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Fire Greg Sherman!  Fire Pierre Lacroix!  Keep Joe Sacco… make him watch.

The Avalanche are mired in their worst-ever slump.  Not just worst this season, but literally the worst they have ever played since coming to Colorado.

In fact, if it weren’t for two 4-3 victories over St Louis in the last two months, the Avalanche would be winless since January 18^th.  That would be an epic 22 game losing streak… as if losing 17 of their last 18 isn’t bad enough.

Instead, because they outskated and barely outscored the Blues twice, the Avalanche have gone 2-18-2 over those 22 games.  That’s good for 6 points or, in layman’s terms, squadoosh.  Colorado’s decline from playoff contender to Western Conference afterthought has been so quick as to be less painful, but no less embarrassing.

Over four games in eight days last week the Avs gave up an average of 5 goals while scoring an average below 2 (1, 2, 2, 2).  That’s beyond pathetic.  That’s abysmal.  Heads must roll.

So instead of doing my weekly preview article for the Avalanche this week, I will briefly lay out why the entire Colorado front office must go.  (Here’s your preview: Wednesday, March 16^th @ Vancouver = LOSS ; Thursday, March 17^th @ Calgary = LOSS ; Saturday, March 19^th @ Edmonton = SUPER-EMBARRASSING LOSS)

Avalanche General Manager Greg Sherman took over in 2009 and has so far failed to build a sustainable defense in Colorado.  Not only that, but he has continued to inexplicably draft offensive players when goaltending and defense are the club’s greatest needs.

NOT ONLY THAT, but Sherman traded away Kevin Shattenkirk, Colorado’s one successful defensive draft pick.  Sherman pulled the trigger on this trade just a couple weeks removed from Shattenkirk’s participation in the All Star Game as a rookie invitee.  The behemoth defenseman Sherman got in return from the St Louis Blues for Shattenkirk most likely helps Colorado’s defense in the future, but Greg tossed in star power forward Chris Stewart to sweeten the deal.

To review: St Louis got a future star two-way defenseman and an emerging star PF.  Colorado got an underachieving defender (Erik Johnson) with no offensive capabilities who may someday be one of the better one-way defenseman in the league.  Bad trade.

Just before orchestrating this monstrosity, Sherman dumped fan-favorite goalie Craig Anderson in a straight-up trade to Ottawa for lesser goaltending prospect Brian Elliott.  This move stunk of panic then, but now it looks like a lame move designed to make a failed front office appear to be on the job.

Anderson is struggling behind a terrible Senators defense, Elliott is struggling behind a terrible Avalanche defense.  Nothing has changed except that Andy made a brief run in Ottawa over his first five games to remind Colorado fans what he is capable of when motivated by the potential to actually win some games.

Sherman sat idly by while the Avalanche crumbled on defense.  By the time a series of offensive injuries began this slump, Colorado had absolutely no defense to fall back on.  And so the losing continues.  The Avalanche have held opponents to less than three goals just once (a 2-1 SO loss to Anaheim) since this magnificently terrible slump started.

But don’t pin all the blame on Sherman.

Colorado Avalanche President Pierre Lacroix still pulls the strings behind the scenes.  He has been riding easy since winning two Stanley Cups for Colorado in the pre-salary cap days.  Back when Pierre could spend his way to victory it was easy.  He is a talented team-builder.  However, he has no talent for drafting on defense, has not orchestrated a positive trade in ten years, and is the rotten heart of complacency that is dragging this organization down.

Fire Pierre Lacroix first.  Make it a very public dismissal.  Let Sherman think his job is safe and then give him a one-way ticket to Toronto as soon as a suitable replacement is found.  Make Joe Sacco watch the whole thing.  See if he can turn this team around despite its crippled roster.  If not, if next season is as abysmal as this one, send Joe back to Lake Erie and start from scratch.

As bad as the Avalanche are right now in this moment in club history, only wiping the slate clean makes any kind of sense.  Time to clean house Colorado.

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In this episode, the second part of our conversation from this week, Ian Cerveny, Preston Underwood, Dan Olson, and I (Jason Ackerman) talk about the Avalanche – we start with a little Foppa-related nostalgia, then we talk about the two major trades – the Craig Anderson deal, the Stewart/Shattenkirk for Johnson/McClement deal, and we wrap up with some talk about what has happened to the Avs, and is Joe Sacco to blame?

