Prospect Info: Sean Behrens 2021 draft, 2nd round (61st overall)

[henchman21]

If we don’t have a signing by the end of this weekend that’s probably not good IMO. College guys don’t sign late into the summer too often IIRC.

Some do... Cooley signed late just last year. It is pretty rare though.

Playing in the Avs' favor is realistically, the burned year is off the table anyway with timing. So it becomes more about what the plan next year looks like vs what he could do at DU. The simplest answer is the Avs max out his signing bonuses at 92.5 and AHL salary at 82.5 with a 10 games played bonus of 50k with the idea that they will get him his 10 games. He's simply not getting 225k in NIL next year. I could see 50k, but that is probably the realistic max.

Now playing against the Avs, and a weird quirk in the new ELC rules is if he goes UFA, he can get that current year max (975k salary and higher bonuses). So he might only make 50k next year. But the following year he could line up a 97.5k signing bonus each year, still have it expire in 2027, and the type A and type B bonuses elevate in maximum amounts by 150 and 500k. Behrens isn't getting B bonuses as he's not that level of player, but that extra 37.5k of A bonus is possible. Say he gets 50k for 10 games played and 250k for top 4D in ice time (assume he plays on a bad team like San Jose). He could make up all that 175k loss in one year with some creative promises and structuring. Even if he doesn't get the top 4, ice time, he could make up 55k really quickly and the NHL salary increasing to 975k vs 925k helps. If he played ~12 games he'd be around ~150k of salary at 975k.

TLDR... he probably needs a handshake agreement of some NHL playing time next year to get him to sign. If there isn't, the Avs might have a difficult time signing him next spring just do to how the ELC situation will work. The Avs would certainly have to burn a year.

 

[Chiarelli]

If he isn't going to sign and we lose him for nothing this was the dude to trade for a 1B goalie and a huge miss by our management.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

If he isn't going to sign and we lose him for nothing this was the dude to trade for a 1B goalie and a huge miss by our management.

Who's to say they didn't try but the other team wasn't interested?

 

[Ceremony]

Is he any good?

 

[AvsFan2123]

Some do... Cooley signed late just last year. It is pretty rare though.

Playing in the Avs' favor is realistically, the burned year is off the table anyway with timing. So it becomes more about what the plan next year looks like vs what he could do at DU. The simplest answer is the Avs max out his signing bonuses at 92.5 and AHL salary at 82.5 with a 10 games played bonus of 50k with the idea that they will get him his 10 games. He's simply not getting 225k in NIL next year. I could see 50k, but that is probably the realistic max.

Now playing against the Avs, and a weird quirk in the new ELC rules is if he goes UFA, he can get that current year max (975k salary and higher bonuses). So he might only make 50k next year. But the following year he could line up a 97.5k signing bonus each year, still have it expire in 2027, and the type A and type B bonuses elevate in maximum amounts by 150 and 500k. Behrens isn't getting B bonuses as he's not that level of player, but that extra 37.5k of A bonus is possible. Say he gets 50k for 10 games played and 250k for top 4D in ice time (assume he plays on a bad team like San Jose). He could make up all that 175k loss in one year with some creative promises and structuring. Even if he doesn't get the top 4, ice time, he could make up 55k really quickly and the NHL salary increasing to 975k vs 925k helps. If he played ~12 games he'd be around ~150k of salary at 975k.

TLDR... he probably needs a handshake agreement of some NHL playing time next year to get him to sign. If there isn't, the Avs might have a difficult time signing him next spring just do to how the ELC situation will work. The Avs would certainly have to burn a year.

It looks like a spot on the Avs defense would be hard to come by, but also there could be 2 spots up for grabs. One of G/Manson is almost certainly gone, with Manson being more likely to move than G. And Jack Johnson is likely retiring or please God can we move on from him. There is the possibility we resign Walker, but this dude is on his last chance to cash in. He likely goes to highest bidder. We’re probly penciling in Malinski to start the year at 3RD for tight cap purposes. So what I imagine or at least hoping we’re saying is there’s definitely a spot up for grabs with Behrens name on it. Or like you said. Give him the promise that he’ll get his games.

