2008 Final Grade:C+
2007 Grade: B-
Links:
Tyler Arnason (hockey-reference page)
2008 ITCS (aka highly unofficial) Arnason Game Log
Season Stats: 70gp 10g 21a 31pt -1
Minutes: 1,068.1 (6th), EV 12:46, PP 2:27, PK :02, ATOI 15:15
1st Half: 30gp 3g 7a 10pt -1
2nd Half: 40gp 7g 14a 21pt E
Playoffs: 10gp 2g 3a 5pt -2
Best Month: January (9gp 2g 6a 8pt +5)
Positions: C (70)
Lines: 3rd (46), 2nd (23), 4th (1)
Linemates: Arnason season log
LW: Wolski (25), Smyth (11), McLeod (9), Smith (8), Hlinka (6), Brunette (3), Laperriere (3), Forsberg (2), Cumiskey (1), Guite (1), Richardson (1)
RW: Svatos (31), Laperriere (11), Jones (10), Brunette (5), McCormick (4), Hejduk (3), Hensick (2), Hlinka (2), McLeod (2)
Season: Arnason’s 10 goals and 31 points were his lowest totals since his 21 game rookie season
Report: When preparing these, I usually check back to last year’s write-up to see what’s changed. Interestingly, of the 4 comments, 3 were quite favorable to Arnie (including one from our friend Joe) and my grade was rather complimentary as well. Something tells me there won’t be quite the same outpouring of support this year. Arnason was his usual inconsistent, emotionally detached self this year, except with a little less production. Arnason had points in back-to-back games just 3 times this season. For two years running he’s averaged over 2 minutes a game on the powerplay, and he has all of 21 pp points. He’s had acceptable output at even strength (22 points this year), but someone really needs to stop using him with the man advantage. It just isn’t working. Obviously, physical play is not a part of his game; he has 8 hits in 2 seasons in Denver. 709 NHL players had more than that this season alone. For crying out loud, little Kyle Cumiskey had 7 in 38 games. Arnason did improve in the faceoff circle, from 43.8% to 47.3%. I thought he looked good down the stretch and in the Minnesota series and he’s a bit underrated for his ability to draw penalties. His line had a lot to do with the Wild’s game 4 meltdown, although that just adds to the frustration; we know the guy can play - the issue is that he rarely seems to be interested in doing so. I think what annoys me the most is that Joel Quenneville was notoriously hard on so many of his players, but seemed to give Arnie a free pass. Arnason has yet to be healthy scratch in his two years with the Avs. By my count, 14 other forwards have been a healthy scratch at least once during Arnie’s tenure (Wolski, McCormick, Richardson, Rycroft, Laaksonen, Guite, Svatos, Parros, Turgeon, Parker, Hlinka, Smith, Hensick and Jones). And only three times since coming aboard has Arnason seen less than 10 minutes of ice time in a game - his 3rd game as an Avalanche (9:59), game 77 of this past season (9:06) and in game 6 against the Wild (9:49). If anyone needs an occasional wake-up call to, um, rekindle the fire, it’s Arnason. For whatever reason, Quenneville just let Arnason be Arnason.
Fast Fact: Arnason spent time on a line with every forward other than Joe Sakic, Paul Stastny and Scott Parker (and if you aren’t mouthing “one of these things is not like the other” right now, you have more restraint than I do).
2007-2008 Salary (and Cap Number): $1,600,000 ($1,675,000)
2008-2009 Status: Arnason is signed through the end of the upcoming season.
Outlook: I know the current sentiment in the Avosphere is a desire to dump Arnason as quickly as possible, but I think he can be a very useful player to us. He can be dangerous at even strength, enough to provide some much-needed 3rd line pop. But, he needs to be a lot more consistent with his game. Do I expect miracles? No, some occasional disappearing acts are to be expected. But 49 scoreless games out of 70 played are just way too many. I think with a little better motivation from the coaching staff, Arnason could give the Avalanche a solid return this year on their $1.6 million. But not on the powerplay, please. That’s just a waste of everyone’s time.
look, I’m pretty well known as an Arnason hater. But let me go on record as saying half of why I hate him is the way he’s utilized. Let’s recap Arnason again:
- terrible at draws
- awful defender (something you failed to point out)
- passing? what’s “passing?”
- no effort beyond what’s required
- still a decent even strength scorer and completely independently of his linemates
How many times did we see Arnason out on defensive zone faceoffs? How many times was his line matched against one of another teams’ top 2? It seems clear to me that he should be matched against OTHER 3rd and 4th liners, not lines with any offensive skill.
You touched on another gripe of mine — why isn’t he ever scratched? What message did it send Svatos, Wolski, Richie, etc what they skated like maniacs and got scratched…while Arnason lazes his way to another 15 min of ice time? ugh.
here’s another question: why the hell hasn’t anyone tried him at LW? I think he might actually work really, really well here on a 3rd line! go look at the points above — doesn’t this SCREAM he should be playing wing? Especially with Hlinka and Richie around in the past couple years, and Hensick this year?
