Summer Report: Avalanche

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 | Feedback | Print Entry

Do you ever get the feeling you walked into the room about five minutes too late? That's how new Avalanche GM Francois Giguere might feel.

The Avs, a league power since the mid-1990s, are transitioning into the salary cap era. Last summer, they waived goodbye to longtime stars Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote, who both bolted via free agency. This summer, Colorado lost Rob Blake, who signed a free-agent deal with the Kings. Veteran grinder Dan Hinote also skipped town, signing a three-year deal in St. Louis. In the pre-cap NHL, the Avs likely would have re-signed all four players.

Giguere's first major trade also had salary cap implications. On draft day, he sent high-scoring winger Alex Tanguay to the Flames for defenseman Jordan Leopold. The club just couldn't afford to pay Tanguay, who would've eventually followed other stars out of Denver. Fortunately, Leopold is a solid defender who'll help fill the void left by Blake's departure.  
 

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  • E.J. Hradek E.J. Hradek

    E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989. The following year, he beat the Stars to Dallas (by three years), taking over as the editor of Beckett Hockey Monthly. When the Stars finally did arrive in Big D, he hosted a weekly hockey radio show and tried (unsuccessfully) to convert ESPN's Skip Bayless to the greatest game on ice.

    In 1996, Hradek left Dallas, but not the Stars. Relocating back to the New York area, he became a part-time pro scout for the club, seeing more than 100 NHL/AHL games for each of the next two seasons. The scouting gig was a great learning experience, offering a different view of the game.

    Hradek grew up in Tuckahoe, N.Y., about a 40-minute train ride from New York City. Despite the proximity to the Rangers, Hradek embraced the Islanders when the expansion franchise debuted in 1972. Eight years later, he was part of the sellout crowd at the Nassau Coliseum that witnessed the Islanders' first Stanley Cup championship.


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