We’ve written extensively on the tire fire that is the Colorado Avalanche -- see here and here and here and here and here -- and throughout, one question has always been asked:
When will GM Joe Sakic shake things up?
It seems like everybody watching this team anticipates some sort of move. And that feeling resonates within the dressing room, too.
“Anytime you’re dead last in the league, things aren’t good,” veteran tough guy Cody McLeod said, per the Denver Post. “Doesn’t matter what league you’re playing in — whether it’s baseball, basketball or football. There’s probably going to be changes — I have no idea — but we’re professionals and we’re paid to go out there and play hard.
“To a man in this room, everybody has to bring more.”
The longest-serving player on the Avs roster -- this is his tenth year in Denver -- McLeod could end up being one of those players shown the door. He was used plenty by former head coach Patrick Roy, especially last year, when he scored eight goals and 13 points while appearing in all 82 games.
But this year, his role has diminished under Jared Bednar.
McLeod’s only played in 24 of 36 games, was a healthy scratch on opening night and had his alternate captaincy taken away in the preseason. Combine that with his salary (two years left at $1.33M per), and it’s safe to suggest he could be shopped as the deadline draws closer.
The 32-year-old isn’t the only veteran that could be on the move. Pending UFA Jarome Iginla has already been asked about his willingness to leave Colorado at the deadline.