That would have been hard to believe just nine months ago, when the Avalanche finished with the worst record in the Western Conference and easily their worst since moving to Denver. However, a youth movement and a key discovery between the pipes have the Avalanche back in playoff contention and with a very bright future.
Colorado’s only two forwards not in their 20s are Milan Hejduk and Darcy Tucker, who both provide veteran leadership for a group still getting used to playing together. They’re also being counted on to guide a truckload of youngsters, led by 19-year-old center Matt Duchene.
Apparently the Avs knew what they were doing by selecting him with the third overall pick in last year’s draft and then not letting him spend a minute in the minors. Duchene got off to a slow start but is now the team’s top goal scorer, netting 15 in a 30-game span from Nov. 28-Feb. 4. He’s been a special-teams standout, leading the club with seven power-play goals and often providing quality minutes on the penalty kill.
Duchene is a Calder Trophy front-runner, but he isn’t the only first-year Avs player making a difference. Four Colorado skaters are among the top 20 rookies in points. Another 2009 draft pick, second-rounder Ryan O’Reilly, keyed the team’s 10-1-2 start by collecting 11 points in that span along with a plus-10 rating. Brandon Yip had 15 points in his first 20 games after being called up from the minors in mid-December. An ankle injury slowed 21-year-old T.J. Galiardi early in the season, but he’s come on to post 14 points in a recent 21-game span.
The best of the Avalanche youngsters, other than Duchene, could turn out to be second-year winger Chris Stewart. The 2006 first-round draft pick appears to be finding his groove after an unimpressive rookie campaign and a slow start to this season, scoring 16 goals in his first 32 games after Thanksgiving. Colorado is 13-2-1 when he scores and at 230 pounds, Stewart is quickly becoming an intimidating force on the ice.
While Stewart and the other youngsters are still getting their feet wet, their top two point men are entering their prime. Paul Stastny is 24, and so will Wojtek Wolski later this month. With all of that youth up front, Colorado is smart to have a bevy of veteran backliners, led by Adam Foote and Scott Hannan.
The very last line of defense, though, is where the Avs have arguably their best find – and most important piece to the puzzle.
Craig Anderson’s career got off to a rough start with three subpar seasons as the backup in Chicago, but he proved to be a capable performer at the NHL level when he was able to get off the bench for Florida over the past three seasons. During that span, no goaltender to appear in at least 50 games had a better save percentage (.928). He’s among the league leaders in that category this season, his first as a No. 1 netminder. Anderson went an astonishing 17 consecutive starts without allowing more than three goals before giving up five at Nashville on Feb. 4, but he came back two nights later to shut out Edmonton. It was his third shutout in three weeks and sixth of the season, one reason why Colorado is firmly entrenched in the Western playoff picture.
Another is fiery first-year coach Joe Sacco. He’s lit a spark under his youngsters and won’t let them get complacent, often changing lines or going on tirades when they’re not firing on all cylinders. So far, the formula has worked wonders. It may not be enough to get them to the Stanley Cup finals this year, but the mix is right in Colorado for the chance to be plenty of those trips in the next decade.