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Want to know the most amazing thing about the Avalanche’s current six-game winning streak?

Colorado won four of those games by just one goal and the others by two goals.  The Avalanche are winning close games despite a rash of injuries, and despite the increasingly youthful makeup of their defense.

News that Kyle Quincey would undergo season-ending shoulder surgery means that this young, inexperienced defense just lost a rare veteran.  Luckily the learning curve for Kevin Shattenkirk, Ryan Wilson & Matt Hunwick has proven exceptionally sharp… by necessity.  The four young D-men each accounted for more ice time than Adam Foote in Colorado’s 2-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, the Avalanche offense has become the most prolific in the league.

Each of the top three lines is stacked with multiple goal-scorers, and Colorado’s rotational approach to line combinations gives them major matchup advantages.  Joe Sacco and his coaching staff have the luxury of knowing that any 1-3 line combo will be flush with scoring talent and breakaway speed.  Sacco’s dedication to team hockey has allowed the Avs to absorb injuries and keep their offensive machine churning.

The Avalanche are the highest-scoring team in the NHL (3.6667 goals per game) despite missing top scorer Chris Stewart for much of the season.

Tuesday, December 21^st vs Los Angeles (7:30 MST)

The Kings had been charging along, fighting their way to the top of the Western Conference.  Then Los Angeles came crashing back to earth with seven losses in eight games.

Goaltender Jonathan Quick, who was a revelation in net for the Kings last season, struggled to hold leads.  Then the LA offense dried up in losses to Ottawa, Montreal, Chicago & Anaheim.  Now the Kings are up and down, Quick is alternately brilliant and unfocused, and LA finds itself just outside the West playoff field.

During their early-season hot streak the Kings walloped the Avalanche 6-4 at Pepsi Center.  This time the Avs are hot, and absolutely must defend home ice with the latter two games of this four-game season series taking place in Los Angeles.  Colorado has been playing some great team hockey and I like them to solve Quick in Denver.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 5, Kings 3

Thursday, December 23^rd vs Minnesota Wild (7:00 MST)

There is no doubt that the Avalanche are the more talented team, but Minnesota’s trap defense and physical forwards give Colorado fits.

Just less than a month ago, the Avs had a rare offensive explosion in a 7-4 win against an uncharacteristically soft Wild defense.  Do not expect Minnesota to give up as much ground again, but I like the Avalanche to keep the home mojo rolling with a slim win over the Wild.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 2, Wild 1 (SO)

**BONUS COVERAGE**

The Avalanche are the third-youngest team in the NHL, but their defense is especially green.

Take Adam Foote & John-Michael Liles out of the equation, and every other Avalanche defender is 26 or younger.  Ryan O’Byrne (26) and Matt Hunwick (25) each have three years experience.  Kevin Shattenkirk (21) and Jonas Holos (23) are both rookies, and Ryan Wilson (23) has become one of Colorado’s primary defenders in his second year.

With the loss of Quincey for the season, O’Byrne & Hunwick are the third and fourth most senior members of the defense behind Foote & Liles.  And when Kyle Cumiskey (24) returns later this season from his October concussion, he will leapfrog them both with his whopping four years of NHL experience.

The fact that Joe Sacco & Co. have put managed to put out a scrappily effective defense most nights, and especially lately, is another sign that the Avalanche front office chose wisely when they promoted Sacco to head coach from his post at the Lake Erie Monsters.

Sacco has made his mark on every aspect of this hockey club.  Joe’s band of weirdly stout young defenders (who also contribute heavily to his up-tempo NHL-best offense) bear the mark of a great team manager and an excellent support coaching staff.

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Colorado had an outstanding Week Three, scoring 14 goals over three games.  The Avalanche stole a point in an OT loss at Vancouver before blazing through Calgary and dominating Columbus at home.

Unfortunately, goalie Craig Anderson was lost to injury for an undetermined period of time last week.  The injury was sustained during warm-ups in Vancouver, and was the product of a non-contact leg extension.  In his stead Peter Budaj has held up okay, but both goaltenders play behind one of the worst defenses in the league.

Thursday, November 4^th vs Vancouver Canucks (7:00 MST)

The Avalanche were the better team in Vancouver, but could not hammer home the win.  Their outstanding offensive play against a Cup contender in the Canucks has me believing that Colorado can beat any team on any given night.

