Yelle’ins: Feelin Alright Edition

BETTMAN

“I don’t think it’s a resource we need to provide because I’m not sure fans are as focused on what players make as they are about their performance on the ice,” – Gary Bettman

The quote above is from a few years back but it still stands out to me.  Not only is it ignorant and dismissive, but it seems to be increasingly untrue.  Look at what is going on with the national hockey writing landscape.  The Athletic is a model of hockey (sports) writing that is intentionally moving away from the direction of the ‘beat writer’ and towards solid and detailed content.  On the non national scene the blog has exploded.  This kind of thing is happening in response to fans thirst for every last bit of information about the teams we love.  We want to invest more time in these teams than just reading a few game quotes and box scores.

AVS WEEK IN REVIEW

• Players are returning to Denver and having informal skates at the Family Sports Center.  We have had staff on hand to witness some of the skates and take it all in. Credit to our very own RUDO3 who has posted videos from the skates.  To me, the most notable thing to come from the skates was that Tyson Jost stepped up as a leader during the rookie portions.  He will be a big factor on the Avs this year and to see him embracing an early leadership role is very encouraging.
• For those of you who are looking to officially purchase that Andrei Mironov jersey this year: Queenjk dishes on new numbers in Avsland.
• If possible things have gone from bad to worse with our lone remaining unsigned RFA Nikita Zadorov.  What seemed to be a slam dunk, put it on the board, RFA negotiation has turned into some posturing from both sides over a seemingly small amount of money.  On the whole, I’m still not too worried about this one getting done, but for fans who have been anxious to move on and focus on the upcoming season, this is not a fun time.
• I’m exasperated, you’re exasperated, everyone is exasperated.  The Matt Duchene saga is still not resolved, parties are starting to exert even more force to get something done, and the national media is running wild with “what if’s”.  In other words summer is still in full effect.  I’m simply numb to these rumors…uncomfortably numb, but numb.  For now I’ll continue to…..

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS

• Changes to Entry Draft Age – Count me in as someone who is skeptical on this one.  Everyone knows that the later rounds of the NHL draft (hell, sometimes the first round) are a crap shoot.  There is no tried and true way to strike gold as the draft moves on.  Is moving the draft age from 18 to 19 really going to change anything?  For me, the issues (How do you transition to a change like this? What will this change do to the development of players who are too good as 18 year olds) outweigh the benefits (more accurate drafting).  An interesting solution:  Create a supplemental draft for 19 year olds and have it prior to the Entry Level Draft for 18 year olds each summer.  If you make a selection in the supplemental draft you relinquish your selection in that round or spot of the regular draft.

• Offside Rule Change – No, God, no.  This is a terrible idea.  Not only will it slow the game down even more, but it would be an even sillier penalty than the puck over the glass delay of game.  I’d rather the NHL not offer video review on offside than to penalize you for a judgement call made in a spur of the moment.

FRIENDS OF THE BLOG

• Witty, intelligent, and a solid Avalanche fan.  Friend of the Blog @Jibblescribbits is back with his musings.  If you follow him on twitter (and you should if for no other reason that his hockey assessments) you probably have an idea of what you’ll get out of this blog.  I’m excited to see what he has to offer and see where the blog takes him.  Check it out.

• Loyal Reader (and sometimes Staff Writer) @randytime put out a plug for Beginners Puck.  If you’re a novice or a pro you’ll find them intersting
• If you’re into Avalanche podcasts, and after you make sure to check out our work at Burgundy Rainbow, you must check out the work that Avalanche reporters AJ Haefele and Adrian Dater do over at BSN Avalanche.  Two of the best for sure.

TUNE OF THE WEEK

Since Burgundy Rainbow officially launched last week we, the staff, have been blown away by your immediate support.  Getting this site up and running was not the most difficult thing in the world, but some very hard work went into it by Yeti, SeaMill, and Earl.  The support and positive feedback from loyal readers is what motivates us to do better each day. It motivates us to try and present the best possible product we can for your enjoyment.  With that in mind, you all have me “Feelin Alright” about our first week on the job.