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"No kids, no wife, no consideration": For youthful Avs, opting out was never an option

July 13, 2020

As the Avs return to the ice in full for the first time an exhilarating overtime win over the New York Rangers back in March, it’s easy to forget Cale Makar is the youngest member of the Avs starting lineup.

It didn’t take long for him to remind everyone of his outsized talent as he dazzled on the ice with his trademark explosive skating in 2v2 drills. Following the on-ice session, Makar also showed off the polish and maturity that makes it easy to forget how young he still is.

“I think we’re going to be in the safest scenario possible up in Edmonton,” Makar said. “It’s near my hometown so I have a lot of Alberta connections. I think it will be set up nice (sic) in both cities but we’re pretty easy going here.”

When it comes to quarantine and protocols Makar’s focus is on doing what it takes to succeed on the ice.

“I think for us it’s just being smart whether it’s ordering food in or taking the extra steps to be super cautious now because obviously we want to put ourselves in the right position for success moving into Edmonton.”

The oddity of playing playoff hockey in August is one where everyone is making adjustments but Makar is drawing on his not so distant youth experience to prepare.

“For me, it just kind of compares to looking back when I was a kid for spring hockey and playing those few months in the summer,” he said. “Obviously not as a super intensive playoff mode phase but more just a lot of tournaments and you’re still being competitive…[and] taking that same mindset into these playoffs.”

Teams around the league have seen a handful of players utilize the penalty-free opt-out as they weigh the risks of returning to play. The Avs however, have their full roster available to them (sans an injured Colin Wilson) and their young burgeoning stars indicated their return was never a doubt.

“No kids, no wife, no consideration,” Mikko Rantanen said. “I was ready to play all the time.”

Makar was a bit more tactful when addressing the potential opt-out process.

“I don’t think those guys should have anything put on their shoulders,” he said. “Everybody has the option [to opt-out] and I think for me being a young guy it never even really occurred to me to opt-out of this and for me, I’m just gonna go with the ride and hopefully make it all the way.”

Even as he’s certain to be named a Calder Trophy finalist this week, Makar’s focus remains on himself and finding ways to get better every day to help the team achieve its lofty goals.

“You take it day by day,” Makar said. “For me, it’s the process of getting one step better every day, improving one aspect of the game and I think for us as a young team it’s important for us to mesh now. It’s awesome that we’re so young, we get along so well and everybody has the same interests so it definitely benefits us in that respect.”

News and Notes

Colin Wilson remains “not fit to play” and with the NHLPA’s policy of the league handling injury announcements from here on out it is unlikely much more information than that will be readily available. Sources tell DNVR he’s healthy but not NHL hockey healthy, especially after missing so much of the season.
Valeri Nichushkin was practicing on the second line alongside Kadri and Burakovsky and seems to potentially have the inside line on the spot as Coach Bednar assesses his forward options beyond the three-headed monster at the top.
Bednar was very positive about day one of the training camp, praising the team for their hard work and pace but wouldn’t reveal any final lineup decisions this early on. One position that is still to be determined is in net where the starting goaltender job is in play.
Full lines from day one:
Group 1:
Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen
Nichushkin-Kadri-Burakovsky
Jost-Kamenev-Tynan
D pairings were more fluid but most frequently they were:
Girard-Johnson
Graves-Makar
MacDonald-TimminsGroup 2:
Namestnikov-Compher-Donskoi
Calvert-Bellemare-Nieto
Dries-Bowers-O’Connor
D pairings were more fluid but most frequently were:
Zadorov-Cole
Barberio-Connauton
Lindholm-Byram