


Dater, I feel for you, but I want to ask you, since you are not a KSE employee. Why is Joe Sacco still coaching the Avs. He had a losing record when he was hired, and he still has a losing record now. He obviously has no clue how to turn this team around. So why is he still here?
---Brian, Denver

Come on man, you're smarter than that. Saying a guy who played in the league for 14 years, then has coached at various levels for several years after that, has "no clue" about things is just not smart. Two minutes in the penalty box for a bad statement for you.

Now, does that mean Sacco is perfect and hasn't made mistakes? Well, duh. But while I've had plenty to nitpick about Sacco in his two-plus seasons at the Avs' helm, I think he still brings a level of enthusiasm and professionalism to the job that is admirable. He never makes excuses -- though he could be excused if he did once in a while.

He was hit with a tsunami of injuries last year, and this year he's having to deal with them again. He's got the youngest team in the league, and the second-lowest payroll in the league to work with. I don't know of a lot of coaches who would work wonders with the same situation. This is going to be a long rebuilding process. And, no, Sacco may not survive to see it through.

We all know coaches are changed like socks in this league. But for now, Sacco remains the coach and I don't see that changing for the next little while.

With John Tavares and Victor Hedman signing long extensions with their clubs this season, why do you think the 'Lanche have not offered Matt Duchene or Ryan O'Reilly long-term deals too? These two are critically important to our club's future. All four players are from the same draft too.
---Jake, Denver

Avs coach Joe Sacco on the team&#8217;s bench.
Avs coach Joe Sacco on the team's bench. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)

This is not something to worry about, Jake. Neither player is going anywhere. They can't be unrestricted free agents for a quite a while still, so the Avs can easily retain them. And they will.

So what if they don't get big extensions already. They've got contracts through the rest of the season, and then they'll get new ones. Don't stress about those two, they'll be fine and well taken care of.

Hi Adrian, I post a lot on the Avs blog and I would really like to get this through to you. What is the status on Joey Hishon and Mark Olver? Are they coming back to the Monsters soon? One more, are the Avs making a move for a big-bodied forward such as Bobby Ryan or anyone?
---Matt James, Roscoe, Ill.

First off, Bobby Ryan seems to be back off the trade market. He was on it for a brief spell -- and, hey, he might be back on it too, especially if the Ducks keep losing. I think Bobby Ryan would be a tremendous addition here, but the question is: what would the Avs have to give up to get him? They don't have a first-round pick next year, remember.

As for Hishon and Olver, I really don't have any other information except they are still dealing with concussion symptoms. It's a long road back from them sometimes, and there often is no easy answer when they'll be back.

Hi Adrian, thanks for the blog! I read it every week. I am also a Caps fan and I was wondering, with the Caps getting the Avs' good picks next year, do you think the Avs will be looking to unload some players to get back into the draft? Who would some of the possible trade pieces be?
---Brendan, Arlington, Va.

Well, if the Avs are sellers by the trade deadline, they may well try to get a first-round pick back by unloading a player or two. Who could pull in a first-round pick? Paul Stastny is one guy. But should the Avs really give up on him now? And how hard would it be to offload his $6.6 million cap hit? Don't forget, he's got two more years left on his contract after this season.

Stastny is the obvious guy to get a first-rounder with, but I can also possibly see someone like David Jones getting one in return. Jones is in a horrible slump right now and playing on the third line. But people around the league believe he's got good talent and they might be willing to give up a good pick for him.

AD, Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene have taken some heat for the Avs struggling. But what about David Jones? He has fallen off more than anyone else this year. Is he injured or something? He is such a great player when he's going.
---Logan, Centennial

As I just said, Jones is in a deep freeze. He's just not scoring. I did notice him looking a little more physically engaged in Tuesday's win over the Sharks, so maybe that's a good sign that things are changing for the better. To me, Jones needs to use his size better.

He's got tree-trunk legs, and he should be able to plant himself in front of the net better, instead of trying to play a fancy game. No question about it, the Avs need Jones to regain his form if they are to have ANY hope at all of making the playoffs.

Is it just me, or is having Erik Johnson and Jan Hejda on the same D-line a bad idea? Hejda has the worst plus-minus on the team and Johnson the second worst. I understand the offensive/defensive D-men matchup but it just does not seem to be working for the Avs.
---Daniel, Denver

Both Johnson and Hejda need to be better, and they know it. They looked great together at the start of the season, but the numbers have regressed, most notably in the plus-minus category.

I'd like to see Hejda be a little more physical, and the same applies to Johnson. They are both big men, so impose your advantage there on the opponent.

Adrian, would love your take on the N.Y. Times' three-part series on Derek Boogaard. What should the NHL do about the culture of fighting? I'm not sure there's a good solution...
---Russ, Golden

It was an excellent story, albeit a very sad one. The man who wrote the piece, John Branch, used to cover the Avs for the Colorado Springs Gazette. He was part of a group of people back then who covered the Avs -- but sadly the number covering the team has dwindled drastically since.

It's a bit of a Faustian Bargain that too many fighters have made to be in the NHL. The Boogaard story was Exhibit A. I hope there are no more stories like that to read -- despite how well written they are.
