As always:
– This game could very easily been a Florida win based on the chances for sure. I don’t think the Avs should be particularly happy about the game overall
– No way was Varly the first star. That was MacKinnon for sure
– I’ll keep saying it – I’ll believe MacKinnon is a genuine superstar if he manages to keep this up all season
– The difference with MacKinnon’s curl back is that he’s doing it much deeper, then not necessary passing it. Before he would curl back immediately after entering the zone, then leave himself in a situation where he needed to pass it right away
– I love that goal where he beat Ekblad. That was absolutely glorious
– I think it’s okay for MacKinnon to be carrying the team because a lot of the guys who are supposed to be providing secondary scoring are rookies or otherwise inexperienced
– I think you could get 50 points out of Soderberg if was setting up better scorers than Comeau and especially Nieto. Seriously, can they please put him with Andrighetto, Kerfoot, Jost or Compher?
– At this point I want Barrie to go straight to the bench the second the Avs lose the puck, then jump back on when they get the puck back
– Rantanen will be dominant once he learns to control his body better. He’s all over the place right now.
– I’m on board with the 7 defensemen as long as Sam Gerard is the worst defenseman on the team, because if they go to 6 he’s the guy that should be sitting, and he needs to play his way out of this. If he could be sent down, then no problem. The only real issue with it is that the 11th forward is Bourque. put a better player in Bourque’s spot and it’s beautiful
– Yeah you guys do rip on Nieto too much. He’s just in the wrong role. If he was just a 4th liner and thought of that way I don’t think there’s any issue. Remember, he’s a good penalty killer
– AJ Greer would be fine to bring up, but he seems to take a bad penalty every 10 minutes
– Nemeth is *the* guy Bednar uses on the penalty kill and important defensive situations
– I wouldn’t send Nieto down because he might get claimed, and the Avs don’t have enough depth to lose a decent young forward for nothing
– Keeping winning lineups the same is indeed idiotic. The best time to make changes is when things are going well because a group working well together can more easily deal with changes than a group that’s already struggling for other reasons
– Bednar isn’t ruining the creativity of anyone – he’s making *defensemen* focus on being good *defensively* first and foremost. When you’re learning a whole new way of playing defensively, of course the rest of your game is going to suffer
– “I’m happy with Tyson Barrie’s play – 22 points” – AD. Wow dude, are you really judging a DEFENSEman purely on point production – especially when most of those points are assists?
– Yak is *made* for this 11 forwards stuff. That way you can put him in there now and then and use him as a powerplay specialist
– AJ, please tell me you’re not on board with the lots of points = good defensemen idiocy. Barrie is not an all-star. Maybe the people who actually pick all stars think that way, but that doesn’t mean that’s how it should be
– Vegas seems to be for real, maybe not as a serious contender, but as a much better team than anyone expected. I’m not sure what I’d do if I were in charge there. Would you go with the original plan and trade everybody for picks and prospects, or try to keep this thing going and maybe even add pieces?
– AJ, compare the Vegas top scorers shooting percentage to the Avs top scorers shooting percentages. Kerfoot is at 30%, for example
– If Budaj is the starter again I think the Avs have a chance
– Jon Cooper is a pretty good coach, but Steve Yzerman is an amazing GM. I have no idea how he has convinced some of those guys to stay on the team at the salaries they make
– Thanks for the podcast boys

I think the 7 D makes sense right now. I would much rather see Greer or Toninato instead of Bourque. And yes, Greer would need to get played enough to develop and do something other than fight.

Always enjoy these podcasts, but don’t always squeeze them in. Listened to this one as my friend and I (fellow Avs fan) deep-fried a turkey Saturday night. 🙂