Prospect Info: Cale Makar - D [4th Overall]

[AllAboutAvs]

Lets look at players in and out who will replace a majority of games played this coming season.

In : Compher (21), Jost (6), Yakupov, Wilson, Ghetto (19), Barberio (34), Nieto (43), and likely two of Lindholm, Mirronov, Bigras. As well as possibly some games from Greer, JCB, and Meloche later in the season.

Out : Iginla (61), Beauchemin (81), Mitchell (65), Tyutin (69), Grigorenko (74), Martinsen (55), Bourque (65), Weirdo (57), Goldbuff (33). Even Gelinas played in 27 games last season.

That's 10 players who played a lot of games for us last season. I'm not even really one of these so called apologists, but if you are going to come off that hot, and make those kinds of accusations. You should keep the completely false statements out of it. Hell the only two pieces of trash left are Soderberg and Colborne, and one of them will likely be scratched regularly. Soda's contract will not easily be moved, and I don't think anyone wanted us paying assets to get rid of it either. Hell I am somewhat impressed they actually bought out FB. Sakic has done the basic **** right for the most part.

They even finally drafted defense with their top two picks. Which was one of my biggest complaints.

Keep this common sense out of this thread (and all other threads for that matter). It has no place here.

 

[Iracundia]

Lets look at players in and out who will replace a majority of games played this coming season.

In : Compher (21), Jost (6), Yakupov, Wilson, Ghetto (19), Barberio (34), Nieto (43), and likely two of Lindholm, Mirronov, Bigras. As well as possibly some games from Greer, JCB, and Meloche later in the season.

Out : Iginla (61), Beauchemin (81), Mitchell (65), Tyutin (69), Grigorenko (74), Martinsen (55), Bourque (65), Weirdo (57), Goldbuff (33). Even Gelinas played in 27 games last season.

That's 10 players who played a lot of games for us last season. I'm not even really one of these so called apologists, but if you are going to come off that hot, and make those kinds of accusations. You should keep the completely false statements out of it. Hell the only two pieces of trash left are Soderberg and Colborne, and one of them will likely be scratched regularly. Soda's contract will not easily be moved, and I don't think anyone wanted us paying assets to get rid of it either. Hell I am somewhat impressed they actually bought out FB. Sakic has done the basic **** right for the most part.

They even finally drafted defense with their top two picks. Which was one of my biggest complaints.

I'm not sure why we need to give Joe a big pat on the back for getting rid of the trash that he chose to place on this team in the first place?

But I agree on the good job he has done using premium picks on defence this year.

 

[Pokecheque]

There was absolutely no issue with bringing Jost over when they did. He was ready. I should remind some people who may not be able to remember back that far but Kevin Shattenkirk wasn't exactly tearing it up in the AHL prior to his callup to the big leagues, yet somehow he's done just fine, albeit mostly for other franchises.

Frankly I would've been more concerned had he opted to stay in school another year after playing as well as he did. Maybe that's a bit of an overreaction on my part because of what happened with the Canes and Jack Johnson, but I'll be pretty shocked and disheartened if they don't do everything they can to sign him the minute his collegiate season is over.

The guys on NHL Radio following the final game were very complimentary of Makar, one of the greener guys who got a ton of ice time, mainly because Hockey Canada wanted to see what they had and kinda knew what to expect out of some of the other kids. They are most certainly sizing him up for a WJC slot, whether he makes it is anyone's guess, but they have their eye on him for sure.

 

[DarioinDenver]

I'm not sure why we need to give Joe a big pat on the back for getting rid of the trash that he chose to place on this team in the first place?

But I agree on the good job he has done using premium picks on defence this year.

The eternal question that can never be answered will be how large of a role did Roy have in personnel decisions as VP prior to quitting? Yes, Sakic was ultimately in charge. Yet, Roy had a VP title for a reason as well. We will simply never know.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Lets look at players in and out who will replace a majority of games played this coming season.

