at $1.8M/year. Anderson was one of the top-3 goaltenders available and likely the best bang for the buck, though we've yet to see what Nikolai Khabibulin and Martin Biron sign for.

Anderson played very well for the Florida Panthers in his limited playing time, posting 15 wins, 7 losses, a 2.71 GAA and .924 save percentage. On a non-lethal Panthers team, those are very good numbers.

Anderson and Peter Budaj will jockey for the #1 position in training camp, but it's quite possible this is another 1a/1b situation. Anderson is not the Avs goaltending savior, but Anderson/Budaj is more solid than Budaj/Raycroft.

Nice scoop, AD!

Free Agent Frenzy 2009 Edition

2009-07-01T09:38:00.004-06:00

(Fireworks Frenzy)

In a mere 10 minutes the gates will lift and the NHL's annual free agent frenzy will begin. What does that mean for everyone? Well, if you are lucky enough to live in Canada, you get to watch endless speculation by the TSN talking heads since little signings are announced for the first couple hours. And of course you get to do that while sitting in your underwear on the couch because today is Canada's birthday. The little guy is growing up so fast.

If you're in the US, you can follow along on TSN's website along with their handy free agent tracker. They tend to get the breaking news up quickly and only if it's 100% confirmed. Darren Dreger is all a-twitter while TSN.ca also has a CoverIt Live blog going. Sadly, I don't see a Jay Onrait live blog.

If you're the informed rumor loving type, Spector and The Fourth Period have you covered. If you're the ill-informed rumor mongering type, you know where to go (but hey, we've all gone there once or twice).

Holy crap, I've been so busy lately I'm recycling posts. And without the decency to update my thoughts on what the Avalanche will or should do.

And I'm not gonna. I'm going to sit down, catch a little of the covereage, go for a bikeride by the river, lay on the grass and think about nothing...and then head in to work for a bit. I'll catch up on everything later in the day and will put up a post if the Avs did anything worthwhile. Like trade Tucker.

At least it can't be worse than last year's frenzy...

Related Links
Mile High Hockey Free Agency Live Thread

Matt Duchene Tribute Video

2009-06-27T22:00:00.003-06:00

I found a link to a Matt Duchene tribute video in a post I'd done back in April. I'm not sure how I found it but damned if it didn't get me fired up again. You can see some Joe Sakic in him in terms of the wrist shot but after watching it, I see a ton of Peter Forsberg in this guy as well.

Matt Duchene Tribute Video

*sighs dreamily*

Sakic Has Made Up His Mind - (I Think) He's Coming Back

2009-06-27T19:51:00.000-06:00

Our intrepid reporter, Adrian Dater, was on the beat in Montreal and got a hold of this gem from GM Greg Sherman: Joe Sakic has made up his mind. But before anyone is told that decision, Sakic is going on vacation.

All I'm going to say is this...you don't go on vacation before you retire. You go on vacation after you retire.

Glad to have you back, Super Joe.

Post-Draft Thoughts - Avalanche Look to Major Junior

2009-06-27T18:56:00.006-06:00

Once the smoke had cleared, the Avalanche got their guy - Matt Duchene - and added an additional forward, three defencemen and two goalies.

Round 1 (3) - Matt Duchene (C, Brampton Battalion)
Round 2 (33) - Ryan O'Reilly (F, Erie Otters)
Round 2 (49) - Stefan Elliot (D, Saskatoon Blades)
Round 3 (64) - Tyson Barrie (D, Kelowna Rockets)
Round 5 (124) - Kieran Millan (G, Boston U)
Round 6 (154) - Brandon Maxwell (G, US National Team)
Round 7 (184) - Gus Young (D, Noble)

In the first three rounds, the Avs strayed from US college hockey and went to Canada's major junior leagues in the CHL, grabbing two forwards from the OHL and two defencemen from the WHL. High-fives all around for those choices. Nobody likes to stereotype but gun to my head, I'd say it's the O that pumps out snipers, the W that pumps out D and the Q that gives us our lovable Francophone goaltenders.

Round-by-round Compustrike numbers
Round 1 was a no-brainer. A chimp could have got up and eeked out something sounding like "uchie" and everyone would assume he meant Duchene. But still, high-fives for not f'n it up!

