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Parenteau says Avs didn’t have a plan for him

paandroy

James OBrien

One of the more intriguing trades of the offseason saw somewhat-underrated forward P.A. Parenteau get traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the Montreal Canadiens for “clutch” but often-criticized forward Daniel Briere.

To a decent number of stats-leaning types (not meaning those who lean toward playoff scoring stats), it seemed like a landslide victory for the Canadiens.

Sometimes the numbers involved in a trade can obscure the human element. Like, say, when a head coach and a player simply don’t see eye-to-eye.

It seems like Parenteau and Patrick Roy got off on the wrong foot and never really recovered, according to what the 31-year-old forward told Le Journal de Montreal. To avoid browser translator headaches, the basic vibe was this: Parenteau felt like he was never really part of the plan in Colorado and saw a trade coming a mile away.

OK, full disclosure: it’s tough not to linger on the on-paper disparity between Parenteau and Briere a little bit. This post’s main image is perfect: Roy hovering unhappily over an equally or even more unhappy Parenteau (seen to the right of Nathan MacKinnon) all the way back in a preseason game.

Break things down from most perspectives and the advantage seems heavy for Parenteau; his possession stats are basically universally more promising and he scored more points (Parenteau collected 33 in 55 games) than Briere did in fewere opportunities (Briere scored 25 points in 69 games).

Of course, Briere’s playoff numbers give at least some credence to the belief that he might be a “big-game player” even as his overall game seems to wane at age 36.

One way or another, the Avalanche seem to be doing things their way. It remains to be seen if hindsight will prove that to be a wise direction.

(H/T to The Score)

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins