The Medford, Mass., native guided the Avs to a 26-point improvement in the standings, but it was still only good enough for the eighth spot in the West and Colorado couldn’t get past top-seeded San Jose in the opening round. This year, the Avalanche have higher aspirations, and their young core of talented forwards might just be capable of delivering a deeper playoff run.
2009-10 Record: 43-30-9, 95 points (second in Northwest Division; eighth in Western Conference; lost in first round to San Jose, 4-2)
Bruins record vs. Avalanche: Boston leads the all-time series 68-48-15-1, but the Bruins lost the only meeting last year 4-3 at the Garden on Oct. 12.
When to watch: The Bruins play at Colorado on Saturday, Jan. 22, but the Avalanche will not pay a visit to the Garden this year.
Familiar faces: The franchise that gave Ray Bourque his long-awaited Cup a decade ago has plenty of current ties to the Bruins system today, as well, though not too many to Boston directly. Goalie Craig Anderson spent two weeks with the Bruins in 2006, but never appeared in a game after being claimed on waivers, then waived again. Matt Hendricks, a free agent who has yet to be re-signed by Colorado, played the 2007-08 season in Providence, but was traded for Johnny Boychuk in June 2008. And Cody McLeod earned a free-agent invite to Bruins camp in 2005, but never signed a contract with the Bruins. Colorado also signed former Bruin goalie John Grahame this summer and forward Ben Walter, a UMass-Lowell product who played 10 games for the Bruins in 2006-08. Colorado also added forward Greg Mauldin (Holliston, Mass.) and re-signed Boston University grad Brandon Yip in the offseason, but ex-Bruin Stephane Yelle remains unsigned after finishing last year with the Avalanche.
Key additions: F Daniel Winnik (trade from Phoenix); F Julian Talbot (trade from St. Louis); G John Grahame (free agent); G Jason Bacashihua (free agent); F Ben Walter (free agent); D David Liffiton (free agent); F Greg Mauldin (free agent)
Key losses: F T.J. Hensick (traded to St. Louis); D Tom Preissing (buyout); F Chris Durno (signed with Tampa Bay); D Brett Clark (signed with Tampa Bay); F Brian Willsie (signed with Washington); D Brian Fahey (signed with Washington); D Ruslan Salei (free agent)
Burning question: Was Craig Anderson a one-year wonder or a budding star in net?
After bouncing around four organizations and spending the bulk of his time in the AHL or as a backup in his first eight pro seasons, Anderson finally got his chance to shine last year in Colorado. He took full advantage, becoming a workhorse for the Avalanche and finishing fifth in the league in starts (71) and tied for third in minutes (4,235). After winning just 36 career games in the NHL coming into last year, he collected 38 victories last season with a 2.64 goals-against average (GAA). The only times he posted a lower GAA were in brief appearances with Florida, a 2.21 in five games in 2006-07, and 2.25 in 17 games in 2007-08. Can Anderson, 29, remain a top starter, or will midnight strike for this Cinderella story now that shooters around the league have a book on him?
If he does enjoy continued success, he will have Bruins netminder Tim Thomas to thank. Anderson didn’t get in a game in his brief stay in Boston, but he did leave with a new approach to the game that helped transform his career.
“The main thing, and I still talk to Timmy Thomas about this, is his passion for the game when I was here,” said Anderson after last year’s game in Boston. “He just loves the game so much. I was kind of in a slump, a little down and watching him play, watching how excited he was about the team and coming to the rink every day, made an impact on me and kind of changed my outlook on things.”
2010-11 outlook: After last year’s turnaround, everyone’s outlook in Colorado has improved dramatically. While questions remain about Anderson’s staying power and how good the Avalanche defense will be, Colorado does possess a talented young group of forwards to build around. Paul Stastny (20-59-79) leads the way, but emerging power forward Chris Stewart (28-36-64, 73 PIMs), second-year star Matt Duchene (24-31-55), Milan Hejduk (23-21-44), T.J. Galiardi (15-24-39) and Peter Mueller (13-24-37) also provide plenty of reasons for optimism in Colorado.
Did you know? While the core of Colorado’s Cup winners came largely from the high draft picks the franchise held while still in Quebec, Matt Duchene, taken third overall in 2009, is the only top-10 pick the organization has had since moving to Denver in 1995.
Next: We’ll head back to Alberta on Monday to check out how much of an impact Taylor Hall can have in Edmonton.