Colorado Avalanche Mailbag: What would you do as GM? Trade Varlamov?

 

Sometimes it’s tough to run the BSN Mailbag. Given the start the Avalanche are off to, you can imagine some of the questions we’re receiving. There are a few that are sarcastic, a couple that are downright mean, but mostly there just seems to be a sense of simmering frustration bubbling in the fanbase. And can anyone blame them?

This road trip is set to be a proving ground for this Colorado Avalanche team. If the team can’t string a few wins together, are we bound to experience some changes? All signs point to yes, but I’ll be honest, my Magic 8-Ball has been sitting in the garage for a long time.

For now, we bring you the Mailbag. As always, you can tweet us questions with the hashtag #BSNMailbag or email them to BSNAvalanche@gmail.com, where my highly-paid PA will sort questions by amount of sass therein.*

Mike Chambers just wrote about a comment from Joe Sakic saying that Calvin Pickard “is going to be here next year for sure.” I’m not sure if he meant the NHL or just the Avs organisation in general. If the plan is to bring him to Colorado next season, how do you think the Goalie situation will develop? Is there a possibility the Avs will trade Semyon Varlamov to install Pickard as their future No.1? And if there could be a trade, what will/should the return look like? – Stefan via Email

J.D.: I am anticipating Varlamov regains his form and Calvin Pickard comes up to the Avalanche next year. I think we might want to look at trading Reto Berra now while his stock is high and see if we can acquire a quality defenseman. Although there are a lot of teams looking for a quality defenseman right now.

Andi: Pickard is still a young goalie, and easing him into the NHL is probably what’s best for his development. He had a good run last year, but he’s still not proven as a long-term solution for the Avs in net, so there’s no reason to get rid of the one goalie who is. I see Picks as our backup next year under Varlamov.  Where does that put Berra (who still has one year on his contract)?  ¯_(ツ)_/¯  Hopefully the Avs can cash in on his recent run of good games and find a suitable trading partner.

Luke: I think there’s a chance they move Varlamov (as per Adrian Dater’s tweets), but it’s much more likely that they move Berra. If they do move Varlamov, you would hope that an NHL-calibre netminder would be headed back in our direction; a Pickard/Berra tandem doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. However, any team that feels they need to trade for Varlamov likely doesn’t have an NHL-calibre netminder in the first place, so I’m not entirely sure what to think of the whole situation. At the end of the day, I think it’s unlikely that they trade Varlamov, but I’m certainly prepared to eat crow.

Conversely, I highly doubt that the trade would be for a defenseman, assuming that it’s Berra who’s being traded. We have a glut of bottom-pairing guys on one-way contracts, and a number of young defensemen who are on the verge of making the jump to the NHL. Trading for a winger seems much more probable to me.

Casey: Trading Varlamov away for a package deal that includes an entirely different goaltender doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for the Avalanche organization solely because of the goalie market right now. There are several teams who have been looking for a rock-solid (or even sandstone-solid) starting goaltender on and off for years. If those were as readily available as folks like to talk about, I think a team Buffalo or San Jose would have acquired them by now. San Jose is certainly hoping they’ve found that in Martin Jones.

I think it’s infinitely more likely that Pickard is brought up as a backup than a starting goaltender. For now, the sample we have to gauge him on is very small. I think it would be a mistake for the team to see Pickard’s strong play this year and assume it means they could shop their starter. Could Picks develop that way? Absolutely. But he’s still young and these things take time.

If you were forced to make a move, today, to shake this organization out of their slump, what/who would it be? – @PetermanPeter

J.D.: I think it’s worth shopping Berra to see what we can get as far as quality defenseman, assuming, of course, Varlamov can regain his form.

Andi:  I like J.D.’s answer, but part of the problem right now is the new players we’re already trying to integrate into the new systems from the new coach.  If change is going to happen, it probably needs to come from the inside, especially in regards to systems and execution. Cleaning up what’s already here will probably benefit the team more than adding another new player right now .

Luke: Am I allowed to trade Dave Farrish? As a rule, I don’t really agree with trading players in order to bust a team out of a slump. Slumps are typically driven by poor luck (although ours certainly isn’t), and trading a player with the intent of counteracting bad luck seems foolhardy. Fire your coach if you really want to give the locker room a jolt.

That being said, I’d really like to see Colorado move Iginla this year, assuming that he’s interested in cup hunting. At this point, Jarome Iginla’s “brand value” has surpassed what he’s able to provide on the ice, and I think it would be beneficial for Colorado to sell high on that brand at the trade deadline. Plus, I’d love to see him win a Cup.

Casey: I am also in the camp that making a big trade during a slump isn’t always the best move. But since this question says “if you were forced” here is what I’d do if I was forced: Varlamov and a 2016 2nd round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for Ryan O’Reilly. According to a large slice of the Avalanche fanbase, getting O’Reilly back would solve every problem the team has had this year.

(Pardon the sarcasm, I couldn’t resist.)

How long do you think Nikita Zadorov will be in the AHL? – @refguy13

Casey: As long as he has to be. I am loath to make predictions about players’ development, but I have mentioned elsewhere that Zadorov getting piles and piles of ice time in San Antonio is just what he needs. “NHL experience” isn’t worth much if you spend most of your games sitting on the bench. I can’t imagine he’ll spend the whole year with the Rampage. It may be something to revisit in a month or two, depending on how things are going for both teams.

Until then, I think it’s great to see Zadorov tearing it up and finding his feet with the farm club. There’s no shame in that and I think he’ll be a better player for it.

How badly do you think this team is missing Patrick Bordeleau? – @PetermanPeter

Casey: Well, considering the Texas Stars are currently asking the AHL to review Bordeleau for back-to-back boarding penalties that may result in a suspension, I don’t think things are going so great for him. Our staff who attended camp said Bordeleau looked rough on the ice and on Saturday, he was a bottom-three possession player for the Rampage. I don’t think the Avs are missing anything he is currently bringing to the table elsewhere.

None of us here at team BSN has ever had a bad experience with Bordy and by all accounts he’s a fantastic guy to have around the locker room. Younger players have mentioned this time and time again. But if he didn’t have the legs for it in camp, he just didn’t have the legs for it. We hope things get better for him, but for now he’s better off in Texas.

Any update on how long we can expect Alex Tanguay will be out after his knee injury? – Multiple

Casey: All we know right now is that Sakic has said it will be an “extended time.” Given Tanguay’s hip problems the year before last and his age, this could mean a whole spectrum of things. As soon as updates are available, we’ll pass them on. In the meantime, we’re all wishing him the best.

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Another edition of Avs Mailbag down! As always, we welcome further questions, comments, and feedback on our dedicated #BSNMailbag hashtag. Don’t be a stranger!

*It’s me. The highly paid PA is me.