In Round 2, the Avalanche made two excellent choices. I've watched Stefan Elliot and think he will grow into a solid top-four defenceman who can play on the #1 PP unit. In fact, some have labelled him as a Brian Rafalski-type player. He's got a shot at being on Team Canada for the 2010 World Junior tournament here in Saskatoon, which may be the first time an Avs prospect has played for Team Canada at the U20's. I've never seen Ryan O'Reilly play but I like the sounds of the scouting reports. Sure, he's not going to step on the ice this year and tear it up, but it sounds like he could mature into a top-six forward.

In Round 3, the Avalanche decided to go with Len Barrie's - yes, he of Lightning ownership fame - son, Tyson Barrie. He was partnered with Luke Schenn in Kelowna which gets my seal of approval. He put up some solid numbers in the Rockets run to the Memorial Cup and I'll be sure to be at the Blades-Rockets games to watch two Avs prospects duke it out on defence.

The Avs need more goaltending prospects and they looked to the late rounds to fill those up by grabbing Kieran Millan in Round 5 and Brandon Maxwell in Round 6. I could have sworn earlier today that Millan's stats were on hockeydb and showed a GAA of 1.67 in 28 games played this year, but I must have been off my rocker as . Maxwell would appear to be a longshot but there's something about Millan that has me slightly hopeful. EDIT: The Avs draft page say he posted a GAA of 1.94 while leading Boston to the NCAA championship.

And in Round 7, they grabbed another defenceman, Gus Young. I won't even attempt to say if this was a good choice or not. But he's got a good name, so I like him.

He won't know how successful this draft was overall for a few years, but on paper it looks pretty good. An argument could be made that we've got a lot of offensive defencemen waiting in the pipes and limited blue-chip goaltending prospects. But blue-chip goaltenders are tough to find and defensive defencemen often come out of nowhere to surprise you. I think the cubbard (intentional) is looking good.

Now we enter the free agency waiting zone where the Avs should be relatively quiet, unless they're able to offload some salary. And I wouldn't get my hopes up on that front if I were you.

Related Links
Avalanche.com Draft Wrap-up
Matt Duchene Post-Draft Interview (via MHH)
Duchene fist-pump knowing he was going to Colorado (via Jib)
5 Questions with Matt Duchene

Avalanche Draft O'Reilly, Elliot

2009-06-27T08:54:00.003-06:00

Day two of the draft is already underway and the Avs have made two picks as I write this.

With the 33rd overall pick they chose Ryan O'Reilly, a forward with the Erie Otters. He's put up some decent points in his two seasons with them and he was a beast during the combine. (midway down)

With pick #49 the Avalanche went with Stefan Elliot, a defenseman with our very own Saskatoon Blades. Elliot can put up points but he's certainly not deficient in his own end. He's one of those players that's so smooth, you don't even notice how he's contributing. Elliot will be a big part of the Blades this season and I'll be watching him closely now that he's part of the mother organization.

And a nice job by Hockey's Future to already have those players linked up with the Avs!

Related Links
Hockey's Future Prospect Profile - Ryan O'Reilly
Hockey's Future Prospect Profile - Stefan Elliot

The Avalanche Draft Matt Duchene #3

2009-06-26T17:09:00.005-06:00

Welcome to the Colorado Avalanche, Matt Duchene!

I'm so excited. More thoughts later but for now, back to enjoying the new office!

Oh and Sherman? No french.

EDIT: TSN says "Comparable: Steve Yzerman"

Come on, guys. "Comparable: Joe Sakic"

Draft Day Begins in 10 Minutes

2009-06-26T16:58:00.001-06:00

Our wonderful IT crew has our Internet up and running, I found a TV with a cable connection and I'm good to go!

Rumor is Duchene is going #1. I don't believe it. I still think the Islanders are crazy to not take Tavares. He's ready to play. Duchene might not be.

Nonetheless, the intrigue has spiced things up!

Buckle down, folks. Garth Snow should be up at the podium in about 10 minutes.

Draft Day is Upon Us

2009-06-25T20:30:00.004-06:00

Draft day is upon us and it would appear I've been in hibernation for the past two weeks. Well, I have reasons and they're work related - not in a bad way, in a very, very good way - but I won't bore you with that. What I will bore you with is some thoughts on the upcoming draft.