The Avalanche are rested and they play tough in division contests, so I’ll recycle my prediction from last week’s OT loss.  This time the ‘Lanche get the extra-time goal.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 4, Canucks 3 SO

Saturday, November 6^th vs Dallas Stars (7:00 MST)

The Stars are playing outstanding, attack-oriented hockey right now.  They just thumped the Penguins and will play the Coyotes before coming to Denver on short rest.

Colorado & Dallas are similarly defensively challenged and are starting average goaltenders in front of a porous defensive front.  That sounds like a recipe for another Avalanche barn-burner, and likely a win given the Avs’ ample rest this week.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 6, Stars 4

**BONUS COVERAGE**

Defense, defense, defense.

Surely this is the message head coach Joe Sacco has been hammering home all week.

The Avalanche had a curious 5-day break between home games that started last Saturday, so there will be no excuse for the Colorado D to be anything less than crisp tonight.  Personnel is a part of the issue – the Avalanche have a lot of young defenders – but this offense-or-bust mentality is also a part of the reason the Avs give up so many goals.

Sacco rarely has the luxury of an early lead, so it is difficult to do anything but send his team full-throttle to the net.  Still, a focus on defense must be developed for this team to succeed in a stacked Western Conference.  With Andy out for who-knows-how-long, now is the time to get these young defenders and forwards to buckle down and learn to play responsible team defense at an NHL level.

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Avs rookie phenom center Matt Duchene will be ready to play Game 1, and David Jones will miss Game 1 but should be ready for Game 2 on Friday.

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The Vancouver Canucks matched the Colorado Avalanche goal-for-goal through three periods of hockey Tuesday night.  But it was the Avalanche fighting for their playoff lives, and Colorado brought the fight to the Canucks’ doorstep early and often.

The Avalanche scored first on an unassisted Darcy Tucker tally through Robert Luongo’s legs just over 6 minutes into the opening salvo.  It was only Tucker’s 9^th goal on the season, but it couldn’t have come at more critical time.  With Peter Mueller downed by a dirty Rob Blake hit two nights ago, the Avalanche were undermanned offensively going into this crucial final 4 games of the season.

Daniel Sedin tied it and TJ Galiardi put the Avs back up by a goal in the same minute late in the 1^st Period.

At the end of one, Colorado managed a 1-goal lead in hostile territory.

Neither team could establish a clear advantage coming out of the break, but the 2^nd Period served to catch the Canucks up to the Avalanche in shots on goal.  Mason Raymond was able to bring the score back to even at 7 minutes.  Vancouver was playing determined hockey, matching Colorado stride-for-stride in their push toward the playoffs.

Future Captain Paul Stastny put the Avalanche right back ahead 7 minutes later off a flawless cross-ice feed from Chris Stewart.  These two are the heart and soul of this Avalanche offense going forward, and it’s an indescribable pleasure to watch them execute in the pinch.

Somewhere around the middle of the 3^rd Period, Calgary lost at home to San Jose.

An Avalanche win would lock up the 8^th seed for a 12^th trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Avalanche played some premature defensive hockey, sitting back in their zone for much of the 3^rd Period.  A one-goal lead in a tight divisional road game is as unsafe as they come, and Daniel Sedin got his second score to match Colorado’s 3 on the night.

It seemed like the Avalanche were waiting for that goal, and immediately went from resting on their laurels to pushing the action deep into the Vancouver Zone.  But the even score held through regulation, and Sedin’s goal score pushed the action to Overtime.

In OT, Daniel Sedin got a clean break in 4 on 4 play coming out of the Vancouver end.

Sedin had already put two shots past Craig Anderson on the evening.  Terror time for the Avalanche.

Daniel slowed his momentum to make a play on Craig 1 on 1, but John Michael Liles, chasing the play hard from the breakout pass, dove and got a clean stick on the puck just as Daniel cocked to shoot.  This is the same J-M Liles who was benched repeatedly this year for his lack of defensive fortitude.  The same J-M Liles who scored the game-winning goal a game ago versus San Jose.

A healthy scratch mid-season, Liles was trusted to be on the ice in crucial situations throughout this game, and that trust paid off in a big way for coach Joe Sacco and the Avalanche Tuesday night.

The Canucks pressed the Avalanche Zone for the rest of the extra period, but Anderson made a series of great stops to maintain the tie.