In : Compher (21), Jost (6), Yakupov, Wilson, Ghetto (19), Barberio (34), Nieto (43), and likely two of Lindholm, Mirronov, Bigras. As well as possibly some games from Greer, JCB, and Meloche later in the season.

Out : Iginla (61), Beauchemin (81), Mitchell (65), Tyutin (69), Grigorenko (74), Martinsen (55), Bourque (65), Weirdo (57), Goldbuff (33). Even Gelinas played in 27 games last season.

That's 10 players who played a lot of games for us last season. I'm not even really one of these so called apologists, but if you are going to come off that hot, and make those kinds of accusations. You should keep the completely false statements out of it. Hell the only two pieces of trash left are Soderberg and Colborne, and one of them will likely be scratched regularly. Soda's contract will not easily be moved, and I don't think anyone wanted us paying assets to get rid of it either. Hell I am somewhat impressed they actually bought out FB. Sakic has done the basic **** right for the most part.

They even finally drafted defense with their top two picks. Which was one of my biggest complaints.

What statement is false? That Sakic has basically the same roster as last year? When it comes to key pieces, it's true. Most of these guys listed played minimal roles in the bottom six. Beauch was the only guy doing any significant minutes, and he'll be replaced by....? Mironov? Bigras? A complete unknown at the NHL level and a guy they tried to rush who also had his development derailed by injuries.

He's the one who accumulated all of those garbage players and couldn't even get assets for them because of how terrible he and his pro scouting staff are at identifying depth players.

Barbie and Ghetto's honeymoon periods will be over just like Nieto's is, and they'll fall back down to earth.

Wilson is better than most of the players who are gone so there's one instance of clear improvement.

Yakupov is no better than the guys that left, lateral move there.

Compher might struggle in his second season. Jost might not be ready to play in the NHL full time. Greer still might need some polishing as well. Beaudin and Meloche realistically shouldn't see any NHL games this year, but the depth is pretty bad still so it's possible with injuries I suppose. Lindholm isn't any better or proven than the D that left (yet).

I'll admit that it's finally good to see Sakic freeing up spaces for our youth, but if you think we're somehow going to climb our way out of the bottom-3 with the Duchene drama lingering around the dressing room like a heavy fart, you're in for a disappointment.

Not to mention the D still needs a top pairing LHD and for Zads to be signed. Until that happens they can shuffle around all the bottom-6 players they want and still won't win games without fixing the decade long issue on the blue line.

They'll be more exciting to watch because of the young guys, and it'll be less hopeless watching them struggle because there's always untapped upside to be hopeful about with rookies, but it's the same core with the same internal issues so I don't expect much difference in the standings.

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

Do we have any indication yet on how committed to college Makar is? I remember Shattenkirk wanted to finish his degree, whereas Jost was more than happy to sign after a season. There's always a bit of uncertainty with that route.

 

[McMetal]

Do we have any indication yet on how committed to college Makar is? I remember Shattenkirk wanted to finish his degree, whereas Jost was more than happy to sign after a season. There's always a bit of uncertainty with that route.

He didn't seem overly enamored with staying in college in his post-draft interviews. He even mentioned the AHL as a possibility IIRC. I wouldn't be too worried that he's going to insist on 3+ years of school or NHL guarantees when he signs.

 

[tigervixxxen]

He said one or two years. Fourth overall isn't making it that far. Even his coach said they'd be very lucky to get him for two.

 

[PAZ]

Plus it's not like Makar is at Harvard or some prestigious university. He's going there to get a crap ton of ice time, hang out with a bunch of his HS friends and enjoy the university life for a year or two.

 

[Pokecheque]

What statement is false? That Sakic has basically the same roster as last year? When it comes to key pieces, it's true. Most of these guys listed played minimal roles in the bottom six. Beauch was the only guy doing any significant minutes, and he'll be replaced by....? Mironov? Bigras? A complete unknown at the NHL level and a guy they tried to rush who also had his development derailed by injuries.

