Foppa2118
Registered User
- Oct 3, 2003
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Considering his coach has come out and said he needs to work more on his play without the puck in order to become a great player in college, I can't see how his defensive play can be called a strength.
His D zone play isn't a strength, but it's not a big liability either. If you look at someone like Tyson Barrie, he has problems away from the puck most times he's in the D zone. IMO, Cale Makar has shown more reliability defensively in the NCAA and WJC this year, than Tyson Barrie has shown for the Avs in the NHL. That earns him enough in my eyes not to write off his NHL/AHL readiness before you even test it.
The question is how will that translate to the NHL/AHL, how many early hiccups will he have, and how successful will he be offensively to negate some of those hiccups? The latter is the biggest question mark in my eyes, and it's what keeps Barrie's problems away from the puck from being a huge problem.
There really isn't any way to tell how far off Makar is from the level of liability that players like Barrie or Girard display, until you see him play against NHLers. Anyone who suggests otherwise is just guessing, and could easily be wrong. That's why a ton of people claimed Girard wasn't ready, but they were just assuming based off preconceived notions.
Carvel's comments about Makar staying have as much to do with self interest, as Madigan's comments for Northeastern, about him being NHL ready today had to do with pushing him to leave. UMASS would take a big hit if Makar leaves.
Honestly, it's a shame either felt the need to take that route. Berenson did the same thing with Compher when it looked like he might leave. Whether they're NHL ready or not, just save the comments for private meetings, and let the player and their family decide. I'm sure the Avs aren't too happy about it. This is the NCAA though. Self interest drives teams almost like no other pro or amateur league in North America.
Again for the record, I'm fine with him returning to the NCAA over the NHL/AHL if that's what happens. Each route has their pluses and minuses at this point, and I'm usually fine with erring on the side of caution with young D men.
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