2008 Final Grade: B-
2007 Grade: INC
Links:
Jordan Leopold (hockey-reference page)
2008 ITCS (aka highly unofficial) Leopold game log
Season Stats: 43gp 5g 8a 13pt +5
Minutes: 687.4 (7th). EV 13:52, PP 1:25, PK :43 ATOI 15:29
1st Half: 14gp 3g 1a 4pt +2
2nd Half: 29gp 2g 7a 9pt +3
Playoffs: 7gp 0g 3a 3pt
Best Month: 7gp 2g 3a 5pt +2
Linemates: Hannan (21), Salei (7), Cumiskey (4), Sauer (3), Clark (2), Skrastins (1)
Season: The 5 goals scored by Leopold were the 2nd highest season total of his career.
Report: All Leoprone jokes aside, this was an interesting season for Jordan Leopold. It started off terribly; Leopold was a turnover machine in the first few games of the season. And when he wasn’t turning the puck over, he was taking stupid penalties: 6 of his 10 penalties on the season came within his first 6 games. I don’t really know why, but in those first few games he looked completely lost on the ice. Then he went down with a wrist injury (one of 10 injuries he’s suffered in the last two years) and missed 21 games. When he returned, he looked much better. Well, first he got injured again, but after he returned from that injury he looked much better. He had 4 points and was +4 in an 8-game stretch from December 29th through January 13th and in general was solid the rest of the way in his own end. Isn’t a big hitter or a shot blocker (Cumiskey is the only guy with lower number of hits per game and shots per game). He was mostly used at even strength, but also had some PP time in there. Personally, I’d like to see him get a bit more PP ice time. 14 of his 22 career goals have come on the PP and he’s got a 12.9% shooting percentage in his two years in Colorado. But he needs to shoot more - he averaged less than a shot a game this year.
Fast Fact: Leopold’s longest consecutive game streak as an Av: 19 games. His second longest? 10 games.
2007-2008 Salary (and Cap Number): $1,500,000 ($1,500,000)
2008-2009 Status: Leopold is signed for one more season at $1,500,000
Outlook: When we traded Alex Tanguay for Leopold two years ago, I think many of us were thinking we’d acquired a solid top 4 defenseman, and possibly even more. Leopold has played more like a 5th or 6th d-man. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that - it’s just not quite what we were expecting. He lost his starting job to Jeff Finger towards the end of last season. With Finger and Kurt Sauer gone, he should be a starter again…but might get some pressure for ice time from guys like Kyle Cumiskey. Leopold has a cap-friendly contract and is certainly a serviceable defenseman to have around. But at this point he’s more a depth player than a core player, and that’s just a tad disappointing.<–>
big time candidate for a trade this offseason, along with Svatos. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them rental’d at the deadline, especially if the team isn’t in contention.
He just needs to hit his stride every season and get that first injury out of the way.
Doubt he’ll be traded unless the Avs have an awful season, he has a glorious contract.
I don’t think the Avs have enough depth on the blueline to move him either.
Unless someone within our young group of up and comers (besides Cuminsky) makes a big show in camp and the pre-season, I doubt we trade Leo at any time this season; unless it is for another defense-man. His injury issues is the very reason I was surprised we lost both Sauer and Finger. Not to mention because of his injury history, we might have to trade him and Svatos just to get some one to take him. He is a decent d-man, but can we really count on him staying healthy and in the line up?
Maybe we should send him a jumbo tub of vitamin C, compliments of the Avalanche blogosphere!
that is too funny
really giving up on by Q.most of his injuries were kinda freak sorta things and not related & hope its behind him,cause when healthy i think he’s as good or better (defense) than lilles mo
Think the Rangers will trade us Drury for Leopold?
haha, that would rule jibble.
even after all the talk about how his contract is favorable (and it is), I think the Avs have tremendous organizational depth at D. if Cumiskey has a good year (and he really might) he could really make Leopold expendable. Looking ahead, I think Nigel Williams and Kevin Shattenkirk are a good camp away from making the team as well next year, making Leopold that much more expendable. Why not trade him while he’s still got value, especially if Sakic retires?
I’m thinking a Jokinen+ for Leopold might make sense for both teams if Sakic retires and if Cumiskey looks ready for a regular spot in the lineup. 2 big ifs, but both seem pretty plausible to me.
I don’t think Phoenix is giving up Jokinen since they just traded 2 d-men for him.
the only conceivable trade I could see would be that the Avs are making a playoff push and need a scoring threat, and are stocked on D-men. so they look to swap Leoprone to a team that needs D in exchange for a decent scorer.
Jussi Jokinen, the old stars player. He’s a faceoff God, and a 20-25 goal scorer on the left wing. Good speed and defense too, but he’s soft. Tampa Bay got him in the Richards deal, it was a disaster for them (he didn’t mesh with anyone, apparently), they went out and got a billion other forwards, and they’re trying to move him now.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/players/Jussi_Jokinen
not faceoff, shootout. brain fart.
I HATE Jussi Jokinen
why’s that DD?
he just seems like a precocious little punk.
well so do you. OH BURN
Personally, I’d just like to see Leopold play and actually make something of the Tangauy deal make sense. If he does well and is that coveted puck moving defensemen that everyone thinks is the panacea of hockey success in the modern NHL then I see no reason to move him. I mean, teams are playing Finger 3.5 million and Cambpell wins the Powerball jackpot. Hell, resign Leopold before he costs over 4 million per year. THEN trade him if you want to. However, I’d trade Leopold in a heartbeat for a nonprotected 1st round pick in next years draft. I do that trade right now with Florida or Nashville. I’d throw in the Cody’s and dignity for good measure. More balls in the till for the Taveras lottery is worth every penny.
I meant to say “I’d throw in the Cody’s and my dignity for good measure.
I got a little excited there. Going back to that, throw in Arnason, Parker, Juaque Cloutier and secret back-room tapes of the DNC which will be held in sole custody of Kronke Entertainment.
How highly thought of is Tavares? FG could do what PL did before the ‘98 draft, when he loaded up on 1st rounders in an attempt to land Vinnie Lacavalier. I remember how that whole thing panned out very well. All four teams he acquired first rounders from (I think San Jose, Boston, LA, and Washington) were lottery teams when he made the trades, all missing the playoffs in 96/97. However, all 4 of them improved the following year, and none of them ended with the high picks PL figured they would have. So the Avs ended up with picks 12, 17, 19 and 20, and couldn’t parlay them into Vinnie. And the picks ended up being Tanguay, Skoula, Regehr, and Parker (yuck). Yep, Parker over Simon Gagne and Scott Gomez, who went 22 and 27 that year.
Well, our own pick could be very high. It would be great if they could shuttle Leoprone, Arny and whatever into more ping pong balls (or however the NHL does it).