Confirmed with Link: Avs acquire D Devon Toews from NYI for 2021 2nd and 2022 2nd

[Tralfamadore]

He's damn good. I didn't want to buy the hype when the Avs acquired him because good GMs don't let players like this go even with cap problems, but he's damn good. Exactly the kind of player you want to squeeze in with players like Makar-Byram. He actually reminds me a bit of Girard, but obviously with lower mobility.




MacKinnon - Landeskog - Rantanen
Byram - Makar

Saad - Kadri - Burakovsky
Toews - Girard

Do it Bednar!

Yah well if they don't do this Byram isn't getting any PP time until injuries come up. G and Toews won't be broken up and the top unit is Makar's.

 

[Ararana]

Yah well if they don't do this Byram isn't getting any PP time until injuries come up. G and Toews won't be broken up and the top unit is Makar's.

I honestly don't expect Byram to get any PP time outside of injuries this year. Maybe if the Avs are up 8-0 again and Bednar is just rolling guys out on the PP. But I'm sure one or multiple of Makar-Girard-Toews will miss time at some point.

 

[Metallo]

2 shots, 2 goals.

I’m going on a limb in saying that no one has started their Avs tenure with goals on their first 2 shots.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Yes, they should be able to disguise it and put in some variations so that it is hard to defend, but even if you don't tinker with it that much it's just so hard to defend. Nuke takes away one defender, G ties in high forward, and the rest either have to cheat from down low or be in the shooting lane to try to block the shot, which screens the goalie some more, which happened to Husso who didn't see a damn thing when Toews took his shot.

Agree 100% especially regarding Nuke.
One variation obviously would be for Toews to pass to Bura on the right wall for a one -timer if the defenders cheats to the middle to block Toews' lane. The goalie wouldn't even know until Bura's shot is in the net because Nuke is not allowing the goalie to see the pass to Bura.

I also don't care if Nuke scores or not. He can earn his money playing great defense, great forecheck, and screening the goalie on PP2. If only one of Landy or Kadri could screen the goalie like that as well on PP1.......

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

I’m liking Toews a lot.

I’m still not in love with the Toews-Makar pairing though.

Maybe they just need more practice together, but I think they might be better off apart.

 

[Pokecheque]

I wasn't worried about Toews having chemistry with Makar, but I'm pleasantly surprised he and Girard have seemed to click right away.

 

[Hasbro]

I wonder how long before teams start and how will they try to interfere with what G and he are doing on the PP. Both of his goals are a carbon copy of one another. G pulls in the high forward and then drops back a slow pass for him to hammer home. And I don't care if Nuke doesn't score a goal the whole season if he continues to play like that on the PP. Stand in front of the goalie like a tree trunk and refuse to be moved. Both of Toews' goals came because the goalie had no idea the shot was even coming.

Then the spin move.

 

[Richard88]

I’m liking Toews a lot.

I’m still not in love with the Toews-Makar pairing though.

Maybe they just need more practice together, but I think they might be better off apart.

What is it about the pairing that you haven't liked?

I'm surprised that you think that. To my eyes they've been really solid. The only blemish is that Makar isn't looking 100% up to speed yet, but that's just rustiness.

 

[McMetal]

I wonder how long before teams start and how will they try to interfere with what G and he are doing on the PP. Both of his goals are a carbon copy of one another. G pulls in the high forward and then drops back a slow pass for him to hammer home. And I don't care if Nuke doesn't score a goal the whole season if he continues to play like that on the PP. Stand in front of the goalie like a tree trunk and refuse to be moved. Both of Toews' goals came because the goalie had no idea the shot was even coming.

PKs with highly aggressive forwards are going to be exposed hard by that gambit. If the high forward doesn't shadow Girard there he has an opportunity to dance into the slot for a shot, and even if G is no sniper that's not something you want to regularly give up as a PKer.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

What is it about the pairing that you haven't liked?

I'm surprised that you think that. To my eyes they've been really solid. The only blemish is that Makar isn't looking 100% up to speed yet, but that's just rustiness.

