Friday Faceoff: Which former Avalanche/Nuggets player would you add to the current roster?

Chris Schmaedeke, digital sports editor

Answer: Marcus Camby to the Nuggets

The exciting pick would be to add the scoring of Alex English or Carmelo Anthony. Or the leadership and toughness of “Mr. Big Shot,” Chauncey Billups.

But this Nuggets team needs a strong backup center who can rebound, block some shots and roll to the basket for some easy baskets.

Insert Marcus Camby in his prime.

Camby’s six seasons with the Nuggets was highlighted by four top-five finishes for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, including winning the award in the 2006-07 season. He was part of five playoffs teams in Denver.

Can we get Nikola Jokic some rest during the regular season? Camby would be able to provide that break for the best player in the world.

The defense of Camby would give Michael Malone confidence with the second unit. Camby had seasons in Denver with 3.3 (twice) and 3.6 blocks a game. His blocks would ignite fast breaks for a bench that struggles to score.

A pick-and-roll with Camby and either Jamal Murray or Russell Westbrook could also generate easy buckets for this group.

Jokic and the starters must be ready for the playoffs, which means some rest in the regular season. That is not happening right now. Camby would give Jokic the time he needs before dominating the postseason.

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Evan Rawal, Avalanche reporter

Answer: This is too easy, right? The Avalanche have issues in net and just so happen to have the jersey of the greatest goaltender in hockey history hanging in the rafters of Ball Arena.

I’m not taking the Patrick Roy way out, though.

Time to turn on hard mode.

For my answer to this question, I’m turning to perhaps the most under-appreciated player in Avalanche history — Semyon Varlamov. For eight seasons, Varlamov gave the Avalanche solid (and sometimes spectacular) goaltending behind some not-so-great teams. If you ask me, Varlamov was not only robbed of the Vezina Trophy in 2014, but also the Hart Trophy. He should have been the MVP that season. That team had no business winning its division, but “Varly” was a rock in net with a sub-par defense in front of him.

The only season he finished with a save percentage below .903 was 2016-17, a season where the Avalanche were far and away the worst team in the league. He also wasn’t particularly healthy. For six of his eight seasons, he put up a .909 save percentage or better, with three coming above .920. Imagine this current Avalanche team with that goaltending.

Was he perfect? Absolutely not, but he was a very good starting goaltender. He’s been great as a backup in Long Island the last handful of years, but put a prime Varly behind this current Avalanche team and they’d be in real good shape moving forward.