It will be hard to top the the moves the Avalanche made during the summer of 2009, especially in the goaltending department, but I believe there is one that desperately needs to be made:
Don’t resign Peter Budaj.
I have nothing against Budaj, but Terry Frei’s recommendation that he needs to return is silly. He’s been a solid backup goaltender his entire career here in Colorado. He may not have always been the backup goaltender, but he’s always played like one. His numbers this past season were very respectable, and he showed a lot of class playing in the shadow of Craig Anderson. However, there’s just nothing more this team needs from Budaj, and nothing more Budaj needs from this team.
What the Avalanche need to do is rely on Anderson this upcoming season and give their minor league darling, Tyler Weiman, his chance in the NHL. It’s been a long time coming and there is no better opportunity than next season.
Budaj will make a great addition to a team struggling in net, and could prove to only need a change of scenery to up his game to the next level a la Wojtek Wolski.
Frei says going the bargain route (which I assume means going with prospects) is counterproductive. I wonder if he would say that about any of the other “bargain” prospects the Avs relied on this year. Like it or not, this team is in rebuilding mode, and the only way to make that work for the future is to actually give the younger, promising prospects a chance to play. Weiman has earned his spot. Budaj has overstayed his welcome.