With 0:10 left in OT, the Avalanche made a couple of nice passes to break the Vancouver pressure and dash through neutral ice.  With less than a second left, Matt Duchene controlled the puck to the net, but couldn’t manage a shot as the Vancouver defense caught up and disrupted the threat.  Matty looked devastated that he couldn’t at least level a shot at Luongo… keep that disappointment in mind.

The Shootout was a goalie dual to the end.

Through two shooters, Craig Anderson & Robert Luongo were playing their opponents flawlessly.  Anderson was making the high, glove-side saves that have eluded him for a solid month, and Luongo was using his big body to start high in his crease and eliminate shots in stages.

In fact, Luongo played Matt Duchene perfectly on the Avalanche’s 3^rd shot.  Anderson had stonewalled three Cancucks, and it looked like this one would go to extra shooters.  Then Duchene showed the goal-scoring flare that has eluded him through an untimely dry spell.

Moving right to left, Duchene lifted an unstoppable shot past Luongo’s glove.  As puck met net, the Colorado bench erupted onto the ice to chase down rookie hero Matty D.

Avalanche clinch a playoff birth with three to play.

For all the trials, injuries and setbacks that have marred this surprisingly successful Avalanche season, Colorado is a Stanley Cup contender at last.

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Two weeks ago today Peter Mueller came to Colorado from Phoenix and the Avalanche shipped Wojtek Wolski off to the Coyotes in return.  The move was highly criticized by the Avalanche faithful, but it may have been a key move for a Colorado squad looking to make a playoff run.

At first glance, the trade for Peter Mueller didn’t make a lot of sense.

Wojtek Wolski was reportedly cast out by Colorado Head Coach Joe Sacco because of his poor work ethic.  However, Wojtek had outscored Peter by a wide margin this season, and also has the benefit of two extra years playing at the NHL level.  Maybe Mueller was the best the Avalanche could get for Wolski in the trade market, and so the Colorado front office pulled the trigger.  Wojtek had spent a lot of time as a healthy scratch anyway, so why not grab a fellow underachiever in trade?

At second glance, the trade deadline swap looks like a wash.

Wolski is a big-game player with big potential, but he disappears for weeks at a time.  Mueller had an outstanding rookie campaign, but struggled in his sophomore campaign with Phoenix.  Coincidentally, the Coyotes were in desperate need of a clutch offensive playmaker, and the Avalanche were looking to balance scoring production across their top three lines.  Wolski scored the game-winner in his first game with the Coyotes… against the Avalanche in Phoenix.  In Mueller’s first game with Colorado he scored the crucial 3^rd goal in a 4-3 win over the Ducks in Anaheim.

At third glance, unloading Wojtek Wolski was the exact right move for Colorado.

Since the trade two weeks ago, Wojtek has displayed his trademark streakiness.  In six games, Wolski has 2 goals and 2 assists.  In seven games with Colorado, Mueller has 4 goals and 7 assists.  Peter has at least one point in every game he’s played with Colorado, and the icing on the Mueller cake was a 2 goal, 1 assist night in St Louis on Tuesday.

By trading Wojtek, the Avalanche got rid of a problem child.  By receiving Peter, Colorado got another hard-working point producer at right wing.  On a team full of talented left wingers and centers, Peter Mueller fills a crucial niche.  (Especially with RW Brandon Yip out with an injury.)  Mueller may not score a lot of game-winning goals, but the Avalanche have that in their various rookie talents.  Peter gets the goals in between.

Wojtek may yet win some games for the Coyotes.  He’s an exceptional talent for sure.  In the meantime, Peter Mueller will be developing along with the rest of the young Avalanche forwards.  He’s a much better defender than Wolski, and his addition adds depth in a game that is much more about team-wide production than individual stats.

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Wojtek Wolski tried not to sound like he enjoyed it after the game, but you know he relished the opportunity to down the Avalanche a day after Colorado traded the talented Left Wing to Phoenix.

“It was tough playing against my old team, but I put that behind,” said Wolski after downing the Avs with a game-winning goal 0:22 before the end of the 3^rd Period.

Wojtek has never played for any NHL team other than the Avalanche, the club that drafted him in the first round (21^st Overall) of the 2004 Entry Draft.  He put four shots on net, tied for the most by a Phoenix player.  Wolski also logged more ice time than any other Coyotes forward, and was out almost all of both Phoenix power plays.

