I was somewhat shocked when I found out about the trade of Alex Tanguay for Jordan Leopold from the start of the draft. Somewhat, because I had heard he might be dealt, but he wasn’t a guy I thought would go.

When you start to think about it, it kind of makes sense. It seams like a win-win. Calgary was criticized for it’s lack of scoring, and the Avs could use the defense, whether or not Rob Blake gets resigned (Come on, he’ll sign).

I’m not sure what the stats say about the trade, but I’m more concerned about how
Leopold fits in the locker room, and that he’s had a few concussions (they don’t get any easier).

From the Globe and Mail Live Blog:

“On the surface, it looks like a steal for Calgary. Leopold did play on the
Flames’ No. shutdown pair alongside Robyn Regehr, but the team has long been
concerned about his fragility — and a long concussion history. Moreover,
Calgary’s defence is as deep as it gets in the NHL. Tanguay, meanwhile, was the
Avalanche’s leading scorer for much of the season until an injury knocked him
out of the line-up for 11 games.”

What this tells me is that the Avs will make a big effort to sign some of the younger scoring talent, like Svatos. We need someone to take over Tanguay’s slot, who else? Look for number 18 jerseys to go on a fire sale. I’m just glad I got my Alex Tanguay Nesting Doll. Come on, it was free.

Also, a bit off topic, but I’m making the case for keeping Dowd. He played well in the playoffs, with good choices and never dogging it.

I need to find an adjustable meter for the sidebar, so I can rate my confidence level. I think this coming season, it’s going to be moved around a lot.