Colorado Avalanche in review/ Blackhawks vs Wild

What a year! Colorado played their best season since Patrick Roy was a goalie. They have had some momentum in between, but nothing like this. They moved the puck, developed well and even turned a few rookies into superstars in waiting.
The year started well in Denver. Practices looked good, and the preseason was great. Pepsi Center sold out for the first preseason game, as everyone had a chance to see the new bench boss Patrick Roy. His style has changed over the year which shows his adaptive style, while glorifying his rookie coach status. In his very first game, he got himself a $10,000 fine for having a public shouting match. He showed that he was still pumped, even though he didn't have a pair of skates.
His first season didn't end without controversy though. In November, Semyon Varlamov was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend. Though his time in jail was short, Varly didn't waiver the entire year.
The biggest story of the year was rookie Nathan MacKinnon. Around this time last year, Seth Jones was all but set to be the first overall pick in the draft. Jones laced his very first skates in Colorado. He has ties to this community, and he looked great. As a defensemen he could have filled voids that the Avalanche needed. After the Avs picked MacKinnon, Jones said his new priority was to make every team that passed on him regret the decision. As of today, Jones' coach has been fired and his team missed the playoffs for the first time in 3 years. I think Colorado made the right choice.
The Avalanche played a speed game all year. Matching their new rookies with seasoned veterans, which proved to be lethal. Colorado never had a dull moment and made every team pay for their mistakes.
Having a 52 win season was great for the Avalanche. They grew in every department. 13 players made their playoff debut and MacKinnon had 10 points in the playoffs.
In the end, Colorado was exposed for having a shoddy defense. This was prominent in game 6 and 7. Next year promises to be great, but Colorado will likely wave goodbye to Paul Stastny. For a defensemen, that is a price that has to be paid.