Have you changed your mind on this season? (Discussion)

[smithers joe]

i think the question is, how long will our youth, pettersson, dahlin, gaudette lind, gadjovich, goldobin, juolevi, brisebois, chatfield and virtanen to be ready to crack this line up.?

i like vanek's game more than gagner's or burmistrov's games. 

i can see sedins for one more year if their replacements aren't ready to play regularly. 

i can see edler being moved at the trade deadline or in his final year.

i see our future line up as 

dahlin...pettersson...virtanen

baertschi... horvat... boeser

gadjovich... gaudette... lind

granlund...sutter...dorsett/ or ?

 

juolevi...tanev

brisebois...chatfield

pouliot... gudbranson

hutto...stecher

 

markstrom

demko

 

until they are ready, keep some veterans.

[RonMexico]

I think it's about what I expected but more wins than I thought. Regardless of how well the season has gone, I would prefer the rebuild on the fly stays at a slow steady pace. There is still plenty of organizational depth that needs to be acquired to sustain a consistent flow of prospects over the next few years and beyond.

[Rob_Zepp]

This is still VERY early.   Certainly I was confident Travis Green would have them playing a more up-pace game and that he would not tolerate floating or really care about what you had done in the past - he is very much  "what can you do today and tomorrow for the team" type of coach.    This year and likely the next two afterwards remain growth for the team from their down-cycle bottom and so number of points matter less than growth of the team's future core but having that growth in a competitive environment is also of value so that the culture that permeated Edmonton/Toronto and similar for up to a decade at a time does not develop.

 

I voted in favour of trading veterans who have no clauses and who could return future key pieces.   I would not want to see core pieces like Baer moved at this time.   I don't think moving a goalie makes sense either as having three quality goalies will attract a LOT more value going into next season than it does at TDL unless there is a top team who loses their number one and has no other option - then all bets are off if you can get a first round pick or similar.    Saying that, would NOT trade Demko as feel he is real deal.  Markstrom is starting to show he is as well though he has the "Luongo soft goal early in the game" syndrome still.   Nilsson is still needing to prove himself over a larger sample of games which he hopefully can get between his stints fighting crime as a superhero in some alternative universe.

[hlinkas wrister]

Why is Eriksson not a choice for question # 4?

[aGENT]

3 minutes ago, hlinkas wrister said:

Why is Eriksson not a choice for question # 4?

Because given his play, injury and contract, he's likely immovable until the 5th year of his deal given how his contract is structured.

[kloubek]

The team is performing pretty much as I expected they would; I was one of the few who saw what Benning was trying to accomplish and that he was indeed heading in the right direction.  I said even at the end of last season that we would be a cusp playoff team this season.  Mind you, I also said I felt we would make the playoffs last season and was obviously a little overly optimistic there.

 

Just wait, guys.  We're doing ok now but we are not contenders.  Continuing along this path once we get some more high-end talent on our team we're going to have a damn fine group.  We are truly stocked in the forward prospects department; just a little reliant on Pettersson and Dahlen to work out perhaps, and we certainly need one or two better prospects for the defense, but we're *almost* set.

 

As far as getting rid of veterans - I think we have a decent mix as it stands.  Once the Sedins retire, we will have a pretty young group overall.  And should they retire after this season?  Probably.  But if they can still produce and don't use up roster spots for young guys that need to be playing in the NHL then I wouldn't mind keeping them around for another year for a really deep pay reduction.  Many have suggested 3.5ish, and I'm thinking significantly lower than that.  Maybe 2m each.  Sounds ludicrous, but if any players are classy enough to take that kind of discount for their last year it would be the Sedins.

[Goal:thecup]

I like the flat-out hustle our team has under TG, the good systems, everyone aware of and buying into their roles, and adapting on the fly, and think this might be the biggest reason for our renewed optimism.

 

We still need to "win" one more draft (but not by tanking, of course) and changes/trades could be made to acquire more draft picks to continue to fill the pipeline.

Vanek is surprisingly effective, scoring well and providing good physicality and team leadership, but... he will bring a nice return for these attributes plus his short and cheap contract. 

 

I would also like to see some effort (higher cost) put into acquiring the first round picks of teams eligible for the draft lottery this year in the hopes of landing a D like Rasmus Dahlin.

This is where I would like to see TL/JB/TG decide which players/prospects/picks we can do without and clear them out, perhaps in several deals.

 

Acquiring several draft picks, and packaging them up to move up the draft this year so that we have as high a chance of winning the draft lottery without tanking is the way to go, imo. 

