Avalanche's recent decision sparks fear of a costly future mistake
Photo credit: AP Photo / David Zalubowski
The Colorado Avalanche's recent NHL Draft decision has sparked growing concerns among fans and analysts alike, raising fears that it could turn out to be a costly mistake with serious implications for the team's future success.
The Avalanche's 2022 NHL Draft class might be their worst in recent history, but it could also end up being a surprise source of ongoing challenges.
Avalanche may have made a costly draft error.
Nestor Quixtan from Mile High Sticking writes that the Avalanche have experienced their share of disappointing drafts. These setbacks weren't due to incompetence, but rather stemmed from a deliberate strategy to trade draft picks in exchange for key players to boost their Stanley Cup contention.
"As such, the moves have left the team depleted of draft picks, forcing the club to turn over stones to find hidden gems in the later rounds." -Quixtan
However, one draft class that stands out as possibly the worst in recent memory is the Avalanche's 2022 NHL Draft class. This particular group came right after Colorado's Stanley Cup victory, which explains why the Avalanche had fewer original picks available in that draft.
"With the 193rd overall pick, the Avalanche took defenseman Chris Romaine. Romaine was selected from the USHL and subsequently went to the NCAA with Ohio State. He remains unsigned. At 22, he's unlikely to be signed, though PuckPedia reports his rights are set to expire in 2028." -Quixtan
It's worth noting that Romaine appeared in only nine games last season and didn't record a single point. He'll be looking to bounce back this coming year, otherwise, he risks becoming a forgotten pick in the Avalanche's draft history.
"The Avalanche's seventh-rounder was Russian netminder Ivan Zhigalov. The Avs took a shot on the 22-year-old goalie with the 225th pick. He played last season with the Yuzhny Ural Orsk of the VHL in Russia, suiting up for 12 games. He posted a 2.63 GAA and a .902 SV%. Zhigalov is unsigned and does not figure on the Avalanche's depth chart, according to PuckPedia." -Quixtan
And there you have it, two draft picks, neither of whom seems destined to have an NHL career or play a role in the Colorado Avalanche's future.
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JUILLET 24 | 17 ANSWERS Avalanche's recent decision sparks fear of a costly future mistake Do you think the Avalanche's 2022 draft class is the worst in franchise history? | ||
| yes | 9 | 52.9 % |
| no | 8 | 47.1 % |
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