Aarif Deen
Question from Sore Avs Loser
This is from the standpoint of being bitter from a loss to Vegas. If there’s a trade deadline and players can’t move after that, why doesn’t the same go for coaching changes and the front office? It’s really shady that a team can fire its coach with a few games left in the season and bring someone else on from the outside who takes them deep into the playoffs. Then doesn’t even retain the coach once the season is done.
Aarif’s Response.
For starters, I love the name. These types of questions are definitely sour grapes, and I appreciate you digging into that haha.
I don’t think what Vegas did is going to become much of the norm, but even if it does, I don’t think this will ever be an issue. A lot had to go right for them to have the run they had. John Tortorella calmed the team down a bit after they had started to tune out Bruce Cassidy. It was somewhat of a perfect storm for things to all align well enough for them to make it as far as they did.
However, even if it happens again, who cares? I don’t think there’s anything shady about it. If you’re going to have the courage to fire your coach in April while still trying to make the playoffs, that in itself is a gamble. If it pays off, you deserve the reward of a long playoff run and a potential championship.
Question from Just the Fact
Do you think the Avalanche will trade Cale Makar? Paying 18-20 million AAV is too much to pay if the Avalanche want to continue to be a Stanley Cup contender. Building a deep roster is more important than a couple of superstars with no support. What would be fair compensation for Makar? Four number 1 draft picks?
Aarif’s Response
In the words of Mark Rycroft: “Nope. Never. Next.”
But on a real note, we overvalue first-round picks a lot. Most fans do. There aren’t enough first-rounders in the world that I’d accept for Cale Makar. I mean that.
The NHL is changing. Superstar players deserve to and will get paid a lot of money to be the key pieces of their franchises. The rising cap will make it more palatable and easier for teams to manage. It’s just a bit of sticker shock right now. But when you break down the numbers, Makar wouldn’t be hurting the franchise the way you think he would be.
Nathan MacKinnon started making 12.6 million during the 2023-24 season. The salary cap that year was 83.5 million, and MacKinnon’s salary was 15.1% of the cap. If Makar makes $18 million of a $114 million cap ceiling in 2027-28, that’s 15.8%. It’s not that much different. And that’s just for one year.
MacKinnon will be in the fifth year of his contract that season. His $12.6 million is already a bargain and will be even more of one when we get to that point. Makar’s contract will similarly age well with each passing year.
This is the new reality and something we all need to get used to. If you have a superstar player and don’t pay him, someone else will. Then you’ll spend the next half a decade searching for someone to replace that star, and it’s likely you might never find what you’re looking for.
The Avs had one of the deepest lineups I’ve seen in the salary cap era in the playoffs. And they still struggled when Makar missed a few games and played hurt. You can’t replace that. Whether he makes $18 million or $20 million, he’s worth it. It’s the cost of doing business with the best defenseman in the league.