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’t done as Joe Sakic now has the Cale Makar contract to settle.
I’m here to tell you that Cale Makar is well worth $20M (AAV) right now, and has all the leverage to stand on business.
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.
It’s just like another Stanley Cup Champion that now plays for Dallas. In the famous words of Cher and Peter Cetera, here we are again.
“Cale 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.” — Joe Sakic via Corey Masisak of the Denver Post
So I ask my fellow fans, why do we afford organizations the “it’s just business” nomenclature and excuse but not players?
Moreover, why do we ridicule players for holding out for their market value, or crush them when they don’t live up to the number they end up with?
If Cale Makar says he wants $20M AAV, you give it to him, and funny enough, the reason he’s allowed to ask for that, and the reason an organization should give it, are the same.
He’s a generational talent the likes of which come along maybe once in a few decades.
There’s a word for that, and it’s invaluable.
If Cale Makar somehow turns into a shell of himself for the rest of his career and doesn’t 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.
All because somehow the public gets more upset when players pinch pennies than when organizations do. I assume it’s 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.
I’m 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.
Players have budgets, and big-picture family pursuits of their own, so why don’t we validate that?
“This is the greedy player era now. They see the cap going up and they’re pushing for every dollar, every bonus, every year. It used to be about loyalty — now it’s just maximize the contract at all costs.” — Anonymous NHL Executive via Greg Wyshynski of ESPN
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.
Take a Look
Fan favorite, Stanley Cup Champion, and likely Colorado’s 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’d imagine Val’s camp was pretty disappointed in the decision.
“We don’t 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.” — Joe Sakic via Denver Sports’ Will Petersen
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.
“It 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.” — Alex Tuch via Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat
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.
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.
I get it, money creates expectation, but Carlsson is another one of those talents you can’t just let leave because you are too cheap to pony up.
“It was always our intention to match any offer sheet… We’re happy to have Leo back. He’s a big part of our future.” — Pat Verbeek via NHL.com
What Gives?
So I ask, when did we learn to accept this contradiction? Players have every right to treat their talents and ask for measures of business, just like when organizations trade guys mid-wedding rehearsal, after they just bought a house, had a baby, etc.
It’s reasoning that should be applied to both parties or not at all. Moreover, a CBA exists specifically to give both organizations and players agreed-upon rights, so it’s all truly fair game.
Yeah, including those NMCs that everyone is up in arms about.
If you want Cale Makar to retire in Colorado, you have to pay for it. If you somehow think bona fide generational talent is where you find your savings, I think you are setting yourself up for failure.
I call back to this tweet from AJ Hafele of DNVR:
When you flip legitimate NHL talent for a bunch of maybe players, you are getting further from a championship roster. That’s a fact, and clearly AJ (OG MHHer) gets it.
Money talks and BS walks.
If you want Cale Makar to take a discount, you want him signed yesterday because every day that goes by, he gets more expensive. Just like Mikko Rantanen did, just like Martin Necas did, etc. So I say pay the man and deal with the rest of balancing the books afterward.
It’s just business.
Let us know what you think of the contradiction in the comments!
