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If one position has redefined itself in the five post-lockout NHL seasons, that position is goaltender. Previously, goaltending was the crux of an NHL team; having a marquee goaltender in net was a must for any team to have any reasonable chance of success. The 10 seasons from 1995 through 2004 only saw five different NHL teams hoist the Stanley Cup; Colorado (1996, 2001), Dallas (1999), Detroit (1997, 1998, 2002), New ...

If video footage exists of the Colorado Avalanche management's war room through the first two days of the NHL's free agency period, I'm sure it looks something like this . With almost $25 million in salary cap space , the Avalanche were dormant through the free agent rush that was July 1, and did equally as little as teams fought over scraps on July 2. Straight from the horse's mouth, the message ...

Only three days remain until Christmas for diehard hockey fans. Noon, Thursday, July 1, any NHL player without a contract is fair game to sign. After two seasons of signing high priced busts, like Darcy Tucker, Ryan Smyth, and to a lesser extent Scott Hannan, the Avalanche craftily signed Craig Anderson to a contract that made him the 22nd highest paid goaltender in the league. Anderson then went on to ...

In a minor deal with the Coyotes, the Avalanche acquired forward Daniel Winnik in exchange for a 4th round draft pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Winnik, selected 256th overall by the Coyotes in 2004, has played three NHL seasons with Phoenix. In the 2009-2010 season, Winnik scored four goals and 19 points in 74 games, while recording 104 hits. He ranked third in the Coyotes in penalty kill time, ...

On the second day of the 2010 NHL Entry draft, the Avalanche wrapped things up by selecting seven times in rounds two through seven. Throughout the day, the Avalanche made three trades. Moving down two spots, they traded the 47th overall pick to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the 49th and 109th overall picks; later, they moved up, trading the 77th and recently-acquired 109th overall picks to Dallas in ...

Who? This is the question many fans were asking themselves when the Avalanche selected forward Joey Hishon 17th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. I'm not sure I have an answer. Hishon is an undersized center who's played the past three years with the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League. His best statistical season was in 2008-2009, when he registered 37 goals and 81 points in 65 games. However, ...

After making a blockbuster trade for Montreal goaltender Jaroslav Halak, the Blues sent forward Julian Talbot to Colorado in exchange for forward T.J. Hensick. Talbot, 25, was never drafted and has spent the past four seasons in the American Hockey League, mostly with the Peoria Rivermen. The 2009-2010 season saw Talbot collect 17 goals and 15 assists. Hensick, 24, split the last three seasons between the Avalanche and their American Hockey league ...

At the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the Avalanche held the dubious reputation of the Western Conference's cellar dweller, finishing last in the conference and 28th overall in the league. A year later, in large part to 2009 draftee's Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly, the Avalanche weaseled their way back into the playoffs, and now find themselves drafting 17th in the 2010 Entry Draft. Rick Pracey, the Avalanche's director of amateur ...

The Denver Post is reporting that the Colorado Avalanche have re-signed captain Adam Foote to a one year contract. The contract will pay Foote a base salary of one million dollars, significantly less than the three million he averaged over the past two seasons. Foote, 38, had a bounce back 2009-2010 campaign, increasing his games played (from 42 to 67) and his plus minus rating (from minus-12 to plus-8) from 2008-2009. ...

The Colorado Avalanche hold the 17th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, completely divergent of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in which they selected third overall. However, because first and second-round selections Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly made the immediate jump to the NHL, the state of the Avalanche's prospect pool hasn't changed much: they could use some help in all areas. The Avalanche only have one promising forward prospect ...