I don’t think they’ve been as effective as Graves - Makar. I just wonder if Makar is better off with a defenceman who is more of a stay-at-home type of D. Makar has certainly expanded his skill-set, but he’s still at his best when the puck is on his stick.

I’m really pleased with Toews, I just wonder if they’ll have more success playing with different partners.

 

[Richard88]

I don’t think they’ve been as effective as Graves - Makar. I just wonder if Makar is better off with a defenceman who is more of a stay-at-home type of D. Makar has certainly expanded his skill-set, but he’s still at his best when the puck is on his stick.

I’m really pleased with Toews, I just wonder if they’ll have more success playing with different partners.

Interesting perspective, thanks for elaborating.

Perhaps there might be more of a tendency by Makar to dish off to Toews instead of just rushing the puck by himself as much as he did when paired with Graves. I'll keep a closer look at that next game.

 

[Pokecheque]

I don’t think they’ve been as effective as Graves - Makar. I just wonder if Makar is better off with a defenceman who is more of a stay-at-home type of D. Makar has certainly expanded his skill-set, but he’s still at his best when the puck is on his stick.

I’m really pleased with Toews, I just wonder if they’ll have more success playing with different partners.

Give it time--I don't believe Makar is 100% yet. He had a rough start in game 1 and still doesn't quite look right through the next two.

Don't get me wrong, I think he's been fine, but he just hasn't quite gotten his legs yet. Once he does, I think you'll be fine with the pairing.

We will ultimately see a few less end-to-end rushes from him though as he has a defensive partner now who's almost as capable a puckmover as he is. Toews won't defer to him like Graves did, but that IMO is fine.

Toews IMO isn't quite there yet either--I think he's still adjusting to the new team and system, and he's still looked really good. I'm fully confident this defense hasn't even come close to showing us what they can do.

 

[tigervixxxen]

He's damn good. I didn't want to buy the hype when the Avs acquired him because good GMs don't let players like this go even with cap problems, but he's damn good. Exactly the kind of player you want to squeeze in with players like Makar-Byram. He actually reminds me a bit of Girard, but obviously with lower mobility.




MacKinnon - Landeskog - Rantanen
Byram - Makar

Saad - Kadri - Burakovsky
Toews - Girard

Do it Bednar!

I think it should be Girard and Makar on the top unit or at least evolve to that eventually. I know Byram isn’t going to be counted on right away but he should be part of it as well in the long run. As nice as that Toews one timer is imagine Girard setting up Makar those shots...

 

[Avs9296]

I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that our defenceman are more of a threat on PP2 than our forwards.

Nuke-Compher-Donskoi

Woof. Almost wanna play 3 defencemen on that unit lol.

 

[Richard88]

I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that our defenceman are more of a threat on PP2 than our forwards.

Nuke-Compher-Donskoi

Woof. Almost wanna play 3 defencemen on that unit lol.

A 3 Dman unit might actually become a reality at some stage once Byram joins (with Girard and Toews). Would you rather have Byram on the PP, or Donskoi?...

 

[The Abusement Park]

I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing that our defenceman are more of a threat on PP2 than our forwards.

Nuke-Compher-Donskoi

Woof. Almost wanna play 3 defencemen on that unit lol.

I just don’t think Makar is a great PP QB. At least not yet. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the PP has struggled since Barrie left.

I know that’s going to trigger some people lol.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Shouldn’t we wait to criticize the Power Play and the personnel until it falls outside the top-10.

They’re clicking at 47% so far.

The Barrie led Oilers power play is hitting on 11% of their chances. They had the best PP in modern history without Barrie.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Shouldn’t we wait to criticize the Power Play and the personnel until it falls outside the top-10.

They’re clicking at 47% so far.

The Barrie led Oilers power play is hitting on 11% of their chances. They had the best PP in modern history without Barrie.

Like I said, not yet. I mean the PP is skewed from the STL game, but we've seen a lot of the same issues this season that were issues last year. The problems aren't all Makar as the PP is still incredibly stationary.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I just don’t think Makar is a great PP QB. At least not yet. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the PP has struggled since Barrie left.

I know that’s going to trigger some people lol.

