The Official Manny Malhotra Needs to go Thread

[dangler696969]

Didn't see an official thread or anything like that and it seemed like a popular enough idea such that its own thread should be created. I hope this offers an opportunity for a wide discussion.

We need to keep an objective view and see the facts as they are:

1. Great player until awful eye injury. His decline in his play is obvious as he constantly fumbles pucks and is a virtual anchor with every line he ever plays with now. He was worth well over 2.5 before the eye injury, hes probably worth about five hundred thousand now, that figure being very generous.

2. 7 GP no goals no assists -2 plus.minus and a grand total of 1 shot. That tells the story.

3. He is a great leader, but the team as a whole is a lot maturer now and don't need a vet like Manny to keep them going anymore. They've grown accustomed to playing without him.

Gillis should've bought this guy out the second the new CBA was signed. Maybe even dangle him for a 7th round pick....

I understand this guy is a great team guy and all that yada yada yada, but his time has passed and he needs to let a young kid like schroeder get a full time center position on the 4th line once kesler comes back. Manny is costing this team and his cons definitely outweigh the pros. Just my opinion.

[Squeak]

You don't put a 5'8" offensive centre on the 4th line.

You put a defensive centre, who is good at winning faceoffs = Malhorta.

We really need to bring the 'minus' back.

[*VaNcOuVeRCaNuCkS*]

Did you forget to mention he is the best faceoff man in the league??????

Oh yah that's right you only focused on the categories that he is having trouble with this season

Lol at Schroeder on the 4th line yah that will be great for his developement

[Smashian Kassian]

Actually 66.7% on faceoffs tells the story.

He is a 4th line center, we aren't expecting much offensively.

As long as he can continue to win faceoffs and kill penalties he will have a place on this team.

[CanucksSayEh]

He actually hasn't been that bad the last couple games.

Still, after the faceoff, he's the worst player on the ice.

[MoneypuckOverlord]

His eye injury changed everything. It really did. It was such an effective 3rd line player, he was capable of shutting down players win faceoffs, and put up points. He was the same person, but to an extent, he was "different" player. He was still very good at faceoffs but no longer the best, his points total dropped, and continued to get scored on.

I think this is it for him guys. He will be a helpful player, but not for too long.

[pwnstar]

Seriously?

I know its your opinion, but have you lost your mind?

I thought the KIng was bad.

[DownUndaCanuck]

2 million plus is way too much to pay for a slow pylon who is only good at faceoffs. He needs more to his game, and don't argue that he's a good penalty killer because he's not - our PK is one of the worst in the league and he's too slow out there.

Either Manny takes 1 to 1.3 million dollar paycut or is off this team. We cannot just have a guy who's good at faceoffs and nothing else, everyone has to bring multiple things to the table. For example, the Sedins are scorers and PPers, Hansen is a good scorer, forechecker and PKer, Edler is a great scorer, hitter and PPer, Kassian is a good scorer, hitter and net presence, heck even Lapierre is a good hitter and PKer. Malhotra literally only does faceoffs well.

[The Bookie]

He's definitely not the same player he was, but I'm comfortable having him here in a limited role. His contract is up after this year and I have to wonder if he will even want to continue playing. I'd love if he started to transition into some form of coaching or scouting role with the Canucks. Even having him around this season can't hurt Schroeder's learning curve.

[Samuel Påhlsson]

He doesn't look like the same skater anymore either. Doubt he gets resigned. We need capable role players. When your role is to be a defensive forward but you've gone from good to mediocre you have no place on a contending team. As nice a guy as Malholtra is, we need to ice the best team.

[Kryten]

I hope Manny accepts a position on the bench as a coach after this season.

[nuck nit]

Manny will be kept for his role in taking face offs.

He is one of the very best.

His full game could come around.If not,he will have to find and work at another role on this team or some other.

The Canucks face much larger issues than Manny right now.

[uber_pwnzor]

Guys! You've gotta relax. Malholtra hasn't been good since the eye injury. We're paying him $2.5 million and he isn't worth it anymore. He was the biggest steal ever before; literally one of the five best defensive players in the league, great at face offs and an awesome leader.

It's just that Malholtra isn't the same player he used to be. I think he should be given a job in management when the season is over, but he really isn't NHL calibre anymore.

[mbal23]

Actually 66.7% on faceoffs tells the story.

He is a 4th line center, we aren't expecting much offensively.

As long as he can continue to win faceoffs and kill penalties he will have a place on this team.

[wallstreetamigo]

He doesn't look like the same skater anymore either. Doubt he gets resigned. We need capable role players. When your role is to be a defensive forward but you've gone from good to mediocre you have no place on a contending team. As nice a guy as Malholtra is, we need to ice the best team.

[Kevin Biestra]

A guy like Manny doesn't hurt a team, even if all he is doing is playing every 3rd game and teaching faceoffs at practice.

Worst case, he is like Nolan Baumgartner or Mike Keane were in the minors at the end of their careers.

2.5M is too much for this role, but the contract is signed.

[Understand]

I know everyone loves the guys, but honestly, he looks absolutely useless on the ice except he can win some faceoffs, I don't think anyone can deny that.

[Kevin Biestra]

What Manny should be doing is nailing a couple of shootout moves.

[spentral]

not worth 2.5 (in fairness it was a freak accident that could not have been factored into signing the contract) but still has value, and although in a reduced role, retains effectiveness in some facets of the game. could see him re-signed, but not at anything more than a max of 1.25mil

[Vancouver's comeback]

While his cap hit is indicative of the player he once was, and is evidently too much for what he is post-injury, he still retains a valuable role on this team. He is one of the, and if I'm not mistaken, currently is the best faceoff man in the league. For those of you arguing his worth, detriment to cap notwithstanding, consider this: it's a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We need to kill off a late 5-on-3 penalty to preserve a one goal lead, or even a tie, in the dying minutes of the 3rd. The faceoff is in our own end. In this case, it is absolutely crucial that we win this faceoff, as it could very well lead to elimination if we do not. Having any of our other centers take the draw is taking a chance. But a faceoff specialist like Malhotra can come in and provide us with a much higher chance of winning the draw and subsequently clearing the puck, killing off precious seconds at a critical moment in the game. After the clear, he hustles back to the bench, allowing a better defensive center to take the ice.

It honestly hurts me to say 'better defensive center', as Manny was once a Selke candidate third line shutdown center and a major contributor to the success of what was likely the best team so far in Canucks history. But the hockey gods wouldn't allow that success to continue for the Canucks, and a freak accident led to Manny becoming a shell of his former self.

Anyways, while the Game 7 late game 5-on-3 may be a more rare occurrence, Manny can still function in a faceoff specialist capacity the way Patrice Bergeron did for Team Canada in 2010. He most definitely does hold value on this squad, though not as much as his contract would suggest.