Colborne's bizarre season adding to Colorado's free fall
Joe Colborne was a polarizing figure during his time with the Calgary Flames, showing enough inconsistency to leave some unsure of his worth, but enough raw potential to convince some he was the club's greatest hidden gem.
So when Flames fans watched Colborne rattle off a hat trick in his first game wearing Colorado Avalanche colors, it seemed clear Calgary had let another one slip away.
But it looks like general manager Brad Treliving has nothing to worry about, as Colborne has fallen well short of replicating that opening-night performance.
After posting three tallies in game one and adding an assist three games later, Colborne hasn't registered a single point in the 32 games that have followed - a colossal cold streak that has spanned three months.
It isn't as if the big-bodied winger is lacking the tools to contribute. He may not be an All-Star, but Colborne has been a fairly serviceable offensive option in the past.
He potted a career-high 19 goals and 44 points in just 73 games for the Flames last season, seeing top-six minutes for much of the campaign. While it was clear he was on track for a slight regression - he posted a pretty unsustainable shooting percentage of 19 percent - Colborne had proven himself to have enough raw skill to become a decent secondary option at the NHL level.
Half a season later, it's unclear if that's still the case.
A downgrade in linemates seems to have sapped Colborne of his ability to put up numbers, as he's moved from playing with Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik to spending time with the likes of John Mitchell and Cody McLeod.
That abrupt plot twist is terrible news for Colorado, as the club remains desperate for any type of offensive life. The Avalanche rank last in the league in goals per game, and - unsurprisingly - sit last in the standings as well.
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Unfortunately for general manager Joe Sakic, Colborne isn't coming cheap either. The snake-bitten forward is owed $5 million over this season and the next.
For perspective, veteran Avalanche winger Rene Bourque is earning only $650,000 this season, and has nine goals to his name - tied with Gabriel Landeskog for third-most on the team.