So with that said, here are my final grades for each player:
[CENTER]Matt Duchene: A[/CENTER]
[CENTER]PTS: 70 (23 G / 47 A)
GP: 71
+/-: +8
GWG: 6 (T: RoR)[/CENTER]
Our best offensive player. Was consistent throughout the year. He did have a small gap of the season after the Olympics were he did not score goals (could easily be due to him being over played) but still put up the assist. It is great to see him using his line mates more this season than constantly going to the opposing team's end, doing a spin-o-rama resulting in a turn over. He has also flat out taken over some games this season too and has a team leading 6 GWG. An example of his ability is the game against the Nucks where the opposing team couldn't contain his speed and strength on his goal and assist setup despite having 2+ guys covering him.
[CENTER]Paul Stastny: A- to B+
PTS: 52 (21 G / 31 A)
GP: 63
+/-: +10[/CENTER]
Arguably our best defensive player with Landeskog this season. Without a doubt having a great 2nd half of the season.
First Half (Oct - Dec): 37 GP, 11 G, 14 A, 25 P
Second Half (Jan - Cur): 26 GP, 10 G, 17A, 27 P
Not sure if the late surge is due to getting more comfortable with line mates, getting use to the system, or motivation to play for a better pay day. Either way, if this continues he will be producing like the Paul Stastny of old. Think this season does show that given the proper line mates and coach, Stastny can produce.
[CENTER]John Mitchell: B
PTS: 28 (10 G / 18 A)
GP: 69
+/-: +12[/CENTER]
Arguably the most frustrating player to watch on the team. He has skills to be a top 6 forward but his lack of IQ and ability to pass hold him back from reaching that level. Too often have we seen Mitchell go into the opposing team's zone with the puck, to take a shot or dangle through defenders instead of waiting for support or passing it to the open man.
With that being said, he is still a great 3rd line centre. He is at worst average defensively and does create opportunities in the opposing team's end. Plus, majority of the goals he scores seem to come at good times during the game. Usually when the Avs are down (this is off memory, too lazy to support idea). He also scored the GWG to clinch us to a playoff spot too!
[CENTER]Marc-Andre Cliche: C
PTS: 6 (1 G / 5 A)
GP: 68
+/-: -13[/CENTER]
Relatively average if not unspectacular. Should not be slotted higher than the 4th line. If he is on your 3rd line, you will see his weaknesses be more apparent. Overall I don't think he has caused us any games or gaffs. Hunwick and Cumiskey were worse roster players that had a bigger negative effect than Cliche, so he's got that going for him.
[CENTER]Ryan O'Reilly: A
PTS: 58 (26 G / 32 A)
GP: 58
+/-: -3
BONUS ROUND!
GWG: 6 (T: Duchene)
PIM: 2
Takeaways: 76 (league leading)[/CENTER]
Being asked to play a different position seems to be easier for some players than others. Moving to LW from C was barely a hick-up for RoR. Though you can argue that if he was playing centre he would be the team's best defensive player, him playing on the wing allows Duchene to have more freedom offensively without worrying about the defence and due to his ability to takeaway the puck create more chances for the duo in the offensive zone. His point production also hasn't missed a beat being moved looking at career highs in goals, points and potentially assists. He is also currently tied for 9th in points for a LW and given his defensive ability you can support the argument he has been a top 10 LW in the game this season.
[CENTER]Gabriel Landeskog: A
PTS: 61 (24 G / 37 A)
GP: 73
+/-: +21[/CENTER]
What. A. STUD. THOR-MUFFIN. Consistent throughout the season. He is still hitting people but not going out like a wrecking ball in his rookie season. This is great to see as his playing style would have resulted in injuries sooner in his career but he is developing into a Iginla-type player where he can play physical and smart. This will help him have a longer, more successful career. On top of this he has also faced the opposing team's best line with Stastny and effectively shutting them down. Arguable the best defensive player this season with Stastny. I had expectations of Landeskog being a 30/30 guy in his draft year but he may surpass that and be a 30/40 player. He is close to that already this season and may reach/break it.
Also, to note, Landeskog is 7th in points for LW, 4 points behind the top 5. Given his defensive ability he too has been a top 10 LW this season.
[CENTER]Nathan MacKinnon: A+
PTS: 56 (23 G / 33 A)
GP: 74
+/-: +20
GWG: 5[/CENTER]
18 years old and won't turn 19 until next year's camp (Sep 1), leading the rookie scoring race in points and goals. Broken Wayne Gretzy's record for consecutive games with a point by a rookie. Third in the team with 5 GWG behind RoR and Duchene by 1. Franchise Player? I think so. Kid's speed, strength, IQ are off the chats and won't be long before he is this team's best player.
[CENTER]PA Parenteau: C
PTS: 33 (14 G / 19 A)
GP: 53
+/-: +5[/CENTER]
From his lack of playing time in the top 6, to his feelings about his role on the team, rumors of being upset, defensive gaps, taking terrible penalties and injuries PAP has struggled this season. Though he looked the PA of old after returning from his last injury (5 Pts / 6 GP) it could have been a better year. I am not sure how this season effects his role on the team heading into the future as we have shown to be able to win without him and could be a trade bait/chip. Hopefully not for Rene ****ING Bourque. I would love to see him come back healthy next season, though this team will need to address the defence somehow.
[CENTER]Alex Tanguay: N/A[/CENTER]
Unable to grade a player that often was not in the lineup. Hopefully we can get a healthy Tanguay for next year as while he was here, he was great.
