Anytime a rebuild starts to produce results, looking back and trying to figure out what decisions most directly led to the turnaround is something other organizations frequently do when facing the reality of their painful rebuilds.

When looking back at the Chicago model, it was clear drafting Hall of Fame players was at the top of their list. When it comes to repeating what the Avalanche has done to create this Stanley Cup contender, however, two decisions really stand out the most.

And that’s where we land on today’s topic: Using only what we know today if you could go back in time and only make one decision, which would it be: The Matt Duchene Trade or drafting Cale Makar?

AJ: I’ve spent way too much time on this because I have two brains at play here: The logical, asset management brain that says the Duchene trade is just too many assets with too many positive outcomes attached to it. The other is my bottomless supply of belief that Cale Makar is a franchise-changing player who simply cannot be found every year, even in the top five, and that he and Nathan MacKinnon are the perfect duo both on the ice and in the locker room to team up for a potential dynastic run.

Weighing those two, I’m going with Makar. The draft is all about finding a kid like that. The Avs did it in 2013 with MacKinnon and while it took a little time to pay off, look where they are now because of it. Add Makar into the mix as his superstar running mate (and this isn’t to take anything away from the other very good hockey players on the team) and it’s like that scene in the last Avengers movie when all the people emerge at the same time on the battlefield and Captain America finally says “Avengers…assemble!”

Hell yeah.

Evan: I will go with the Duchene trade. Not just for the return, which has been great and with Girard and Byram, will essentially reshape the defense for a decade, but just for the culture of the franchise as well.

By trading Duchene, they got rid of the bad apples who didn’t want to be apart of the organization anymore. Joe Sakic made it clear that he only wants guys on his team who want to be a part of the solution, and Landeskog, Johnson, and MacKinnon have helped drive that point home. You could see the weight lifted off their shoulders after the trade. Cale Makar is a freak of nature, but the Duchene trade set the tone for the culture of the organization moving forward after some really tough times.

Rudo: I’m taking Makar but it was a tough decision. The only immediate return from Duchene was Sam Girard, which would hurt to miss. The Avs very likely miss the 2018 playoffs without the Duchene deal but Cale Makar is already magnitudes more important to the Avalanche machine. After that is where things get murky, the spiraling impacts of Duchene not getting traded would be widespread. Do the Avs end up with a higher draft pick and a chance at a Noah Dobson or Evan Bouchard? Given the Duchene situation in Colorado does he ultimately get moved for some other package later on?

I’ll have to remember these questions if I ever meet Q. Then, of course, there’s also all the other pieces in the Duchene trade including the pick that got the Avs Bowen Byram. That really gave me pause and could be what swings this in the Duchene trade’s favor. While the package is enticing, with what we know today the whole hockey world knows the name Cale Makar as a star in the NHL on what could be a hall of fame path. While expectations are high, Byram, Bowers and the rest of that deal are still unproven.