Claiming MacDermid can play LW and D is a bit of a stretch.

A legit reason to keep sending MacDermid to the Ducks in these agms lol

He can tho, he did it in Colorado ok last year

to me moving macdermid doesn't make much sense. He plays both positions, given he isn't very good at either, but it doesn't hurt us when we have cap issues and need a warm body to fill the roster. He probily had a career high in minutes last season and we won the div so i think it makes sense to keep him, even just for the intimidation factor

He’s awful at hockey. He’s just a big dude who can skate that likes to punch people.

I mean... he can do it... I didn't say he was good lol. My point was more about them having the option to protect some of their younger players if they need to plug him in the lineup here and there. He's a cheap player who will be happy to play 20 games a season wherever needed.

It's the only team that makes any sense for him...

They have added enough sandpaper that intimidation is not an issue. In the case of injuries, from a cap perspective, it is way more prudent to have cheaper players who are waivers exempt to go back and forth from the Eagles to the Avs than to have some guy making close to $1M sitting in the pressbox in case a player gets hurt.

This way, the Avs can carry an extra F who can actually contribute something when he plays, and an extra D who is Jack Johnson I guess... and fill in the rest with the likes of Brad Hunt, JL Foudy, etc.

Claiming MacDermid can play hockey at all is a stretch

He wouldn’t even be on the ice when the stars were so he can’t protect them. Having a 4th line plug as protection is the most overrated thought in hockey. It doesn’t work because the plug is never on the ice.

Also when the ducks had Deslauriers, he was on the ice when PK Subban slewfooted Zegras causing his suspension. Deslauriers didn’t do a thing.

I disagree with your description. All three of the LHD can move to the right side without much issue. Girard had his best year playing mostly on his off side. Those three, along with Makar, make up the top four and are a key cog for this team.

It's much easier to find wingers than top 4 dmen with a good transition game. I don't think there is any desire to move any of those guys.

Everytime I hear about Devon Toews, or I see something about him on CapFriendly, I ask myself how the heck Lou Lams is still around the league.
He is so out of touch with the league today, that he's more useful to NYI in retirement...
That being said, whats your longterm plan here?
I know this sounds crazy, but I think Toews should be moved at the TDL for some serious draft capital. Byram and Girard are really good on the L side, all Col need is a shutdown, big body LD now. Move Toews and find that Dman.
Toews can ask for 7m+ next season.

I don't think Girard/Byram can play right side in the playoffs. THey'll get crushed, and they both have serious injury past.

I'm not sure PK Subban sloughfooting a player is an appropriate example, considering PK did that to everyone all the time without any fear of a tough guy coming after him.

Once again, MacDermid is simply there to cover for an injury. If the Ducks happen to play a team like the Coyotes, who have a history of targeting players. He's just under $1M for one year... He costs nothing, and he can provide some service to a team like Anaheim. Nobody is insisting that he plays a regular shift every night... but for a team that has the cap space and the desire to stop getting pushed around all the time, he makes total sense for one year at his cap hit.

I'm not really talking about how easy it is to find wingers... I'm talking about how easy it is to fit them under the cap with that many D making as much as they do. Absolutely my preference would be to keep all the defense they have and still add another impact forward. The reality is that the salary cap doesn't really allow it, so tough decisions sometimes have to be made.

For the record, I really like Sam Girard. I think the criticism he gets from the fans is ridiculous... He's a top 2 LD on most NHL teams. I just think two things. 1) Defensemen playing their weak side is suboptimal... It's doable, but it's not as easy a transition as it is for wingers. 2) Sam is clearly the 3rd best of him, Byram, and Toews... So, provided the Avs are confident in a Toews extension, he becomes the odd man out.

This is a good point... I don't necessarily concern myself with injury history too much, because a lot of times injuries are freak things or whatever... but one thing that does happen when you play your weak side, is it makes every play along the boards an awkward play. Some players like TJ Brodie and MacKenzie Weegar are really good at making these plays, but for the most part it results in like an extra half second or so to move the puck... Which is often the difference between getting hit or not getting hit. Over the course of the year, and into the playoffs that takes its toll on the body.

One of the things Girard is really good at is making quick plays to avoid contact... which is crucial at his size... Forcing him to his weak side for extended periods is not ideal for that reason.

I don't share those concerns. As I stated, Girard had his best season by far playing on his backhand, and I'm not concerned about playoffs vs regular season as it relates to that.

You could also just....... Send him to the eagles and have zero cap implication.

Ok, but to be fair, Girard got knocked out of the playoffs last year on a hit behind his net. That's an example I mean. Like @RFS_90 said, when Ds play on the offside, their head is down longer, they lean into their stick, they're
much more susceptible to those big VGK & StLou forwards

To be fair, Barbashev broke Tkachuk's sternum this year. So make that 2 sternums in 2 summers for Barby. Girard has been pretty durable other than that and has been much better against bigger competition than his reputation. That series against Vegas when he was 22 killed his rep. But he was one of our better D in the playoffs this year and last year prior to the broken sternum.

Ironically, Girard was on his off side at the time and was in position to move the puck on his forehand when going behind the net. He would be on his backhand if retrieving the puck by the hashmarks, but that's not where most guys get plastered against the boards and not where he sustained his injury.

So again, I disagree, but I do have to admit this is a fun debate.

He cost a contract and a roster spot and he’s awful at hockey. No thanks. Plus the ducks tough guys last season were Carrick and Beaulieu and there weren’t any situations that the team wished they could throw a pure goon on the ice.

Gudas is the kind of “tough guy” teams should want. He can do the physical stuff but he’s also actually pretty good.