Well, season 2 of the rebuild begins in earnest. Only minor moves thus far, the most notable of which were the re-signings of Adam Foote and Peter Budaj, two players I honestly was not expecting back for another season. I'm not too peeved about either, even though Foote really should have retired this summer.
The Avs also acquired Daniel Winnik from the Phoenix Coyotes. From what I read the guy is big, fast, and not much else. Could it be Cody McLeod might be on the way out? That'll be a hard thing to do considering he's still due $2 million and coming off a pretty horrendous season, even by his standards.
As for the draft...
http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/news.htm? ... L|COL|homeThe Avs left some scratching their heads by using the 17th overall pick on Joey Hishon, a guy ranked 55th by Central Scouting. Avs head scout Rick Pracey defended the pick, saying the low ranking was more due to an injury-riddled season than anything else. I hope the kid pans out, but it's really hard to imagine where he fits on any current or near-future roster.
The 2nd round pick addressed a VERY pressing need, that of goaltending, and it sounds like they hit a home run in picking Calvin Pickard. Unlike Hishon I believe Pickard was very highly ranked by CSS. The Avs rounded out the draft with a few more forwards, a defenseman, and a Finnish goalie with a really cool frickin' name.
So there's your expert analysis! I guess we'll wait until July to see what happens next. The big questions then will be what guys the Avs succeed in re-signing by then (still no word on Peter Mueller) and what guys they'll be pursuing on the open market...
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