Ryan Clark is a man I’ve mentioned quite a bit since I started writing this blog. There’s a reason for that he’s pretty fuckin smart. His articles on The Athletic are some of the best info on the Avs I’ve found. So when he released a fan survey recently, I was pretty intrigued. There were a bunch of boring questions about the TV deal dispute, how many games you’ve attended, and some financial questions. But amongst those were some pretty fun, interesting, and random questions. So those are obviously the questions I’m focusing on here.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME AN AVS FAN?
This question was perfect right off the bat because it really forced me to think. The first time I ever remember mentioning this Avs was in 6th grade. I was playing in-house hockey (couldn’t play full time cause I also played basketball #Athlete) and I refused to wear any number other than #19. Coach asked me if it was because of Steve Yzerman, I hadn’t heard of Stevie Y at this point in my life. I said, NO, JOE SAKIC. That’s my first memory of the Avs, but I would have to say my fandom started in 2013-14. I had always watched the Avs, but they had been pretty below average for quite sometime before this point. Then they drafted our lord and savior Nathan MacKinnon, and everything changed for one season. They won the Central Divison, MacK won the Calder, O’Reilly the Lady Byng, and Roy the Jack Adams. It was incredible… until they lost to the Wild in seven games and didn’t make the playoffs for the next three years. But I’ve been hooked ever since then.
WERE/ARE THE AVS A STANLEY CUP CONTENDER THIS YEAR?
Simply put, yes. And the Wild very much are not and, that might be equally as important. But let’s get back to the team that is relevant in the year 2020 and will be for a lot longer. Yes, the Avs are very much contenders. Teams don’t just end up in second place in the Western Conference for no reason. This team, when healthy, has the depth to compete with any team in the league. This was a HUGE problem for them in the last two playoff runs. Sakic made some real smart moves this offseason to make sure that wouldn’t be a problem going forward. They have at worst a top-five goaltending tandem in Grubauer and Francouz. They have both shown a propensity to go on outlandish hot streaks and that’s exactly what teams need to win in the playoffs. Which goalie would have gotten the start in game one of the first round would/could be a very difficult decision for Bednar. Not only are the Avs contenders this season, but they are also primed to be contenders for many seasons to come. They have one of the deepest and most impressive prospect pools in the NHL. If you want more info on that you’re gonna need to read something written by some far smarter than me. Long story short yes, yes, yes the Avs are most certainly contenders.
WHAT IS YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL IN WHAT JOE SAKIC AND HIS FRONT OFFICE STAFF HAVE DONE? SPECIFICALLY OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS.
The article had this on a scale from one to ten. I’ve got a better way of putting it, very fuckin confident. Sakic hasn’t done a single thing wrong. He’s made all the right decisions at the right times. He is the epitome of what the Minnesota Wild would like in a GM. Sucks to suck.
BASICALLY THE EXACT SAME QUESTION AS ABOVE BUT ABOUT JARED BEDNAR.
I mean… just read the above answer. Substitute the names and positions and its the same answer.
.
.
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I don’t really want to mention it but, I’m not always super jazzed about the assistants. That’s all I’m gonna say because this blog is very positive vibes only.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR THE AVS TO WIN THEIR 3RD STANLEY CUP?
OPTIONS:
THIS YEAR (y’know if it happens)
1-2 YEARS
3-5 YEARS
LONGER
The fan in me really wanted to pick this year. But my rationality tells me that it’s far more reasonable (if not probable) that they will get one in the next two seasons. With the prospects coming up, and the current contract situations the Avs are primed for some very deep playoff runs.
WHAT WAS THE BEST OFF-SEASON MOVE MADE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS?
OPTIONS:
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Andre Burakovsky
Joonas Donskoi
Nazem Kadri
Valeri Nichushkin
Just an absolutely absurd list, not only because of the talent and importance but also because of the names. I mean having to type these out on a consistent basis is starting to hurt my pea brain. Trying to decide which player to pick also hurt my brain if we’re being honest. In the end, I decided on Naz. It was a really, really hard decision, each guy on the list has brought something that the teams of the past were missing. But to me, Naz FINALLY filling that 2nd line Center role was so desperately needed. For the last two seasons, it had been a rotating cast of characters, and because of that, the line struggled to find any chemistry. Now, outside of the incredible amount of injuries, the 2nd line has been pretty solidified. When all healthy Burky, Donskoi, and Kadri are an incredibly dynamic line. But to me, a line is usually defined by their Center, and Naz has been nothing short of terrific this season.
WHO WAS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE SEASON?
OPTIONS:
Andre Burakovsky
Ryan Graves
Pavel Francouz
Cale Makar
Valeri Nichushkin
If you’ve been reading the blogs up to this point you know I love Ryan Graves and his style of play. So obviously my vote should go to him, wrong. I knew Ryan Graves was going to be this good this year. I’ve been pumping this guys tires since he stuck with the Avs for the last 20 or so games at the end of last year. The real answer is pretty obvious… Pavel Francouz. Much like Ryan Graves, I’ve waxed poetic about him on the blog before, but unlike Ryan Graves, I had no clue what to expect from Francouz. Francouz had been absolutely lights out for the Avs before the season ended, and was making a case for being the #1 guy. If, and hopefully when the season starts back up it will be interesting to see which Goalie starts the first game back. Regardless of that Francouz has been an absolutely wonderful surprise.
WHO WOULD WIN A RACE BETWEEN CALE MAKAR AND NATHAN MACKINNON?
The easy answer here is MacKinnon. In a straight line, there’s maybe one guy in the league who as fast or maybe a little faster, and that’s McDavid. With the puck on their stick, it might be MacK getting the dub. But that’s not the question. In an All-Star Game style, fastest skater MacK probably wins by a bit, but if we’re talking racing waking the blue line then everything changes. Makar’s ability to walk the line has drawn comparisons to Nick Lidstrom. Lidstrom is widely regarded as one of the greatest D-men ever, and his ability to walk the line could be considered his calling card. That’s some pretty high regard for Makar at his age. I got really off-topic on this one, so in summary, MacK in a straight line, and Makar horizontally.
WHO WOULD WIN AN ALL-OUT CAGE MATCH AMONG AVS PLAYERS?
The first answer that popped into my head was Nikita Zadorov, he’s massive, he’s not afraid to chuck ’em, and he’s strong as shit. That sounds like everything you want in a cage match, but then I remembered, it’s all about heart. No one on this team has more heart than Matt “Matty Hustle” Calvert. Calvert doesn’t play the prettiest game in the world, but he works his fucking bag off every single game. Watching him play hockey makes me want to train for a marathon or some shit like that. I’m obviously not going to do that because I don’t have near enough athletic ability anymore, but that just shows you how hard he works. He can motivate a slightly (maybe a little more than slightly) out of shape 24-year-old bum. That’s exceptional. I think Matty Hustle would just be able to go all night and would eventually wear everyone down, making him the cage-match winner.
Well, that was a ton of fun for me to write. I like taking really simple concepts and then taking them way too far. I really doubt Ryan Clark intended people to go this in-depth, but that’s my style. I went a little hard on the Wild there for a second, but it felt good to let some anger out constructively. If you have different opinions on any of these please feel free to let me know on twitter (@msovi27), or in the comments below. Look out later this week for another video episode too. That’s it, that’s all, stay safe everyone!
The Snow Report 