canuckleheads fan

I checked at least once a week over the summer, but aside from the signings there was practically no news, it's why Canucks Talk takes a summer break and why IMac went to Scottland over the summer. The offseason is not the time to measure engagement!

I used to work in radio, the statistic of talk radio listeners who actually call-in is less than two percent. I'm assuming discussion boards are similar, I know I read the boards often but only post sporadically when something requires my toxic brand of sarcasm. Engagement numbers only catch the hard core folks, not the lurkers of which there are probably three to four times more than the actively engaged.

This crazy, I've been here for eight years, and even though I'm not as active as some, I do look in daily during the season and around the draft, free agency, and training camp. I've been a Canucks fan since their inception. I have a fond memory as a five year old of meeting Orland Kurtenbach at hockey school. That turned me from a Habs fan to a Canucks fan. I live outside the market, so can't listen to Vancouver radio and I don't read the Province and Sun online. This board keeps me up to date on what's being discussed in local media. It appears that Canucks marketing is trying to squelch negative stories and posts about ownership and managemant common to this board. I pay an extra $100 per year to watch the Canucks games on TV here. Marketing is pushing me into being a Kraken fan (I live in the Seattle media market), where I can watch all the games as part of my cable package. This decision is very disappointing. Shame on you Canucks management!

I take Petey; he will be great for a more extended period. Hughes' number one skill is his speed, which is elite, but he's a knee injury, and/or age away from losing his top skill. Petey's number one skill is his crazy high hockey IQ, along with unbelievable hand-eye coordination. Those are two skills that only get sharper with time.

I'm sad to say, but if the Canucks miss the playoffs, they might as well tear it all down, I doubt Petey signs here, and instead pulls a Tkachuk, forcing a trade to Seattle, Vegas, or one of the Florida teams (tax reasons). I'm already seeing sports commentators in Vegas drooling at the thought of grabbing him for picks, as they can make the cap space to fit him in as their 2C. Petey isn't signing now because he wants to see progress, and unfortunately in our current cap hell there is no room for that except around the edges. Tear it down, and build a great young core through the draft, that's the only way a high tax locale team can win a cup, do what Colorado did.

Gawd I hope he doesn't Tkachuk us, force a trade to a low tax venue like Vegas, TB, Florida, or Seattle. Seattle is a team on the rise, already a playoff team and in a couple of years a cup contender, and worse they could afford to pay him what he's worth. Until the salary cap takes local tax rates and cost of living into account, teams in Canada will never be that competitive. Three of the last five cup winners originate from states with no income tax, meaning top players will sign for less, because they will make just as much long-term and play on a more competitive team.

As they've aged, Ferraro reminds me of the actor Jackie Earle Hayley, Rorschach from Watchmen.

Game announcers don't break "news" that's not their job. They get the game notes from the team, and go from there. The only news they might break is that a player's lower body injury is really a high ankle sprain. It's the beat reporters jobs to break the news.

I can't believe mgmt couldn't move Miller. I know their goal is to make the playoffs this year, but he is beyond our window in two years and at that time his cost will far outweigh his benefit. I understand holding onto Boesser to see what he can do with a healthy, focused summer of work, but Garland also needs to go. With Garland and Miller gone, they would have lots of room under the cap. They're talking about locking down Petey long-term but with WHAT MONEY?

I agree with this, Silovs has nothing left to prove in Abby, and being sent back, especially if he has a great Worlds, will feel like a demotion. I could see a Demko-Silovs tandem with a 60/40 split. If will keep Demko fresh and sharp knowing that the kid is nipping at his heels. It used to be that teams would send all but their early first round picks to the A for seasoning, but with superstars demanding a larger portion of the cap, teams are finding value in playing young players sooner, which hurts the quality of competition in the A.

Hogs looks great through two games, he's playing for a contract or a fresh start elsewhere.