Just because they weren't top pairing or top six guys doesn't mean their supreme suckiness didn't affect the core of this team. When the support players aren't doing what's asked of them, like taking on the opposition's best, killing penalties, or even at the VERY least avoiding dumb penalties or trying to force an offensive zone faceoff, then they're making the task of the star players next to impossible. It was horribly easy to shut down the Avs last year.

Think about it...the Avs have cut loose (by my count) eight players. Only one currently has an NHL contract. One already bolted to the KHL and will likely never be seen again in North America. The rest might be done save for maybe a late add or PTO. When's the last time you remember that happening?

He's the one who accumulated all of those garbage players and couldn't even get assets for them because of how terrible he and his pro scouting staff are at identifying depth players.

Barbie and Ghetto's honeymoon periods will be over just like Nieto's is, and they'll fall back down to earth.

The former I won't argue with. The latter isn't a big deal. One, it's not like Nieto was that high in the sky to begin with. He's played decently, it's just the fact that his best attributes, speed and a willingness to get his nose dirty, were such a godsend on a team with too many lumbering perimeter players, that his exploits looked even better than they actually were. He's a quality 4th liner, which is fine.

As for Andrighetto, he's not a long-term solution, but he was a perfectly good get. He just has to keep the seat warm for someone else.

Wilson is better than most of the players who are gone so there's one instance of clear improvement.

Yakupov is no better than the guys that left, lateral move there.

The more I think about it the less thrilled I am about the Wilson acquisition. He's not terrible defensively, but he's not great, and he's also not a consistent scorer. If anything I feel like that is a lateral move because he kind of embodies the kind of depth player the Avs have snagged too many times. But whatever, he's not horrible, I just wish they'd do better than this.

Yak will likely fail IMO, but whatever, very little risk involved on this one.

Compher might struggle in his second season. Jost might not be ready to play in the NHL full time. Greer still might need some polishing as well. Beaudin and Meloche realistically shouldn't see any NHL games this year, but the depth is pretty bad still so it's possible with injuries I suppose. Lindholm isn't any better or proven than the D that left (yet).

I'll admit that it's finally good to see Sakic freeing up spaces for our youth, but if you think we're somehow going to climb our way out of the bottom-3 with the Duchene drama lingering around the dressing room like a heavy fart, you're in for a disappointment.

I think they are a better team now than they were. Younger, faster, tougher. If they can't seem to get over any supposed drama hanging around Duchene then they deserve to fail again.

Not to mention the D still needs a top pairing LHD and for Zads to be signed. Until that happens they can shuffle around all the bottom-6 players they want and still won't win games without fixing the decade long issue on the blue line.

They'll be more exciting to watch because of the young guys, and it'll be less hopeless watching them struggle because there's always untapped upside to be hopeful about with rookies, but it's the same core with the same internal issues so I don't expect much difference in the standings.

I can't really argue with much here...I think they WILL be better, mainly because it would be extremely difficult for them to be much worse. I think the coaching staff has improved, but we can only sit and watch to see if Bednar and his new staff have it figured out now. He too failed as badly as the team did, I'm not gonna give him a full pass for last season, but I do think he was absolutely hung out to dry by management last year when the bottom fell out and they did NOTHING save for waiving one player and then not demoting him.

 

[ASmileyFace]

Plus it's not like Makar is at Harvard or some prestigious university. He's going there to get a crap ton of ice time, hang out with a bunch of his HS friends and enjoy the university life for a year or two.

As someone who very much enjoyed the college life for my first couple years of school this worries me.

I just hope his coaches and friends keep him pointed in the right direction. If he enjoys partying as much as I did we're in trouble.

 

[Balthazar]

Plus it's not like Makar is at Harvard or some prestigious university. He's going there to get a crap ton of ice time, hang out with a bunch of his HS friends and enjoy the university life for a year or two.

Doubt he'll have his HS friends from Alberta in Boston.

