The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Conor McGahey on the Avs Season, Landeskog, Leadership, and more

Starting point is 00:00:00 Conor McGeehy, he is standing by Play-by-Playing Voice of the Colorado Avalanche to talk to us about the one thing, Conor, and welcome back to the program. The one thing that I am sure of in the NHL, like here we are at the Midway Point. I'm only sure of one thing. The Colorado Avalanche are awesome. After that, I don't know. I have no clue what to make of this lead. To that point, what say you? well i say that it's hilarious that i mean we're spoiled i think we have been in colorado for some

Starting point is 00:00:33 time to watch the talent that we have on the ice but to see it coming to fruition with three regulation losses through 41 games of the season is almost unheard of i mean since the nchel went to to 80 games in i think 74 75 this is the best 41 game stretch that any team has had so i i think the complaint list is about zero and it should would be. I would complain about losing two main pieces in the past two games for the Colorado Abelage. But results wise, it does not get any better than what it's been through 41 games for Colorado setting at 69 points. Wish. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I was going to ask you about Wedgwood and Blackwood. We ran our NHL Awards Watch today on ESPN, and Wedgwood is right

Starting point is 00:01:22 up there in the Vesna conversation, which is mind-blowing to think about somebody who's bounced around the league a little bit in the last like five or six years actualizing as a Vezna candidate this late in his career but you know for me the work he did when Blackwood was injured really sort of like was a stabilizing force and allowed the avalanche take it off at the start that they did and now Blackwood comes back and as someone one of the voters for the Awards Watch noted he's he's kind of building a Linus Allmark record like when the Bruins had that season and Allmark had the instead insane record it seems like Mac Black is kind of doing the same thing. How vital has the

Starting point is 00:01:56 goaltending been to this start? Because I feel like sometimes it gets overlooked. Well, it does. And if you go back, wish to last season, where the avalanche started with Alexander Georgiev and used to Zahnem as your gold tending tandem, they realized that that was not good enough. Wasn't even

Starting point is 00:02:12 close to good enough. So you get to November and you make the trade first for Wedgwood from Nashville for a song and he comes in and then 10 days later, something like that, you secure McKenzie Black from the San Jose Sharks. And from that point on, the trajectory of the Colorado Avalanche turn from uncertain to more certain last year.

Starting point is 00:02:33 Obviously, you have to run into Dallas in the first round, which should never happen. That's a discussion for a different day. But the goaltending has been one of, if not the main reason that Colorado, I mean, aside from Mason McKinnon being on pace for 70 goals and 150 points this season, the story has been the avalanche goldtening. Scott Wedgwood leads the NHL outright with 18. wins on the season. Mackenzie Blackwood only has one of those regulation losses after coming in. I think he's won five games in a row now. Not on this trip. He's a little injured. We'll get an update on him when we return tomorrow as the avalanche shows the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

Starting point is 00:03:10 But without the goaltending, I don't think this initial run for the avalanche stands and Colorado doesn't make it into where they did last year either. So I think it goes all the way back to last to late fall, early winter, and all the credit in the world of Chris McFarland for just being able to recognize that something needed to be done and taking the steps to go out and do it. And if you look at pieces that moved around for both of those goaltenders, it's really a very, very small price for getting what is arguably the main piece of your team in order to go forward and win in the goaltending position. Let me ask about a couple of key injuries here, the reference off the top.

Starting point is 00:03:51 Gabriel Landisog and Devon Taves. First of all, awful. As I've said before, probably to you, Gabe Landisog is selfishly here, editorializing here. He's my favorite player in the league, and he has been for like a long, long time. I have all day for Gabriel Landiscag,

Starting point is 00:04:07 and that goes back to when he was beating the brakes off, Jake Muzin and junior hockey with the Kitchen of Rangers, playing against a suit St. Marie Greyhounds. I say it like that to make Greg Wichinsky laugh. Do we have anything close? Anything close to an update? on either of these players? We did get a little bit one that was confirmed from yesterday from Jared Beddon

Starting point is 00:04:28 this morning. Both Gabe Landis Gog and Devon Taves are back in Denver. For Landis Gogh is described he's going to be out for weeks, and Devon Taves is week to week. This is not as serious as Gabe Landis God. But if you watch that play where Landis Gog gets hurt, and by the way, we need to investigate the goal situation in Florida because first says Jarvis and now Gabe Landis God.

