Denver (AP) - The pieces are gradually falling into place in the Mile High City. As the new OTHL season is about to dawn, the Colorado Avalanche and their new General Manager Lawrence Bailey are ready to roll.
"We are not a team that is defined by, or built around, a few star players," Bailey explained. "We went into the free agency period looking for players to complement the team we already had in place, to help build on the core we already have. We saw a need in the top six and the bottom six up front, as well as a real need for a defensive stopper on the back end."
Reports indicated that they were in serious discussion with 8-10 players over the free agency period, ultimately landing a trio of veterans in wingers Scott Walker and Shean Donovan and defenceman Karlis Skrastins.
"All three guys bring grit, character, work ethic and leadership to our club," Bailey smiled. "They are the kind of guys who will fit in seamlessly with our club, make us that much harder to play against, and really help us take that next step and become a playoff team."
The Avalanche are a balanced team to be sure, with the ability to send out four solid lines and three talented defensive pairings. Between the pipes they have a pair of talented young netminders who will likely be battling one another all season long for starts. As the season dawns, the line up looks like this:
Martin Straka - Shawn Horcoff - Scott Walker
Justin Williams - Petr Sykora - Mike Knuble
Ethan Moreau - Marty Reasoner - Shean Donovan
Tyler Arnason - Brad Richardson - Mike Knuble
John-Micheal Liles - Kim Johnsson
Dan Hamhuis - Dmitri Kalinin
Brett Lebda - Karlis Skrastins
Peter Budaj
Andrew Raycroft