Evan Rawal
Many were surprised, even stunned, when the Colorado Avalanche handed out a six-year contract to Miles Wood on the opening day of free agency. Heck, I was one of the many that were caught off guard by the term.
It’s not that Wood is a bad player, it’s just that long-term contracts like that are typically reserved for star players. To see a player coming off a 13 goal season get a contract that long is rare, but obviously there’s a reason why Colorado felt comfortable doing it, right?
Well, after watching 8 of his games from last year, I can see exactly why they like him. Like most bottom six players, he’s not perfect, and he’ll probably be a divisive player, but in the end, he won me over. Let me explain how.
In case you missed the previous two installments on Jonathan Drouin and Ryan Johansen, I’ll go through the film and analyze what I see. If this is the type of content you’re interested in, please consider subscribing to CHN+. With the code “evan10”, you can still get $10 off a year sub.
Without further ado, let’s get to it.
Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots
When it came to shot generation in the bottom six last year, the Avalanche really struggled. While Denis Malgin did quite well for himself, there was a clear drop off between the top six and the bottom six.
Miles Wood generated more shot attempts-per-60 last year than any Avalanche forward not named Nathan MacKinnon. Now, were they all great shots? As you can see above…no, not really, but shots create momentum, and typically, zone time.
Offensive zone time wasn’t always a common occurrence for the bottom six last year. At this point, you’ll take any shots you can get, and Wood will provide a lot of them. If the third line ends their shifts in the offensive zone with a face-off for the top six, they’ve done well for themselves.
And Wood will likely create a lot of offensive zone face-offs for this team. From there, the offensive stars on the team can go to work.
Speed Kills, Especially On The Forecheck
When Wood was on the ice, it seemed like the New Jersey Devils favorite play was to chip the puck out of the zone, or deep in the offensive zone, and have Wood go get it.
And as you can see, he’s pretty dang good at that. One of my concerns was that Wood, who has always been known for his speed, wasn’t going to look as quick last season after having major hip surgery in 2021.
Watching him put those concerns to rest. Even if he’s lost even a small step, the guy can still fly. His combination of size and speed is difficult for defenders to handle on the forecheck, and will help the bottom six a fair bit. When he’s got his feet moving, he’s a tough guy to defend on the cycle, and he usually does have his motor going.
The Avalanche occasionally used this chip and chase play out of the zone with a guy like Logan O’Connor, and I imagine we see a lot of it with Wood, especially with the defensemen Colorado has. This coaching staff will absolutely find ways to use Wood’s speed to their advantage.
Heads To The Net
At 6’2″, 195 pounds, Wood has the size to get to the net, and he’s not afraid to go there at all. Size was something the Avalanche were severely lacking in the bottom half of the lineup, and Wood is certainly different than the players they’ve been using.
I think he could stand to be a little more difficult to play against, though…
A Physical Player…But Could Be Even More Physical
It’s not that Wood isn’t a physical player. He is. He averaged 7.17 hits-per-60 in New Jersey last year, which is more than any regular Avalanche forward averaged last season.
If anything, when I was watching Wood, I was hoping he’d be a little more physical. There were multiple times where he had a chance to finish a puck carrier and make their life a little more difficult, but he held up. I’m not talking about going out of his way to lay into some guy, but just finishing his check and making the breakout a little tougher. Part of this might have been a byproduct of him coming off a pretty major injury, but it was just something I noticed. He’s got the size to be an even bigger pain to play against.
Best When He Keeps It Simple
Wood takes a lot of shots, and they aren’t always high percentage shots, but after watching him, I certainly prefer when he plays that simple style of hockey. When he tries to do a little too much, or stray from that North/South brand of hockey, the warts start to show a lot more. His vision isn’t the best, and he doesn’t always make the smartest decisions with the puck.
That lack of hockey IQ is part of why I think there’s a hard ceiling on where he can play in the lineup. I could see the Avalanche trying to use him in the top six on occasion, but I’m not sure it will go very well. When he’s asked to play more than that straightforward brand of hockey, he struggles, and increased ice-time with skilled players might bring that out even more. A fair amount of plays died on his stick when he tried to do a bit too much.
Another Penalty Prone Player
It’s going to be very interesting to watch the Avalanche penalty kill this year. Not just because they lost J.T. Compher, who led their forward group in playing time while shorthanded, but because they added two guys who take a lot of penalties, so we might be seeing them a lot.
