Two days after Devon Toews offered some of the harshest criticism any NHL player has directed at his teammates this season, his coach agreed with his assessment and a couple of Avalanche players said how the message was delivered was not an issue.
Toews was visibly agitated after a 3-2 loss Tuesday night in Chicago to the last-place team in the NHL standings. His words were emotional and biting while speaking to Guerilla Sports, suggesting that some Avs players think they’re playing well but are kidding themselves and that it’s frustrating to play with players when you don’t know where they’re going to be on the ice.
“I think that was a little frustration on Devon’s part, but I think … he’s not wrong,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Thursday morning before the team faced the Ottawa Senators at Ball Arena. “He’s not wrong, right? We see it. We have to commit to the detail of our system, what’s required from the work ethic, competitive standpoint within that system. Some of our decision-making is not where it needs to be. Especially at this time of year — teams are starting to tighten up and get better at what they’re doing, and we’ve sort of taken a step backwards over the last (11) games.
“We have to fix it. We’ve had a handful of meetings. We’ve discussed things, but now it’s time for action.”
The issues Tuesday night for the Avalanche were two-fold. Colorado made critical mistakes on each of the three Chicago goals. Bednar said nearly every great scoring chance the Blackhawks had in the game was a result of his team mismanaging the puck.
The Avs also didn’t do enough offensively, despite racking up 37 shots, to put pressure on one of the worst defensive teams in the league and as a result did not score an even-strength goal.
“It’s our structure,” Toews said. “We’re a little bit off in our structure. There’s a difference between knowing and doing. I think we’re trying to find that balance of making sure we know, and then also putting that plan into action as well. I think that’s kind of the disconnect. It’s understanding if guys do know, or if they’re still trying to figure it out. Or if they know, and they’re just not doing it.
“We’re trying to figure that out, and we’re a group in here. We take care of each other and we care about each other, so we keep moving and (Thursday night) is a new challenge.”
This Avalanche team has a lot of new faces after some offseason alterations with an eye toward adding more depth, particularly up front. Colorado has also been without two of its best defensemen. Cale Makar (lower body) has missed the past three games, while Samuel Girard (players assistance program) has missed nearly a month.
Both could return soon. Other Avalanche veterans didn’t have an issue with what Toews said, or how he said it.
“It depends on the team. It depends on the group you have,” defenseman Jack Johnson said when asked what happens in the aftermath. “If you have a bunch of drama queens, some people probably get their feathers ruffled. If you have a group of men, then nothing.
“We’re a group of men. It’s a veteran team. We’re fine. I didn’t even know about it until the next day. I’m not on social media. If somebody hadn’t told me about it, I wouldn’t have even known. It’s nothing. We move on.”
Like Johnson, Ryan Johansen has played for a long time in the NHL with multiple franchises before arriving in Denver. He had a similar reaction.
“We talk about it, we have a grown-up conversation about it as a group and we move forward,” Johansen said.
The game in Chicago was not the first time issues like this have popped up for the Avalanche. Colorado has lost seven of its past 11 games (4-7-2). The Avs began Thursday in 10th place in the NHL standings, sorted by points percentage.
That’s a far cry from where everyone expects this team to be, both inside the locker room and out.
“Guys just need to do what they’ve done their whole professional career,” Johnson said. “Be a pro, and make sure you’re paying attention to details and the way we play and the way the coaches want us to play. It’s pretty simple.
“There’s nothing magical about it. It’s just … do your job.”
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