Wednesday, February 23, 2011

kinder, gentler Avs blogging


I'm shutting my hole until after the deadline. I think the Avs aren't done trading guys, and I already overreacted to the Andy deal--only AFTER writing my meltdown did it come out that his people (and maybe he) had turned down a two-year 7.5-million dollar extension before this year began. That would have colored my reaction by like a lot.

But then Peter Stastny comes along and unloads the following:

“This young team was ready to challenge, almost, for a Stanley Cup this season. They were so good. All they needed was some more chemistry, and some synergies. Instead, they destroyed the team. I mean, that was a one-way deal. Mr. Armstrong will look like a genius. I don’t know what they were thinking in the Colorado organization. I should not have said this, but I’m so, so mad what they’ve done to this team. They’ve moved the team about two to three years back again.”

As for Stastny the elder, I have two main threads of thought.

One: as the PD article mentions, the guy lives in St. Louis & worked for the Blues. Hasn't had anything to do w/ the Avs in a long long time. Sure, he's entitled to his opinion, but:

Two: if you share your opinion, people should approach it critically. If *I* said:

“This young team was ready to challenge, almost, for a Stanley Cup this season."
I would be laughed at.

With good cause! It is a preposterous statement. If you take each of his claims and examine them naked, you get a bunch of hysterical ravings that don't seem to match up with consensus reality all that closely.

"They were so good."
They had lost 9 in a row when they made the trade.

"All they needed was some more chemistry, and some synergies. "
*If* that means anything, and I'm not convinced that it does, then maybe moving these guys improves chemistry/synergies. By all accounts, Stewart was popular and Shattenkirk had a lot of "leadership", but Peter Stastny has never set foot in the Avs locker room or showed up at a practice, so why again are we supposed to give a flying fuck what he has to say about anything?

"Instead, they destroyed the team."
Wait. We got 2 players and a draft pick. This is destroying? Take a look at what Ron Francis got traded from Hartford for; THAT was destroying a team.

"I mean, that was a one-way deal."
"One-way deal"? We gave up a promising but inconsistent power forward for a promising but inconsistent top-2 Dman; we gave up an offensive Dman--which we have half-a-dozen of--for a decent defensive forward, which we are short of.

And we got a first-round draft pick, which, you know: not too fucking shabby.


(Avs GM Greg Sherman negotiating contracts.)

"Mr. Armstrong will look like a genius."
It's possible. I think the Blues are a smart franchise, and I think they're rebuilding pretty efficiently and intelligently. One piece of evidence I have for this is that they identified a weakness--the need for a power forward--and moved an element of their strength--a stout, deep blue line--to address that weakness.

Why, it's similar to a move Mr. Sherman made, identifying a weakness--small defensive corps--and moving one of his strengths--high-scoring forwards--to address that weakness.

"I don’t know what they were thinking in the Colorado organization."
That is obvious.

"I should not have said this, but I’m so, so mad what they’ve done to this team."
Yeah. They really shoulda stuck with the undersized puckmovers who helped them to that 10-loss streak. Making trades to fill holes is fucking stupid. Unless your name is Mr. Armstrong, I guess.

"They’ve moved the team about two to three years back again."
If true, that would make me sad, because we'd be about to trade Ryan Smyth again and would have to sit through another year+ of end-stage Darcy Tucker and Tyler "The Human Person" Arnason.

But I don't think it is true. Back then, hoes didn't want me. Now I'm hot, hoes all up on me. No, sorry. Mike Jones moment there. What I meant: back then, our team was at the cap limit and old. Now our team is at the cap floor and young. Are we gonna make the playoffs this year? No. But we didn't then either. If you're gonna miss the playoffs in year N, do it with young players and lots of cap space for year N+1. We're doing that this year; we weren't doing it then.

In conclusion Peter Stastny, have another drink & HAVE A NICE DAY.

--Collision, hanging & banging, but broke as a joke

Frisky Dingo pic from the internet.
Mike Jones from buy that shit, homie.
Have a nice day.

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