Starting point is 00:04:50 Clearly. Clearly. Yeah, let's open up in an NHL investigation into how deep those holes are drilled there in the ice. But if you watch that initial play with Landisog, fellas, I thought it was another neat, because how many times have you seen it or you've experienced it yourself? You catch that inside edge, and there goes an MCL. So initially, especially given the history of Game Landisog, everybody doesn't want to

Starting point is 00:05:16 assume, but I don't want to say it's good news in regards to that. We don't know exactly specifically, but it could have been a lot worse, I think. So it was described by Jared Beddard this morning as weeks for Gabe Landis Gogg, poorly to tell if the Olympics are still in play or not. But that aside, not being able to compete for your country is a bummer. However, that's a natural cushion built in for healing if you do, in fact, need it to go and push for your second cup in four years. years. So, Taves, I think, will be back before Gabe Landis Gogh, but it has been described as

Starting point is 00:05:57 as weeks for the avalanche captain. I want to ask a question that Merrick posed earlier in the show, which is one of the reasons the avalanche have been able to do this is that Gabe is back, and they need Gabe to balance out Nate off the ice. It's like you need the base to neutralize the acid for pH balance. You need, Gabe to neutralize the intensity and the Nate dog of it all from McKinnon. And that beautiful alchemy between those two leaders is the reason why the avalanche are the avalanche this season. What are your thoughts on that?

Starting point is 00:06:37 I think there's some truth to that. I will give McKinnon a lot of credit that he has grown significantly all around as a human being and as a player. And I got to give him a lot of credit for that because we've seen. seen the, from far away or up close some reactions. And look, give me a player like that all the time. Give me a player who cares that much and wants to win that much, that much, and wants to be the best that much. I will take a player like that to lead my team every single day of the week. And different teams and different groups have different leaders and leadership

Starting point is 00:07:14 styles. But I think Gabe Landis God, as you mentioned, is the perfect mix for something like that I don't think that as much base is required to to counteract the acid as you put it but just because I think that that Nathan McKinnon has matured a lot McKinnon has grown up before our eyes so I but I do think that Landis God coming back is we talked about the goaltending I think Landis God being around is one thing being in the room on the bus on the plane on the ice is a completely different animal when it comes to leadership and that's that's where he's led by example i think more example than with words most of the time and that's what makes him one of the longest tenured captains in the national hockey league and in

Starting point is 00:07:59 my opinion one of the best captains in the national hockey league so both him and devon taves are very similar in that with how they lead taves where's the a once in a while as an alternate captain for colorado but um i i will end up with saying that mckinon gets or needs a lot more credit for for growing as a player and a person uh i i would say probably in the last three seasons when landis god wasn't around and i think mckinan realized that and he he realized that he he needed to grow up a little bit and i think he absolutely has videos to him my uh my high school chemistry teacher who is out there smiling somewhere for all this acid and base like i remember something i never like i failed chemistry miserably so this was a struggle for me well it's like

Starting point is 00:08:43 listen when when when when there are lockouts we all become like like amateur actuaries as well. Like, oh, we've studied, you know, a pension law. We understand all these different things. So don't worry, we play amateur chemists here at the same time. Let me ask you about Josh Manson. Let me ask you about Josh. So he looks like a different player this year.

Starting point is 00:09:04 You know, we talk about, you know, Landisog, beating the brakes off of Muson back in junior. When I'm watching avalanche games and something gets frisky, like this is like old school Josh Manson who like straightens things out. like he's 24 years old again. What's different is it, is it completely healthy? Like, I'm trying to figure out, like, first of all, for the avalanche, it's awesome. But like, we're watching a guy go back in time here.

Starting point is 00:09:30 Like, this is that younger Josh Manson that we saw not too long ago. What's the difference? Well, I think the difference is 100% health because whether it was on the surface or underneath, he'd been struggling with some things really ever since the Cup. Mark Rycroft and I were going back since we're in Tampa today and looking at that entire Stanley Cup final series versus the Tampa Bay Lightning and looking at how individuals worked, how the power play worked. And Josh Manson was a goal and assist for a plus six in that series.

Starting point is 00:10:03 A huge difference maker that nobody really talked about. And now in his last eight games with points, all assists, three of them he's had multi-assist games. So not only can he defend as a big body, as a natural pair with Brent Burns on the second pairing for the Colorado Avalanche, but he's also attacking. He's not afraid to bring the puck up the ice. He's not afraid to distribute.

Starting point is 00:10:24 That shot from the point is more deadly than people realized to get a deflection like we got in Florida on Sunday. And so I think for a player like Josh Manson, health leads to confidence, which leads to production, which is exactly what you're seeing this season. This is the Josh Manson that was acquired from Anaheim in the spring of 2000. to help propel the avalanche to the third Stanley Cup and franchise history. And again, you need all these chemicals, staying on theme, to go back into the pot to create our nice little looking cake, which is what it'll turn out to be at the end of the day.

Starting point is 00:11:02 And I think a deep pairing that produces as well as defense, like all three do now for the Colorado avalanche led by Josh Manson is a rather pleasant chemical in that mix. Man, my mind is reeling right now, thinking of how many old guy without a cup story or is going to be written about Brent Burns as we get closer to the playoffs. Like, that is going to be the guy. That is going to be the guy. We all rally around to see him try to win the cup at the first time. What, hang on, a defenseman goes to Colorado to win his first cup.

