Now that the organization has parted ways with defensemen Scott Hannan and Colby Cohen and welcomed in defenseman Matt Hunwick and forward Thomas Fleischmann, where do the Colorado Avalanche go from here?
The model the Avalanche are striving to achieve is obvious: a young and fast team.
The recent trades only cement that theory, as Scott Hannan (6'2", 220 pounds) and Colby Cohen (6'3", 215 pounds) are a significantly different breed of player than acquisitions Matt Hunwick (5'11", 190 pounds) and Thomas Fleischmann (6'1", 190 pounds).
The Hunwick and Fleischmann acquisitions help the Avalanche in the short term. Hunwick provides speed and puck management to a slow, turnover-prone Avalanche third pairing, while Fleischmann helps provide scoring support to a forward group dealing with a rash of injuries, most notably to Chris Stewart and Peter Mueller.
But for the long term, Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman has his work cut out for him.
When injured defensemen Adam Foote and Kyle Cumiskey return to action, the Avalanche will have a grand total of eight NHL defensemen with only the 21-year-old Kevin Shattenkirk—who's p ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by James Crider
Colorado Avalanche Trade Analysis: More Moves Ahead?
December 2nd, 2010 by James Crider Leave a reply »
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