The best defenseman in hockey is due a massive extension soon. Cale Makar is widely known to be the best in the world at his position. In fact, Makar has the hardware to prove it, as he is fresh off winning his second Norris trophy.
While the $9 million dollar cap-hit is hefty now, the next contract is likely to set the new standard. Makar is under contract through the 2026-27 season. That may seem off in the distance to fans, but on the books it means that Cale is eligible for an extension as soon as tomorrow.
To be clear, I expect the club to take their time with what is sure to be a whopper extension. Both the Avalanche will benefit from waiting just a bit to see where the cap stands after next season. Next summer it will be priority number one for Chris MacFarland and the Colorado front office. But it is never too early to begin planning accordingly.
Here at Mile High Sticking, we have already mused about how a defense-heavy draft could signal shakeups at the blueline. The Avalanche used their two highest picks out of three on defense this weekend.
Selecting Francesco Dell'Elce and Linus Funck provides us with a good idea of where management is focused right now. Colorado knows that they want to improve on the blueline for both the short and long-term outlook.
Part of that preparation could still include some key moves as soon as free-agency officially opens tomorrow on July 1st. The trade that sent Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood to Columbus gave the Avalanche some immediate cap relief. What they ultimately choose to do with that space remains a pressing question.
Do the Avalanche want to retain the services of Ryan Lindgren for instance? By all accounts he seems well-liked within the organization. Lindgren does provide some grit and physicality that the team could certainly use more of at present.
If they decide not to go that route there are a handful of free-agents to target based on need.
Are more trades coming?
Trade talk makes me queasy. I hate break-ups of all kinds on principle as a card-carrying softie. But the lessons of last season are impossible to ignore. Sometimes moving on is necessary for all parties. Frankly, the Colorado Avalanche have never been as aggressive with trades as they were this past season.
Making peace with that reality is a major facet of investing emotionally in sports. The Avalanche do not hold a ton of contracts that seem to make great trade candidates. That is to say deals with attractive terms that might result in equitable returns for both trade partners. But two of the notable names who might qualify make up Colorado's second defensive pairing.
Samuel Girard and Josh Manson are both players I have grown to appreciate greatly. Girard seems to be perennially discussed for trade value among Avs' faithful. I've always felt that Colorado sees more in Girard than most other executives, a reality I am fine with. That being said, with constant smoke around a player you can never discount the possibility they will be shipped eventually.
Josh Manson is a guy who has seen his usage dip a bit due to injury and play. Although Manson showed up for the playoffs and made his presence felt. As I mentioned above, the Avalanche need physicality on the backend and Manson knows exactly how to deliver it. By the same logic though, every club in the National Hockey League needs vets for the same reason.
At times last year Manson seemed destined for a third pairing assignment long-term. With him only getting older, it might make sense to get out from under his $4.5 million dollar contract.
With the front office making it clear that defensive improvements are on the agenda for next year that could mean significant movement in that area of the current roster. Sure last season's extenuating circumstances were extreme. But the team drafting a veritable goalie farm last summer was only step one in a major overhaul in net.
Youth is cheap
When you have to plan for a major pay-raise to world class talent like Cale Makar, getting the most out of younger players on cheaper contracts is incredibly crucial. Obviously scouting can only do so much. The Avalanche didn't have a lot of draft capital this season, nor do they possess a wealth of it next year.
Thus choosing to stock up on blueliners now suggests they are doing it knowing that hitting on just one guy among many could make all the difference. This is true for this season and beyond. Today's extension of Sam Malinski is the perfect template for what the club wants to replicate with these newest Avalanche draftees.
The Avalanche prospect pool isn't brimming with guaranteed stars as of yet. But they do have a handful of young defensemen who might be promoted sooner rather than later. They would likely find themselves in a role like Malinski's or Keaton Middelton from this past campaign.
In other words, they would be slotted into the bottom pair or be carried as the seventh D on the roster. It might be a steep climb to get ice-time, but that is the path to the pros in a nutshell.
Aside from Dell'Elce, who may or may not see an opportunity this year, the Avalanche still have some defensive chips. Perhaps some of the more notable, are two intriguing Russians in their club system. Mikhail Gulyayev and Zakhar Bardakov.
Gulyayev might have more name recognition as a higher-end pick, but it was Bardakov who the Avalanche signed to an Entry-Level Contract in April. What this means in essence is that Bardokov is ready to test his game in North America. This would be with the Colorado Eagles in the American Hockey League, but would put Bardokov within real reach of an NHL call-up.
Speaking of Colorado Eagles who might find their way to an Avalanche roster stint this year I would keep an eye on guys like Wyatt Aamodt, Hank Kempf and Sean Behrens.
Aamodt is more of an AHL guy, but he did make two appearances in Colorado at the tail end of the season when the Avalanche were resting bodies for the postseason. It's worth noting that Wyatt scored a goal in the regular season finale. It was obviously his first, but that's something Keaton Middelton did not manage in 41 games, or exactly half a full season.
Hank Kempf was acquired via late-season trade. While I can't say what his chances are to see time with the big club, I will say he looked solid in limited time in Loveland with the Eagles. Like Aamodt with the Avalanche, Kempf only played two games I saw, but he did score a goal in the playoffs in one of his two starts.
Sean Behrens will be returning from a full year missed due to injury. Thus his recovery is a major question mark for him to answer. Still, coming into last season, he was the most interesting defensive prospect the club had. Behrens will return to development camp July 1st-3rd. If Behrens is able to prove himself it could be the feel-good story of the summer for the young Colorado hopefuls.
Frankly, the Avalanche have to be ready to break the bank to pay Cale Makar what he is worth. I don't even want to speculate on a number now, before knowing the projected cap. But I know that the franchise must keep the rest of their defensive unit under cost-effective deals to remain competitive and be ready to lock down their future Hall of Fame star for the prime of his career.