Eurolanche

Players Last Chance

This idea started as a discussion I was having with a buddy and fellow Avs fan. That with this new regime in place things will change. That a lot of players could be on different teams come September. I agree with that in the case of guys like Greg Zanon, Shane O’Brien and Matt Hunwick could easily be given the door. I think there are a few players who are on their last chances this season. As well by season I also mean till the trade deadline in some cases.

Semyon Varlamov

I honestly think next year is a make or break year for Varly. Yes I know he is still very young and goalies mature much later. I am not going to quote any statistics for him because really half of it is not his fault. Varly has had marvelous games in which he seems like the very real deal. As well he has had some very subpar games which cast doubt. We all know Varly has some very real talent there is no doubt about that. He just needs to show it on a constant base.

Why I think this is his last chance is as follows. The new management system wants to win and they want to win now. Simple as this if he can’t be up to it night in and night out he will be gone. I am sure this reason stands for every single player on the team. Second the Avs had a very good but aging goaltender in J.S Giguere. Giggy has played well in all the opportunity’s he has gotten. He is a well-known competitor and speaks his mind to lead the team. He is what Varly should want to be someday. Third of all the Avs had some solid prospects in waiting in Calvin Pickard and Sami Aittokallio as well there are always goalies on the market these days. All of these things combined make me believe if Varly doesn’t show up all year long he could be gone.

Ryan O’Reilly

A lot of people just assume he is gone come Feb 28^th no matter what. I don’t believe that personally. I do think however he is defiantly on the hot seat to perform up to his contract level. The whole situation was ugly ugly ugly. Just was bad and embarrassing for both parties. Made the Avs seem like a joke team and made O’Reilly look like just another greedy whiny baby player.

O’Reilly is going to have to perform at a high level this season to prove he is worth it. If he can’t live up to his own hype then I agree he is gone come Feb 28^th. Give Calgary a call and see if they still want him.

David Jones

I know how many more chances this guy should be getting. In my opinion none! Sadly with a 4 million dollar price tag I feel like he will be given one more shot. Yes the Avs are changing and starting to admit some mistakes. But no way do they admit fully how bad they messed up in a lot of aspects. This is why I feel Jones gets one more chance this season if he isn’t bought out. Stick him on a line with O’Reilly call it the Dollar redemption line and make them earn it.

Now I know some people probably believe Paul Stastny should be on my list. Honestly I think he has more clout with this team then we all think he does. If he appears open to the idea of taking a home town discount I think he will stay for a while. By discount I mean take his current salary and halve is which would take a big man to be okay with that. Unless he scores 30-40 this year no more 6.6 alright. There is probably some more players on their last legs that I missed. So feel free to comment with who you think is on their last chance.