Makar committed to college before "exploding". His life direction took a different turn than what was anticipated when he committed. I don't expect more than a year in college then a split year AHL/NHL in 2018-19 and full time NHLer in 2019-20.

 

[henchman21]

Doubt he'll have his HS friends from Alberta in Boston.

Makar committed to college before "exploding". His life direction took a different turn than what was anticipated when he committed. I don't expect more than a year in college then a split year AHL/NHL in 2018-19 and full time NHLer in 2019-20.

Chau and Bear should both be there... both played with him at Brooks.

 

[CobraAcesS]

What statement is false? That Sakic has basically the same roster as last year? When it comes to key pieces, it's true. Most of these guys listed played minimal roles in the bottom six. Beauch was the only guy doing any significant minutes, and he'll be replaced by....? Mironov? Bigras? A complete unknown at the NHL level and a guy they tried to rush who also had his development derailed by injuries.

He's the one who accumulated all of those garbage players and couldn't even get assets for them because of how terrible he and his pro scouting staff are at identifying depth players.

Barbie and Ghetto's honeymoon periods will be over just like Nieto's is, and they'll fall back down to earth.

Wilson is better than most of the players who are gone so there's one instance of clear improvement.

Yakupov is no better than the guys that left, lateral move there.

Compher might struggle in his second season. Jost might not be ready to play in the NHL full time. Greer still might need some polishing as well. Beaudin and Meloche realistically shouldn't see any NHL games this year, but the depth is pretty bad still so it's possible with injuries I suppose. Lindholm isn't any better or proven than the D that left (yet).

I'll admit that it's finally good to see Sakic freeing up spaces for our youth, but if you think we're somehow going to climb our way out of the bottom-3 with the Duchene drama lingering around the dressing room like a heavy fart, you're in for a disappointment.

Not to mention the D still needs a top pairing LHD and for Zads to be signed. Until that happens they can shuffle around all the bottom-6 players they want and still won't win games without fixing the decade long issue on the blue line.

They'll be more exciting to watch because of the young guys, and it'll be less hopeless watching them struggle because there's always untapped upside to be hopeful about with rookies, but it's the same core with the same internal issues so I don't expect much difference in the standings.

I get all of that, and nothing you said is really wrong. Screaming to high heaven about Sakic apologists, and having the same roster as last year is just false.

I also don't remember saying anything about climbing out of the basement. So you are arguing with thin air there. I haven't really seen more than one or two people (that we all know are riding the Burgundy Rainbow) make that comment either. In fact, what I said was that I was happy they were not trying to win at all costs by adding veterans to the roster. They seem to realize where we are, and that there isn't a quick fix other than to gain your younger players experience, and continuing to draft well.

Sakic is a stick in the mud, but I don't see the travesty in admitting that they've done the basics right, and being ok with people looking forward to seeing the team for the only reason there is left, which is the younger faster players.

I know there is a lot of anxiety over Duchene having not been traded, and that may prove to be a mistake, but I've personally seen nothing leaked that we should have taken outside of what Hench talks about long ago with Ottawa.

We also are not as far away from the cap as some people might think. Zadorov's contract matters if they are thinking about taking on any sort of cap dump from a top team trying to get Duchene. Columbus still has two RFA's to worry about, and no one knows wtf Montreal is doing. There may be some other underlying reasons why a trade has not materialized yet.

It's fine to be glass half empty, but the angry screaming hyperbole is getting old this late in the off-season.

 

[Chileiceman]

Canada's defensive depth for the Olympics is looking pretty bad. USA hockey has already stated that they will be using NCAA players to complement their pros playing in Europe. If Makar lights it up for the first part of the season, and has a good showing at the WJC, does anyone think he could be an asset for Hockey Canada at the Olympics?

 

[McMetal]

It's fine to be glass half empty, but the angry screaming hyperbole is getting old this late in the off-season.

