Colorado Avalanche Mailbag: Drouin, playoff seeds, and playoff chances

Good morning, Avalanche fans! This week’s Mailbag questions were an intriguing mixed bag. The talk of Avs fandom at the moment is a player who doesn’t even play for Colorado, plus I wanted to give you a glimpse into some of the non-hockey-related emails we receive, and there’s playoffs chat as well. As always, I welcome your questions! Tweet me at the @BSNAvalanche account with the hashtag #BSNMailbag or reply to one of the many tweets in which I beg for your participation, pretty please. If you aren’t a Twitter user or just plain don’t want me sharing your Twitter account with the world, questions can also be emailed to BSNAvalanche@gmail.com!

That being said, let’s get to it!

Do you think the Avalanche make a move for Jonathan Drouin given his discontent with the Lightning? – Hillary via Facebook

First off, I find it both amusing and fantastic that my two Tampa Bay Lightning-centric mailbag questions have both come from women named Hil(l)ary. Hockey fandom works in fantastic ways, doesn’t it?

As far as the Avs making a play for Drouin, it’s one of those things where I can’t claim to predict the future. Bare bones facts-wise, I think the Avs have more of a case to try to acquire Drouin than just about any team in the league. But whether that translates into a direct move or not I can’t say.

Any potential return for Drouin would be influenced by whether or not Tampa think they will be re-signing Steven Stamkos. If they are, I think they ask for cheap but competent defenders given they’ve already got over $25 million tied up on their blue line. If they aren’t, that blows things right open.

As much as I would love to see MacKinnon and Drouin reunited–which believe you me is A METRIC CRAPLOAD–the Avalanche have as much as stated they see pieces like Nikita Zadorov and Mikhail Grigorenko as their future. They’d have to give up someone along those lines plus other pieces for such a highly touted young player.

Our staffers Cole and AJ discussed the Drouin situation in depth yesterday and I encourage you to give it a read!

My name is Mrs. Alice Walton, a business woman an America Citizen and the heiress to the fortune of Walmart stores,  born October 7, 1949. I have a mission for you worth $100,000,000.00 – Alice via email

First off, Alice, if that’s even your real name, I have to admit I have some doubts as to the veracity of your claims. But let’s pretend I don’t.

What sort of mission is worth $100,000,000? A hundred million dollars is a lot of money. For some reason, I get the impression that the President has been kidnapped by ninjas. Has the President been kidnapped by ninjas? Blink once for yes, twice for no. Regardless of your answer, I want you to know that I am a bad enough dude to rescue the President.

What happens if the Avalanche have more points than the Pacific Division #3 seed, but are still 6th in the Central? Golfing? – @kennethkorri

Interestingly enough, by my measure that would put the Avalanche in the playoffs as long as their points total was the highest or second highest in their conference outside those who clinched a spot by Division placing. The NHL’s new playoff format appoints two wild card spots to the teams with the next-highest point totals outside their Division’s playoff seeds. These spots are awarded by conference.

Correction: When originally answering this question, as evidenced by my mentioning their placing fourth in the Central, I completely missed the part where the asker said the Avs were seed #6. As pointed out by a commenter below, there is absolutely no way a #6 seed can make the playoffs because the two wild card spots would go to the #4 and #5 teams in the Division. I’ll leave the rest of my answer as-is as it does explain what would happen if the Avs placed fourth or fifth (and that article is a good read). Apologies!

A touch confusing in the specific case mentioned. Basically, if the Avalanche placed fourth or fifth in the Central, they could secure a playoff spot provided there weren’t two teams in the Pacific with higher points totals than them who didn’t already make the playoffs.

This article over at The Explainer gives an excellent breakdown with numbers if anyone is left scratching their heads.

So do you think the ‘Lanche make the playoffs? – My partner, reading over my shoulder

First of all WHAT have I told you about the term ‘Lanche? Stop trying to make that a thing. That is not going to be a thing.

Second, you’re only saying this to get a rise out of me, aren’t you. Go to bed.

(I think there’s a chance the Avalanche could snag a wild card spot, but they have to tighten the little aspects of their game that continue to frustrate. The amount of one-goal games lost this year is unacceptable. A combination of blown power plays and losing hold of leads late in the third has dug the team into a rut they’ll have to really struggle out of when it comes to one-goal games. I think they have the talent to do it and they certainly look better now than earlier in the year, but it will be a hard slog. That said, I am saying could, not are likely. My gut says they fall short.)

That does it for the weird, the wonderful, and the sometimes-insightful of this week’s Avs Mailbag. You know where to find me when you’ve got questions for next round! Who knows, by next week the Avalanche may have acquired Jo Drouin and your questions may get answered by Luke because I’m off being a bad enough dude to rescue the President.

Thank you for your questions!