Eurolanche

Passing time in the off-season

After so many changes and new guys, there's no way you can predict the direction the Avs are gonna take this year. Landeskog is probably going to be in the line up. I don't know if Siemens can pull an "O'Reilly" but you'll never know. The camp and the preseason games will tell us. Not that we'll see any of those games, the Avs still don't broadcast the preseason. What will all the people in the Pepsi Center during the season... I guess it's only fitting.

The defense was shaken to its very core. We don't have Hannan and Liles, two major pieces of past years. But we don't need them, we still have Matt Hunwick! Let's just hope he won't be needed. The management decided to add size to the D-line, which they lacked the last few seasons. So now there are a few big guys in the line up including familiar faces Johnson and O'Byrne.

On the offensive side things are looking good, but they always do in Denver, before the season starts and players drop like flies. Do you remember the line of Mueller-Duchene-Hejduk? Yes, it's back and hopefully as good as it was before. Also, Stastny can be partnered up with two Swedes, the young Landeskog and the guy that ruled the Swedish league last year, Lindstrom. Or you can have Jones there, since he had a very good season. There's yet to find room for guys like McLeod and Stoa, if they don't step up their game. Sure, there'll be injuries, we'll get to see guys like Mauldin and Van der Gulik again. Maybe even Bordeleau, who I still think is a better fighter than McLeod.

The goalie situation is a bit of a mystery for everybody. Will Varlamov be another winning bet, like Anderson ? Or will he be a bust ? Can Giguere play like his Stanley Cup self or age got the better of him ? We'll see, but for now it looks good.