In The Cheap Seats

2008 Final Grade: B-

2007 Grade: B

Links:

Ian Laperriere (hockey-reference page)

2007 report

2008 ITCS (aka highly unofficial) Laperriere game log

Season Stats: 70gp 4g 15a 19pt -5

Minutes: 956 (8^th), EV 11:04, PP :04, PK 2:31, ATOI 13:39

1^st Half: 29gp 3g 8a 11pt +4

2^nd Half: 41gp 1g 7a 8pt -9

Playoffs: 10gp 1g 1a 2pt E

Best Month: November (6gp 2g 3a 5pt +5)

Positions: RW (63), LW (7)

Lines: 4^th (36), 3^rd (31), 2^nd (2), 1^st (1)

Linemates:

LW: McLeod (17), McCormick (12), Parker (10), Smith (8), Richardson (6), Wolski (6), Hlinka (3), Smyth (1)

C: Guite (56), Arnason (13), Smith (1)

RW: Brunette (3), Parker (2), Jones (2)

Season: We’re now two seasons removed from Lappy’s career peak of 2005-2006. His 4 goals represented the 2^nd lowest seasonal output of his career and his 19 points were his 4^th lowest.

Report: As always, Lappy wasn’t hesitant to drop the gloves - especially to rally his team - picking up 21 fighting majors (including postseason). It’s impressive that he actually increased his fight total from the previous season even though this year he had plenty of guys on the roster to help shoulder the burden. Of course, fighting is only one way in which Lappy sacrifices his body for the sake of his team. He also registered 101 hits (3^rd on the team) and 49 blocked shots (2^nd among forwards). He played in the postseason with a broken bone in his foot (no doubt from a blocked shot). In short, Ian Laperriere is a warrior and one of my all-time favorites Avalanche players. While he still is able to do the dirty work and he’s still a player of somewhat immeasurable value (both on the ice and in the locker room) I think his play has slipped a bit in each of the last two seasons. There’s a lot of mileage on that 34-year old body. According to hockeyfights, Lappy has been involved in 170 fights in his NHL career (or, in other words, about 170 more than you, me and Tyler Arnason put together). He’s still a solid penalty killer; his PK ice time increased by about a minute a game this season, and statistically he was one of the best killers (partly because of his willingness to block shots). Lappy wasn’t as good at even strength though, and his ice time there dropped - especially as the season wore on. Over the first 25 games he averaged 12 minutes of EV ice per game. In the final 25, it was 9.2 minutes per game (in that stretch he was -5 and had just 3 points). Again, Laperriere has always done so much that any scoring he contributes is a bonus, but the gradual decline in his overall play is noticeable.

Fast Fact: Lappy’s 2^nd half +/- (-9) was the lowest on the team.

2007-2008 Salary (and Cap Number): $1,064,000 ($1,064,000)

2008-2009 Status: $1,150,000

Outlook: Gradual decline or no, Lappy is still an extremely valuable guy to have around. As of this writing, he’s the 4^th highest paid forward on the team (and worth every penny) although that will certainly change in the coming months. Laperriere is only signed through the end of the upcoming season, so we may hear some trade rumors involving him as we get close to the deadline.