The NHL offseason has been full of controversial moves and organizational realignment, and the Colorado Avalanche have definitely been in on the action. The work isn\u2019t done as Joe Sakic now has the Cale Makar contract to settle.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m here to tell you that Cale Makar is well worth $20M (AAV) right now, and has all the leverage to stand on business.<\/p>\n
The thing is, fans and management already seem sold on Makar taking a discount despite him absolutely having no reason to do so, setting up a toxic situation if Makar so happens to maximize his value.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s just like another Stanley Cup Champion that now plays for Dallas. In the famous words of Cher and Peter Cetera, here we are again.<\/p>\n
\u201cCale loves it here. He wants to be a part of this for a long time. We expect him to be reasonable and take a deal that helps the team.\u201d \u2014 Joe Sakic via Corey Masisak of the Denver Post<\/a><\/p>\n So I ask my fellow fans, why do we afford organizations the \u201cit\u2019s just business\u201d nomenclature and excuse but not players?<\/p>\n Moreover, why do we ridicule players for holding out for their market value, or crush them when they don\u2019t live up to the number they end up with?<\/p>\n If Cale Makar says he wants $20M AAV, you give it to him, and funny enough, the reason he\u2019s allowed to ask for that, and the reason an organization should give it, are the same.<\/p>\n He\u2019s a generational talent the likes of which come along maybe once in a few decades.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a word for that, and it\u2019s invaluable.<\/p>\n If Cale Makar somehow turns into a shell of himself for the rest of his career and doesn\u2019t live up to the next AAV, he will get raked over the coals despite already being successful and decorated enough to warrant such a wage.<\/p>\n All because somehow the public gets more upset when players pinch pennies than when organizations do. I assume it\u2019s because moves by management are (for whatever reason) always viewed as an attempt toward team success and holdouts are very much viewed as individual-based pursuits.<\/p>\n I\u2019m here to tell you that not all moves made by organizations are for the betterment of the team or to get closer to winning, but often are required as a result of budget balancing and job security.<\/p>\n Players have budgets, and big-picture family pursuits of their own, so why don\u2019t we validate that?<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the greedy player era now. They see the cap going up and they\u2019re pushing for every dollar, every bonus, every year. It used to be about loyalty \u2014 now it\u2019s just maximize the contract at all costs.\u201d \u2014 Anonymous NHL Executive via Greg Wyshynski of ESPN<\/a><\/p>\n Franchises that are owned by literal multi-millionaires somehow get more favor on the greed meter than individual players looking to get while the getting his good.<\/p>\n Fan favorite, Stanley Cup Champion, and likely Colorado\u2019s best defensive forward (Val Nichushkin) gets moved for bottom-six talent, and most readily accept that as a part of the business of reforming a roster. I\u2019d imagine Val\u2019s camp was pretty disappointed in the decision.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t win the Cup in 2022 without him. He was a big part of that team… It was a tough decision, but we felt it was necessary to create some cap space and continue to build our team for the future.\u201d \u2014 Joe Sakic via Denver Sports\u2019 Will Petersen<\/a><\/p>\n Alex Tuch leaves Buffalo for an 8 x $10.5M in an era of extreme inflation, and people lose their minds claiming he turned his back on the Sabers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was one of the toughest decisions of my life… I sat there for a second because it was definitely one of the toughest moments of my life.\u201d \u2014 Alex Tuch via Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat<\/a><\/p>\n Bowen Byram caught similar sentiments and was basically dragged for not being worth the money despite being a 25-year-old, Stanley Cup Champion that now holds the record for most goals from a defender (during the playoffs) in Buffalo and helped get them back to the postseason for the first time in 15 years.<\/p>\n Leo Carlsson gets an offer sheet from Daniel Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers, and fans turn what should be good news (The Ducks matching) into expectation almost immediately.<\/p>\n I get it, money creates expectation, but Carlsson is another one of those talents you can\u2019t just let leave because you are too cheap to pony up.<\/p>\n