Quoting: swissmontana
This is true, but:
2 of these are goalies, and the Avs have deprioritized that position under Sakic
Burky was streaky, slid all the way down the lineup to a scratch during the cup run.
Naz is the only one that was actually tough i think. we're still dealing with the consequences of Nuke > Naz, and im not sure we'll know how that worked out for a few years.
Toews is closer to Naz than he is to the others, or really any other UFA we've let walk. He's not only an elite defenseman, he's elite WITH your transcendent star in makar. Chemistry like theirs is tough to come by. AND, toews is top 5 in EV points alongside makar. He's a star in his own right. he'll be expensive, but this one will hurt more than any other UFA walking we've had thus far.
They tried to keep both Gru and Kuemps, they just weren't going to pay what they were asking. They prioritized Nuke over Naz because of their age and it was the right call. Related, I think that's why they will choose Byram over Toews in the long-term: age. It has been proven time and again that signing players who are around 30 to long-term deals is a really bad idea. Some will argue that Toews - who will be halfway to 31 when his new deal kicks in - will "age well" or whatever but that's speculative, not a matter of fact. Others will say it doesn't matter, that the window is only open for another few years anyhow so by the time he really starts declining, the window will be closed so, why not just re-sign him?
Here's my argument:
Makar is a player that can make almost any partner look elite; he's definitely one of those guys that makes those playing with him better and by a lot. What this means is that Toews, while very good on his own, isn't necessary to have just to play with Cale; they don't need to pay anyone $50+M just so Cale can have a partner since he can do just as well with someone that costs half as much plus he and Byram are elite level players so putting them on the PP together will work well. If they re-sign Toews, that will cost them depth up front, which they badly need, and perhaps Byram. They can keep the window open longer and actually have a better shot at winning more Cups without Toews than they can with him. He's a very good player but, IMO, he isn't a linchpin.
It's never fun or desirable to lose a good player but there are only so many dollars to go around and it's been the case that even a great core like the Avs' needs a good supporting cast. Right now, they're very thin on support because they're over-invested invested in their core; they've got to find a way to re-balance the team so that they can be contenders again for the remainder of the window.