Avalanche Monday Mailbag: Title defense begins now

We’re days away from the Avs beginning their Stanley Cup title defense against the Chicago Blackhawks, so it’s time to open up the mailbag. What was on everyone’s mind as the Avs start the long grind of the regular season?

From Blake Wheeler: What would a Stanley Cup hangover look like for this team?

I anticipate a slower start, but a slower start for this team is more .500 hockey than anything. With no Landeskog or Helm, the Avs are still feeling the effects of a long playoff run, and they’re going to be forced to put guys in the lineup up front that would not have been there with a healthy group. The bottom six really does not look great for opening night, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see multiple players cycle through to see what fits best.

But the biggest reason for a slow start will be Alexandar Georgiev. The last two goalies the Avs acquired by trade (Kuemper and Grubauer) both started really slow, and they were more proven than Georgiev. The defense will insulate him as much as possible, but adjusting to a new team and goaltending coach will likely lead to a bumpy start before he finds his footing.

From Dan: Do letters matter, in your opinion? Assuming they do, how do you go about putting a permanent letter on the team’s best player? They didn’t hesitate to take the A from EJ a few years ago, but how do you break it to Mikko that he’s not as worthy as Cale?

They matter a little bit (the C certainly matters), but I don’t know if it matters as much as some people think. Every team has more than three leaders in the locker room, and you don’t win with just three guys running the show. EJ didn’t have a letter last year, but he certainly is a big part of the leadership group. We all know about Cogliano stepping up and speaking to the team before Game 6 in the Final. You don’t need a letter to be a leader, and a team can’t get to where they want to go with just a few guys running the locker room.

From DB Hammer: Do you have a dark horse breakout candidate this year? Either bottom 6 or potential AHL call-up?

Honestly…not really. Maybe Ben Meyers? The team has three guys that you could pretty clearly pick as breakout candidates in Byram, Newhook, and Georgiev, but none of them are dark horses. Meyers would be really the only guy. They don’t really have any defensive prospects ready to step in with the trades they made last year, and I don’t have super high expectations for the forwards down with the Eagles in terms of breaking out at the NHL level this year. Beyond the four guys mentioned above, the team is pretty established.

From Jacob Travis: What new tracksuit are you adding to your collection this year?

None. When you have the best, there’s no need to add another.

From: Caleb Branson: Do you think after a couple of years of a goalie carousel Georgiev can be the long-term guy?

That’s the hope from everyone, but the Avs have shown they don’t really like the idea of paying a single goaltender big money and big term. So what is a long-term guy? If Georgiev really becomes the guy the Avs think he can be, that’s great for his current contract, but when it comes time to pay him as a UFA, I’m not sure they’ll be the one forking over the money.

From Mike: Does Newhook succeed in nailing down the 2C role this season? If so, your over/under for acceptable points this year

Whether you think he locks down the 2C role or not, I do believe the Avs are going about this the right way and giving him every opportunity to do so (or at least they say). Guys like Rodrigues and Compher, you know what they are at this point in their careers. You don’t know that with Newhook, but you know his skill level is high and you drafted him to be your future 2C. Give him a real shot to see if he can do it this year.

My expectation is around 45-50 points. If he surpasses that, then trade deadline decisions probably got a lot easier for the Avs in terms of what to target. If he doesn’t, then we can probably all assume what they’ll be targeting.

I also want to point out that most years, 45-50 points is pretty good for a second-line center. Last year was a weird year in the NHL where everyone went out of their minds and scored at a crazy pace. I don’t think that happens again this year. If Newhook scores 45-50 points, you feel good (maybe not “great”) going into the deadline and you certainly feel good about his future in that spot.

From Daniel Male: Are the Avs approaching this season differently from the start of last season, where they were locked in and very serious? If so, what are some differences? Imagine a different mindset is needed defending the Cup rather than chasing it

I think they’re very locked in and serious again, but I do think they’re going to approach this season a little different because now the staff and the organization is aware that they have a core that knows when it’s time to crank things up for big games. Everyone was worried about the team resting guys at the end of the season and the struggles that came with it, but come Game 1 of the playoffs, none of that mattered even the slightest.

If last year taught the team anything, it’s that the entire season is a marathon, and you just need to get through it. Everyone knows what the end goal is, and what’s most important is that you get to the playoffs healthy. If someone is slightly banged up, no need to push it. This team is more than talented to overcome some guys missing time during the season if it means they’ll be ready for the playoffs. I think it might be a while before we see Landeskog because of that. No need to rush him until he’s truly ready.