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Trade Deadline Rumors Still Swirling Around the Avalanche

Philadelphia – – While the Philadelphia Flyers picked up an easy two points tonight blanking the Colorado Avalanche 4-0. The Avs didn’t play a good game at all. Trade rumors are still following this team and they will until the end of the trade deadline tomorrow.

Colorado coach, Jared Bednar has been dealing with the possibility of seeing some pretty talented players going elsewhere. Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Jarome Iginla are three who are frequently linked with various rumors.

“I’m sure they think about it, yes,” said Bednar. “We’re not making any excuses. We know what it is. We’ve seen it coming for quite some time and our guys have had to deal with it.

“They’ve been handling it well but I’m sure it’s been getting to them. It’s no excuse for the way we came out tonight.”

Iginla, a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer looked good. His 619 goals put him 16th on the all-time list. His GM, Joe Sakic has six more than he does in 15th place. No matter the type of season he’s having, he’s used to dealing with this situation.

“It’s easy to say nobody thinks out it. I think when you’re in the position our team is, you know there’s most likely going to be a lot of moves,” Iginla stated. “The team will be rebuilding so it’s on our mind. That’s the way it is.”

Many will exhale when the deadline passes.

“It’s one of those things, when it passes and things settle it’s always a good thing,” he added.

His skating was still solid and his passes were on par. There was just no chemistry out there and he looked like a player who needs a change of scenery to change his outlook and maybe his luck.

“I feel like my skating is fine. Like any time in my career you get into grooves and you get out of them. You’re battling and trying to press and push. So, there’s that part at times. And at times I’ll settle in and have some good games. I do feel like the energy and skating is fine. It’s the grooves and a little bit of that confidence whether you’re 20 or 39.”

Iginla is adaptable. He understands the game and he’s willing to do what it takes to win. He just needs a few to go in. His eight goals in 61 games is an all-time low for him.

“When they do you feel better,” he admitted. “You stop thinking and you just go to the spots and let it release and all that stuff. So, we’ll see what happens. I still enjoy competing and playing and it’s been a tough go for our team. To still be in the NHL, it’s tough on some days, but it’s still always fun to be out there competing.”

I don’t think Duchene or Landeskog will get traded. I saw some great shifts from 20-year-old rookie, Mikko Rantanen, who seems to be safe although Iginla said very few were safe.

rantanen

Francois Beauchemin was laboring out there. He’s slowed down, his first pass is still good, but he was on the ice for a few bad goals. He may gain some attention but he has one more year after this so that is a detriment.

Rene Bourque had some good shifts. With 9 goals at the age of 35, he has an expiring contract at a low rate so he could get dealt as well.

On the Flyers side Michael del Zotto played and looked mobile with some nice passing. General Manager, Ron Hextall will certainly be fielding some calls about him and fellow defenseman, Mark Streit and goalie, Steve Mason who recorded the shutout.

It’s now a game of chess as teams build towards the playoffs and others fortify their pipeline for the future.

Steve Mason photo by Drew King.

Rantanen photo by Sportsology

Russ_Cohen
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2 thoughts on “Trade Deadline Rumors Still Swirling Around the Avalanche

  1. Totally agree with you Russ. Great article buddy. I honestly think Sacik is pulling everyone’s leg. But how safe is his job? IMO he better turn things around. This team is heading the wrong way. It was 2 years ago that Colorado was dominating the NHL. But now they’re horrible and in my eyes have a dark future ahead of them. Maybe a change in the office would be a good start.

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