Starting point is 00:11:33 Really? I've, you to me, I can't think of anyone who comes to mind. You know, we talked earlier about my therapist. We worked really hard to help me forget about that. season. Exit 16W. You'll never forget, Greg. You'll never forget. And I will always forget.

Starting point is 00:11:53 Now listen, let's, I want my last question to you is, is a philosophical one. And I don't know if, I don't know what the answer is, to be honest to you. I don't even know if there is an answer,

Starting point is 00:12:00 to be honest with you. Does this season happen if the rant and trade doesn't happen? I don't know. Boy, that's hard to say. We would need, uh, an Avengers like machine with some,

Starting point is 00:12:14 uh, PIM particles to go back and figure out an alternate universe, if that's the case you're not. That's really fascinating. And I would love to see the alternate universe where that's still here. I will say this, that Marty Natchez has turned into an unbelievable fit on this team, because not anybody can play with Nathan McKinnon, not everybody can skate with Nathan McKinnon, not everybody can, you know, finish each other sandwiches, like with Nathan McKinnon, right? So to be able to think and play with 29, that list is very, very short in the National Hockey League.

Starting point is 00:12:49 And Marty Nachis, we were talking about just his pure skating this morning, an effortless skater. It's smooth. It doesn't take any energy whatsoever. So for him to be able to do that, Miko Ranton is not the best skater on the planet. And a great shot, I can always finish the puck, but every other piece seemed to always be trying to catch up with Nathan McKinnon. And Marty Nachis is, for the most part, step for step right there with Nathan. to McKinnon all the time, which makes him a natural right winger up there, a natural on the first power play where he'll be back tonight. They moved him down the past couple of games

Starting point is 00:13:22 to try and get that going a little bit. But I will say that the production for NACIS personally and then for the team has just skyrocketed and a career year upcoming for him. So I think it has worked out the exact way that it was supposed to work out for everybody. If we play it out, though, money they save on Rantan, theoretically, goes to resigning Brock Nelson in theory, right? And like after a real, which Nelson is right on too right now. Yeah, yeah. He had a rough start, but like you watch him play like the last month and it's like, okay, maybe they did solve 2C finally with him.

Starting point is 00:14:02 So if you got Natchezus and you got Brock Nelson. And a guy like Jack Durey who can win faceoffs, traditionally a problem that the avalanche have had, I think only one game in his last 18 for Jack Dury that he's been below 50% from the dot. And he takes a lot of draws every single game. And he's had two goals in his last four. So the production is starting to come there. So you get arguably three players for the price of one.

Starting point is 00:14:25 And for a team, that depth was the question mark after the 2002 cup run. It's almost like Chris McFarland knows what he's doing once in a while, which is all the time. They had to get that frigging bum ranting off the team. And then everything's fine. That's stiff. Okay.

Starting point is 00:14:41 9767. I'm going to go historical here with my final question for you. I love when you do that. The Montreal Canadians have that historic season. They only lose eight games. Three to the Boston Bruins, two to the Buffalo Sabres, one to the Maple Leafs, one to the Rangers, and one to the St. Louis Blues. So we're comparing Colorado to like the elite teams of the past, obviously. So again, Boston three, Buffalo two, Leaves Rangers. and St. Louis Blues won. Who gives the Colorado Avalanche

Starting point is 00:15:16 their toughest game this season? Who is that team? I mean, it's kind of already happened. We lost by three, six to three at the New York Islanders, which started out a four-game trip at the beginning of December. And for whatever reason, the Islanders at UBS Arena, on the island in general,

Starting point is 00:15:37 I think the avalanche of only won three games on Long Island ever. but that's always that's always a tough out there for whatever reason that was one of the the only games all year where you thought how about this I will say this with confidence that's the only game all year where I felt that it was out of reach for Colorado to get a point in in 41 games now that game at the New York Islanders was really the only one all three regulation losses have been on the road in the eastern conference the avalanche versus the west have been nearly unbeatable so

Starting point is 00:16:10 they don't have plenty of time to figure that out until the Stanley Cup final when that means the most. And Brent Burns finally gets his Stanley Cup. Kind of, thanks. Oh, wouldn't that be something. It would be, I just, I just want to, honestly, I just want to see a picture

Starting point is 00:16:25 of Brent Burns holding the Stanley Cup right beside Ray Bork holding the Stanley Cup. Like that, that right there is one for the ages. Anyhow, a lot of hockey until we get there. Kind of thanks as always for stopping by. I really appreciate it. Thanks for calling, boys.

Starting point is 00:16:40 Good to see you. It's me, myself, and how this is going to be fixing my mind. I do on the bracket, I turned on the music. I do on the music. It's enough, help, I don't get you sometimes losing. I've been on the days that we're wrong. Dead Dark Night

The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Conor McGahey on the Avs Season, Landeskog, Leadership, and more

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