Last season
Matt Calvert was obtained in the 2017-2018 off season as an unrestricted free agent. He previously played with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Calvert is a 3rd-4th line player that plays with a lot of heart and soul.
Calvert saw an impact on the defensive side of the puck and often played on the Avalanche penalty kill. His injury in the playoffs against the Sharks left an obvious hole in their lineup.
Calvert is a player that is good at being a pest against the other team and really pushes their buttons. That was evident this season in Detroit when he got into a bench altercation with Tyler Bertuzzi, among others.
Calvert is one of four players on the Avalanche to play in all 82 games of the 2018-2019 season. While he isn’t the flashy player that is going to put up big numbers on this team, he will put up a few points on the season, as his 26 indicates (11G, 15A).
Calvert averaged 14:12 TOI around 19.2 shifts a game. It was a career year for Calvert in many respects as he set new personal highs in points (26), hits (115), blocked shots (51) and even shots on goal (141).
Calvert found chemistry with players like Carl Soderberg and JT Compher in different situations last season, from the PK to even strength, and that versatility made him such a valuable player for the Avalanche.
| Scor | Scor | Scor | Goal | Goal | Goal | Goal | Assi | Assi | Assi | Shot | Shot | Shot | Ice | Ice | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | EV | PP | SH | GW | EV | PP | SH | S | S% | TSA | TOI | ATOI | FOW | FOL | FO% | BLK | HIT | TK | GV |
| 2018-19 | 29 | COL | NHL | 82 | 11 | 15 | 26 | -10 | 58 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 141 | 7.8 | 212 | 1164 | 14:12 | 40 | 53 | 43.0 | 51 | 115 | 43 | 20 |
Next season
As far as next season is concerned look to see Calvert on the third or fourth line depending on what combinations Bednar wants to see in any given game. He was an important part of the PK unit last season, tallying two assists himself. Calvert is a veteran presence on this Avalanche club still and has two years remaining on his contract.
Calvert might see some of his time cut with the acquisition of Joonas Donskoi. It’s a fair assumption that Calvert will see him in Colorado’s bottom six after the team spent the summer adding forward depth. If Calvert ends up on the fourth line, it will be a significant step forward for a fourth line that was an offensive black hole for most of last year. His defensive acumen will be especially useful in games where the Avalanche is leading.
0 Comments (5 conversations)
Cerveau
Nice to be reading some articles again… I was missing them.
tkredbrewer
I didn’t realize he had 26pts last season. That is outstanding for a guy in his role. Hopefully he continues to bring more of the same!
mladen
I like Calvert, but, I hope he’s gone at the trade deadline
Eidolon
Barring the logistical reality of trading a guy with multiple years remaining on his contract…why? Who would you replace him with and why would that be an improvement?
JlemkeIII
Matt Calvert died for this.
earl08
Not very fleet of foot; I hope his regular season minutes go down a bit. However, he did get more effective at the end of the year, when the NHL allows more physical play & guys get tired from the long grind & skate slower overall. Looking forward to him contributing to a long playoff run.