Avs/Stars Series Grades: What could have been

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – C+

Simply put, the problem with Bellemare this series was that he was asked to do too much. As a fourth line center, he is fine. The struggle of Compher’s line this series forced him into the role of third line center, as he played more than JTC at even strength. He scored the big goal to get things started in Game 6, and had plenty of good, grinding moments, but the penalty kill was a major issue this entire series and he’s a major part of that unit.

Andre Burakovsky – B+

There is a lot of Burakovsky’s game that confuses people, even me. He’s wildly inconsistent in that you can go long periods of a game without even noticing him…and then he flashes in a big way. There’s simply no denying that he’s a gamebreaker. He just needs one opportunity with a shot and it’s in the net. His goals in Game 3 and Game 7 are a clear example of that. He was missing in the first two games of the series, but when it comes down to it, he put up nine points in seven games, and can you really ignore that?

Matt Calvert – INC

Where the heck was Calvy all series? What a mystery this injury was, and his presence was missed in the playoffs for the second straight year. Injuries continue to be a major concern for him moving forward.

Ian Cole – D

A disappointing series from the veteran. As good as he was in Round Robin, he seemed to get progressively worse as the playoffs went on. Other than Graves and Makar, he played the most on the defense at even strength, with the worst shot share among all the regular defenders. He had a really strong regular season, especially considering the surgeries he came back from, but a big dip in the playoffs for a guy who was brought in for his playoff experience.

Kevin Connauton – D

What does it say about the Avs depth that the staff has little to no faith in the player they decided was their seventh defender? In Game Seven, the biggest game of the year, a game that went to overtime…he didn’t even play seven minutes. That’s insane. His best game was the first one he played in, and after that was a glimpse at why he spent most of the season with the Eagles. I could see the Avs bringing him back next year in that seventh role, but if you don’t trust him…why would you?

J.T. Compher – F

Arguably the biggest disappointment in the entire series. A guy who built a reputation in the playoffs last year was a ghost the entire series in all situations. He attempted seven (SEVEN!) shots at even strength the entire series, in over 60 minutes of ice time. His penalty killing was mostly non-existent as well. Just an all-around letdown and the only forward on the Avs who played over 100 minutes in the entire series and failed to register a goal.

Joonas Donskoi – F

I debated giving Donskoi an INC for this series, but then I remembered how terrible he was in the two games he played, and that cannot be ignored. In just two games, he was on the ice for three goals against at even strength and zero for, including the dagger goal in game two where he flubbed his shot at the end of a Powerplay. I’m fairly confident he was playing injured, but considering how much better his replacement was in O’Connor, maybe he shouldn’t have been playing at all.

Sheldon Dries – C

Dries was fine in the game he played. He got some shot attempts and did some nice things overall. I think everyone was hoping they would never have to see Sheldon Dries in a playoff game, though.

Pavel Francouz – F

A fantastic regular season is now tainted by a complete disaster of a postseason. He looked flustered in every game he played and ultimately bowed out with a mystery injury. How comfortable do the Avs feel with their goaltending heading into next season after what they saw in this series with injuries and play?

Samuel Girard – B-

Kind of a wild up and down series for Girard, but I really thought he picked it up in the final four games overall. The attacking offense he displayed in those final games is what we’ve wanted to see out of him for a while. Too often, he’s eager to defer instead of attack, and especially in game seven, he did the opposite. Nobody played more at even strength than Girard, and he was clearly targeted by the Stars as a guy to hit at every turn. It was almost like in those final games, he figured out what he needs to do to be successful in the playoffs.

Ryan Graves – D-

I’m not sure anyone’s stock fell further in the playoffs than his. After a great regular season where he was steady on a pair with Makar, he was a bit of a wild mess in the postseason. Plays were consistently dying on his stick in the offensive zone, and the good luck he had shooting in the regular season was gone. Teams clearly scouted him and were prepared for his “shoot from anywhere” attitude, blocking a lot of them. The PK was a mess and he’s the most used defenseman there. Now you wonder moving forward which player you are going to get. He seemed a sure bet to get a long-term deal this offseason…now do you question giving him term?

Philipp Grubauer – INC

He was not good in his 20+ minutes this series…but boy did they miss him after that. Now the concern will be just how injury prone he is. That is now multiple lower-body injuries in his two years in Colorado that have taken him out, and will this one bleed into next season? Suddenly, a lot of questions in net for the Avs.

Michael Hutchinson – C

Put into a tough situation, and honestly, performed admirably for two games before Game 7, when we all saw why he has moved around so much. Rebound control was a mess, but the fact that the Avs got two wins on the brink from him is kind of crazy, when you think about it. The Avs do need a veteran goalie in the AHL next year, so you wonder if Hutch is a guy they just bring back.

Erik Johnson – INC

EJ looked rejuvenated before his injury in Game 1. His presence was missed big time on the penalty kill after he was gone, and ended up being a huge difference in the series. Now you wonder if this injury bleeds into next season, and even if it doesn’t, we know injuries are pretty common with EJ. What kind of a role do you count on with him moving forward?