[CanadianRugby]

Impressed by the coaches.  Players again buying in and playing hard.  They did for Willie too but the lineup was worse and injuries were constant.

 

Don't believe have the talent to compete for the cup long term, even though Boeser is proving he can be one of those big pieces.  Need to add more top end talent.  So would like another top 5 pick or at least add a couple 2nd rounders. 

 

[hlinkas wrister]

14 minutes ago, aGENT said:

Because given his play, injury and contract, he's likely immovable until the 5th year of his deal given how his contract is structured.

Understood. I was thinking wishfully

[apollo]

I'm surprised we don't have a few more wins tbh. 

 

This team is a solid contender. CUP OR BUST!

[aGENT]

1 minute ago, hlinkas wrister said:

Understood. I was thinking wishfully

[Nucker 67]

I'm pleasantly surprised so far. I felt good knowing Boeser would probably make the team, and a full year from Gudbranson. I liked the Vanek and Del Zotto signings, but was concerned about goaltending. So far Markstrom and Nilsson have been very good. Coach Green has been a breath of fresh air, and I love that all of the players have bought in and they're playing like a team. Benning added depth, so I feel better knowing that they probably won't be relying on Megna and Chaput to pick up the slack later in the year. They have options now. I'm very interested to see what they do at the TDL, particularly with Edler, Hutton and Vanek. Would love an extra 1st or two. As for the Sedins, I'm torn. I'd like them to free up the two spots and the $14 million. My guess is they retire at the end of the season, as they understand what the Canucks are trying to do and they're classy guys. I think Daniel gets his 1,000th point soon, and they both retire legends at the end of the season.

 

Out: Daniel, Henrik, Edler, Vanek

In: Kane (sign), Gaudette, Pettersson and Juolevi

[Alflives]

53 minutes ago, ForsbergTheGreat said:

No, my opinion has stayed the same, i've been enjoying the ride and love hearing outside media talk about shocking our start of the year has been but honestly I don't think it's maintainable.  Dorsett is on pace for a 40 goal season, as fun as it's been I have zero expectations he can keep it up.

 

This season has had a strange start, 4 points separates 21 teams. it's so close right now and one small blimp could have a team go from top 5 to bottom 5 in less than a week. As good as we've been playing we haven't really made any ground on the other teams (which many teams people believe have underachieved so far).  As the year drags on the competition is only going to ramp up and we will need some career years if we want to remain in the playoff talk.

 

Our goals shouldn't change.  Long term plans are more important than short term ones, players we don't expect to resign and aren't in our long term plans should be moved.  A few playoffs games shouldn't over take potential long term success.

We shall see at the coming 2018 TDL how committed JB and management (ownership) are to fully (and properly in MHAO) rebuilding the next core by whether they trade away vets for futures, or keep the vets to attempt a playoff drive.

[48MPHSlapShot]

I'm of two minds here. 

 

Regardless of how the season progresses, vets must be moved at the deadline. Vanek for sure has to be moved, and if he'll waive, Edler as well. I wouldn't be against Sutter , Dorsett (as much as I adore the guy) or Gagne moving either.

 

That being said, if we're able to finish the season with a semi-respectable record, and do so with our young guys/players that theoretically fit into our next core group of players carrying the bulk of the load, then I won't be too upset about not getting a top 5 pick,, as will point to the ugliest part of our rebuild being over. If Horvat, Bear Cheese, Boeser, Stetcher, Gudbranson, Hutton, etc etc etc....get us to the middle of the pack, with Pettersson, Gaudette, Dahlen, Lind, Goldobin, Demko and Juolevi, and whoever we pick in the 2018 draft still on the way, I dare say we're in pretty decent shape going forward. Obviously it still leaves a pretty glaring hole on our blueline in terms of a no 1 Dman/PP Quarterback, but there's a chance we snag that guy in this years draft, and if not, perhaps a trade can be worked out? Maybe our 2019 1st rd pick is on the table?

[Vinny in Vancouver]

The record's good, but it's still early. The underlying numbers show that the Canucks are better this year:

• the improvement of the young players especially Horvat, Virtanen and Markstrom
• the aggressive style of play lends itself to the team's strengths
• team chemistry is good
• depth is actually decent
• scoring from all 4 lines

However, as expected with a team with a lot of youth and new players, consistency is still an issue. Some examples:

• when I watched the Detroit game, I really thought that the Red Wings effectively changed their game specifically for the Canucks' style, and even though the Canucks outshot the Red Wings, a lot of the shots weren't "clean".
• the New Jersey game was similar.
• in last night's game, Calgary actually had the better chances, but Markstrom was sublime. 

