Tkachuk4MVP
32 Years of Fail
The veterans unfortunately couldn’t take his stick and play hockey for him.
Confirmed Trade: [COL/SJS] Matt Nieto and Ryan Merkley for Martin Kaut and Jacob MacDonald
- Thread starter MMC
- Start date
Czechboy
Easy schedules rule!
- Apr 15, 2018
- 23,100
- 19,108
Hoping Chlapik uses this to get back to NHL.. maybe he takes his spot and you win another Spengler!Hopefully he will end up in the same team as Chlapik/Spacek.
What exactly do you think is lost by having to take Merkley? What's the worst that can happen? If he's that toxic, tell him to sit the rest of the season and don't tender him a qualifying offer and it's done. He's on an expiring ELC. There's nothing lost having to take on Merkley.
You know, there’s also this crazy concept that maybe neither team lost?
shadow1
Registered User
- Nov 29, 2008
- 16,592
- 5,237
Ironically one of the reasons Nieto is being brought in is for his offense. 8 goals and 15 points in 45 games doesn't sound like a lot, but consider this:
Suddenly you're in a situation where that group of 18 offensive black holes are playing 3rd line or even 2nd line minutes (who can forget Charles Hudon's short stretch on the first line?).
In other words, my only complaint about this trade is that it didn't come a month ago. Glad Nieto is back (they should've never let him leave), and glad Colorado has another NHL caliber player to add to its bottom-6.
- The Avalanche have used 27 forwards this season.
- 18 of them have 4 points or less
- 15 of them have 1 point or less
- 12 of them have 0 points.
Suddenly you're in a situation where that group of 18 offensive black holes are playing 3rd line or even 2nd line minutes (who can forget Charles Hudon's short stretch on the first line?).
In other words, my only complaint about this trade is that it didn't come a month ago. Glad Nieto is back (they should've never let him leave), and glad Colorado has another NHL caliber player to add to its bottom-6.
This trade is a small one. Odd to have to pick a winner or loser. They both lost because they squandered 2018 1st rounders.
otherwise… this is deck chair shuffling
Bender
Registered User
- Sep 25, 2002
- 17,321
- 8,579
It's pretty likely he stays in the AHL the rest of the season. They'll evaluate him and see if he's worth qualifying.
We had Jacob MacDonald playing LW because we had so many injuries... acquiring Nieto helps us there. I don't see how the Avs lose this even if BOTH Kaut and Merkley end up not getting qualified by either team.
bleedgreen
Registered User
This is a deal for Nieto with some interesting for draft geeks side details. The rest may turn into something interesting, but they’re all throw ins. Kaut has had chances and just doesn’t have what it takes to be a bottom six guy on the Avs. Maybe a fresh start for he and Merkley does them both good. SJ gets some depth while they slowly rebuild.
themelkman
Always Delivers
You lost because you got the only player in the deal with the potential of achieving something? Weird take
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
Alex Jones
BIG BOWL 'A CHILI!!
What role do you see Kaut playing in the NHL? There's a role I COULD see him playing at the NHL level, but it's a role not many teams run with.
When I look at Kaut I see a guy with average puck skills, above average read of the game, below average skating and a low end motor. He's not going to drive the play offensively, hes also not going to forecheck consistently. He will make generally good decisions with the puck and find his way into dangerous areas. He's also defensively responsible.
To me he's a complementary guy on a scoring third line. He definitely needs an offensive play driver on his line and imo he needs a heavy forechecker on his line that wins a lot of battles down low. With that setup I think he can find enough space to succeed. Not many teams are going to have this. I think he's going to be back in Europe very soon.
Patagonia
Keep Whining
- Jan 6, 2017
- 7,624
- 3,246
I doesn’t matter it’s framed, best player is serviceable Nieto for a deep playoff run. Rest are unlikely to have any impact or return next season.
lionsDen
Hated And Proud
- Jan 26, 2022
- 3,483
- 2,242
If only it was that simple.
But that wasn't his point, simply that San Jose play's a slower pace that fits Kaut's playstyle and the Avs' fit Merkley's playstyle better. This isn't to say that Merkley/Kaut will figure their shit out, but if they do they'll both be in a better position to develop into a serviceable NHL player.
Brent Burns
“”“Re-tooling on the fly”””
- Feb 7, 2007
- 7,262
- 574
Makes sense for the Avs. In a deep run, injuries are almost inevitable. He can slot into a top 6 position while being an effective PKer.
Pavelski2112
Bold as Boognish
Merkley also had to play under Boughner's conservative playstyle in the NHL and McCarthy's God-knows-what playstyle in the AHL, with Karlsson mostly injured/not allowed to play his game, and Vlasic hasn't been a great defensive player since before Merkley was drafted.
Pavelski2112
Bold as Boognish
He hasn't been great but he hasn't been given the best circumstances to succeed either.
At a certain point he has to earn his place. He failed to do so for whatever reason, but it certainly seems like it’s because of the same red flags that kept teams away from him in the first place. His inability to find a place on the big club was 98% his own doing.
Pavelski2112
Bold as Boognish
I just can't buy that when guys who do literally nothing like Jonah Gadjovich or CJ Suess get a much longer leash.
Like I get it, basically all NHL orgs love their useless plugs who play hard, but it's still frustrating to watch, especially considering Merkley was legitimately a top-6 defenseman on last year's Sharks and our defense has only gotten worse since.
LeapOnOver
Mackenzie is a hack!
Lou Lams just rolled over in his grave...oh, never mind he's still alive and does not approve!Colorado wins…Kauts neck is way too hairy
Just like Josh Ho-Sang was gonna tear it up for Toronto?
Dude was a liability with the Barracuda and wasn’t improving. What did he do to earn the right to be called up? He looked good in flashes last year but it’s obvious he took a step back simply because he didn’t make the club out of camp and decided to blame everyone but himself for that.
I always think it's fascinating how fans of NHL teams seem to think that players who aren't especially good at the AHL level are somehow getting ruined or screwed over by not getting big minutes at the NHL level. They couldn't be bothered with being better than their AHL teammates. If only the NHL organization had given them NHL powerplay time surely they could have been bothered to improve.
