As we close the books on 2015 and welcome in 2016, it’s time to take a moment and look back on the top stories of the past year for the Colorado Avalanche
Backup Goaltending Situation
The goaltending in the 2014-15 season was unable to meet expectations. Many people were counting on Semyon Varlamov playing at the same level he had the year before when he was a Vezina Trophy runner-up, but a groin injury prevented him from doing so. Reto Berra was given the opportunity to take over, and he too sustained an injury early in the year. In came Calvin Pickard from the Lake Erie Monsters, who impressed many Avs followers with his skill. In 16 games played for the Avalanche, Pickard posted a .932 save percentage and 2.35 goals-against average. For a while, Pickard even maintained the starting role over Berra, as well as the backup role once Varly returned from his injury, sending Berra to the AHL for a five-game stint (where he even scored a goal). Berra’s three-year $4.35 million contract was appearing to be a terrible decision. At the end of the season, head coach Patrick Roy was not pleased with the way Berra had played and he publically challenged the goaltender, saying that he was really going to have to impress in the upcoming training camp to stay with the team. Berra spent the summer fighting for his NHL career and working hard with Avalanche goaltending coach Francois Allaire. Training camp and the preseason arrived and Berra was able to put together a strong first couple games to secure his job as the backup. The backup goaltender role in Colorado is an important one considering that the expected starter, Varlamov, is frequently bothered by a lingering injury.
Erik Johnson Signs Long-term Deal
Erik Johnson first arrived in Denver through a trade in 2011 along with Jay McClement and a conditional first-round pick. The trade upset many Avs fans because it sent two fan favorites in Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk to St. Louis in return for, what at the time was, an underachieving Johnson. Over the past four years Johnson began to live up to his potential and grow in to the player he was expected to be. By the end of the 2014-15 season Johnson had played in 250 games in an Avalanche sweater and the Avs front office spent the offseason working on a deal. On September 22, during a preseason meeting with the Anaheim Ducks, it was announced the Avalanche had reached a deal with the 27-year-old from Bloomington, Minn. Erik Johnson now has the longest-termed contract on the team, keeping him under contract with the Avalanche until the end of the 2022-23 season. Johnson assured his confidence in the team by talking about what it will be like when his contract expires as a 35-year-old saying, “I remember breaking in as a 19-year-old and playing with Keith Tkachuk, who was that age and I thought he was so old. I am sure when I am that age, after we finish the contract here, after we have won a few Stanley Cups, there is going to be some young 18-year-old looking at me and saying, ‘look at that old guy.’”
Mikko Rantanen Selected 10th in the NHL Draft
After a disappointing finish to the 2014-15 season, the Avalanche ended up with the 10th selection in the NHL entry draft. With that pick the Avs went with a ’96 from Finland by the name of Mikko Rantanen, who was the top ranked player from Europe at the time of the draft. Rantanen played three years professionally in Finland before being chosen by the Avalanche during the offseason. A skilled winger with some size, Rantanen created excitement and was even given a chance to prove himself as a consistent option in the Avalanche lineup. He played in the first six games for the Avalanche this season, but was unable to produce any points in his limited role. Rantanen was sent to the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, to grow as a player and gain some experience. His time with the Rampage will be beneficial to the Avalanche’s future, allowing Rantanen the time to improve and prepare for the NHL scene, as well as give the organization contract flexibility moving forward. The Avalanche have a lot of free agents to deal with this offseason, and the fact that Rantanen has played so few NHL games and his young age means his rookie-level contract will not kick in until next season. This gives the Avs time to develop Rantanen, save some money and focus on giving a fair contract to the upcoming free agents such as Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie (among many others).
Announcement of Stadium Series Game in Denver
Since 2003 there have been 15 outdoor games played in the NHL; this year there will be three more. The Stadium Series game played at Coors Field between the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 27 will be the NHL’s 18th outdoor game that counts in the regular season. Considering that it is the “Coors Light Stadium Series,” it is a wonder why it took so long to bring to Coors Field in the home state of Coors beer. Announced in January, the news of the Avalanche playing an outdoor game in Denver has had the organization and fans alike excited with anticipation.
The Stadium Series game happens to come in a year where the Avalanche are celebrating their 20th year of existence in Colorado. The combination of the year-long celebration and the arrival of the state’s first outdoor hockey game has sparked the creation of new jerseys for the club. Their usual jersey was changed, adding a Colorado shoulder patch to replace the old yeti foot that had been there since the beginning. The alternate third jerseys were completely changed, honoring the old Colorado Rockies hockey team by putting their logo on the chest of the dark blue uniform. A fourth jersey has been introduced as well that is only going to be used in the outdoor game, a sleek white sweater with a large Colorado “C” on the chest.
The Stadium Series game is a big deal in the NHL and is drawing a lot of excitement around the city, but even more so, is the alumni game that will be played the day prior. Many former Avalanche greats are meeting up to face an old rival in the Red Wings alumni. This game is eclipsing the main game in terms of people’s interest, especially to the casual hockey fan, but the weekend should prove to be a historical one for the city of Denver.
Ryan O’Reilly Traded to Buffalo
The biggest story involving the Colorado Avalanche this season is the trade that sent longtime Avs forward Ryan O’Reilly to the Buffalo Sabres. Drafted in the second round of the 2009 draft, O’Reilly immediately became an integral piece of the Avalanche system. In 427 games for Colorado, over the span of six seasons, O’Reilly tallied 90 goals and 156 assists. O’Reilly, or “Factor” as he was known in the dressing room, was a highly skilled, two-way center that could not agree on contract terms with the Colorado front office and essentially forced the team to trade him. The Avalanche had to do so if they wanted to gain any value out of his departure, rather than losing him to free agency and getting nothing in return. On draft day in June of this year, the trade was complete. O’Reilly was headed to Buffalo along with Jamie McGinn in exchange for defenseman Nikita Zadorov, forwards Mikail Grigorenko and J.T. Compher and a draft pick. After several contract disuputes and difficulties between the Avalanche and O’Reilly over the years, the Avalanche removed a major weight off their chest by completing the trade. They lost one of the league’s most effective centers, but were able to get some value in return and had a dressing room full of players who are happy to be here. The Ryan O’Reilly trade was big news nationally, considering the rarity of a star player being traded, and therefore was the number one story surrounding the Avalanche in 2015.