Denver Post sports writer Mike Chambers responds to questions in the Avs Mailbag periodically during the regular season. Pose an Avalanche- or NHL-related question for the Avs Mailbag.
Mike, how much of an impact will Alex Newhook make in the playoffs? Is he this year’s Cale Makar for the Avs?
— Ronnie, Aurora
There’s only one Cale Makar, Ronnie. Newhook is a fine young forward but he might not play regularly in the playoffs with Brandon Saad due back from injury. It’s probably not his time. Although Newhook is gaining valuable experience right now, he’s not fit for a fourth-line role and that’s where he would fall with Saad back in action. But having Newhook available gives the Avs a great option if someone goes down in the top-six, or even top-nine.
I’ve been reading articles about who will win the various season awards in the NHL and I have a question about the Norris Trophy candidates. The articles I’ve read talk almost exclusively about the offensive stats, but shouldn’t the Norris Trophy that is given to the best defenseman be focused more on the defensive side of the game rather than the offensive side? Are there other stats besides the point totals that would indicate who the best defensive defenseman in the NHL is?
— Jeff, Boise
The Norris is supposed to go with the best all-around defenseman, the guy who does everything at an elite level. Seems like folks focus on the offensive stats because that’s what separates them. I get a vote for the Norris this season as a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and my top five won’t include Edmonton’s Tyson Barrie — who leads all D-men in points — because he’s not a great defender and isn’t regularly on the penalty kill. The Norris should go to a guy who logs at least 24 minutes per game in all situations and contributes nicely to team scoring, probably in the top five.
What happened to Jacob MacDonald? He was great when he played for us this year and was a +15 in 29 games. Since he’s left the lineup, we’ve lost all 3 games. Conor Timmins is ok and may be younger, but he is prone to turnovers and passes the puck too often instead of confidently moving it forward. MacDonald was a great spark plug on offense and rarely got beaten or made bad turnovers on D. I’ve tried to look up any news on him and there is nothing. Also, any updates on Calvert? I appreciate it.
— Todd, Littleton
MacDonald was injured during the Avs’ latest COVID shutdown. We don’t know what happened but he missed seven games before returning May 5 at San Jose. He played in four consecutive games before being scratched to make room for Sam Girard’s return Wednesday. As for Timmins, he’s a right-shot and MacDonald is a lefty. Timmins and Makar are the Avs’ top righties and that plays into it. The club likes to pair Timmins with Patrik Nemeth, a lefty, instead of having MacDonald play on the right side.
Looking back on the Duchene trade: Do you think the Avs would take Matt Duchene back for Samuel Girard, straight up? Thanks!
— Craig, Nashville, TN
No. Not a chance. The Avs won that trade in so many ways and Girard is a huge part of it.
What cap hit will Makar have and Philipp Grubauer? And when do you think the Avalanche will build a new practice facility? They really need one.
— Joe, Hammonton, NJ
Makar could be signed to a bridge deal, big money and short term with restricted free agency at the end of it, or a massive deal over as many as eight years after which he’ll be unrestricted. I think Grubauer will be offered something around five years at a $5.5 million cap hit. Clearly, the Avs have to find the money for not just those two guys, but Gabe Landeskog as well. They’ll lose a $3-million-plus player to the expansion draft (J.T. Compher or Ryan Graves probably) but still have to tighten their belts to pay Makar and keep Grubauer and Landeskog. As for the practice facility, they’ve been talking about a new one for at least 10 years. It should go on the Ball Arena grounds near Elitch Gardens, which the club now owns, but somehow that plan continues to stall.
Is there an easy explanation as to how the VGK had salary cap/injury issues that led to only 15 players being available? Has this happened for more than the most important game of the season and has it happened to other teams?
— Donald Skinner, Lakewood
It happened to the Avs earlier in the year. I don’t know the exact nature of Vegas’ problem but it probably stems from some injuries that weren’t significant enough to place them on injured reserve so their cap hit counted and they didn’t have space to add guys from the taxi squad.