I agree AD. Many of us have said for quite sometime that the top line and d-pair are being used to much. With the entire 2nd line and 2nd d-pair out, few people have stepped up. Compher is really a good 3C, who can step up when needed, but not a 1C. Cogliano is a great 4th liner, but not a top 6 forward.
The lack of production from the bottom 6 has been frustrating. Cogliano and O'Connor are producing as well as expected, but they are not offensive threats. Newhook has really disappointed this season. I think he needs to understand, as well as the Avs, that he is better as a winger than as a center. He is also, at least on the Avs, destined to be on the 3rd line. When everyone is healthy, he cannot fit into the top 6.
Other than Compher, no one in the bottom 6 has done much offensively. Because of injuries, most of those playing bottom 6 minutes would not even be playing on the Avs. Kaut, Meyers, MacDonald, MacDermid, Malgin, Hudon, Foudy, Ranta, D. Hunt, Megna, Galchenyuk, and a few others have played over 150 games combined and have only 3 goals and 5 assists. On the defensive side, B. Hunt and Englund have played 33 games and have 3 assists.
I remember back to the Nashville game to the overtime goal by Girard. While Girard and Rodrigues were on the 2 on 1, Makar was struggling to even keep up on the back of the play. He was gassed. Had Girard missed and Nashville was able to race back the other way, I do not think Makar would have been able to defend on the play.
On the bright side, Rantanen, MacKinnon, Lehkonen, Compher, Rodrigues, and Nichushkin are on pace for great years, when they are healthy and in the lineup. When Nichushkin and Rodrigues return to the top 6, the Avs will still have a bottom 6 that is not producing much offensively. They will hopefully be better defensively with the return of Helm.
It may be time for the Avs to trade for someone who can provide some offense to the 3rd line and able to move up when necessary. On the UFA side, you have someone like Max Domi who has 25 point this season, which would put him right behind Lehkonen. His cap hit is $3 million. He could be 3C, allowing Compher or Newhook to play on the 2nd line. He could also add to the PP. Other UFA's are either very expensive or not really adding any offensive numbers that Newhook isn't providing. That said, right now scoring any goals would be good from the bottom 6.
Newhook, O'Connor, Kaut, Lehkonen, Cogaliano have to pick up the slack offensively but they don't. What can the management do at this point? Wait for some players to return from the injury list and hoping that will save the season or shake things up on the secondary scoring by making a few trades? Time start to run out a little, my friends.
I agree AD. Many of us have said for quite sometime that the top line and d-pair are being used to much. With the entire 2nd line and 2nd d-pair out, few people have stepped up. Compher is really a good 3C, who can step up when needed, but not a 1C. Cogliano is a great 4th liner, but not a top 6 forward.
The lack of production from the bottom 6 has been frustrating. Cogliano and O'Connor are producing as well as expected, but they are not offensive threats. Newhook has really disappointed this season. I think he needs to understand, as well as the Avs, that he is better as a winger than as a center. He is also, at least on the Avs, destined to be on the 3rd line. When everyone is healthy, he cannot fit into the top 6.
Other than Compher, no one in the bottom 6 has done much offensively. Because of injuries, most of those playing bottom 6 minutes would not even be playing on the Avs. Kaut, Meyers, MacDonald, MacDermid, Malgin, Hudon, Foudy, Ranta, D. Hunt, Megna, Galchenyuk, and a few others have played over 150 games combined and have only 3 goals and 5 assists. On the defensive side, B. Hunt and Englund have played 33 games and have 3 assists.
I remember back to the Nashville game to the overtime goal by Girard. While Girard and Rodrigues were on the 2 on 1, Makar was struggling to even keep up on the back of the play. He was gassed. Had Girard missed and Nashville was able to race back the other way, I do not think Makar would have been able to defend on the play.
On the bright side, Rantanen, MacKinnon, Lehkonen, Compher, Rodrigues, and Nichushkin are on pace for great years, when they are healthy and in the lineup. When Nichushkin and Rodrigues return to the top 6, the Avs will still have a bottom 6 that is not producing much offensively. They will hopefully be better defensively with the return of Helm.
It may be time for the Avs to trade for someone who can provide some offense to the 3rd line and able to move up when necessary. On the UFA side, you have someone like Max Domi who has 25 point this season, which would put him right behind Lehkonen. His cap hit is $3 million. He could be 3C, allowing Compher or Newhook to play on the 2nd line. He could also add to the PP. Other UFA's are either very expensive or not really adding any offensive numbers that Newhook isn't providing. That said, right now scoring any goals would be good from the bottom 6.
Newhook, O'Connor, Kaut, Lehkonen, Cogaliano have to pick up the slack offensively but they don't. What can the management do at this point? Wait for some players to return from the injury list and hoping that will save the season or shake things up on the secondary scoring by making a few trades? Time start to run out a little, my friends.