i think this team needs another 2m to work. mack might make more and ideally have another roster spot

Us avs fans know this, this tight but doable....and there are other min maxing moves...if Justus develops even more in the AHL this year, can swap him for Frankie to save a 1m, etc.

Avs can move Girard it they want, its not the doom and gloom avs have to move him no matter what so teams can get him for a song and dance.

I personally think girard moves before manson. Manson isn't really known for his footspeed or his handle with the puck so i don't see him getting so bad at either one of those in the next two years that we need to move him, but we do need his physicality. players notice when someone 6'3 220 is coming to run you. I don't think it is the worst to move girard for futures and picks, with our cap crunch some elcs that can play would help out the roster till the cap goes up

Manson is already in decline. I think you move him in 2024 when his full NTC expires, and in the meantime you work on trying to find a young-ish RHD who can work his way into the top 6 by then. That's incidentally why I've made some AGM's the last day or so with prospect swaps for RD's like Ian Mitchell, Bode Wilde, Vaakanainen, etc.

Physicality is nice, but the team is built for transition play, with defenseman that can move the puck out of the zone quickly. They are aided by forwards that are willing and able to backcheck and provide support (this is where physicality is better added). Girard is a perfect fit for that system. I wouldn't give him up unless absolutely necessary.

Two years from now Manson will be 32 and Girard 26. That's a pretty big difference. Add that a Manson type is easier to find, and it points to Josh being the one moved (imo).

That said, if Behrens blows up, then maybe Girard becomes more of a luxury. But as of now, I'd keep him over Manson without much question.

I think that one of the big reasons why you see non-Avs fans creating ACGMs trading Girard is the simplistic "Colorado won the Stanley Cup without him, so they don't need him, and my team needs a top-4 defender" justification.

You can never have too many top-4 defensemen.

I watched Mitchell a fair amount in college, and he seems like a tweener to me. Should be a good AHL player but questionable in the NHL. I do like him on a personal level, having played at DU and all, but my expectations aren't super high.

Two years ago I would have said heck yeah to Wilde, but he has seemingly been trending in the wrong direction. Not sure why, but I'm not so sure he's the guy. Elite name, but his discipline on the defensive side would have had to improve a lot. Dude was an adventure that made Barrie look like a stay at home guy, lol. I'd still take a flyer for a low cost though.

Vaakananananenen makes the Duck's roster, no? I would think so but lmk if you think I'm off.

Bode Wilde has only been trending away from the NHL because he declined the jab. That's why he had to play in Sweden for a year. Lou will probably want to see if he can play well again in NA before selling cheap though.

I mean everybody knew this was coming and there is already a model for it in TBL, this is pretty spot on. 5 of the top 6 forward spots are completely set, with Newhook being that 6 guy. The top 5 on d are set. The bottom 6 is going to be $1M contracts. There are outside of injuries obviously 2 situations that would be very difficult to deal with, 1) if the goalies implode, 2) Nichushkin reverts to a 30pt guy with no finishing touch.

But even in the AHL his offense really dried up. I haven't watched him, so maybe he's focusing on his defensive game or something I'm not aware of, but when an offensively gifted player suddenly can't score it's concerning.

I have put a Kaut for Valimaki swap in a few of my ACGMs and haven't gotten a ton of pushback. He's not waivers exempt and makes more money than I'd prefer, but I like the fit. He could be a guy that thrives more in Colorado's system (imo). Pretty low risk too. Can always move him at the tdl or in the offseason if it doesn't work.

Even if the offense dries up Wilde would still be a solid bottom pair RD which is all the Avs would need.

Valimaki probably doesn't have the skating to excel in Colorado's system. Also a bigger caphit than ideal. What makes you think he'd work better in Colorado?

I think his skating is fine. I feel like Calgary has tried to make him into some old school defensive defenseman, when that isn't really playing to his strengths. He has always been categorized as a smart player. I think the way the Avs allow their defenseman to step up more and play to their instincts could give him a boost.

Quite frankly though, it's probably largely that I liked him in the draft, and I just see him as a guy that hasn't fully gotten comfortable with what his team is asking of him. Classic change of scenery type guy. Sometimes those trades work great, and sometimes not. If all it takes is Kaut, and the team has enough cap space to carry him on the roster, then I like the added depth and upside. I don't think Kaut is a guy that finds a spot in Colorado anyway.