Players don't tank; the good ones play hard because they love the competition, they love their teammates, and more stats mean a better contract. The other guys play hard to stay in the league. This team was never a bottom-feeder talent-wise; any team that can throw Petey, Miller, Hughes, Kuz, and a healthy dialed-in Demko , on the ice night after night will win some games. The key was finding a structure to make our bottom six and second and third pairings look like they belonged in this league. They have that now and are firing on all cylinders on most nights, not just beating the crap teams but also playoff bound teams fighting for home ice, etc. I was beyond skeptical about the Tocchet hiring and angry at how they handled Bruce. Still, Tocchet and his guys have done a fantastic job, turning Juulsen, Wolanin, Breezer, and Burroughs into quality-looking NHL DMen. Bear and Myers have both looked much better since the coaching change. I think the team may get some offers for Myers this off-season. We're not to get the game-changing pick a lot of people wanted. Instead, management traded for Hronek, who is better than most players we could have taken in this draft, and we don't have to wait three or four seasons for him to hit his stride, he's already there. He solves a severe hole in the defense that would probably have been a top draft priority. Hopefully management can find a few gems in this draft, get good returns for Brock and Myers, clearing some cap space and opening spots for a healthy Mikheyev, some of the guys impressing in Abby, or the signing of a UFA or two. If this team starts next year like they're playing now, this is a playoff team as currently constructed with a couple of minor tweaks.

They certainly turned an AHL defense into an NHL defense. I'm sad that Juulsen is done for the year and Breezer and Wolanin are hurt, I was enjoying watching them play most of all, they all deserve a good long look next year. I hope management thinks Juulsen has earned a new deal like Wolanin and Breezer did.

As Cheech said, if you lead by that many hits, it means you don't have the puck very much.

I used to think people were too hard on OEL, but results don't lie, with four career AHL D-men, this team is 1000% better than it was when the D was healthy. I love what the farmers are bringing every night. I think some of them, Burroughs in particular with his willingness to stand up for teammates, are winning jobs or at least long looks in camp. I've been far more impressed with Juulsen in this stint than his previous cup of coffee, he's an excellent skater, ties his man up in front of the net exceptionally well, and seems to be in the right position all the time. He is looking more and more like the first rounder Montreal drafted before his injury problems. I also think that Wolanin is settling in, because his offensive game is showing up more consistently, and Breezer too has been a revelation. I think you add Hronek, and maybe Bear to those four, and you have a decent top 7 defensive corps next season.

I like this lineup, I'd love to see what Pods and Kravtsov could do with an NHL caliber center. They've had bursts of quality play with Dries as their center, but it always seems like Pods is driving the play. It would be good to have the center drive the play, with Pods and Kravtsov banging the boards and acting as net front presence for deflections and rebounds. Every so often I see Petey take a twirl with them, but I think you have to play some with Petey to really understand what he's doing, that's why I appreciate that Tocchet has left Kuzmenko with him this whole time. Petey and Kuz have two of the highest hockey IQs on the team, for Petey, in the league.

I keep saying this same thing in one form or another, I trust Ian Clark. He is probably the best goalie coach in the NHL and he's a big believer in Silovs. I see some greatness in the kid, he's quick and rangy, and he never gives up on the play. He's more athletic than Demko, but Demko has superior positioning and rebound control, and uses his size to better effect. I think Silovs is a future superstar. His play in Abby has been stellar, as has been his play with the big club .

I don't know why ANYBODY thought the players would be in on the tank. The players and coaches aren't tanking; they play their best every game, it's called being a professional. This is not a bad team; it has three great pieces, budding superstars in Petey and QH, who are about to dominate this league and now a top tier goalie. Kuz is a stud, and the trade moves have brought in some decent secondary scoring, and as much as I hate to say it, Tocchet seems to have them playing a more structured defensive game making our defense made up of a superstar, an NHL DMan and four AHLers look quite good. This isn't a fluke, the game against Boston proved that. This team will play like this down the stretch and even better next year, even if we don't get that franchise 2C in the draft, we will get some pieces.

Petey is fun to watch, whether on or off the ice. I loved the 32 Thoughts interview from the ASG. He was thoughtful and careful with his words, exactly what will make him another great Swedish captain of this franchise. On the ice, I've had to stop drinking beverages during game action, because Petey does something almost every game that would make me spit my drink all over the TV. His hand-eye coordination and foot-stick coordination are off-the-charts amazing. His hockey IQ is among the best in the league, and his vision and ability to make impossible plays at full speed are incredible. That goal he scored on Toronto, a deke at full speed to go five-hole within five feet of the goal, simply amazing. Plus, he's a likable kid who does not seem to have an ego problem. He's still friends and plays online with his buddies back in Sweden. Petey is the best thing Benning did for this franchise, QH was number two.

