Why is Stephane Yelle still available?

From Adrian Dater of the Denver Post:

Maybe I’m being too sentimental here. Maybe Yeller doesn’t have much left in the tank. Maybe the league’s 30 GMs know something I don’t. He is 34 now, and had only three goals in 74 games – a career low.

But Yelle’s teams have a funny way of always being winners, and nobody disputes his PK credentials. The fact is, the Avs have been distinctly unimpressive of addressing this woeful area so far this offseason. They seem hellbent on adding every Hanson Brother-type player they can find, but not interested in finding a guy who can, you know, win a faceoff or get the puck and clear it when one of the Hansons are in the box. And the Avs, with their off-season signings so far, figure to be in the box plenty this coming year.

Read the entire post from All Things Avs here.

Yelle is certainly a capable face-off guy and penalty killer but he is clearly on the downside of his career. Additionally, scoring was never his strength but now he has become basically a non-factor in the offensive zone. That said, I’m sure he’ll catch on with a veteran club, as he is a solid leader and always plays hard.