DENVER, Colo. – After using their first round pick (#17 over all) on Joey Hishon in last year’s NHL Entry Draft, the Colorado Avalanche showed their willingness to look outside the box in making a first round pick. This year’s Avalanche draft will more likely follow the traditional pattern of choosing one of the higher rated prospects for their second overall pick. If Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is not chosen first overall by the Oilers it is possible the Avalanche may chose the talented center from the Red Deer Rebels, however, Colorado has a surplus at that position. With quality center men like Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny, Ryan O’Reilly, and Mark Olver it is likely Colorado will look elsewhere in the draft for scoring help. The Avalanche did not have a poor offense last season ranking 18th in scoring and 11th on the power play in the NHL. However much of their scoring came in the first half of the season before a plethora of injuries caused the team to slide abruptly in the standings from mid-January to the end of the season. On defense is where the Avalanche really struggled in the second half of the season although the trade for Erik Johnson was a start in the defensive rebuild, Colorado finished dead last in the league defensively for the 2010-2011 season. If the Avalanche decide to go with defense they will likely chose Sweden’s Adam Larsson – a 6 foot 200 pound defense man playing for Skelleftea AIK. Goaltending was another sore spot for the snake bitten Avalanche team last year. Craig Anderson was disgruntled and discouraged with the lack of willingness to negotiate a contract extension last season and was traded to Ottawa for Brian Elliot. Having two back-ups vying for to be the starter did not bode well for the Avalanche and that position will have to be addressed if Colorado wishes to contend in the 2011-12 hockey season. All that said, the Avalanche will not be picking a goalie with the second pick in the draft, that position will be addressed by other means. Who are the Colorado Avalanche going to pick at that #2 spot? This team has always been a high scoring high energy team that wins with fast flashy forwards flying down the wing. I don’t see that changing as long as Pierre Lacroix has any association with the team. Who is the most exciting and talented forward in the 2011 entry draft? Gabriel Landeskog is considered the most NHL ready of the 2011 draft class. With comparisons to Daniel Alfredsson and Peter Forsberg this young Swede has been gaining North American style hockey experience with the Kitchner Rangers of the OHL. “The Colorado Avalanche are pleased to chose, from the Kitchner Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League, their team Captain, Left Winger, Gabriel Landeskog”
To learn more about Gabriel Landeskog click here
Contact the author at terry.sanford@prohockeynews.com
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