2015 Pool Projections: Colorado

The darlings of the 2014 NHL season, to both the league and its poolies, the Colorado Avalanche are preparing for a follow-up act in the 2015 season.

The winds of change have blown through Denver, so it isn't quite the same team that lost in the playoffs to the Minnesota Wild, after dazzling us in the regular season.  No, although most of the core pieces are still there, a few changes have been made and you can argue that the team improved in their intangibles, but may have suffered a little in their overall talent level.

The team now boasts both the reigning rookie and coach of the year, a future hall-of-famer and a young core that will make NHL general managers blush.  The additions of some seasoned veterans, both up front and on the blueline should only make the kids a little wiser in a shorter period of time and these Avalanche players could be a good source of players for our hockey pool draft.

Forwards	14/15 Proj	Cap Hit	Defense	14/15 Proj	Cap Hit	Goaltenders	14/15 Proj	Cap Hit
Matt Duchene	80	6.000	Erik Johnson	40	3.750	Semyon Varlamov	85	5.900
Ryan O'Reilly	65	6.000	Nick Holden	30	0.600	Reto Berra	20	1.450
Gabriel Landeskog	65	5.500	Jan Hejda	20	3.250
Nathan MacKinnon	60	0.925	Brad Stuart	15	3.600
Jarome Iginla	50	5.333	Ryan Wilson	10	2.250
Alex Tanguay	40	3.500	Nate Guenin	5	0.800
Daniel Briere	35	4.000
Jamie McGinn	35	2.950
John Mitchell	30	1.800
Maxime Talbot	25	1.750
Cody McLeod	10	1.150
Patrick Bordeleau	10	1.000
COUNT		12	COUNT		6	COUNT		2
SUBTOTAL		39.908	SUBTOTAL		14.250	SUBTOTAL		7.350
						BUYOUTS & OTHER		0.750
						TOTAL		62.258
			PLAYERS		20	CAP SPACE		6.742
Joey Hishon	25	0.851	Duncan Siemens	15	0.863
Jesse Winchester	15	0.900	Stefan Elliott	15	0.851
Marc-Andre Cliché	5	0.700	Maxim Noreau	10	0.625
Ben Street	5	0.650	Zach Redmond	5	0.750

First Round Picks

This could be a well-argued point, but I think given some of the circumstances and where some of these kids fit into the line-up and where they are in their careers, I don't think I would put too many of them in the 1st round of the hockey pool draft.  Right now, I only have two players there in goalie Semyon Varlamov and forward Matt Duchene, who should each hit the 80+ point range this coming season.  I'm sure would argue for one more, at the very least, but I don't think they're quite there... yet!

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

I am going to go off the board a little bit with my pick here in Colorado, because I think 34-year old forward Alex Tanguay may be the most intriguing piece of the puzzle of this team, going into the season.

Tanguay barely had a cup of coffee upon his return with his original club, playing in only 16 games, scoring 4 goals and 11 points, hardly getting a taste of what was to come with the powerhouse group of young players.  Sure, Tanguay didn't have a strong season last year, between knee and hip injuries, but I think a comeback to a confident team will be rejuvenating for Tanguay and he could very well thrive under these parameters.

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

The Avalanche may have lost a bit of their core group of young players, but they have definitely done a good job to replace that loss with some more of a veteran presence.  Jarome Iginla and Daniel Briere should both be pool-worthy and possibly even under-projected, but their role will be to push the young forwards along.  A decent playoff run last year should boost the confidence of their youth, but I can't see big pushes, as it was a long year in 2014 and it could make for a slow start to the year.  They'll get points, no question, but they may not come quite as easy in 2015.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

Today, I have only a couple of pool worthy defensemen listed on the projected roster, as one remains unsigned.  Erik Johnson should be primed to have another good go at 2015, while newcomer Nick Holden should get a good look at the draft.  Holden may be one of those guys who slips down in the draft order, due to a lack of name recognition.  If you can hold out a round or two, you may end up with a bargain there.

Goaltending Situation

Number one is Varlamov, but the new number two is Reto Berra.  Berra, who was acquired from Calgary at the deadline last season, only appeared twice in an Avalanche uniform, failing to win in either appearance.  Berra played really well for a Flames team that couldn't give him any scoring support, but in a regular shift with the Avalanche, he may get a better shot at earning some wins, which don't only come in extra time.

Team To Pick From?

The Avalanche are somewhat top heavy, in a good way, but their depth is really only good for eating up minutes and not so much for quality scoring.  I think the Avs will be picked apart fairly early, leaving behind only the scraps.  If the reasonable ones are still there, go for it, but I have my doubts.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

One unsigned restricted free agent still in need of a deal, Tyson Barrie from the blueline.  Barrie, I believe, is poised to have a big year and is in need of a new deal.  He put up 38 points in only 64 games last season and should improve upon that, so how much is that worth to the Avalanche?  They have $6.7 million left in space with only three roster spots to fill, so his market value could be reached in there, but I'm sure the Avalanche want a better bridge deal to get him to a long-term agreement.

Injuries

Colorado did suffer through some injuries last season, but everyone does appear to be good to go for training camp at the moment.  Barrie's knee and Tanguay's hip should both be 100% for the start of the season.