There has been a lot of controversy, so to speak, around what order the top three - John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene - will be selected in. But the smart money should still be on Tavares going first, followed by Hedman and then Duchene. The Islanders would be crazy not to take Tavares, the lightning need defence so bad it's tearing the owners apart and the Avalanche need to replace Joe Sakic, who has been silent as a monk since the season ended.

If the Avalanche are forced to take Tavares or Hedman, there will certainly be no tears shed, but I've got my hopes riding high on Duchene. Possibly unreasonably high, but can you blame me based on the last couple seasons? I'd grasp at anything right now to feel good about this franchise.

Heck, I started falling in love with the guy during the OHL playoffs and when Greg Wyshynski noted that Duchene was wearing a short-sleeve dress shirt + tie combo, the man crush was in full effect. Then Chris Pope fired me an email with a link to an interview he had with Duchene and damned if I wasn't ready to propose right then and there.

When the draft goes down tomorrow, I may not be able to be part of the breaking news. At noon tomorrow, we will be shutting down our office and shifting about ten blocks southwest to some swanky new digs. I will also be working on rolling out some internal system changes to coincide with the shrink wrap completely coming off on Monday morning.

I'm disappointed I won't be able to sit on my duff with my new netbook on my lap, but this move was a long time coming. It will just add to me elation tomorrow when the Avs snag Duchene. So if you don't hear from me, don't worry. I'm around and I'm happy. And I promise, I've got some thoughts I need to get out so you'll be hearing them soon.

Ah, the rallying cry of bloggers everywhere.

Pittsburgh Penguins Win Stanley Cup

2009-06-12T20:36:00.002-06:00

I'm a so happy.

Goodbye Lappy, Hello Darcy

2009-06-12T09:09:00.005-06:00

Everybody, get prepared to hate on Darcy Tucker even more next season. Because of his ridiculous $2.5M salary, the Avs are lowballing Ian Laperriere in contract negotations and Lappy will likely no longer be a part of the Avalanche organization.

There are three sides of the fence to sit on. 1 - Keep Lappy at any cost. 2 - Let him go, he's old and slow. 3 - They should have traded him at the deadline.

Of course, there's all shades of grey in between 1 and 2, but I think most people can focus on #3 here. If the Avalanche were going to stay firm at their sub-seven figure offer, why keep him around in a disastrous season? Now they will lose Lappy for nothing, when they could have got back more than he was worth at the trade deadline.

Laperriere is certainly getting up there in age and the Avs are a bit hamstrung by cap dollars, but it would be nice if they cut out these ridiculous lowball offers from their "negotiating" tactics.

And am I the only one who sometimes feels a twinge of guilt at dealing with people as simply assets with value?

Blue Jackets Hat Trick Case

2009-06-03T14:57:00.003-06:00

Greg over at Puck Daddy answered a question that many fans, including myself, have often pondered: Where do the hats go?

When I got the end and read what the Columbus Blue Jackets do with those hats, I found myself saying "That is a brilliant idea!"

The Blue Jackets have a transparent hat bin where all those hats go. Each hat trick has its own section in the bin and is labeled with the franchise hat trick number, who scored the trick, the date, time and opponent and at what point during the game it was scored.

It's unique, it's informative and it's engaging. That's pretty much the marketing trifecta right there. Well done, Jackets.

Avalanche Management Shakeup

2009-06-03T08:55:00.007-06:00

The shakeup has begun.

Head coach Tony Granato, assistant coaches Jacques Cloutier and Dave Barr along with goaltending coach Jeff Hackett are gone from the coaching staff while assistant GM Michel Goulet and video coordinator PJ Deluca are gone as well.

So that's the entire coaching staff, a Nordiques legend plus what appears to be someone caught in the crossfire (ie. "acceptable losses")

I'm surprised that Goulet is gone but damn am I glad to see the entire coaching staff removed. I was getting worried that the organization was just paying lip service to the need to clean house and get the organization back on track.

Lacroix is either close to naming a new GM or wanted to attract a few eyeballs in the GM world to prove things will be different.

UPDATE: Damn, AD has the scoop on the new structure and Greg Sherman is the new GM with Craig Billington as his assistant. I really have to get ready to go to work so more thoughts when I wake up (yes, I type in my sleep).

Roy Out, Sakic Too?

