[Signing] Avs sign Colborne (2 yrs, $2.5 mil AAV)

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Given up on, like Brouwer (Chicago, Washington, St. Louis)?

Way different situations. Teams gave up on Colborne for cheap. Brouwer was traded for Olympian TJ Oshie and got a first round also in another trade.

[Bourque's Twin]

I think it came down to fit. Even though Colborne is big, he's not tough. The Flames needed toughness and it had to be at the RW position because C and LW are pretty much full. At centre the Flames have 4 already signed of which 3 are unmovable. At LW the Flames have Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Ferland, and Bouma. All are signed and 3 of them are tougher than Colborne while the other is the a Flames best were able to add Chiasson and Brouwer to the wings. There's also Poirier, Shinkaruk, and whoever else is going to compete for a wing spot.

[activeStick]

Absolutely agree that this was all about fit. Colborne still has a chance to further develop given his past hard luck with injuries that have set him back so he might become a consistent point producer but his style of play I don't see changing.

He'll never be a physical guy and at the price he was looking for from the Flames I think Treliving looked elsewhere and found the better fit in Brouwer to fill that need.

[gallione11]

One stat that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned (unless I'm mistaken) but really stood out to me was the fact that he averaged 2:02 in PP ice time per game but had only 5 PP (1G, 4A) points. If I'm remembering right, he was 0 for 100 minutes at one point in the season. 44 points aside, 1 point per 24:30 PP is terrible.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by gallione11

One stat that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned (unless I'm mistaken) but really stood out to me was the fact that he averaged 2:02 in PP ice time per game but had only 5 PP (1G, 4A) points. If I'm remembering right, he was 0 for 100 minutes at one point in the season. 44 points aside, 1 point per 24:30 PP is terrible.

Hartley kept throwing him on the PP despite awful results over, and over, and over, and over. Dougie finally gets some time and they produce but Bob keeps Dougie stapled to the bench. Finally saw the light near the end of the season but it was far too late

[Vulcan]

I'm not convinced it was an either-or situation. I think Brad could have found room to sign Colborne after signing Brouwer, especially if Smid is on LTI. This does give more opportunity to our prospects though.

[Gaudfather]

Unfortunately Colborne while a big boy, wasn't mean enough in his role. Hopefully Ferland doesn't make the same mistake, but this where I think a guy like Brouwer can be good for Ferland's development this year.

[Azhouse]

I was just thinking the same thing about Bouma (if he can stay healthy).

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

Your perception is not uncommon. But Colborne is 26. Not a "kid", and his development finished years ago.

We all like to look at him as that high first rounder with size. But he's not going to be anything more than he is right now.

Dont't get fooled by play during the last 6 weeks of a season where your team is eliminated. He isn't "coming around" any more than Sven Baertschi or Joni Ortio were.

Loved Joe the human, and wish him the best, but glad we didn't move forward with him at increased rate. Our team sucked last year, and while it was mostly goaltending, clearing the chaff need sto happen too.

3 seasons in the NHL. Increased production every season. Increased presence on the boards. Added what was looking like a strong net-front presence late in the season.

Sure, he is 26, but does that mean he really is what he is? Do all players experience the exact same development arc? I vehemently argue no.

I would expect a player's development arc to be near the top when a player plateaus. It is a much more reliable method than looking at a birth date.

If you subscribe to the notion that his development was completed years ago, how else do you explain the notable increase in each season?

As for looking at him as a '1st round pick with size' - look up my posts when it was rumored that Calgary was going to get him, or when the trade went down. I was not a fan in the slightest, and thought at the time Horak was a much better player and Colborne was a big useless plug with limited upside. His play - and his development ever year - has made me look differently. I don't subscribe at all to 'he was a past first round pick' or 'he went undrafted and is garbage'.

As for 'don't get fooled by the late surge' - how was it then that other players didn't experience the same surge? I saw a Colborne who was around the net a heck of a lot more, and incorporated jamming the net and being a screen. I didn't see that in him before. I think that goes a long way in explaining his surge, more than just a 'meaningless stretch of luck near the end of the season'.

I guess we see want to see. I just don't know how people can point at him and call his development complete, when he has increased his point totals every year, and when we see him incorporate a different aspect of the game into his repertoire. I don't think he would ever top out at a 1st line winger, but I think even if he plateaus at what he was last season - hardly a stretch - that is a good depth scorer.