His strength isn’t as a facilitator. He didn’t even QB the PP at UMass. Using Makar just for a point shot is a hilarious misuse of what he could do on the PP. They need to think of him as a forward on the PP and use him as such.

I know the PP is great and all now until that number crawls under 20% but they haven’t solved it. That’s great the second unit isn’t a black hole but it’s accounted for at least 5 of their PPG thus far. I think Mikko hitting the one timer is two more of them. Outside that it’s still pretty empty.

 

[Freaky Styley]

I know it probably won't ever happen, but I think Toews (or Byram once he adjusts) would be a better option on PP1 than Makar. I would say Girard but he doesn't have a big/threatening enough shot (though I think they clicked well in his short stint there).

Basically, you need a left hand shot to maximize MacKinnon/Rantanen on the half-wall. The puck flows through Mack anyway, and giving him a one-time option to pass to at the point/receive one-timers from changes the dynamic of that powerplay.

Let Makar run/own PP2, that way he can be the entry guy on that PP and wreak havoc. He's more successful when he doesn't defer as much.

Side note: Rantanen is really picking those corners with his goals. Though his last 2 were into mostly empty nets, they still would have gone in if the goalie made it there. Pure snipes.

Landeskog
MacK Kadri Rants
Toews

Nuke
Makar Saad Burakovsky
Girard

is how I'd run things

 

[Pokecheque]

Shouldn’t we wait to criticize the Power Play and the personnel until it falls outside the top-10.

They’re clicking at 47% so far.

Well, let's not just take that at face value--a lot of that high percentage has to do with them lighting up the Blues on the man advantage.

There's still some issues I have with the current scheme but I'm happy to see that they're capitalizing on chances so far.

 

[dahrougem2]

I don’t think they’ve been as effective as Graves - Makar. I just wonder if Makar is better off with a defenceman who is more of a stay-at-home type of D. Makar has certainly expanded his skill-set, but he’s still at his best when the puck is on his stick.

I’m really pleased with Toews, I just wonder if they’ll have more success playing with different partners.

Stay at home type? Graves took every opportunity to jump into the play last season lol even remember the one game I believe vs Montreal where Makar led the rush and it was Graves driving the net.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Like I said, not yet. I mean the PP is skewed from the STL game, but we've seen a lot of the same issues this season that were issues last year. The problems aren't all Makar as the PP is still incredibly stationary.

What problems though? The power play has been outstanding.

It’s awfully hyper-critical to critique a unit that is hitting on half their opportunities through three games. No one expects that rate to continue, but if it stays in the top-10 the Avs should be in great shape.



Really good puck movement here.

I think sometimes the expectations can get a little bit out of control here. Vancouver had a top-5 power play last year and they haven’t even scored on the man advantage this year.

Honestly, I think the Avs 5V5 play should be a much more concerning than the power play.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

His strength isn’t as a facilitator. He didn’t even QB the PP at UMass. Using Makar just for a point shot is a hilarious misuse of what he could do on the PP. They need to think of him as a forward on the PP and use him as such.

I know the PP is great and all now until that number crawls under 20% but they haven’t solved it. That’s great the second unit isn’t a black hole but it’s accounted for at least 5 of their PPG thus far. I think Mikko hitting the one timer is two more of them. Outside that it’s still pretty empty.

I’m not saying that it’s going to be perfect. I fully expect them to significantly drop % wise from where they are now. But, there be at least a small amount of optimism for how they started the year

Btw... the bolded is kind of thing. I would expect a few more of those this year.

 

[tigervixxxen]

They have 8 ppg right now

2 - Toews PP2
2 - Burky PP2
2 - Mikko
1 - MacK 5-0 vs Blues
1 - Kadri 6-0 vs Blues

The goal Donny scored was a second after PP expired on unit 2.

The PP has been a problem for several seasons. 2 years ago it rode a 30% through December and into the ground where they didn’t score for an entire month and ghosted in the Sharks series. Again last year it was mediocre and ghosted in the Stars series. I get that a great PP is at 25% and fails 75% of the time still but the margin between even a 20% and 25% pp is huge not to mention one that hovers under 20%. The Avs need improvement in this area if they want to win the Cup.