Avalanche Stock Report: Girard Flying, Drouin Drops Down

With four games down, it’s time for our first stock report for the Colorado Avalanche.

To be honest, when a team is 4-0, it’s hard to find many negatives, but there have to be some…right? The team is finding different ways to win, even if they aren’t on top of their game each and every night. Maybe the best part is that the offense is starting to come from different places, after being a little top heavy the first two games.

Here’s your first regular season edition of the stock report for the Avalanche.

Stock Up

Sam Girard

Girard has come out absolutely flying this year. He’s skating really well, holding onto the puck with confidence, and making the right play the majority of time. In addition to all that, he seems a little…pissed off, for lack of a better term. He’s started the year with a bit of a mean streak, and it’s fun to watch.

His penalty killing metrics have always been very strong, so I’m happy to see him get a bigger role on the PK. He seems to have embraced it and is just one reason why that unit has started strong.

Colorado has controlled 59.26% of the shot attempts with Girard on the ice. No other defenseman on the team has a better shot share.

Fredrik Olofsson

The Avalanche had some options at 4C, but Olofsson earned the job fair and square with his preseason.

If his start to the year is any indication, he might not give the spot up.

He’s been a nice fit between O’Connor and Cogliano, matching their play styles perfectly. On the PK, he’s had an active stick, breaking up plays left and right. The only downside has been his face-off play, but he did a little better on draws against Chicago. Yes, 30% is an improvement on 0%. Even with those face-off struggles, the Avalanche are controlling nearly 71% of the shot attempts with Olofsson on the ice.

Alexandar Georgiev

What else can be said about Georgiev? There’s a strong argument to be made he’s been the best player on the Avalanche to start the season. Four games, four goals against. Hard to beat that.

His stock couldn’t really go up much after last year, but he’s found a way to do that early on.

Valeri Nichushkin 

The difference in skating from last year to this year has been extremely noticeable. He may have played all of last year on one foot, and you can tell he’s moving a heck of a lot better this season.

Against San Jose and Chicago, he drove the bus for the second line, and that’s part of the reason why Bednar would like to avoid putting him with MacKinnon and Rantanen if he can. The second line needs someone who can drive the play, and when he’s moving like he has been, he can do that.

*Honorable Mention: Justus Annunen*

Annunen clearly did enough to earn the backup job, but because he’s waiver exempt, he’s been sent down…for now. It wouldn’t surprise me if he starts a game or two for the Eagles and then comes up and gets the first non-Georgiev start of the season for the Avalanche.

Stock Down

Jonathan Drouin

At the moment, the Halifax reunion has been put on hiatus.

Drouin was placed back on the top line Thursday, but it lasted just one period. When on the top line, he’s looked a little unsure of where to be on the ice with MacKinnon and Rantanen, often finding himself right next to those two, as opposed to spacing out a bit more. His puck skils haven’t really been on display because he hasn’t really had the puck at all.

To his credit, he looked better when moved to the third line. He might have more of an opportunity to carry the puck with Colton and Wood, which may help him, but the rest of his game will have to hold up, because that duo is likely to be used in a more defensive role.

Bowen Byram

I struggled with this one, because lot is being put on Byram’s plate right now. No one on the Avalanche has played more at even strength, so they clearly trust him and want him to have a big role. That’s a positive.

The reason why I ultimately decided on him here is two-fold. One, penalties. He has spent 10 minutes in the box through four games. On one of those penalties, he managed to take someone with him, which helps, but that’s still a lot of time for one of your top defensemen to be spending in the box.

Second reason is lack of offense, but I think that will come. We saw signs of him getting more involved on Thursday against the Blackhawks, so I suspect the offense will come as the month goes on, but I do think it’s fair to say it’s been a slower start to the year for him.