Scott MacDonald
I met him after practice in the hallway outside of the Colorado Eagles locker room at Budweiser Events Center. It was December 2019, roughly a year-and-a-half since the Avalanche had selected him in the first round of the 2018 draft.
At the time, Martin Kaut had just returned from a concussion, which had sidelined him for roughly six weeks, when we spoke. I asked the Eagles forward how he’d felt his development had gone as he entered the second half of his sophomore season in the pro ranks.
“It’s frustration,” Kaut said honestly.
He said he felt like he was playing the right way, but was frustrated that the points weren’t coming. His status as the 16th-overall pick of the Avs led to his feelings of first-round pressure, and perhaps he felt like he needed to be—or should’ve already been—a prolific scorer in the league.
“If you were drafted in the first round and you didn’t have points, (you did something) wrong,” he added.
Indeed, Kaut was dealing with the mental pressures of meeting the expectations of being a first-round pick. For Kaut, the metrics he was judging himself by were the tangible ones on the stat sheet. Production, however, isn’t always seen on the stat sheet, and this is something Kaut is beginning to embrace.
Now rounding out his third year in the AHL, Martin Kaut has slowly developed into a different kind of player, and he’s starting to forge an identity for himself.
He says he’s had conversations about it with the Avalanche and Eagles coaching staff and front office, and his role in the organization is clear.
“If I want to play in the NHL, I need to play like third- or fourth-line guys. Because if you look at the Avs and their first two lines, I don’t have a chance to play on the first two lines,” Kaut continued.
Now, as he rounds out his third year in the North American pro game, the 21-year-old Avs prospect has shown steady, consistent growth from year to year. Watch him play this season and you can see Kaut’s confidence has clearly grown, and he’s embraced his role as that physical “third- or fourth-line guy” that the Avs need him to be.
“It’s simple. When he plays with pace and he’s physical—and I don’t mean running into people or blowing up checks—but he has a physical presence, he’s driving to the net, he’s cutting back on the cycles and driving to the inside ice, he’s driving to the net without the puck,” Eagles head coach Greg Cronin told Colorado Hockey Now recently.
“When he does those things, he’s a threat. When he doesn’t do those things, he’s not a threat.”
Perhaps the biggest knock against Kaut over the years is his inconsistency issues. And to be fair, at times, he’s been dealt a bad hand. Between a concussion, other injuries, COVID-shortened seasons, and adjusting to the North American game, it’s been understandably tough for Kaut to find footing.
But he’s starting to find it now, and Cronin says consistency is where Kaut has shown some improvement.
“He’s reliable defensively; he’s a good penalty killer and he has become more consistent over the last three years with that physicality,” Cronin added. “With that physical presence, he has a chance to be an NHL hockey player.”
Back in December of 2019, Martin Kaut was struggling to put up points. He was frustrated by this, perhaps trying to fill a role that maybe just wasn’t meant for him. This year, however, he appears to have fully embraced that third- or fourth-line role that the Avs want him to fill, playing a reliable defensive game, forechecking, finishing checks, pulling some PK minutes and doing all of the other things that a strong, two-way NHL power forward is apt to do.
His efforts are finally being rewarded on the stat sheet, too. Despite missing the first month of the AHL season due to an upper-body injury, Kaut still sits third on the team in points and fourth in goals.
“His biggest offensive weapon is his shot. So when he’s shooting the puck and he’s able to use that physicality to get to the inside ice, his shot is more of a threat,” Cronin said.
Kaut has carved out a niche for himself. Back in December of 2019, he was a frustrated first-rounder, who was perhaps disappointed in himself for not putting up bigger numbers. At the time, he thought that was his job.
Now, nearly a year-and-a-half later, the confidence in himself, the consistency in his game and the maturity he now possesses has noticeably grown from year to year. It’s all starting to come together now.
The timing worked out perfectly, too. With a couple of roster spots projected to open up on the big club’s bottom-six next season, the Avalanche will need a solid third- or fourth-line guy. Martin Kaut just might be the man for the job.