When the playoffs start in April, Colorado will find out. For the second time in franchise history, the Avs have made a trade with Montreal for their goaltender.
In 1995, that goaltender was Patrick Roy, arguably the best man ever to play between the pipes. In 2006, it's Jose Theodore. The parallels have been made countless times already — how they both fell out of favor in Montreal, were both traded to Colorado, and how the move was good for both goaltender and team. For Roy, switching teams re-invigorated his game, and he was a solid part of the team's 1996 Stanley Cup victory. The Avalanche are hoping the same might happen with Theodore.
In a recent Q&A session for ColoradoAvalanche.com, Jose Theodore called Patrick Roy a "one of a kind." He knows he isn't Patrick Roy and is perfectly comfortable with that. He shrugs off the endless comparisons being made between him and Roy, but also sees them as a compliment. And that is exactly the attitude he will need when he plays for Colorado.
David Aebischer never did shrug off the stigma of succeeding Roy, despite being a talented netminder in his own rite. His play was erratic in 2003-04 as a result of the pressures he felt, real or imagined. He would give away five goals in one game and then post a shutout the next night. No one knew which version of Aebischer would show up. Management indicated its lack of confidence in Aebi by acquiring Tommy Salo, a solid veteran from Edmonton just before the trade deadline. A disappointing second-round playoff exit was partially blamed on Aebischer. The rest of the blame was placed on Tony Granato, who stepped down as Avalanche head coach after that season.
Aebischer's inconsistencies surfaced again at the start of the 2005-2006 season. By December, the Avalanche were in a goaltender round robin, playing Aebischer one night, rookie Peter Budaj the next, and AHL standout Vitaly Kolesnik after that. The starting goaltender position was clearly up for grabs. In January, however, Aebischer proved that he was the best guy for the job by posting a franchise record for most wins in that month, nine.
With Colorado currently seeded third in the Western Conference, the necessity of winning games is facilitated by the competitiveness of the standings. In the Northwest Division, every point is sacred — it is the tightest division in the league by far. Where most divisions have a leader in the 90s and a bottom-ranked team in the 40s, the Northwest Division has Colorado at the top with 80 points and Minnesota at the bottom with 69 points. For the Avalanche, the final stretch of the regular season is a series of division games, compounding the urgency of every point.
The Avalanche will have to rely on Peter Budaj for that stretch since Jose Theodore will be out until the playoffs — he injured his ankle during the Olympic break. Since the trade, Budaj's play has been stellar. His level of play makes it difficult to remember that he is a rookie and is untested in NHL playoff games.
And that is when Theodore will have his chance. His performance in the '06 playoffs will make or break his trade to Colorado, both for himself and for Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix. Though the amount of pressure he is under is tremendous, Theodore sees the trade as a positive move for his career. "I have no doubt in my mind that changing teams and going with another organization is going to be good for my career," he said in the Q&A session. "I'm really confident that I am going to play well and help the team a big deal."
Lacroix's confidence in Jose Theodore it is the one thing that gives Theodore an edge before he has even played. That is something Aebischer never fully had. For Theodore, his positivity toward the trade may be the ultimate booster to his game. He believes that this will work out well for him, and therefore it probably will. Sometimes attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Should Theodore's play be as positive for the Avs as his outlook, the team won't have a problem trusting him in net.
In fact, should Theodore's play be nothing less than stellar, the Avs will have a new weapon on their side. They will have confidence, which is something that the Colorado has lacked this season. Take away the insecurities that the team has had in the regular season, and the Avalanche will be transformed into a dangerous playoff contender.
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