2009-05-27T23:11:00.005-06:00

By now, I'm sure you're all aware that Patrick Roy confirmed Pierre Lacroix's head coaching job offer by turning it down. It was a hail mary pass that was not caught and one has to wonder why Lacroix tossed it so early.

One other fact we all know, which this sideshow distracted us from, is that Joe Sakic is once again on the brink of retirement. He won't announce his intentions to the public until after the Stanley Cup has been awarded, but has he already told Lacroix?

Because if Lacroix knows Joe is going to retire, he knows the franchise face is gone. And if the franchise face is gone, myriad questions pop up including "How are we going to sell season tickets?"

Cue St. Patrick.

But he didn't answer the call.

Dean Lombardi Speaks to Fans on Kings Website

2009-05-26T11:59:00.004-06:00

Los Angeles Kings President and General Manager Dean Lombardi has an article up on the official LA Kings site.

It's well written and well reasoned. An impassioned plea for fans to stick by them through the rebuilding process while reiterating that he will not falter and go for a quick fix.

It was refreshing to read and it should be mandatory for every clubs GM to put up a post like this to the fans at least once a year.

Glove tap to Kukla's Korner.

Bob Boughner as Assistant Coach?

2009-05-25T12:53:00.007-06:00

If we're going to see Patrick Roy behind the bench after a short stint in QMJHL where he won a Memorial Cup with the Quebec Remparts, why not up the ante and bring back Bob Boughner, who just won the Memorial Cup as head coach of the upstart Windsor Spitfires, as one of his assistants?

Or is Boughner not a big enough name to put butts back in the seats, which we can safely assume is a key factor with the possible Roy hire.

Related Links
Why the Windsor Spitfires are hockey's most inspirational story

Patrick Roy as Coach and GM?

2009-05-25T12:13:00.002-06:00

If the reports are true and Pierre Lacroix offered Patrick Roy the coach and GM roles with the Avalanche, then Lacroix has lost his friggin' mind. The dual role may work in the WHL, but I don't think it's sustainable long-term in the NHL these days.

If it's a ploy to sweeten the deal and keep Roy away from Montreal, then it's a bad one. Unless Lacroix's genius vision is to put Roy in as GM in a figurehead role and let people like Craig Billington et. al. do all the work. Once again, I come back to the whole "lost his friggin' mind" thought.

I spent most of my Sunday reading Batman comics - what? - and sleeping, so I missed this one until Elpou fired me an email which I got this morning. If anyone even has any articles or opinions to send my way, feel free to contact me via email, comments or telegraph.

And I swear, at some point I'll come out of hibernation and write more than once a week.

Report: Patrick Roy Mulling Head Coach Offer with Avalanche

2009-05-18T08:55:00.014-06:00

According to Adrian Dater's sources, Patrick Roy has been offered the non-vacant head coaching position with the Colorado Avalanche and is mulling it over. Darren Dreger even goes so far as to say it's not only a coaching position but a "coach plus" position, with other management duties.

UPDATE: AD reports via his blog that Roy is denying he's been offered anything. Does "offered" have the same connotations as "handed"? Maybe not in a PR world.

When they hired Tony Granato last offseason, I was not happy. Primarily due to the Avs not interviewing any other candidates, but I was more unhappy with the fact that it was Tony Granato who I've just never felt gave out the head coaching vibe.

This season, it's the same story, but different. Pierre Lacroix is assuming the GM role after ousting Francois Giguere, while the head coach from last year still believes he is the head coach. And I'm guessing this wasn't a pleasant story for TG to wake up to.

A move like this can indicate a few things, not all of them being mutually exclusive:

Lacroix intends to retain the GM role;
Lacroix has already narrowed his choices for the next GM to ones he knows would be happy with Patrick behind the bench;
Lacroix is sending a message to whoever may be the next GM;
Granato is aware of the whole situation and is again a willing participant to step down as head coach;
Kroenke is sweating season ticket renewals, knew Lacroix hadn't decided on a GM and impatiently told him to make the move;
Pickles are tangy

I'm not entirely against Roy coming back as the head coach of the Avs, but I wonder again about the methodology of choosing new front office and coaching personnel without interviewing outside candidates. Promotion from within is great as a business, as long as you don't close the door to fresh mindsets.

Related Links
Report: Roy has been offered coaching job in Colorado
Your move, Patrick?
Report claims Patick Roy offered job that Granato sort of still has