Many people have been wondering lately, with Colorado Avalanche Coach Joe Sacco scratching John-Michael Liles in 4 of the last 6 games, what are the Avalanche going to do with one of the highest paid players? Rumor has it that Liles has been shopped around, harshly placed on the trading block and then not even allowed to showcase himself.
Courtesy of Avalanche.nhl.com
I think the solution to this lingering problem is simple: move JML to offense. He is tied for first in defenseman points, having played 19 games less than Kyle Quincy, and leads with 20 assists. In fact, Liles is currently 8th on the team overall with 24 points, and 5th overall in assists.
Now a lot of people complained when Ryan Stoa went down and Sacco moved Liles up to fill in the void. Jibblescribbits wrote an article recently about the lack of depth on left wing killing the Avalanche. Put Liles in here. Give him some time to adjust to the system. We can’t expect the kid to suddenly know the plays and be in the right places in a matter of shifts after playing defense his entire career. But does this mean he couldn’t do it?
No, and he should be given the opportunity. Sorry Chris Durno, but even with your diving, game-tying goal, you haven’t really impressed. And Darcy Tucker hasn’t truly produced since his concussion. Cody McLeod may be on the verge of heating back up, but this proves that other people aren’t producing and yet still get the minutes. I think it was Jori who once told me that Kyle Cumiskey had played wing a bit in the minors. Nothing is set in stone.
Look at Dustin Byfuglien, the man will play any position thrown at him, and he frequently achieves as well. He started at defense and was quickly transitioned to a producing forward. I’m not saying this will work with everybody on the team. But for a player frequently touted as an offensive defenseman, it seems like a logical choice. The same old story of “not playing to expectations” is highly suspect at this point. With Coach Sacco saying that Liles will be a game time decision tonight (scratching Darren Haydar and Ruslan Salei for sure), why not take this opportunity to see what the kid can do. We have two games before a long break and sitting on the bench isn’t going to benefit JML. Though with Haydar sitting, we could see it. Stranger things have happened in this NHL.
Related posts:
- Liles On The Block?
- Liles Benched, Anderson In Net
- Darren Haydar Goes To The Show + Game Notes *Updated*
- Offseason Analysis: Defense
- Foote, Wilson Day-to-Day – Other Notes *Updated*
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