 

[henchman21]

It looks like a spot on the Avs defense would be hard to come by, but also there could be 2 spots up for grabs. One of G/Manson is almost certainly gone, with Manson being more likely to move than G. And Jack Johnson is likely retiring or please God can we move on from him. There is the possibility we resign Walker, but this dude is on his last chance to cash in. He likely goes to highest bidder. We’re probly penciling in Malinski to start the year at 3RD for tight cap purposes. So what I imagine or at least hoping we’re saying is there’s definitely a spot up for grabs with Behrens name on it. Or like you said. Give him the promise that he’ll get his games.

The issue I see is that the Avs are a reluctant organization to give those promises. In fact, they almost never do it. Which I can get from a fundamental standpoint. It just has some problems crop up like Aman heading to Vancouver. I 100% believe they have given Kovalenko that NHL promise for next season. So I think they will in rare cases. I'm not sure if Behrens reaches that threshold.

FTR I think Behrens could step in day 1 and play a bottom pairing role (on either side). He may not be able to replace a guy like G next season, but the potential is there within a season or two. I would without a doubt give the 10 game bonus and assure him that he will get a great opportunity to hit that number. Problem is, Bednar thinks differently about his bottom pairing guys... he wants them to be role and PK guys. Behrens probably isn't ready to be relied up on as a PK guy yet. I think he would get there, but it would be a leap to have him jump in on a first or second unit right now.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

It looks like a spot on the Avs defense would be hard to come by, but also there could be 2 spots up for grabs. One of G/Manson is almost certainly gone, with Manson being more likely to move than G. And Jack Johnson is likely retiring or please God can we move on from him. There is the possibility we resign Walker, but this dude is on his last chance to cash in. He likely goes to highest bidder. We’re probly penciling in Malinski to start the year at 3RD for tight cap purposes. So what I imagine or at least hoping we’re saying is there’s definitely a spot up for grabs with Behrens name on it. Or like you said. Give him the promise that he’ll get his games.

Yeah, you'd think there could be a role for him on the Avs next year, Malinski possibly as well,. As you mention, it's very likely one of G and Manz is moved for cap room (My money is on Girard), and I doubt they resign Walker given what he is apparently asking for money wise. JJ probably retires, and if he doesn't, I doubt the Avs resign him. That leaves 3 open spots on D they need to fill. Problem is, that won't be known for another 3-4-5 months.

 

[Tralfamadore]

Avs should move him anyway. Over half of us want to ship out Girard just to bring in another small defenseman?

 

[Muffin]

Avs should move him anyway. Over half of us want to ship out Girard just to bring in another small defenseman?

We want to ship Girard out because he makes 5M. We need defenseman on entry level deals.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

With both Behrens and Malinski in our defense would be pretty small even with G out.

 

[willy702]

If we don’t have a signing by the end of this weekend that’s probably not good IMO. College guys don’t sign late into the summer too often IIRC.

I think he's going to FA now. The last real carrot they could have offered him is to be on the roster for last night's game. He didn't sign so I think its fair to think he's going to play out another season in NCAA. I mean why wait until after the regular season is over?

 

[McJedi]

We want to ship Girard out because he makes 5M. We need defenseman on entry level deals.

I’d take Girard bring steady over Manson’s wild swings and too many WTF moments/reads.

 

[The Kingslayer]

With both Behrens and Malinski in our defense would be pretty small even with G out.

Yah the Avs are already insanely soft on the back end. Behrens and Malinski makes them softer.

 

[henchman21]

Players translate differently and especially at his size… but Behrens isn’t a soft player.

 

[henchman21]

We got ourselves a games played bonus