Good read, sorry to be the first to respond to a threat started 18 days ago but hey I guess some of us Avs fans are still hanging in there
I agree with your assessments of the coaching candidates. I don't think Tippett will be lured away from Phoenix and I'm not sure he fits the style of team we have but admittedly I haven't watched much of Phoenix. I'd definitely stay away from the DU coach simply because as you put it, it reaks of a PR move and I think we've had enough of that. What we want are results regardless of who's in the seats. That's management and ownership's problem respectively and I think winning solves it better than any gimmick. Not to say he isn't a good coach but I just don't think that;s the way to go. I wouldn't be disappointed with Ruff because of his experience but his inability to get Buffalo over the hump over the past few years raises questions. Perhaps as someone who's seen him personally you could correct me on that. Boucher is also enticing but he's also flamed out with one franchise and I'd be a bit leery of that. In short, I totally agree with you about Roy. It's a risky move because if he fails it looks awful for the franchise but he's a proven winner at ever level he's worked at and I really think what you said about him helping Varlamov could be the key to our success. We're going to spend the next few years with a developing defense while we integrate the likes of Siemens and Seth Jones and I think having a goaltender be able to cope with that is paramount.
As far as the draft, it's a no brainer to me. You absolutely have to pick Seth Jones. He is EXACTLY what this team needs in every regard. There's no question that we have talent up front. Most of which in my opinion has yet to fully develop. Our defense is a mess and adding a top flight guy like Jones will move this team into the direction it needs to go in.
I also wanna give a lil shout out to Aaron, great job buddy! I'll be following you on twitter and at your new site. In the mean time we need a new blogger here on HB. Any ideas?