As the March 4th Trade deadline approaches for the NHL a lot of rumors have been flying around, as is customary for this time of year. One of the juicer ones is that Francois Giguere wants to deal Ryan Smyth.
Is Ryan Smyth leaving Denver? If what he and coach Tony Granato have told the media are any indicators, then no.
“You want Ryan Smyth on your team. I think it’s a compliment to him. We’re in the nature, especially at this time of the year, of guessing and making predictions by saying, ‘Well, this team needs this kind of guy and maybe he’s available.’ By no means will we be shopping him or calling anybody about him, but other teams being interested in Ryan, that just shows you the type of player he is.”
– Tony Granato
Smyth has a no-trade clause on his contact with the Avs and the team would need his permission to move him to another team. Smyth has been very vocal recently about his love for Colorado and wants the club back in playoff contention.
The Avalanche signed Smyth to a 5 year, $31.25 million contract in July of 2007. He was beneficial to the Avs in the 2008 playoffs, scoring two goals in the series against the Minnesota Wild. This year, however, his teams performance has lacked, with a 28-34-1 record so far. Smyth is not the problem. He has recorded a team-high 21 goals and 30 assists and is right now the back bone of the team.
If the Avalanche are looking to make a change on the roster, they should look to their defense and goaltending; the two areas that they have struggled the most this year. Andrew Raycroft has not panned out to be the solid, reliable backup that Budaj needs, while on the other hand Peter Budaj has not panned out to be the solid starting goaltender that the team needs. Some of the other acquisitions from last season have not produced the desired results either. Darcy tucker came from Toronto with high hopes but mediocre performance, and Adam Foote is not quite the powerhouse he used to be.
The talent potential is definitely there, but the team’s leadership is lacking. With captain Joe Sakic out for most of the year and Tony Granato showing his inability to bring the team together, all the talent in the world won’t save this team. Night after night, one of the only solid and consistent performers seems to be Ryan Smyth, and Francois Giguere would be making a mistake to even think about trying to convince him to leave.
The team needs to look forward to next season. With their inconsistent play any hope of the Avs getting past the first round of the playoffs (much less getting in at all) are gone. The GM needs to get rid of Tony Granato and keep his talent and his young prospects for a coach that will bring them together as a proper team.
This is Part One of this Point/Counterpoint. To read Part Two, click here