[cral12]

Happy for Colborne. Can see why Treliving had to make a tough decision here. Sad to see him go, but Avs see his worth.
I was beyond happy to see him become a Flames. My second ever interview (just after he was drafted by Bruins, when I was covering Leafs for short time at THW) [Ortio was my first, for the record].

Flashback, for those interested. Had to know he was a good lad after these responses:
Part 1 link
Part 2 link

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

As for 'don't get fooled by the late surge' - how was it then that other players didn't experience the same surge?

Because not everyone reacts to pressure (or the lack thereof) the same way? Some players and teams completely light it up when the games mean nothing, others play better when it comes down to crunch time instead. I liked Colborne, and I don't think he's plateaued yet, but I don't think that last stretch is his new normal either.

[oldschoolcalgary]

I am not necessarily a believer in advanced stars, and the notion that "stats tell all", but one stat I look at is shooting %

Colborne is, what, 18%? That's very high, and I doubt it can be sustained.

Best of luck to the guy though. I thought he was a good player for us and 2.5 a salary that seems pretty fair

[AcGold]

I was in high school with Colborne and the nice guy thing is true. He was like a shadow, hardly talked and seemed meak all the time.

The least intimidating NHLer I ever met by a wide margin, didn't even know he played hockey until he was drafted. He seemed like a video game nerd (not an insult, I'm one too) and the possibility of him showing aggression was non existent.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

Because not everyone reacts to pressure (or the lack thereof) the same way? Some players and teams completely light it up when the games mean nothing, others play better when it comes down to crunch time instead. I liked Colborne, and I don't think he's plateaued yet, but I don't think that last stretch is his new normal either.

Oh, I don't think that 'stretch' was his new normal. That would make him a near elite player in the league if that was his new normal. That wasn't the point I was making.

Simply saying to write off a nice stretch of increased production merely as 'luck' or 'pressure is off' is undervaluing that stretch. I also think it was just as much of a product of his development + finding his niche on the team (Backlund/Frolik line).

Let's just say I would be rather impressed and shocked if Colborne became anything close to a superstar. My entire argument is that he is a good depth piece with much needed sized on the team to help along the boards and in front of the net, and who was getting better every year thus far. Not a 26 year old 'this is what you get' and that last stretch was just a fluke that won't be repeated in any way because his development ended years ago.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Given up on, like Brouwer (Chicago, Washington, St. Louis)?

Terrible post is terrible

Guy was traded for high end assets...Blues would have loved to keep him too but they are a budget team and don't have the money to spend

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Oh, I don't think that 'stretch' was his new normal. That would make him a near elite player in the league if that was his new normal. That wasn't the point I was making.

Simply saying to write off a nice stretch of increased production merely as 'luck' or 'pressure is off' is undervaluing that stretch. I also think it was just as much of a product of his development + finding his niche on the team (Backlund/Frolik line).

Let's just say I would be rather impressed and shocked if Colborne became anything close to a superstar. My entire argument is that he is a good depth piece with much needed sized on the team to help along the boards and in front of the net, and who was getting better every year thus far. Not a 26 year old 'this is what you get' and that last stretch was just a fluke that won't be repeated in any way because his development ended years ago.

Yeah this is a good way to look at it. To over value his strong play at the end of the season would be wrong but to write it off is equally wrong. The guy has skill. He might not use his size the way some would like but reach and strength can be very valuable around the net. The Avs made a good value signing.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

That wasn't the point I was making.

Fair enough. Misinterpreted your post.

[sureLoss]

Chris Nichols @NicholsOnHockey
MacKinnon: "Getting Colborne for as little as we got him for is pretty amazing. I can’t believe Calgary didn’t qualify him." #Avs #Flames

http://www.todaysslapshot.com/from-t...over-signings/

“I think we’re in a good place. We’ve made some, I think, undercover really good signings. Getting Colborne for as little as we got him for is pretty amazing. I can’t believe Calgary didn’t qualify him. He’s an unbelievable player. For a point guy to be 6’5”

[calgaryblood]

I remember a certain team saying similar things about Glencross "can't believe they traded him"....

Well you're about to believe.

[CroFlames]

I think what we saw last season was Colborne's prime. Always left us wanting more. However, I think the Avs will be happy with a $2.5million dollar Colborne.

I wonder what will happen with Colborne's forces now?