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In this edition of the hotstove, we share our thoughts on which teams have had the best off-seasons thus far.
Todd Cordell
The Colorado Avalanche.
They were already one of the elite teams in the league and have improved quite a bit this off-season.
Brandon Saad is not what he was when Chicago was piling up Stanley Cups, however, is still a very useful middle-6 winger. I think his speed, and ability to generate chances, will fit perfectly in Colorado.
I especially loved the Devon Toews add. He’s not flashy, per se, but he gets damn good results because he is a stout defender who happens to excel at helping his team transition up ice (like the Avs needed more help there).
The Avalanche didn’t do much else but, in my opinion, they didn’t need to. Again, they were already one of the best teams in the league and they added a middle-6 winger and top-4 defender while only parting with a depth piece (Nikita Zadorov) and a couple of lottery tickets.
I know people like to criticize their goaltending but there is no substance there. I mean, the Avs finished 4th in team save percentage last season.
If one of Phillip Grubauer or Pavel Francouz is healthy, the Avalanche will be just fine.
Michael Stuart
I don't think it's going to move the needle in terms of their actual competitiveness in the short-term, but I really like the work Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings did this summer.
In players like Greiss, Stecher, Ryan, and Merrill, the Wings signed low-cost depth to fill out their roster. Too often when teams do that, they end up with guys who aren't very good; the Wings found players at the opposite end of the spectrum. The players the Wings signed to fill spots during their rebuild can actually play the game and contribute. They'll be able to help as the team tries to integrate more and more young players.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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