The Colorado Avalanche are interested in Cal Clutterbuck it seems. And that makes sense on the surface, right? The New York Islanders fourth-liner plays with more grit than P12 sandpaper, he can score timely goals, kill penalties, and he's a human battering ram on the ice.
He's got everything Cup contenders are looking for at this time of year. So, again, it makes a ton of sense that the Avalanche are looking at Clutterbuck. Good! Done deal. Thanks for the business. Right?
New York Islanders: Does Clutterbuck fit what Colorado is looking for?
Well, we still don't know how serious the Avalanche are in Clutterbuck. That Joe Sakic is reported to have come to an Islanders game to scout Clutterbuck himself would seem to indicate the Avalanche are pretty serious about acquiring the fourth liner.
And that's probably because Clutterbuck could give the Avalanche something the Avs just don't have. Looking at the Avalanche's current fourth-line wingers* you'll see what I'm talking about.
*I'm basing who the Avs 4th line wingers are on Daily Faceoff's Line Combinations. At the time of writing that was Darren Helm and Logan O'Connor.
I wanted to look at what Clutterbuck would bring to the Avs 4th line over the guys they currently have.
— Michel Anderson (@TLOMitch) February 22, 2022
And well this is what it looks like: pic.twitter.com/m9BI5v2syr
The stats show Clutterbuck would bring a TON of physicality with a relatively low penalty count. Which is massively important for the Avs who are missing that kind of physicality from theor bottom group.
The rest of his numbers are pretty close to the players currently on the Avalanche's fourth line. But I would suspect that if you put Clutterbuck on that Avalanche team his shot, ixG, and iHDCF totals go up.
*Note that all stats in that tweeted table are on a per 60 basis and at 5on5.
I have no doubt the Avalanche will bring in Clutterbuck on that alone. He's everything they're missing on that fourth line. Not to mention his recent playoff experience going to back-to-back Conference Finals.