 The Colorado Avalanche has long been linked with NHL excellence. Since their move to Denver in 1996, the Avalanche has won two Stanley Cups and has showcased some of the league's brightest stars, the recognizable names of which include such perennial All-Stars as Sakic, Forsberg, Hejduk, and Roy. Last year was a very tough season for the Avalanche, due to injuries to captain Joe Sakic and young star Peter Statsny, and it was no surprise that the offense suffered in their absence; the team scored the fewest goals in the entire league last year and only wingers Milan Hejduk and Ryan Smyth scored more than 20 goals. To cap off the disappointing season, Sakic announced his retirement after 19 seasons, thus leaving the Avalanche with a major leadership void. Colorado had a very rocky offseason upstairs, but after all was said and done President Pierre Lacroix brought in Greg Sherman as General Manager and Joe Sacco as a new head coach, both of whom are entering their first season at this level in the NHL. As for on-ice matters, the Avalanche received the third pick in the NHL draft lottery, and selected center Matt Duchene, who promptly signed a three-year rookie contract. Unfortunately, Duchene's going to have to carry much of the offensive burden himself, with Colorado having dealt Smyth to the Kings for a pair of defensemen, leaving veteran Hejduk and youngster Wojtek Wolski as the only proven scoring wingers left to join him. However, the positive side of the Smyth deal was the Avalanche getting a pair of solid young defensemen; Tom Preissing and Kyle Quincey, both of whom have the skill to help the team's breakout and power play. Otherwise, the Avalanche remains much the same offensively as it was at the end of last season. Up front, there is no question that Colorado's top two centers are going to be Statsny and Duchene, with the combination of Tyler Arnason, T.J. Hensick, and Cody McCormick filling in behind them. As for proven scoring talent at wing, Hejduk and Wolski seem to be the two natural goal scorers, although Marek Svatos seemingly has the potential to be a 20 goal scorer. Defensively, there is some promising talent with Preissing, Quincey, John-Michael Liles, and Ruslan Salei, and although veterans Scott Hannan and Adam Foote are slower, they should also provide solid depth at the blue line. If the younger defenders step up it may not be long before the Avalanche is once again one of stingiest teams in the NHL. In goal, Peter Budaj is expected to be Colorado's starting goaltender once again, although his backup will now be the newly acquired Craig Anderson. Make no mistake that Budaj's performance will largely dictate the Avalanche's ability to stay in many games this year. Look for the Colorado Avalanche to begin a youth movement of sorts, surrounding the offensive core of Duchene and Statsny with their young defensemen, while expecting their other up-and-comers to step up and fill in the gaps at both ends of the ice. Will Colorado return to its winning tradition in 2009-2010? Get your Avalanche tickets now and come out to the Pepsi Center in Denver to find out.
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