[VegasCanuck]

Sedins will and should be a summer decision. If they want to play another year and they feel that they can still compete and contribute, I'm all for bringing them back. The experience that they add to the young core is invaluable. Even if they are playing 4th line minutes some nights, I like how they are being utilized this year, not trying to force them to carry the load, but giving them opportunity for more minutes, based on the team that we are playing against.

 

I expected us to be better than a lot of people were expecting. That was based on the increased level of depth as well as bringing in Green, who has shown in past that he can accomplish a lot with a team that is stretched on talent.

 

I selected Vanek for trade, although only if we have someone who is really ready for NHL and can replace him. I believe that he was signed for the purpose of trade at the deadline, but I believe that JB will keep him and let this lineup go as far as it can, if they look like they can make it to the playoffs.

 

I know a lot of fans believe that we should just trade away veterans and get as many draft picks as we can, but JB and team have proven that they can find talent all through the draft. We have the prospects in place who can assemble a really strong core for future, one with a lot of depth and can roll 4 lines.

 

[Nuxfanabroad]

Of our emerging fwd depth, some of it should be recycled/utilized in future deals. This season, or next, guess JB will decide?

 

Purpose:

-add depth in D, when possible(like the Pouliot deal)

-add more size & speed, when possible(preferably under 25)

 

With opening cap space being a nice bonus. Downside to our unexpected-prowess, is we'll likely have to pay the emerging youth more than we'd figured.

 

As for future deals, the next couple yrs(perhaps 3 or 4 trades of consequence) will likely bring together what JB is building. Be interesting to see what he does.

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

1 hour ago, Jimmy McGill said:

Our season boils down to 12 games imo, starting with the Calgary game last night. 10/12 on the road, one divisional trip and one long eastern trip. If the team lays an egg on this stretch given how tight things are I think it will be just too hard to claw our way back up. We'll be close, but its just too big a hill to climb in the west if you're even 4-6 points off the wildcard by US thanksgiving (a date a lot of other CDCr's have noted).

I agree that the biggest test will be how they do in those 10 games on the road. But the way they have been finding ways to win on the road so far I like their chances. 

[alt kilgore]

Definitely they are doing better than I expected overall.  Most of that IMO is Travis Green.  Refreshing to have a coach that actually does what he says in dishing out ice time based on performance. Willie D also preached that but in the end, in a desperate last ditch attempt for winning at all cost, seemed to only value players based on either the number of games they had played in the NHL or how many games they had played for a team he had coached in the past. He played the players he felt comfortable with more. Dealing with Tryamkin for instance seemed like chore to him. So he'd rather play a player he had history with..Larsen, no matter what was going on on the ice.

 

TG is the first coach to have the cojones to drastically reduce the Sedins minutes as well.  But I like that he can change direction anytime. If their line catches fire, their minutes are back up. I also like how he has Virtanen with them, even as the Sedins minutes decline, it works out perfect if you are weening a rookie into the NHL as far as minutes go as well, all the while he is gaining from the experience of learning to prepare and play like a professional in the league from the twins.

 

 

[J.I.A.H.N]

7 minutes ago, VegasCanuck said:

Sedins will and should be a summer decision. If they want to play another year and they feel that they can still compete and contribute, I'm all for bringing them back. The experience that they add to the young core is invaluable. Even if they are playing 4th line minutes some nights, I like how they are being utilized this year, not trying to force them to carry the load, but giving them opportunity for more minutes, based on the team that we are playing against.

 

I expected us to be better than a lot of people were expecting. That was based on the increased level of depth as well as bringing in Green, who has shown in past that he can accomplish a lot with a team that is stretched on talent.

 

I selected Vanek for trade, although only if we have someone who is really ready for NHL and can replace him. I believe that he was signed for the purpose of trade at the deadline, but I believe that JB will keep him and let this lineup go as far as it can, if they look like they can make it to the playoffs.

 

I know a lot of fans believe that we should just trade away veterans and get as many draft picks as we can, but JB and team have proven that they can find talent all through the draft. We have the prospects in place who can assemble a really strong core for future, one with a lot of depth and can roll 4 lines.

 

Sorry Vegas

 

The decision about the Sedin's should be made (at least in Benning's head) before the TDL, and well before the draft and free agency............plans should not be made knee jerkedly.............I think the Sedin's Benning and Green, sit down and map out an honest exit plan, so that Benning knows exactly what's coming at him.......there are always unknown factors that get in the way, so make plans early.....they can always be changed......

 

PS.............in the end, this should be only Benning's decision....................you hear me Aquaman!