Who is the Avs most important player not named MacKinnon?

[cgf]

Wilson.

He died so the rest of the team could flourish.

 

[Pokecheque]

I think it might if we can't score enough to overcome replacement level goaltending.

If Huch plays, and they are so good defensively they make that dude look passable, and can score enough I'll change my mind lol.

Look at what goaltending is doing to Carolina.



Oh god lol wall of text with a team building tangent.

I'm talking about our team, down the stretch here and into the playoffs. We need one of our goalies to play extremely well. Especially right now with injuries, and our scoring being down.

If Frank hadn't been as good as he was our record would look very different over the last little while.

I guess right now its Frank.

We're not scoring enough to have an average goalie right now.

I am curious to see how much of an impact team defense is having though. So I'll be curious to see what happens when Huch plays.

See the thing is you're reluctantly picking one guy to be the second-most important player. If Groob were healthy you might be picking him. That, to me, just drives home the point as to how interchangeable goaltending can be. However, an elite #1 center and a legit #1 defenseman are not.

Carolina isn't imploding because of goaltending, they're imploding because their 2nd most important player went down with a broken leg. It doesn't help that they're relying on their #s 3 and 4 goalies now, but losing Dougie has decimated them far worse than both Reimer and Mrazek going down in the same game. Same with Columbus and Jones.

 

[AvsWraith]

Nuke. Best 2-way player this year and it's not close. Dude never gives up, has size and underrated speed, backchecks like crazy, wins puck battles, goes to the net, ect. He just does everything, a total swiss-army knife. Re-sign this guy right now!

 

[UncleRisto]

Rachel Richlinski.

 

[Belgican]

Is there any one player, who would you have you extremely nervous, if they were out for a playoff series?

Answering this question, I would say the goalie, but as we have 2 very potent ones, I would answer Makar.

Now, remembering last season, I would say a playoffs Calvert would earn serious consideration.

 

[CobraAcesS]

See the thing is you're reluctantly picking one guy to be the second-most important player. If Groob were healthy you might be picking him. That, to me, just drives home the point as to how interchangeable goaltending can be. However, an elite #1 center and a legit #1 defenseman are not.

Carolina isn't imploding because of goaltending, they're imploding because their 2nd most important player went down with a broken leg. It doesn't help that they're relying on their #s 3 and 4 goalies now, but losing Dougie has decimated them far worse than both Reimer and Mrazek going down in the same game. Same with Columbus and Jones.

Actually I'm not sure Grub has stepped up for a stretch like this yet this season. Maybe I should of just said Frank, but I'm not all in on the Frank is better in the long run train yet. Maybe it is cheating a little, but you can only play one at a time lol.

Are you going to tell me Frank hasn't been the MVP the last week and some change since we've had trouble scoring?

You're going at it from a team building perspective. I actually agree with you, but I'm taking a more circumstantial view right now. Who is keeping us afloat? Frank

I'm leaving room for being wrong as well because I'm not sure if the team defense has come together enough that Huch will be capable of winning games. So I've clearly left the door open, and said I'll change my mind at that point.

 

[Gatorbait19]

I think it’s Cale easily. We looked lost without him when he was hurt earlier this year.

 

[Avsboy]

Makar because Girard doesn't shoot on the PP

 

[Pokecheque]

Actually I'm not sure Grub has stepped up for a stretch like this yet this season. Maybe I should of just said Frank, but I'm not all in on the Frank is better in the long run train yet. Maybe it is cheating a little, but you can only play one at a time lol.

Are you going to tell me Frank hasn't been the MVP the last week and some change since we've had trouble scoring?

You're going at it from a team building perspective. I actually agree with you, but I'm taking a more circumstantial view right now. Who is keeping us afloat? Frank

I'm leaving room for being wrong as well because I'm not sure if the team defense has come together enough that Huch will be capable of winning games. So I've clearly left the door open, and said I'll change my mind at that point.

I don't want to sell Frankie short but I'm a tad reluctant to give him that much credit. The Avs have played really well defensively (also helps they went up against two teams that score as much as I did in high school in LA and Anaheim) with all the losses up front. Frankie has done his part but the Avs have also done a great job of containing the 18 million rebounds he gives up and getting the puck out of the zone efficiently.

 

[CobraAcesS]

I don't want to sell Frankie short but I'm a tad reluctant to give him that much credit. The Avs have played really well defensively (also helps they went up against two teams that score as much as I did in high school in LA and Anaheim) with all the losses up front. Frankie has done his part but the Avs have also done a great job of containing the 18 million rebounds he gives up and getting the puck out of the zone efficiently.

And that's a fair point. One I'm giving due recognition.

I'd put Kadri 4th now too after seeing the cascade effect its had on our roster. Mack hasn't been hot either. I feel like his injury really pulled the rug out from under our forward group lol.

