O’Reilly, a restricted free agent, wants a multi-year deal worth $4-$5 million per season while the Avs are offering a “gap” type deal worth around $2.75 million per season.  These negotiations are very similar to both the Jamie Benn and P.K. Subban scenarios with each one ending differently making it difficult to pencil out what O’Reilly will end up agreeing to.

Landeskog is currently out with neck and leg injuries after being hammered in an open-ice hit from the Sharks, Brad Stuart.  It was originally thought that the captain would be out indefinitely, but Adrian Dater of the Denver Post reported yesterday that the injuries may not be as bad as originally thought.  The result was Landeskog being listed as day-to-day although an immediate return is doubtful, with a week or two being more logical at this point.

Currently the Avalanche are hoping the offensive load be carried by Matt Duchene, P.A. Parenteau, Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny.  Here is where the exact problem lies.

Duchene is pulling his weight with two goals and three assists through the first five games, followed by Parenteau who has three goals and four points.  So far so good, but that’s where it ends.

Hejduk has yet to score despite adding three helpers and Stastny, you could say is struggling.  The 27-year old has just one assist in five games to start the season, a far cry from the production he put out last year when he scored twenty-one times and set up thirty-two others.

Enter the need for O’Reilly’s offensive abilities.  Last season the Clinton, Ontario native led the charge for the Avs, registering 53 points in 81 games.

While Landeskog is expected to be back in a week or two, keep in mind that in a shortened season two weeks of action will see the Avalanche play roughly six or seven games, depending on the time frame.  If any team was to lose four or five in a row this season their playoff hopes will take a serious hit and one could point to this early part of the schedule as crucial to the Avalanche keeping their playoff hopes in tact.

Suddenly O’Reilly may be in the drivers seat with the Avalanche management with the need to add the offense to a suddenly depleted lineup.

As of this morning there was nothing new to report on O’Reilly and his contract situation but it’s safe to say that’ll change in the coming days should the Avs continue to lose valuable hockey games.

According to the Associated Press, Downie tore his ACL Tuesday night during the Avalanche 3-1 victory over the defending champs, LA Kings.

Downie, who was acquired last February from the Tampa Bay Lightning is seen as a spark plug for the Av’s, playing the agitator role perfectly while getting under the opposing player’s skin.

The former first round draft pick can also produce offensively as evidenced by his 2 goals and 11 assists in the 20 games he played for the Av’s last season after being traded from Tampa.

His best offensive season came in his first full year in the league when he scored 22 goals and added 24 assists for 46 points in 79 games.

After last season the Avalanche signed Downie to a two-year contract.  The 25-year old had one assist through two games this year.

(Photo by Michael Lopez) Blair Jones puts in OT winning goal for Team White during Sunday's scrimmage game.

With the start of the Lightning’s training camp this weekend, the summer hockey break is officially over.  Thousands of fans showed up for team practices and scrimmage matches at the Brandon Ice Sports Forum on Saturday and Sunday, everyone excited to get a look at the new team, its new uniforms, and its prospective players.  The Lightning have a majority of the same players as last season, with a few new additions, and a few open spaces yet to be filled.  The competition for those open spaces is intense.

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