Is it time for the Colorado Avalanche to concede that Joe Sakic isn’t getting the job done? The Denver Post’s Mark Kiszla writes exactly that after the Avs suffered a humiliating 6-0 loss to Toronto and cemented their status as the worst team in the NHL. Frustration is mounting, and Kiszla believes this to be the lowest point in the organization’s history in Denver.
A once proud franchise that won a Stanley Cup immediately after moving from Quebec prior to the 1995-96 season, the last decade has been a wandering in the wilderness. And while the return of Sakic and former bench boss Patrick Roy were supposed to be an indication of happier times, it’s been just the opposite. From Kiszla:
The problem is too big to ignore, and the stink starts at the top. This is a poorly constructed hockey team, a roster that cannot win.
Josh Kroenke tried to recreate the Avalanche’s glory years by bringing back two superstars, with Sakic in the front office and Patrick Roy as coach. Hey, it was worth a shot. I endorsed the idea.
But it’s not working. The grand plan began falling apart late last winter, when Roy told me he thought it was essential the Avs make the playoffs, while Kroenke preached patience.
When Patrick Roy abruptly left the organization back in August, reviews were mixed as to what it meant. Was it Patrick being petulant? Was Sakic painted into a corner? Was it a philosophical difference? Or was it a sign that the players of the past weren’t the answer as management? Now more than ever, it seems like the latter is truly the case.
The Avalanche have been miserable, seeing significant slippage in nearly ever facet of the club. Not only do the Avs have the worst record in hockey, but they’ve been shut out seven times already this season–and it’s not even January. Kiszla goes as far to say that the team’s core, namely Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Semyon Varlamov and Matt Duchene is no longer the answer. Kiszla is hardly alone in his thinking.
Darren Dreger chimed in, tweeting that business as usual in Colorado may change once the roster freeze expires next week. Ray Ferraro agrees, going as far to call Colorado a “train wreck.”
The solution? Kiszla believes it’s time Sakic walks away from the team at the end of the season, doing what’s best for the franchise he won two Stanley Cups with. Should he stay on, it will not only continue to damage the future of the Avs but it could also tarnish the legacy of one of Colorado’s most beloved players.
Yes it is time for him to ride off into the sunset. Great player but hasn’t matched that success in the front office like Steve Yzerman has.
Everyone was convinced Roy was the problem, that the Avs’ poor possession stats were a result of his coaching, but I think it’s safe to say now that the team was simply bad all along and Sakic wasn’t listening to Roy’s pleas for change when he should’ve been. Roy was getting the most he could out of that roster, winning a division title and having them in the playoff picture his other 2 years, but knew they weren’t good enough and needed some major changes, and lo and behold, they’re now by far the worst team in the league without him. It also looks like he was right about every move he appears to have argued with Sakic over that led to his resignation (Barrie, Holden, Radulov). Sakic should absolutely be fired, he was completely wrong about this team and clearly does not have the vision in the front office that he had on the ice.
May be Roy should have been GM in the first place as he was in Quebec at the junior level. This guy wants to win!
The real question is: should Nate Brown be shown the door, or is he just a scapegoat for pro hockey rumors’ problems? The Denver Post’s Storm Pepale writes exactly that.
Darren Dreger chimed in, tweeting that business as usual may change after the holidays are over.
Should he stay on, it may be the dawn of a new legacy of rumor writing.