Evan Rawal
By now, you’ve all heard what I think of some of the pickups the Colorado Avalanche made this summer.
Why not hear what someone else thinks about them?
I didn’t want to get in touch with just anyone, though. I wanted to get the opinion of someone who would know these players very well, and someone I really trust.
For a new perspective, I reached out to a scout (who, obviously, asked to remain anonymous) for an Eastern Conference team on what they think of the new Avalanche acquisitions. After all, they’re located out East and had plenty of live viewings of the likes of Ross Colton, Miles Wood, and Jonathan Drouin.
Because this scout spent most of their time out East, I didn’t ask about Ryan Johansen. Instead, I wanted to focus on the other three.
The answers I got were interesting, and also gave some insight into how the Avalanche organization is viewed from the outside.
It really should come as no surprise that, like most people, this scout felt the Ross Colton move was going to pay off in a big way, to the point where they were disappointed he didn’t end up on their team.
“I really like the Colton pickup,” the scout told me. “To me, he’s a solid 3rd liner, but can move up to the top 6 for a short period, or play on the 4th line. He has some pretty good, what I call, ‘hard skill’ for a role player, and he possesses great speed with an ultra-high compete level. He has learned how to create offense in the NHL with his skill-set in limited minutes, which did increase more each season with Tampa. I love how his game and role increased with TB. He is also a winner, which is always a plus when you can add depth and experience that has won to your lineup . IMO – of these 3 pick ups – Colton is the player I feel will have the greatest impact, plus upside.”
From the outside looking in, teams can see what the Avalanche are trying to do.
“He, along with Wood, definitely increases their depth in the bottom 6,” they said. “They both add toughness, plus they play a heavy, hard to play against, in-your-face style, which compliments the Avs top 6 nicely, especially in the playoffs when depth really matters.”
Okay, so what about Wood?
“(Wood) does have great speed and plays heavy,” the scout said. “I am concerned about the term, but you have to sometimes give more term than you desire to get a deal done, especially when you are in a win-now mode like the Avs.”
When I pressed more about Wood, they expressed concern about his hockey sense, or lack thereof, to be exact. Given what he’s shown in his career to date, that’s a fair concern.
And finally, we got to Jonathan Drouin. Avalanche fans are excited to see him reunited with Nathan MacKinnon, but many are skeptical of his ability to play in the top six consistently.
Lump this scout in with the skeptics.
“Drouin, to be honest, doesn’t impress me,” they said. “I know he played with Nate. He’s one where they can waive him if he doesn’t work out, or just keep as protection in case an injury.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
The thing about the Avalanche is that their pro scouting department, more often than not, has gotten it right when it comes to free agents or trade acquisitions. Players come in and produce more than they did in their previous stops. Why is that?
“The game Colorado plays does help average players put up bigger numbers than they should,” the scout told me. “They seem to be be betting on some guys that might be able to have a couple of bounce-back years offensively, so low risk, high reward.”
Overall, nothing the Avalanche could have done this summer will replace what they’ll be missing all season long. However, they tried to fill that big hole in their lineup as best as they could.
“Not having Gabe (Landeskog) leaves such an enormous void of top 6 talent, toughness and irreplaceable leadership,” the scout said. “It seems like they are trying to add players like Wood and Colton to help with that. These guys will never replace Gabe, but these two signings certainly help their bottom six depth. They can be 12 to maybe 20 (for Colton) goal scorers with this team, and how fast the Avs play.”