*sigh*
“How many times did we see Arnason out on defensive zone faceoffs?”
far too many.
Not to mention his obsession with trying to deke his way through three defenders instead of passing to an open winger.
by the way, C+ is WAY too high. C- to D.
I can’t disagree with anything Doc said.
I think it’s obvious that Arnason was a coach Q guy, there’s little other explanation for his immunity to Q’s doghouse (I think Theo was a Q guy too and part of the reason he didn’t re-up. Because Granato probably isn’t). I have a love-hate relationship with Arny. I hate that he’s on the team making lazy strides and passing on every check that goes his way. I hate that Lappy has to fight for him when he gets blasted. However, I do love all the unintentional comedy he provides with the Arnason face.
Would he be good in certain circumstances? I guess he might but I don’t think he’s particularly great at anything except using a longer stick and walking through a couple guys on the rush. If you take the zone and cycle he’s just way below average.
Just wanted to point out, as I always do when talking about Arnason, that he went the last 22 (or more than 1/4)games of the Regular Season with 4 points, 3 of which came against the Oil.
I think you were being generous DD.
C- is far too generous for Arnason. D- is fair. He showed up for four games this season, all of them against the lowly Oilers. At best, he was barely useful, but otherwise (the 78 games not in Edmonton) a dangerous liability.
I’ll also add that of those 4 points, all came on the powerplay. And as DD has shown, he’s horrid on the PP. So, at even strength when the team needed him the most he did, um what exactly?
Oh, and one of those goals against Edmonton was in a 7-5 laugher that he was minus 3. The tipping point for me with Arny isn’t that he was soft or didn’t score. It’s that when he’s not scoring he can’t do anything else to make the team better. When the team was reeling with injuries they needed Arny to play a bigger role. Instead of stepping up he stepped back. All the while never sniffing Q’s doghouse.
Remember, Arnason wasn’t traded but Brad Richardson was. Richardson in the year before tallied 14 goals including short-handed tallies and playing on the PK. No, I’m still not over it.
I too think you’re being a tad generous with the grade. However, if anybody was a victim of being used incorrectly, Arny may be just one such case. Again, it likely stemmed from Q’s inability to correctly judge talent. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and hope Granato lights a fire under him. I think a healty scratch or two early in the season might send a message, especially if he see’s kids like Hensick and Jones using his ice time to greater effect.
Oh and thanks for bringing up Richardson, Dario. Now I have to go call my shrink…
I’m not much of an Arnason fan. Too me the big red flag was the way he just tanked it in Ottawa when he was surrounded by pretty good talent on a good team. So coming into Colorado I think there were aleady issues with effort and consistency. I just don’t know what real value he adds…he’s too inconsistent to be an additional scoring threat, he’s not a good checking winger, and he doesn’t exactly throw his body around. If there was a clear asset he could provide when he’s not putting the puck in the net I might see otherwise, but for now I’m not sure I understand why the Avs game him a two year deal last year.
“Something tells me there won’t be quite the same outpouring of support this year.”
well, you may not agree with the grade, but I called one part right at least
I hoped this wouldn’t get ugly but I’m throwing down the gauntlet.
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/adc/10230651A~Fox-Mulder-Dana-Scully-Posters.jpg
Tyler Arnason is… Scully.
David, you ignorant slut. Tyler Arnason, a C+? Evidently you are impressed by anyone with a big stick. And little else. In Arny’s case, it obviously isn’t how he uses it. To turn over the puck. And to not finish. Except against the Oil.
I used to think Arnason had hope. Now I’m thinking he’s a career D- to F+ kind of guy.
oh my god dario that’s incredible. i mean, look:
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/4435/scarnasonpv4.png
this is VERY disturbing
I will never see Arny the same way again. Although I’m looking forward to his new movie.
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
So, nobody seems to disagree that Arny had a good year + everybody seems to agree that DD is a size queen, right?
Right. Moving on…
I meant “disagree that Arny had a not-very-good year…” Damn, spoiled the whole joke.
Except DD IS a size queen!
That is very scary…
But it might answer some questions about Arnie?
I don’t remember the last time we Avs fans hated soemone on our own team this much. (Skrastins not withstanding…see the joke’s still alive).
But in all serious i can’t think of a more hated player. Brad May probably, but that was because he’s a huge ass. Arnason doesn’t seem like he is. Anyone else? Brisbois? Theo? I don’t think anyone reaches the mantle Arny is getting too
I don’t hate Arny, I just don’t understand the inconsistency in effort. You tell me he’s not jazzed to play in the show? How can you NOT get up for every game? Maybe I’m just too naive…
I was pretty anti-Breezeby in his day, Skrastins not withstanding.