 

[Pokecheque]

And that's a fair point. One I'm giving due recognition.

I'd put Kadri 4th now too after seeing the cascade effect its had on our roster. Mack hasn't been hot either. I feel like his injury really pulled the rug out from under our forward group lol.

It was just bad timing all around, Kadri went down almost the same time as Rants and then to make things REALLY fun, Burakovsky quickly followed suit. f***ing ridiculous.

On a side note, I saw recently that Big Carl is playing 4th line wing for the offense-starved Coyotes. Avs moved on at the right time.

 

[CobraAcesS]

It was just bad timing all around, Kadri went down almost the same time as Rants and then to make things REALLY fun, Burakovsky quickly followed suit. f***ing ridiculous.

On a side note, I saw recently that Big Carl is playing 4th line wing for the offense-starved Coyotes. Avs moved on at the right time.

Yeah that's why you don't see me hitting that hard, but I always agreed with the sentiment behind moving him and trusting Jost/Compher being a mistake. They correctly identified his fall off, but then didn't recognize the need to backfill his role.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Mikko hasn't been the second most important forward on the team at any point all year except maybe the start.

We'd be running away with the Division if he was.

Straight blasphemous. People be sleeping on Mikko.

 

[Pokecheque]

Yeah that's why you don't see me hitting that hard, but I always agreed with the sentiment behind moving him and trusting Jost/Compher being a mistake. They correctly identified his fall off, but then didn't recognize the need to backfill his role.

Well, I think they did to an extent. I've said it before and I'll say it again--Soderberg is NOT a 3rd line center. On paper he should be ideal in that role. In practice, it's never worked out. He's either had to be a scoring line guy or he gets booted to the 4th line. There's just never been an in-between.

Did they fail to actually find a legit 3rd line center last summer? Yeah. Hopefully that gets addressed one way or another this upcoming offseason. But I don't think keeping Big Carl would've worked out the way people think.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

Is Jost above or below Barberio?

Surprisingly I would say yes

 

[UncleRisto]

Is Jost above or below Barberio?

Surprisingly I would say yes

That would be surprising.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Makar. People forget our transition game when Cale was out for 10 games this season?

 

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

Well, I think they did to an extent. I've said it before and I'll say it again--Soderberg is NOT a 3rd line center. On paper he should be ideal in that role. In practice, it's never worked out. He's either had to be a scoring line guy or he gets booted to the 4th line. There's just never been an in-between.

Did they fail to actually find a legit 3rd line center last summer? Yeah. Hopefully that gets addressed one way or another this upcoming offseason. But I don't think keeping Big Carl would've worked out the way people think.

Soda and Nemeth were decent PKers that the Avs miss. Not great PKers. Not above average PKers. But decent. That's something that has been missing at times.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Soda and Nemeth were decent PKers that the Avs miss. Not great PKers. Not above average PKers. But decent. That's something that has been missing at times.

The Avs miss Como and Soda tandem on the PK.

 

[henchman21]

I'm not sure if he is the 2nd most important (I'd go with Makar), but Girard needs more love here. Saddled with a poor partner and carrying him to shutdown top lines and provide enough offense to be effective.

 

[Foppa2118]

Nah, goaltending by far. Makar after that.

If they were still scoring almost 4 goals a game regularly I'd maybe change my mind.

The goaltender is the most important player/position on every team though. Including the Avs.

The Avs can win without MacKinnon in the lineup or not playing well, but they can't with Grubauer/Frank doing the same.

So taking the goaltender out of the equation, I'd say the second most important player to the Avs has to be Makar because he impacts the game in so many ways. Mikko is close because he can dominate games all by himself when healthy too.

 

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

Surprisingly I would say yes

So Jost is both on top of Barberio and under him?

I saw a movie like that once... My boss didn't think it was something that was appropriate during work hours.

On a more serious note. I don't think the answer can be anything other than Makar. He's been a bit lackadaisical in his own end but the amount of offense he's created is too great to ignore.

Rantanen has been a key contributor and should be higher. Outside of the first five or so games he's been coasting off of MacK.

No one else has an argument.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

Obviously Makar.

The Avs cannot replace Mack or Makar, if either one would miss games the team would look much worse. Everyone else can be replaced, at least short term.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

So Jost is both on top of Barberio and under him?

This sounds sexual...

Jost above Barberio, lol I always cringe so hard when barberio plays. He’s like the TJ Tynan of defenders

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

So Jost is both on top of Barberio and under him?

I saw a movie like that once... My boss didn't think it was something that was appropriate during work hours.

On a more serious note. I don't think the answer can be anything other than Makar. He's been a bit lackadaisical in his own end but the amount of offense he's created is too great to ignore.

Rantanen has been a key contributor and should be higher. Outside of the first five or so games he's been coasting off of MacK.

No one else has an argument.

Why does everyone hate Mikko now?