If video footage exists of the Colorado Avalanche management's war room through the first two days of the NHL's free agency period, I'm sure it looks something like this .
With almost $25 million in salary cap space , the Avalanche were dormant through the free agent rush that was July 1, and did equally as little as teams fought over scraps on July 2.
Straight from the horse's mouth, the message to fans is loud and clear: we are building from within .
Some interpret this as a cop-out so the seemingly disinterested owner can put his money in more lucrative investments ; others feel the decision is a breath of fresh air, at ease knowing the current management will not make the same blunders past management was guilty of committing.
Even by doing nothing, the 2011 Colorado Avalanche should be superior to its predecessor, as losing slow, overpaid players such as Darcy Tucker, Ruslan Salei, Chris Durno, and Brett Clark to free agency can be seen as addition by subtraction.
The trade for depth player Daniel Winnik will also add some speed to what was a very slow fourth line in 2010, largely because of Durno and Tucker.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by James Crider
Reserved Colorado Avalanche Avoiding Allure of High-Priced Free Agents
July 3rd, 2010 by James Crider Leave a reply »
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