Down the Frozen River

Tag: David Van Der Gulik

  • Colorado Avalanche 2014- 2015 Season Preview

    2014 Offseason
    Losses: (Free Agency) D Andre Benoit, F Bryan Lerg, D Matt Hunwick, F David Van Der Gulik, F Brad Malone, F Paul Stastny (Trades) F PA Parenteau (Retirement) G J.S. Giguere

    Additions: (Free Agency) F Jesse Winchester, D Zach Redmond, F Ben Street, D Bruno Gervais F Jarome Iginla, D Brad Stuart (Trades) F Daniel Briere

    The Colorado Avalanche certainly had a busy offseason, leaving some with mixed feelings. While the addition of Jarome Iginla seems great, it comes with the price of the subtraction of Paul Stastny- who had helped play a key role in the Av’s ultimate defeat to Minnesota in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nathan MacKinnon is ready to lead the second line as a center and the Calder Trophy winner is capable of putting up plenty of points this coming season, but how will he perform as the number two center alongside guys like Alex Tanguay, Iginla, Ryan O’Reilly, or Gabriel Landeskog? Head coach, Patrick Roy, has the flexibility to play around with his top six forwards for the first couple of months.Iggy is back in the Western Conference, something he may prefer, however, how must his game evolve given that a lot has changed in the Western Conference during his short time in the East with Pittsburgh and Boston- that and being on a younger team in general. The Daniel Briere for PA Parenteau trade with Montreal looks like it will be a solid in retrospect, however, Briere is nowhere near the scoring capability that he once was. Strength down the middle might concern the Av’s fourth line, but can be resolved with the addition of Jesse Winchester. Perhaps a bigger question of the Avalanche prospects regards Joey Hishon- is he finally ready for the NHL? If he is, is he the one that fits the missing piece to the puzzle on the third or fourth line? The only thing that concerns Av’s fans with regards to Iginla is whether or not they will be able to realistically make a deep Cup run within his three year contract. Let’s face it, Iginla is nearing the end of his career, and as of right now, Colorado appears to be at least three years out of a potential Stanley Cup.

    On the blue line, the Av’s have a solidified defense in Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie, Brad Stuart, and Jan Hejda, but whether Nick Holden and Nate Guenin can successfully complete the top six defensemen remains to be seen. Despite the success of last season, there are plenty of question marks for the Colorado Avalanche in the 2014- 2015 season. The Av’s have a little flexibility with excess defenseman that could be utilized from Lake Erie, but their depth at the blue line remains shallow in comparison to other teams. However, given the fact that the Avalanche have rid themselves of the Matt Hunwick atrocity, significant gains have been made. A lot of questions will be asked of the Avalanche this season, but with good intentions. Nobody doubts Roy’s- Jack Adams winning- ability to coach, however some may recall the last time the Av’s made the playoffs and the subsequent years in between playoff runs. To get to the top of the league, this young, relatively inexperienced playoff roster must remain a consistent force in both making the playoffs and lasting for longer than a round or two. Failure to make it back into the playoffs this season and the Avalanche organization suddenly looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs (sorry Leafs fans). Consistent final bows in the first round and the Av’s will look like the San Jose Sharks (sorry Sharks fans). To win a Cup, a team has to go through a few losses first, but it cannot take forever to do so.

    Semyon Varlamov looks to improve on his Vezina Trophy finalist season and will take on more minutes with Reto Berra as his new backup. Quick question, whatever happened to all of that hype about Calvin Pickard? Is he still just a few years off? Varlamov is a clear starter in Colorado, potentially erasing all recent memories of the roulette of goalies and struggles in the crease in the forms of Peter Budaj, Andrew Raycroft (interesting fact, I still have his rookie card somewhere), Brian Elliott (before he was good in St. Louis), Craig Anderson (not that he really struggled, just the team that was in front of him), and whatnot. No matter what anyone says, Berra is a weak backup until proven otherwise. Sure he had that impressive save last year in Calgary, but sometimes it just happens. Regardless, the Avalanche need another year or two of making it into the playoffs and getting to the second round. First of all, they have to avoid the Minnesota Wild; something tells me the playoffs are not kind to the Av’s when they play the Wild. Secondly, the have to see how they can pit themselves up against perennial powerhouses such as Chicago or Los Angeles. Only then will they be ready to take on a Western Conference Final battle and perhaps even a Stanley Cup Finals run. Their number one goal for 2014- 2015 season, though, must be to continue to improve and aim for the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

  • 2014 NHL Free Agency Recap

    Recapping all of the signings from the entire day. Updated as necessary when newer deals are signed. Everything that is known is shown.