Tyson Jost – D

His on-ice numbers were actually quite good. Not much good or bad happened with him out there. But we are once again looking at a player who seems to have no real role on this team moving forward, and he’s up for a contract. Given some of the contracts given out to players with similar numbers to him, would a deal around $2M a year be that big of a surprise? He seems like a guy they may swap out for a guy on an ELC, and a change of scenery for Jost might not be the worst thing. He was the only regular forward to not register a point in the series.

Nazem Kadri – C+

At even strength, he was pretty quiet for most of the series up until Game 5. You cannot ignore the big goals he scored, however, and the fact that every goal he scored came around the net, something the Avs maybe need more of moving forward. The biggest disappointment from him may have been defensively. The mistake on the fourth goal in Game 7 is something we will have to watch all offseason, and he was not doing a whole lot on the overtime goal. Seven points in seven games from your second line center should get you through to the next round, but offense wasn’t the problem against Dallas.

Gabriel Landeskog – C+

I am sure that I’ll get some flak for this grade, as many felt Landy underperformed in the playoffs. He still produced five points in the six games he played, and the reality is, with him on the ice, the Avs dominated the puck, controlling 63% of the shot attempts, easily the best on the forward corps. A lot of what he does just doesn’t show up on the scoresheet. His presence was missed in Game 7, and you hope the injury isn’t too bad moving forward, but a skate cut is always scary. The turnovers were the biggest frustration with him, and he had a few too many of those, but he seems to always find his way back to cover up what he starts.

Nathan MacKinnon – A

It’s a shame his worst game was the biggest game of the series, but it cannot overshadow just how dominant he was in this series and in the playoffs overall. He’s made a real case for being the best player in the world, and a big reason for that is the improvements he’s made defensively. He took his play to a whole new level on the defensive side in the playoffs, and if he carries that over next year, he’ll be a shoo-in for another Hart Trophy nomination. The Power play was a huge letdown and wasn’t there when they really needed it to be.

Cale Makar – B+

The highs were really high from him, like in games six and three when he was borderline dominant. Defensively, he showed a lot in the series to show the world that he’s not just a one-dimensional player. To me, he looked a little gassed at times when the Avs were asking him to play too many minutes. Is his game, built heavily on skating, made for 26-27 minutes a night? Hard to say given he’s only 21, but just something I noticed. Like MacK, the power play will have the entire offseason to think about what they could have done to change this series, and he’s a major part of it.

Vladislav Namestnikov – D

A complete ghost until games six and seven. His second goal in Game 7 should have been the series winner, but the Avs had other ideas. He was so non-existent in the first handful of games that you wonder if he was really ever over his injury in round one. Given his current contract and what he’ll ask for moving forward, it will be hard seeing him back on the team next year.

Valeri Nichushkin – C+

This is a really tough one to grade because the Avs probably expected Nuke’s offense to carry over the playoffs…and it did not. He was not a factor offensively until game four. He did, however, get back to his dominant self in terms of shot share, as the Avs controlled 60% of the shots with him on the ice. He will almost certainly be back next year, but is he a guy you want in your top six? Probably not.

Matt Nieto – C+

I really like Nieto, and given he’s almost certainly going to price him out of Colorado’s bottom six, I will miss him. He’s a really smart player who does a lot of little things that don’t show up on the scoresheet, but the reality is, you can find a cheaper player to replace him. I thought he had a solid series at even strength, but like most of the penalty killers, didn’t do much there. His missed breakaway in Game 7 hurts a little bit.

Logan O’Connor – A-

Did O’Connor lock down a spot on the roster next year? There’s still a training camp to be had but seems like the ideal cheap 12/13 forward to carry on your team. He’s old enough to where he doesn’t need to play every night and has shown he can step in and help. He really made an impact in this series, given the expectations everyone had for him. He clearly surpassed them. Fits exactly what Bednar wants in his bottom six with speed.

Mikko Rantanen – B-

Another one I really struggle with, because he looked really off…and yet he picked up 11 points in seven games, including two huge one-time goals. His best game was in game seven, and the sad part is it coincided with MacKinnon’s only poor game. Something seemed a little off with Mikko all year, so maybe a reset and a full camp next year will help.

Conor Timmins – INC

In his one full game he played, I thought he was just okay. He looked good to start with smart passing, but then started to struggle with the speed and took a few penalties. He looked sloppy to start game six as well. I still would have much rather had him in the lineup in game seven, but we now, once again, have to worry about injury with him. As talented and smart as he is, is this someone the Avs can realistically depend on moving forward? The mystery of the bubble makes it impossible to tell if this is a minor injury or not, but given Bednar said none of the injured guys were close to coming back, hard to imagine it is.

Nikita Zadorov – B-

He was the worst player on the ice in game one, but credit where credit is due, he turned it around after that, and when Cole and Graves seemed to crumble in the postseason, Z did his part in stepping up. Scored some massive goals for the team, and played some sound defense. We all know the inconsistency is there, and we continue to see the struggles around his own net, but did his play force management into some real tough decisions this offseason? He’s due for another contract, and given his role and a guy like Byram coming in, most expect the Avs to move in another direction, but he did his part to make them think twice about it.