So the test for Sakic has become: What now?

The moves that created this roster weren’t all made under Sakic’s watch. But his faith in the core hasn’t been rewarded. If anyone interprets that as trashing Duchene, for example, you’re wrong. He’s the Avs’ best player, but everything should be considered.

I’ll say this again: It’s a tightrope. Making a bad deal for the sake of “doing something” in times of desperation isn’t the way to go, either.

The “easiest” solution would be for MacKinnon to play like a “generational” No. 1 overall pick, not just the best player in one draft crop, and for the other members of the core — including Varlamov, as he did last Sunday in Toronto — to reward Sakic. It’s not their “fault” alone, but they can be the leading edge of the solution. That isn’t blaming them. It’s challenging them. They can prove us wrong.

-Terry Frei of the Denver Post where you can read more on the Avs.