    Christian Ehrhoff signed a 1 year deal worth $4 million with PIT.

    Manny Malhotra signed a 1 year deal worth $850,000 with MTL.

    Jori Lehtera signed a 2 year deal with STL.

    Mark Fayne signed a 4 year deal worth $3.625 million a year with EDM.

    Benoit Pouliot signed a 5 year deal worth $4 million a year with EDM.

    Chad Johnson signed a 2 year deal worth $1.3 million a year with the NYI.

    Milan Michalek signed a 3 year deal worth $4 million a year with OTT. (Resigned)

    Petr Mrazek signed a 1 year deal with DET. (Resigned)

    Paul Stastny signed a 4 year deal worth $7 million a year with STL.

    Mike Camalleri signed a 5 year a deal worth $5 million a year with NJ.

    Justin Peters signed a 2 year deal with WSH.

    Tom Gilbert signed a 2 year deal worth $2.8 million a year with MTL.

    Brad Malone signed a 2 year deal with CAR.

    Jussi Jokinen signed a 4 year deal worth $4 million a year with FLA.

    Mason Raymond signed a 3 year deal worth $3.167 million a year with CGY.

    Dan Boyle signed a 2 year deal worth $4.5 a year with NYR.

    Jiri Sekac signed a 2 year deal worth with MTL.

    Dave Bolland signed a 5 year deal worth $5.5 million a year with FLA.

    Clayton Stoner signed a 4 year deal worth $3.25 million a year with ANA.

    Mike Weaver signed a 1 year deal worth $1.75 million with MTL. (Resigned)

    Joe Vitale signed a 3 year deal worth $1.117 million a year with ARI.

    Ryan Miller signed a 3 year deal worth $6 million a year with VAN.

    Al Montoya signed a 2 year deal worth $1.050 million a year with FLA.

    Anders Lindback signed a 1 year deal with DAL.

    Ales Hemsky signed a 3 year deal worth $4 million a year with DAL.

    Blake Comeau signed a 1 year deal worth $700K with PIT.

    Thomas Greiss signed a 1 year deal worth $1 million with PIT.

    Jeremy Gregoire signed a 3 year deal with MTL.

    Brian Gionta signed a 3 year deal worth $4.25 million a year with BUF.

    Brooks Orpik signed a 5 year deal worth $5.5 million a year with WSH.

    Keith Aulie signed a 1 year deal worth $800,000 with EDM.

    Mathieu Perreault signed a 3 year deal worth $3 million a year with WPG.

    Shawn Thornton signed a 2 year deal worth $1.2 million a year with FLA.

    Jonas Hiller signed a 2 year deal worth $4.5 million a year with CGY.

    Adam Larsson signed a 1 year deal with NJ (Resigned).

    Thomas Vanek signed a 3 year deal worth $6.5 million a year with MIN.

    Stephane Robidas signed a 3 year deal worth $3 million a year with TOR.

    Dominic Moore signed a 2 year deal worth $1.5 million a year with NYR. (Resigned)

    Tanner Glass signed a 3 year deal worth $1.45 million a year with NYR.

    Mike Kostka signed a deal with NYR.

    Bruno Gervais signed a 1 year deal with COL.

    Nick Holden signed a 3 year deal worth $1.65 million a year with COL. (Resigned)

    Derek Mackenzie signed a deal with FLA.

    Brett Sutter signed a two way deal with MIN.

    Matt Moulson signed a 5 year deal worth $5 million a year with BUF.

