Avalanche season grades: Patrik Nemeth

He was, for some Avs fans and critics, the player they loved to hate. Patrik Nemeth could drive you crazy at times with some of the things he did. Then again, there were a lot of things to like about Nemeth’s game in 2017-18. Let’s take a deeper dive into his performance and give a final grade:

Overview

On Oct. 3 of last year, Patrik Nemeth was claimed off the waiver wire by the Avs from the Dallas Stars. For just a waiver-wire pickup, the Avalanche certainly got a lot of mileage from the Swedish defenseman. He would go on to play 68 games, average 19:51 per game and 23:42 in the playoffs.

His plus-27 led the team and his 185 blocked shots were fifth-most in the NHL. So, it was a great year, right? Well, in some ways, yes. In others? Not as much. His 45 Corsi for percentage at even strength wasn’t great. He iced the puck an awful lot of times. His puck management was, uh, iffy at best at times.

But overall, I’d say the Avs got a pretty nice deal for the next-to-nothing price they paid for him. He can make mistakes, but he works really, really hard out there. He’s a very intense guy. He can play hurt, plays with some toughness, sacrifices his body and, from what I could detect, is a real team guy in the dressing room.

People forget, he was a pretty high draft pick with the Stars originally, in 2010. He went 41st overall. It takes time for D-men to develop, though, which is why I have some good optimism about Nemeth moving forward. I think he learned a whole hell of a lot in his first, everyday-role season, and I’m sure he’s taken some good stock of what he needs to do to improve starting next season. I think he has that kind of drive to want to get better.

Nemeth added 15 points, too, which isn’t too bad for a mostly stay-at-home type. I think the Stars made a mistake in giving up on him too soon. He’s got flaws, yeah, but there’s enough other good stuff to legitimately believe he could stick around here for a few years.

Biggest Moment

I’m going to go with a March 2nd blowout win over the Minnesota Wild in which Nemeth assisted on two goals and finished a plus-4. He was very good in all areas in that one, and it was a big win for the Avs in their successful drive to the playoffs.

What’s Next

Nemeth can be a restricted free agent July 1. So, he needs a new contract. His agent is former Av Claude Lemieux, and I believe a deal will get done before too long. I’m going to guess something like a two-year, $5 million deal, maybe a bit more on money, term or both. He made $945,000 last season.

Final Grade

B-

Like I said, I think the Avs got good value for a last-second pickup before the start of the season. He gave the Avs a guy who can eat a lot of minutes and not embarrass you out there. He’s got to improve his puck management, but I think he has the right attitude to do that, and he seems to really have the confidence of his coach, Jared Bednar.