The Colorado Avalanche are desperately in need of defensive help and Washington's Mike Green is a potentially "fascinating" fit, according to Craig Custance of ESPN.
Custance, in response to a reader's email asking if the 2-4-4 Avalanche need to trade for a defenseman, offered Green's name as one to watch - and possibly hope for - and pointed out that the acquisition of Brad Stuart hasn't and won't amount to what they really need.
"Yes, I think Colorado needs to make a trade for a defenseman. They tried to address the defense with the Brad Stuart deal but he doesn't necessarily fix what ails the Avalanche, a team that gets stuck in its own end too often," wrote Custance. "When Stuart is on the ice at even strength, the Avalanche control just 35 percent of the shot attempts. The problem is that defensemen who can move the puck and quickly transition to offense are highly sought. I think a guy like Mike Green would be a fascinating addition for Colorado if Washington ever moves him. Can you imagine Green and the Avs' young forwards moving the puck?"
The 29-year-old Green is among Washington's leaders in points and plus/minus, according to Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News.
Just last season, the Avalanche finished atop the Central Division with 112 points, though their defensive performance was lacking and required a strong season from goalie Semyon Varlamov to offset it. The combination of a puck-moving defenseman like Green with the young, tempo-pushing forwards Colorado already boasts like Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, would make for a formidable group.
Green is in the final season of his contract with a $6.083 million cap hit and will be an unrestricted free agent in July.
Green's name was floated in a number of off-season trade rumors, but nothing came of it and the defenseman is reportedly now determined to stay in Washington, Chuck Gormley of CSNWashington reports.
Playing as well as he has would most likely keep the team from wanting to move Green, but should the right offer come along, it might be difficult for them not to, at the very least, listen.