    Martin Havlat signed a 1 year deal worth $1.5 million with NJ.

    Phil McRae signed a 1 year, two way, deal with STL.

    Brett Regner signed a 1 year, two way, deal with STL.

    Cody McCormick signed a 3 year deal worth $4.5 million with BUF. (Resigned)

    Nick Drazenovic signed a 2 year deal worth $550K with PIT. (Resigned)

    Marcus Foligno signed a 2 year deal with BUF. (Resigned)

    Jarome Iginla signed a 3 year deal worth $5.333 million a year with COL.

    Leo Komarov signed a 4 year, $2.95 million contract with TOR.

    Jiri Tlusty signed a 1 year, $2.95 million deal with CAR. (Resigned)

    Peter Regin signed a 1 year $650K deal with CHI.

    Anton Stralman signed a 5 year deal worth $4.5 million per year with TB.

    Steve Bernier signed a 1 year, $600K deal with NJ. (Resigned)

    Mike Angelids signed a 1 year, two way, contract with TB. (Resigned)

    Chris Mueller signed a deal with the NYR.

    Deryk Engelland signed a 3 year deal, worth $2.9 million a year with CGY.

    Cody Bass signed a 1 year contract with CHI.

    Pierre-Cedric Labrie signed a 1 year deal with CHI.

    Scott Darling signed a 1 year with CHI.

    Steven Kampfer signed a two-way contract with the NYR.

    Kevin Porter signed a two-way contract with DET.

    Jesse Winchester signed a 2 year deal with COL.

    Scott Clemmensen signed a 1 year, two-way, deal with NJ.

    Mike Blunden signed a two-way deal, worth $600K, with TB.

    Andrej Meszaros signed a 1 year, $4.125 million, contract with BUF.

    Ray Emery signed a 1 year, $1 million, contract with PHI. (Resigned)

    Ron Zepp signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with PHI.

    Matt Hunwick signed a 1 year deal, worth $600K, with the NYR.

    Devan Dubnyk signed a 1 year deal, worth $800K, with ARI.

    Luke Gazdic signed a 2 year deal with EDM. (Resigned)

    Adam Cracknell signed a 1 year contract with LA.

    David Van Der Gulik signed a 1 year contract with LA.

    Brad Richards signed a 1 year, $2 million, deal with CHI.

    Cedrick Desjardins signed a contract with the NYR.

    Matt Niskanen signed a 7 year contract worth $40.25 million ($5.75 million a year) with WSH.

    Willie Mitchell signed a 2 year deal, worth $4.25 million a year, with FLA.

    Patrick Eaves signed a 1 year deal with DAL.

    Joey MacDonald signed a 1 year, two- way, contract with MTL.

    Brian Boyle signed a 3 year contract, worth $2 million a year, with TB.

    Jon Landry signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

    Mike Moore signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

    Chris Breen signed a 1 year, two-way, deal (worth $600K NHL/$175K AHL) with BOS.

    Stu Bickel has signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with MIN.

    Marcel Goc signed a 1 year, $1.2 million, deal with PIT. (Resigned)

    Matt Frattin signed a 2 year deal with TOR. (Resigned)

    Evgeny Nabokov signed a 1 year deal with TB.

    Taylor Chorney signed a 1 year, two- way, contract with PIT.

    Drew MacIntyre signed a 1 year, two-way, (worth $600K if in the NHL) contract with CAR.

    Harry Zolnierczyk signed a 1 year, two-way, $600K deal with the NYI.

    Guillaume Gelinas signed an entry level contract with MIN.

    Cory Conacher signed a 1 year contract with the NYI.

    Jason LaBarbera signed a 1 year contract with ANA.

    Zach Redmond signed a 2 year deal with COL.

    Ben Street signed a 2 year deal with COL.

    Kyle Quincey signed a 2 year, $4.25 per year, deal with DET. (Resigned)

    Jack Skille signed a two-way deal with the NYI.

    Chris Conner signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

    For a complete and official list of Free Agent signings, check out this.