It was old in January, frankly. It's fine to be upset about last year, but it's like a certain segment of this board is having an informal contest to see who can be the MOST ANGRY. When you're inventing new reasons to be mad at Sakic and shouting down every hint of discussion of the positives, you're not having a constructive conversation.

 

[Balthazar]

Canada's defensive depth for the Olympics is looking pretty bad. USA hockey has already stated that they will be using NCAA players to complement their pros playing in Europe. If Makar lights it up for the first part of the season, and has a good showing at the WJC, does anyone think he could be an asset for Hockey Canada at the Olympics?

I hope not. These Olympics will be a joke anyway.

 

[Avs_19]

Canada's defensive depth for the Olympics is looking pretty bad. USA hockey has already stated that they will be using NCAA players to complement their pros playing in Europe. If Makar lights it up for the first part of the season, and has a good showing at the WJC, does anyone think he could be an asset for Hockey Canada at the Olympics?

I don't know what the rules are but I'd love it if Makar could play. That'd give me a reason to watch the terrible hockey we're going to get at the Olympics.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I'm sure he technically could, unsigned college player. But they seem to want to go with vets. But the list of non-contracted Canadian defensemen is thin.

 

[Pokecheque]

It's fine to be glass half empty, but the angry screaming hyperbole is getting old this late in the off-season.

It was old in January, frankly. It's fine to be upset about last year, but it's like a certain segment of this board is having an informal contest to see who can be the MOST ANGRY. When you're inventing new reasons to be mad at Sakic and shouting down every hint of discussion of the positives, you're not having a constructive conversation.

I can understand the frustration, because I feel it too. Just a ton of indecision going on. Have they done some things right? Yeah. But there were things the previous regimes did right as well. I appreciate some of the things Sakic gets credit for setting up, like what looks like a better refinement/organization of the talent development side of things, but overall I have zero faith that he actually knows what he's doing. I truly believe he's thinking he can fix everything with one big trade like Lacroix used to do anytime he got in trouble.

Anyway, I don't want to derail this thread any more than I already have. I for one don't want him in the Olympics, but hope he makes the WJC team.

 

[Balthazar]

If Makar were to become a #1 defenseman, would he be the first #1 dman drafted by this org since Adam Foote by Quebec in 1989? First in 28 years? First ever by the AVS?

 

[DarioinDenver]

If Makar were to become a #1 defenseman, would he be the first #1 dman drafted by this org since Adam Foote by Quebec in 1989? First in 28 years? First ever by the AVS?

I don't consider Boychuk nor Shattenkirk #1s.... so yes?

 

[Rumplesnipeskin]

If Makar were to become a #1 defenseman, would he be the first #1 dman drafted by this org since Adam Foote by Quebec in 1989? First in 28 years? First ever by the AVS?

If he hadn't been traded, perhaps Regehr; alas, he was sent packing before seeing any action in the big leagues. And who knows what his development would have been if he stayed.

 

[cgf]

I can understand the frustration, because I feel it too. Just a ton of indecision going on. Have they done some things right? Yeah. But there were things the previous regimes did right as well. I appreciate some of the things Sakic gets credit for setting up, like what looks like a better refinement/organization of the talent development side of things, but overall I have zero faith that he actually knows what he's doing. I truly believe he's thinking he can fix everything with one big trade like Lacroix used to do anytime he got in trouble.

Anyway, I don't want to derail this thread any more than I already have. I for one don't want him in the Olympics, but hope he makes the WJC team.

If Sakic just turns Dutchy & Barrie into 1sts + non-elite prospects and keeps drafting well with those extra picks, the team will be in a good position for a more aggressive & competent GM to take over and turn the exciting foundation into a serious team that can make real noise.

All Joe has to do is refuse to settle for uninspiring NHLers that he can peddle to casual fans, and take the futures knowing he'll get **** for it unless those futures help the team become a real threat in the 2020s, when his GM legacy would be revised.

 

[Pokecheque]

Even though bringing in an analytics team wasn't his idea, I do believe he listens to them. That will at least inform his decisions going forward.