Crawford served as the bench boss with the Avalanche from 1994-1998 which included a Stanley Cup Championship during the 1995-96 campaign.

With Joe Sakic being named the new vice president of hockey operations for the Avs, Strickland isn’t so sure if he would be interested in bringing back Crawford for a reunion.  A young group of players that are still in the rebuild stage, the Avalanche need a leader behind the bench along with someone that can teach them the game.  Crawford has that experience given his resume of five NHL head coaching positions along with a stint in Switzerland this past year.

Sakic and company are said to have a deep list of potential candidates that include former Avalanche star, Patrick Roy who has been coaching in the QMJHL.

Other candidates are said to include Lindy Ruff, former long time coach of the Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Eakins, Dean Chynoweth and former Dallas Stars head coach, Dave Tippett.

Strickland hears that Sakic and Tippett have a tight relationship that could make him the favorite.  Stay tuned, as the Avalanche get set to make their announcement we’ll keep you posted right here at Too Many Men.

Apr 6, 2013; Sunrise, FL, USA; Florida Panthers center Jonathan Huberdeau (11) in the third period against the Washington Capitals at the BB

The finalists for the 2012-2013 Calder Memorial Trophy were announced today by the NHL. For those of you that don’t know the Calder Trophy is awarded to the leagues top rookie. For the 2011-2012 season Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche was given the award. This year the finalists are Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens, Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers and Brandon Saad of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Gallagher was a fifth round pick by the Canadiens in the 2010 Entry Draft and went 147th overall. This season he has scored 15 goals and 13 assists for a total of 28 points. He has scored 2 goals so far in the 3 playoff games he has played.

Huberdeau was the 3rd overall pick in the 2011 entry draft. He was second on the Panthers in scoring with 14 goals and 17 assists (31 points). He is tied with Nail Yakupov of the Edmonton Oilers for first in rookie scoring.

Saad was also selected in the 2011 entry draft. He went in the second round and was 43rd overall. He has 10 goals and 17 assists this season with Chicago.

All three candidates show great promise which makes the future for all three teams look very bright.Which of these three candidates do you think will win?

April 15 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco (center) on his bench with center Brad Malone (42) and right wing Milan Hejduk (23) and left wing Jamie McGinn (11) and left wing Patrick Bordeleau (58) during the first period of the game against the Edmonton Oilers at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Six of Colorado’s defensemen are over 6′ tall, so it’s no surprise to say Jones would fit in. Among them is Sean Sullivan and Shane O’Brien. With Jones being on the D-line, he could be very successful with assists. Great combinations would be between him and Steve Downie, Matt Duchene, Milan Hejduk, and captain Gabriel Landeskog. These pairings would be perfect and, if used correctly, could make a breakthrough for next season.

Colorado kind of fell this season, even after the hype of Landeskog being the youngest captain. The goaltenders would greatly appreciate another giant in front of them taking shots for them. Jones could add quite a bit of depth to this team, and hopefully help them get into the playoffs next season.

Do you think Colorado should pick up Seth Jones? Tweet us @TMMotS or comment on the post below. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, email us at tmmots@yahoo.ca