Here's what Avs have to do to rebound
Colorado needs to clean house if it's to become a contender again
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Joel Quenneville is exonerated: Monday's firing of Colorado Avalanche GM Francois Giguere is the final piece to proving Quenneville was correct in his player decisions and Giguere was wrong. We'll now accept appeals to this decision.
Trouble is, the Avalanche had to suffer through the just-finished season with Gigeure calling the shots on personnel and Tony Granato coaching. Giguere is packing out of Denver, but it appears Granato will get a chance to stick around for a while. One question: Why?
OK, Granato is a first-rate guy, but he's done squat in two stints as Avalanche coach. OK, he kept his composure through a trying season, but his team finished last in the Western Conference. OK, he was forced to use a lineup hamstrung by injuries, but he motivated ... anybody? Nobody?
Last place in the West, 28th overall and a fan desertion rate that screams depression prompted old pal Adrian Dater of the Denver Post to write this: "Only Bear Stearns and two Eastern Conference teams had uglier numbers than the Avs this year, and the two questions at the top of most fans' lists are: How did things get so bad?"
The second question was whether Giguere would be held accountable. Monday, he paid.
Now, here's what the Avs need to do to get out of this mess:
Clean house
Give Joe Sakic an ultimatum: Sign a cut-rate deal now or move on. That'll sting, but Sakic isn't a front-line player anymore, and his indecision before last season cost the Avs plenty. They waited for him, let capable replacements skate away and got little in return.
The Avs also need to get younger, faster and more talented with the best players available in the team's development system. This season's M*A*S*H unit on ice allowed tryouts for plenty of prospects. The best stay; the rest can take up permanent residence with AHL Lake Erie or elsewhere. Anyone on the ice that doesn't make it in the sharp-eyed evaluation of boss man Pierre Lacroix should plan on a change of address.
And veterans who couldn't make a difference? Take a hike. By all indications, Tyler Arnason should be the trail blazer — even though nobody wants to go with him.
The Avs are up against the salary cap again next season. Spend the $13 million available on young talent, whack away at the 13 signed players to create more cap space and bring speed and youth back into the lineup.
Find a goaltender
Enough of the Peter Budaj-Andrew Raycroft experiment. Neither guy can win the No. 1 job. Go into free agency with a mandate to sign the best goalie on the market. Avs fans are accustomed to the best — Roy. Find his replacement, something the Avs haven't done since he retired.
Trouble is, that cap figure means they won't be able to lure, say, Nikolai Khabibulin without blowing the cap and/or the roster to smithereens. Vesa Toskala, for example, might be closer to the acceptable salary range. Or, sign Scott Clemmensen.
Make scouts accountable
Differences on using prospects versus veterans marked the tipping point of Quenneville's tenure. The scouts won over Giguere; Quenneville split. Either the amateur and pro scouts find talent or they don't. If they don't, they start looking for jobs. Judging by recent scouting decisions, a change would be good.
Make a decision on Granato ASAP
Don't let those Patrick Roy rumors hang around too long. In fact, Lacroix should hire his GM first, and then let him hire the coach, if Granato isn't his man. If Lacroix wants his old job back, fine, though it's unlikely. The next GM should be a sharp judge of talent from a winning organization whose focus is acquisition and development of young talent. We trust Lacroix will find that guy. He could do worse than talking to Mike Ricci first. His experience with the Sharks front office at least merits a chance to work as Lacroix's pupil.
We wish the Avalanche luck with their rebuilding program. Too bad they let this go too long. But remember the last time this franchise was awful? Those bleak days in Quebec set in motion the Avs' glory days. And looking at other teams in the West that rose — or are rising — from the dead gives hope of rebirth.
We think even Quenneville will look kindly on that.
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