Wood, like Johansen, averaged more minor penalties-per-60 last year than any Avalanche regular. And a fair amount of them were not penalties a coach can live with.
The coaching staff is going to have to reel in some of these new acquisitions to get them to play more disciplined.
Offense Disappears For Large Stretches
This goal above is a nice one. Wood corrals the puck in a great spot, and unleashed a quick shot past a very good goalie. You can see how happy Wood is after scoring.
That’s because it was his first goal in 19 games.
Like most bottom six forwards, Wood will disappear for long stretches from the scoresheet. That’s why a lot of these guys are bottom six forwards, because the consistency and finishing ability isn’t always there, so this wasn’t a big surprise to me.
One thing we know is that Bednar can live with guys going long stretches without scoring if they’re still generating shots, and I don’t anticipate that being an issue for Wood.
He’s Pure Chaos
If there’s one thing you can say about Wood, it’s that there’s never a dull moment when he’s on the ice. The guy is chaotic. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes that’s bad, and a lot of times, you’ll see it all on the same shift.
On this shift, it’s a great drive to the net, but the puck is poked off his stick. Then, he gets the puck back and drifts to the blueline,only to make an insanely risky pass that gets picked off. All of the sudden, he’s the only guy back, but his speed allows him to poke the puck to safety.
He’s a wild man out there. I imagine he’s going to cause a lot of heart rates to fluctuate over the next six seasons.
His Teammates Will Love Him
Wood is not afraid to get his nose dirty and stick up for his teammates. He was in a lot of scrums during my viewings, and likes to protect his goalie when someone gives them a love tap.
Against Vancouver, Luke Schenn threw two pretty dangerous hits on Wood’s linemates, and he finally had enough. The fight didn’t exactly go as planned, but this is the type of stuff that teammates love, and is something he does semi-regularly.
Happier Than I Expected
I try to go into these film rooms with an open mind. That’s what I did here, and I’ll be honest – Miles Wood kind of won me over.
He’s not the typical player that I love watching. He won’t win you over with his hockey IQ or his pure skill, but instead, he’ll win you over with his speed, forechecking ability, and willingness to stand up for his teammates. Do I love the contract? Not really, but as a player, I 100% see why the Avalanche targeted him. And sometimes, you have to separate the player from the contract they have a little bit.
He will do things that drive a lot of people crazy. I have no doubt of that. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of Blake Comeau. When he’s on his game, he’s a pain for opposing teams to play against and can really help your team, but then he goes and takes some ridiculous penalty, or drops the puck on a breakaway, and you’re left scratching your head.
I liked, but didn’t love, Comeau. Sure, he drove me insane from time to time with some of his bizarre decisions, but in the right role, he was effective. He played over 900 NHL games for a reason.
One thing Comeau did a lot of was kill penalties. I think I saw Wood take two shifts on the PK. Showing he can kill penalties would really make him a lot more valuable as a bottom six forward. It’s not something he’s done much at the NHL level, but I could see the Avalanche giving him a look.
If Wood can manage to stay out of the doghouse with the bad penalties, I think he’s a tremendous fit for how Bednar wants this team to play. His ability to retrieve pucks on the forecheck, pressure opposing defenses with his speed, crash the net, and generate shots at a very high rate will fit perfectly with what Colorado wants to do. He’s not likely to finish the majority of the chances he creates, but just creating those chances can slowly turn the momentum of a game.
But like I mentioned earlier, I think there’s a hard cap as to where you want him to play in the lineup. As a bottom six forward with a straightforward, grinding role, he’ll do just fine. It might never be perfect, but he can certainly be effective in this system. If he finds himself in the top six, don’t be surprised if he struggles. I don’t see the hockey IQ or creativity to fit in well with guys like MacKinnon or Rantanen, and that’s okay. Maybe in a pinch, but not for an extended period of time.
He is what he is as a player, and can help the Avalanche in a certain role. Even if he’s not playing in the top six, he can help them in other ways. One way he’ll do that is with his ability to create momentum and offensive zone face-offs, which will allow the skill players on the team to go to work.
After watching a lot of his game, I like the player. He is pure chaos on ice.
And starting this September, it’ll be six years of chaos. Buckle up.