J-P

I don't put too much into preseason but some lineup decisions by Green have me scratching my head. I think we'll either be in a constant playoff position or Green will be fired. If the team is not winning, Green will be the whipping boy until he's fired. (And yes, it doesn't matter that he's not a player.) If our D:s gel and Green doesn't screw up the top 9, I think we'll have a good season though.

IIRC we couldn't sign him until the season started for cap reasons, so for all we know the deal might have been agreed in advance and the PTO was just to be able for him to join the team before the season started.

Really good point. Instead of rushing Podz to top 6 i think it would be really good ro find him consistent linemates on the 3rd line. Later on in the season we can evaluate where he's at. This also plays in line with us icing 3 lines that can actually score.

Pretty clear coaches and management felt he's not ready, and in that scenario they really had to waive him as he can't develop in the press box. Pretty sure they hoped he would clear. I thought the timing was pretty good to waive him, but not good enough appearantly. Be interesting to see how he does.

Let's see when the real games starts. I remember Marky looked shaky pretty much every preseason but then when the season started it's almost as if the team played better D and he himself was a lot sharper. Strange isn't it? ;-)

They would actually complement each other really well.

Agree but EP did improve by like 5% last season. Of course, there's also the issue that if Miller takes a lot of draws EP doesn't improve as much... Also - interesting what Dickinson said that it's not only about winning a faceoff, it's also about locking up your players and not give up possession cleanly if you lose. Feels like EP has some learning to do there as well as I feel he mostly wins cleanly or loses cleanly (still need some more strength of course).

I'm sure that was his first option but I fully believe EP would not consider anything over 3 year and that was his priority rather than the final dollars. Of course it would be nice to seal EP Long term, but gotta respect a player who accepts nothing less than winning and demands that standard for the entire franchise.

Hard one really. In theory it could work but in reality the distraction would be a nightmare.

So you'd trade EP for RNH straight upp or with a slight add? I know I wouldn't and they're not even in the same tier as players IMO.

Pretty sure the issue with EP is more about term than money. I can understand that from both sides. If it's just about the money, I don't understand it that much from EP:s point of view as I'm quite sure he has a fair offer on the table.

While relieved we got rid of LE:s contract and the distraction he became I can't help but still root for him in some perverse fashion...

Myers needs to play with a defensive D, that's why he worked with OJ but is a bad fit with QH/OEL/JR.

First game in Abby as well!

Good point. Only way it makes sense from business point of view to put him in the AHL this season is if they believe he will make the team next season. Then of course, it's not all about the cap, player development, keeping him close etc also matters.

I love EP (QH as well of course!) but in the grand scheme of things the team and the chance to win is a bigger priority. As many have stated, we don't really know what the holdup is, and speculating is futile. If I were to guess though, I'd say EP might be really hard on the term as he wants to control his destiny in a few years and might not have 100% trust in current management, while I don't think the money is really the issue long term or short term. That's understandable. I have a feeling what it will end up in is like 4 x 7 for EP and while I was against that earlier (as he'd be FA) it might not be the worst idea, kinda like a show me deal for both parties.

Maybe it IS just a personal issue, you know, like a family member being sick or whatever, time will tell...

He didn't bring up his 3rd contract. If you believe that you're a victim of VCR clickbait media. I'm from Sweden. What he said was that he loves the team's chances this season and that he wants to be on a team that can contend every year and when asked if Vancouver is such a team going forward he answered "i don't know". Granted that last part is questionable but it's not him speculating about future contracts. Still hope both are signed this week.

Agree that we need to chill a bit... 2 rational facts a bit lost in all this: 1) players holding out is a consequence of the CBA, it's the only leverage players have, IMO there's lots of flaws in the RFA construction but that's another discussion 2) the budget for these contracts was determined by the franchise months ago, no way that suddenly changes so I think it's more of an issue with term more than anything, having both on e.g. 3 year deals might be hard to handle, but anyway there's no way either player is getting 9-10 mil on a shorter deal just because of the threat of holding out

Perfect fit really and no pressure to even be a top 4 D as I assume the dollars are at the lower end.

Marner at 8-9 mil is not a bad deal whether realistic or not. IMO though Marner has pretty much reached his ceiling whereas the ceiling for EP is unknown. Still believe EP will sign a reasonable bridge deal and then I'll take my chances with him going forward instead of dealing him.

If I have to pick one I'd choose EP. Team just isn't as fun and electric without him. Then again, that pretty much goes for QH as well...

Valid point. Still it only takes one guy to separate you from the puck in the corner, so a small player with stechers style of playing and level of talent will always have problems in the playoffs defensively. Offensively he's ok for a 3rd pairing guy.

Agree that Stecher didn't fit our needs. He might be ok as 6/7D on a contender during regular season but not in the playoffs. I know the stats said he did ok in the bubble playoffs, but when actually watching the games it was obvious IMO that he was a liability other teams exploited.

I know you're doing an ironic jab here so not arguing with you but on a general note I don't really get why people are so opinionated on these moves. Quite simple in my book. Markström, contract is too rich for us especially with Demko in the fold, so makes sense for both sides to move on Stecher - is he a top 6D on a contending team worth 1.5-2 mil? No way, love the guy but again, makes sense for both sides to move on Tanev - well the jury's still out on this one I guess, short term it might look like we should've offered him at least what Calgary did but if he plays 60- games next season and then declines as many expect the picture changes, personally i think moving on was the right call Dahlen - this one is just a bad look for player, agent and JB, from an asset point of view way too early to call it though Toffoli - this one is obviously a mistake by JB in hindsight considering he extended Virtanen for 2.5, you could argue 4 years is a bit too long as toffoli is probably past his peak when we're contending but 4.5 is still probably worth it both short term and long term