Cale Makar's time has arrived

Fresh off the 48-point season the organization will never be able to forget, they watched in horror as their draft lottery luck was about as it bad as it could be, dropping from the well-earned first pick all the way to four. In the 2017 NHL Draft, that tumble seemed significant at the time. The class was considered weaker than others, especially at the top. Colorado’s drop to four could have cost them one of the few elite talents available that year.

When draft day rolled around, the Avalanche dipped their toe into the AJHL with an explosive skating defenseman named Cale Makar. An organization whose toughness was constantly in question went with another “undersized” offensive defenseman. Why wouldn’t this organization ever learn?

Fast forward two years and Makar just finished leading a once-moribund UMass hockey program to a loss in the national championship game. His reward was signing his entry-level contract shortly after the game  had concluded, ending his collegiate career and kickstarting his life as a professional hockey player.

The issue of Makar burning the first year of his contract by signing (that’s standard practice across the league) and being exposed to Seattle in the expansion draft (that’s a bigger concern but two years away) seems to be of little concern to everyone involved.

Coming home from the first two games of their first round playoff series against the Calgary Flames, the Avalanche and Makar are set to have their meet cute in Denver after the Avs managed a series split in western Canada.

The fates have aligned for Makar to make his NHL debut in Pepsi Center, his NHL home for many years to come, against his hometown Flames in game three. While head coach Jared Bednar wouldn’t make a firm commitment to playing Makar right away, he wasn’t shy in expressing his admiration for Makar’s ability.

“I think it definitely is a big step up from the college game, especially when you’re jumping in mid-series in a heated playoff round against such a good opponent like Calgary is,” Bednar said of Makar’s inevitable adjustment to the NHL. “It’s my job to make sure I’m putting him in a position to succeed and I think he’s an elite talent and a real special player. I have hopes that he can come in and help us in this series. If I said there wasn’t any concerns, I’d probably be lying. It’ll be another level he’s never played at before but he does have a lot of international experience. He’s played big games and played a major role in his team going all the way to the national championship game.”

Makar has had a whirlwind week, beating the Denver Pioneers in the national semifinals on Thursday, winning the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s best player on Friday, then losing the national championship game on Saturday. During his postgame presser, Makar kept his jersey on because he said he just wanted to wear it as long as he could. He then signed his first professional contract surrounded by his teammates. With all that happening, there’s a concern about making sure Makar is in the right headspace to make his NHL debut.

“I just want to make sure he’s rested, prepared, focused on what we’re doing here now and then we’ll make a decision on when we get him in the lineup,” Bednar said.

What exactly does Bednar think he’s getting when Makar does enter the lineup and get on the ice?

“I think he’s a dynamic player, an elite skater, physically involved in every game I watched, dynamic in the way that he can help produce offense,” he said. “He’s got a great shot, great blueline movement, he’s active in the offensive zone, calm. Some of the things that made us a good team yesterday in Calgary, I think he just adds to that.”

Where Makar fits into the lineup is still to be determined. The outlook on Sam Girard, who did not finish last night’s game against the Flames after Sam Bennett took a flying leap into Girard late in the game, sounded positive. Bednar said he would be a possibility for game three and while Girard would require additional evaluation this afternoon, Girard was feeling pretty good and all signs seemed to be positive.

Should Girard be healthy enough to play, where Makar would ultimately slot in is a legitimate wonder to the rest of us. Would the Avs go back to play eleven forwards and seven defensemen or would Makar simply replace one of the defenders, most likely Patrik Nemeth?

This, along with Makar’s jersey number, remain the mysteries of the day. Tomorrow morning we’ll look to solve these as well as talk to Makar now that he’s no longer the shiny object of Avalanche affection on the east coast.

Cale Makar is here. Patience has been virtuous and the waiting has been completed. It’s go time.

You’re up first, Flames.