Well, as we're advancing toward the semi-finals of the playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're eliminated from the playoffs. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.
Now the first team to be eliminated from the Western Conference Quarterfinals: The Colorado Avalanche.
Season expectations: The team finished in the basement of the Western Conference last season and acquired Matt Duchene with the third overall pick. Coach Joe Sacco was brought on to instill a new system while Craig Anderson was brought on for $1.5 million a season to support Peter Budaj, who seems to have found more comfort in a backup role.
My prediction: I predicted the team would finish last in the Northwest Division and last overall in the Western Conference. In hindsight, I was way, way off.
The truth: The team was second in the division and clinched the eighth spot in the playoffs. They were eliminated by the first-seed San Jose Sharks in six games.
What went right?: Craig Anderson turned out to be the bargain of the off-season, appearing in 71 games and posting a 38-25-7 record along the way. Come to think of it, both he and Budaj posted an identical .917 save percentage and 2.64 goals against average during the regular season (during the postseason though, that would be a little different.) Coach Sacco had the forward producing points and the defenders patroling the blueline (save Jon-Michael Liles, who was used in a more offensive role, producing 31 points.) Paul Stastny and sophomore Chris Stewart had career seasons with 79 points while Matt Duchene stepped in and contributed 55 points in his rookie season. T.J. Galiardi nearly hit 40 points during his first full season in the NHL while newly acquired Peter Mueller was looking dangerous before suffering a concussion. The team embraced it's youth and was generously rewarded with a quick return to the playoffs.
What went wrong?: The team couldn't generate enough offense nor properly contain the Sharks during their playoff series, which lead to their demise. No player was able to generate a point-per-game basis (Stasnty came close with 5 points) While Scott Hannan and Kyle Quincey were the only plus players for the entire series. San Jose's one of the teams you have to play a complete game against and in the end, the Avalanche were just a shade too young to get over the more experienced Sharks squad.
So what's next?: The future's remarkably bright. These guys have a significant amount of cap room for next season, so they have plenty of options as to where they want to go with the team. As it stands, they'll be going into the off-season needing depth forwards and a few top-four and third pairing defenders. They'll probably do well to get reinforcements as opposed to signing a "big fish in the pond" because if the youth on the team keeps playing the way they are, the team's going to the cap space for contract extensions in the future.
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