[CENTER]Maxime Talbot: B+
w/ Avs:
PTS: 22 (7 G / 15 A)
GP: 62
+/-: +3
w/ PHI:
PTS: 2 (1 G / 1 A)
GP: 11
+/-: +1[/CENTER]
I was at a loss when we traded Downie for Talbot as I am sure many of you were. We needed help on defence and were unsure as to Roy traded for Talbot. Despite his slow start, we certainly are not complaining about the results of the trade now. Downie has been in and out of injury with the Flyers and still taking bone headed penalties. Talbot has been a pleasant surprise offensively, healthy which given the injuries to PAP/Tanguay is a big plus in this lineup and a beast defensively. He is the perfect 3rd/4th line grinder player. Someone who can effectively kill penalties, chip in every now and then and disciplined. He also seems to have a extra gear that is starting to show and given his playoff success in the past, he can help our younger players.
[CENTER]Jamie McGinn: B- to C+
PTS: 34 (18 G / 16 A)
GP: 71
+/-: -4[/CENTER]
Along with Mitchell, McGinn has also been a polarizing player to me. He has the skills to be a top 6 player but lacks the consistency to put it all together. While his overplay at both ends of the ice has improved since coming to the Avs I still am left a little disappointed on his performance now to where it was when he first arrived. With that being said, he is a solid top 9 forward. Can fill in the top 6 during injuries and not hold our players back and provide an offensive spark when playing on the 3rd line. He is still physical, not afraid of contact and has room to grow/develop at 25 years of age. He looks to be a 20/20 type player heading into the future which is not bad to have at all. He is the best Galiardi/Jones-ish type forward we've had in this role.
[CENTER]Erik Johnson: Ninja Edit!: A (Originally had: A- to B+)
PTS: 35 (8 G / 27 A)
GP: 72
+/-: +3[/CENTER]
[s]I wanted to give Johsnon an A. I really did. However[/s] EJ, like all other Dmen, had his inconsistent offensive play throughout the year (10 points in 9 games, 3 points in 1 game) and overall play at parts of the year (i.e. right before the olympics, though in his defence he was playing injured) [s]hold him back from getting that grade[/s]. With that being said, there is a lot to love about his play this year. He has been a beast defensively, taken over games and due to Roy's confidence in his ability his offensive play has started to flourish again. Even better, his shots from the point are actually getting through more often now. It still misses the net or hits someone in the leg, however it is far less than before. No longer is he just a "no. 2 dman due to his limited offensive ability but defensive play". He is trending towards a no. 1 defence man. If he can continue this play into next season, be more consistent offensively and put up a 10G/30A + campaign, I'd have no issues calling him a no. 1 dman then.
Highlight of the year for him: http://video.avalanche.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=2013020107-269-h
[CENTER]Jan Hedja: B
PTS: 16 (6 G / 10 A)
GP: 70
+/-: +6[/CENTER]
Hedja has looked better this season than previous ones. Looking more confident and knocking guys off the pucks. With that being said, he has been inconsistent in his games at times throughout the year. Some games he and EJ are the perfect no. 1 - no. 2. Other games he should clearly be a no. 3 - no. 4 dman with Barrie. Part of the inconsistency can be due to him being asked to play a bigger role than he should and he has provided us with solid defence. I cannot recall a time where he has made a bone headed move or cost us a game. That is great for a dman. He is definitely an un-sung hero of our defence.
[CENTER]Tyson Barrie: F-, for proving me wrong. B+ otherwise.
PTS: 32 (10 G / 22 A)
GP: 57
+/-: +16
GWG: 4[/CENTER]
Tyson Barrie clearly needs to work on his defensive game. If we based the role of no. 1 - no. 6 based on defence alone, I'd be hard press to put him anywhere near a no. 4 or better. He needs to get stronger if he ever wants to hold up against bigger/physical teams like Boston, LA, SJ, Flyers or he might find himself on the 4th line again. With that being said, it is something that is workable given his IQ. His offensive instincts cannot be taught, he has a great vision on ice and despite his size he isn't afraid to battle for the puck/be physical. His offensive is without doubt top notch and has an impressive 4 GWG in 57 games for the team. He gets a B+ as his offensive ability did translate later on in the season and had periods of questionable performance at the beginning of the year. It is great to see a success story in this team in regards to developing a dman and if/once he rounds his defensive ability, he will be a no. 3 dman in the mold of Boyle-Rafalski range.
[CENTER]Semyon Varlamov: A+
GAA: 2.49 (22nd)
SV%: .926 (T-4th w/ Bishop)
W: 37, League Leading
Shots Against: 1853, 2nd in the league (1st is Mike Smith at 1871 with 4 more games played which Varly will likely overcome by next game)[/CENTER]
If I had to pick and MVP this season, it would be Varlamov. He has easily stolen a game or two (okay, maybe he stole the entire season.. same thing!) for the team. Given this team's defence you have to be at awe at his stats. He also played a few extra games for team Russian in the Olympics despite being unable to win a medal, his performance was solid there as well. I would argue he definitely should get a Vizena nomination with Bishop and Rask with Rask ultimately winning. Working with Francois Allaire has obviously helped him this season and if he can provide this level of performance again next year, I would easily have him in the top 5-10 goalies in the league. His performance this year has been that of a top 5 goalie.
[CENTER]AVS Marketing Team: F -
Though I am sure the team had fun, I'd like to give a big fuck you on the gay video.

Too lazy for the rest.