Colorado gave up a weak goal early, but brought Phoenix down to the wire before folding in the final minute.  The slow, defensive game favored The Coyotes from the beginning, although the Avalanche got off to a much better start than in their previous two games against Detroit and at Anaheim.

In fact, returned hero Stephane Yelle put an early shot off the crossbar in his first action with the Avalanche since 2002.  Yelle was part of another trade deadline story yesterday, the most active deadline day in NHL history (56 players moved).  He spent 6 years with the Flames before signing consecutive one-year deals with Boston & Carolina.  His return to the Avalanche fits the pattern of moves made by Joe Sacco & Co this season.  Stephane is a strong, veteran defensive forward presumably brought in to settle down a young team going into the season’s stretch run.

On the night that Wojtek Wolski put down his former team, the winger he was traded for also had a strong game.  Peter Mueller notched the best assist on the Avalanche’s only goal, a Power Play tally in the 2^nd Period by John-Michael Liles.  Wolski & Mueller were both slapped with penalties in what must have been an intense game for each player.

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Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Drafted: 2009 NHL Entry Draft, 33^rd Overall

Vital Stats: 6’ 0”, 200 lbs, born February 7^th, 1991

It may have surprised Avalanche fans when 18-year-old Ryan O’Reilly started his rookie season in the NHL, but Ryan has an impressive resume to back up Coach Joe Sacco’s decision.  In fact, Ryan O’Reilly has been on the fast-track to the NHL for years.

O’Reilly was drafted to the Ontario Hockey League in their 2007 Draft, having showed considerable promise with the Toronto Junior Canadiens of the OPJHL.  He only played one game for the Junior Canadiens, but netted a goal on his only attempt.  By the time Ryan reached the OHL Erie Otters for the ’07-’08 season he had built up considerable expectations within the organization.  O’Reilly capitalized, scoring 19 goals on 61 games, and also receiving the Otters’ Rookie of the Year & Most Sportsmanlike Player awards.

The ’08-’09 season saw Ryan continue to develop, as he logged 66 points in 68 games.  That year saw O’Reilly receiving league-wide acclaim when he was named the OHL Western Conference’s Best Penalty Killer for his tenacious PK defense.  By the end of the 2009 season, Ryan O’Reilly was the Captain of Canada’s Under-18 National Team.

O’Reilly scored his first goal in his first game in the NHL, a season-opening 5-2 Avalanche win over the San Jose Sharks in Denver.  Ryan recorded the game-winner.

Ryan O’Reilly was drafted 30 picks after fellow rookie Avalanche Center Matt Duchene.  The Colorado coaching staff announced that he would spend the remainder of the 2009-2010 season with the Avalanche on October 19^th, one day after announcing the same for Duchene.

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Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Drafted: 2009 NHL Entry Draft, 3^rd Overall

Vital Stats: 5’ 11”, 190 lbs, born January 16^th, 1991

Matt Duchene was selected with the 3^rd Overall Pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft behind John Tavares (New York Islanders) and Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning).  Matty was initially expected to go 1^st or 2^nd, but the Islanders felt that Tavares was the better forward & the Lightning were in desperate need of Hedman’s defense.

Duchene has long been an Avalanche fan, and you can see him do a little fist-pump in this video from draft day (at 0:15) when Hedman was selected ahead of him by Tampa Bay, virtually assuring that Matt would go to Colorado.  His excitement at being drafted by a franchise that had just recorded its worst record since moving to Colorado gave the Avalanche faithful reason to believe that there were better days ahead.  Duchene’s immediate impact on the team reinforced that belief.

Coach Joe Sacco met Duchene at Lake Erie before being promoted from the Monsters to the Avalanche as Head Coach.  He thought enough of Matt that he invited him to join the revamped Colorado roster in the early stages of the 2009-2010 season.

On October 17^th, 2009 Duchene boosted his rapidly rising stature within the organization by logging his first NHL goal in a win over the rival Detroit Red Wings.  The Avalanche announced a day later that Matty would spend the remainder of the season with the team, forgoing a potential move back down to the minor league affiliate Lake Erie Monsters.

Matt logged his first two-goal game on November 30^th against the same Tampa Bay team that spurned him in the draft.  He has scored 20 Goals and logged 22 Assists in 61 games this season.  Duchene is tied with fellow rookie Chris Stewart at 42 Points on the season, good for 3^rd best on the Colorado roster.

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