It's as simple as this; management has said our window is based on Petey and QH, 24 and 23, respectively. IF we draft a bunch of 18-year-olds, unless they're Petey special, they won't be ready for at least two years, maybe three. By then, Petey is 27 and ready to bolt for a team where he can make a run, and QH is 26, looking to bolt to NJ to play with his brothers. Management wants to keep our key pieces, Petey and QH, happy; bottoming out for high draft picks is not the way to do that. I'm sure they wouldn't be happy if PA and JR shipped out every quality NHLer in the organization in exchange for picks this coming summer. Hronek is the right age to be hitting his peak, just as Petey and Quinn are hitting theirs. The NYI pick wasn't necessarily ours this year. What if they got into the lottery this year and moved up to the point where they retained the pick, then have a healthy year next season, make the playoffs, and go on a run? The Canucks would have been stuck with a late first-round pick in a less stellar draft class. OR they could trade for a quality RH puck-moving defenseman who can run PP2 and is still on the uphill side of his improvement window, just like QH and Petey. The players they brought in, Beauvillier (25), Kravtsov (23), Raty (20), all fit that same window along with players they had in Pods, Hogs (who is tearing it up in Abby right now). The team still has draft picks to try to fill that 2C position if Raty tops out at 3C. Plus, management might still move one or more of Brock, JT, the Angry Elf, and Myers out at the draft. I expect they'll find a trading partner for Brock at a return they like, maybe another early 20s player who needs a change of scenery and a low first or high second-rounder. The fact is that quality RHDs on the rise are hard to find and very expensive to sign, so the fact that they have a budding star at a good price point is worth what they paid.

Drance, like most in digital media, has only one job; writing clickbait takes to get as many clicks, shares, quotes, and replies as possible. If every one of us goes on their site and flames Drance, I'm sure he's thrilled because his bosses know he's not just getting clicks; he's getting reactions too. Then the Athletic turns around and sells click numbers to advertisers; it's the internet media's version of ratings. People who read him and hate share, hate quote, or hate reply to his tweets and his posts are doing him a HUGE favor. If you want to hurt him, ignore him until he writes a reasonable take.

My Dad turns 86 in a week or so, and I'm nearly 60. I'd love for the team to win a cup before he's done with this life. For years conversation with my dad was hard; we had a very rocky relationship when I was growing up, he tried to make amends when I was in college, but by then, my heart had hardened. I wonder if I had caller ID back then if I'd have even answered his calls. He'd call me every couple of weeks, and we didn't have much to talk about except the Canucks. Now that he's in assisted living and in failing health, I realized that it was the Canucks that saved our relationship, and god, I hope we can celebrate a cup before he goes.

I wasn't aware this was a democracy, I thought the hockey people, hired by the owner, did the hockey people things, and the fans cheered. Ever since the EA Sports NHL video game so many fans think they're general managers. I don't recall the fans telling Pat Quinn or Brian Burke how to run the team or what trades to make, and I don't understand why fans think they have any say now. Am I disappointed that management didn't move Miller, Boeser and/or Garland? Sure, but maybe the deals weren't there, either their potential trade partner wanted the team to retain too much, or the offer was too low, or whatever. If a team wanted to take Brock off our hands but was offering a low ball number, like a 3rd and a 4th, do you take that? Of course not! I'm not yet a fan of this management team, but I understand that if you've valued an asset at a certain level, the return should be commensurate with your valuation or you get the reputation for being an easy mark and nobody will come to you with a serious offer after that. Management still has to ice a team next year, it can't just be Petey, the Russians and Beauvillier up front, with QH, Bear, and Hronek on the back end. Management would like to win some games to make it an appealing destination for UFAs. Miller is still an excellent player. Boeser and Garland are serviceable. Plus from what I can see, they're good teammates, and in the next year or two it's going to be more about effort and culture than it is about wins and losses. I expect they'll try to move Boeser and maybe more at the draft. They are all cost controlled, and none would have been rentals like Schenn and Lazar who were on expiring contracts. I hope both those players come back next year, because I thought they both played valuable roles. Just like I hope Burroughs is back next year, he's a guy who knows his role, and is valuable in that role. Standing up for Pods after he was hit from behind last night was exactly what the vets should have been doing ever since Petey was a rookie.

Dude, new team, new system, probably doesn't even know everybody's name yet. He was traded only a few days ago, I'm sure that was something of a surprise; he's living out of a suitcase at a hotel and probably wondering if he'll be in Vancouver when the deadline passes. Give him a chance to settle in, find some linemates, and figure out what his role is and what the expectations are. He looked to me like he was trying not to make a mistake; that's often the mindset when you don't know the system or the personnel you're thrown out there with. Hopefully being surrounded by a bunch of Russians will make him more comfortable and able to show what made him a top ten pick once upon a time.

According to what Friedman said, that's right. Nobody would take a chance on his groin holding up.