insomniac604

When has Fantanberg been good? He has been hard burned in several of the last few games while we are fighting for a playoff spot. At 28 he isn't gonna get good enough to be a regular NHLer, and should not get the benefit of the doubt. Idk by what stretch of imagination he is worth playing over seasoned vet Jordie Benn.

I think Gudbranson has been underrated. He has played the toughest minutes for Florida, and seen his PP time downsized in order to make room for Ekblad. I believe if he gets some more scoring opportunities (which he will beside Hutton), we could see him get about 20 points. Maybe 5 goals. Pretty decent for someone with his record. We will undoubtedly see his defensive skills to make up for Hutton''s pinches. Being so big will mean he can strip a puck with a lot less effort than most. Not really worried about him at all. If he is what he has been, I'd say he was a good trade. If he steps up we have a solid win. McCann has great promise but he wasn't liked in the room. Even one of the Mom's said so. Also he will probably be set back by the enormously young depth of FLA. Not super worried about "losing" this trade.

I have always liked Gaunce. But there is a problem. As a 1st round pick he just wound up not projecting as a top 6. The talk turned to him being a versatile bottom 6. He has the body. Problem is, he doesn't really use that body. He is a top 6 (AHL) player in a bottom 6 (NHL) body that isn't skilled enough up front, and doesn't play hard enough down low. If I had things my way I would certainly load up the bottom 6 with potential skill like Gaunce. But I don't, and the NHL doesn't match. Your bottom guys need to be heavy. Gaunce doesn't fit that bill. I think Canucks have deviated from that a bit but in the last couple seasons it hasn't worked out. Will they continue? Or go back to traditional Pacific-heavy style? That worked for SJ until Pittsburgh came along. They were fast/skilled enough to brush off a lot of checks, and glide past their heavy 3D/4F lines. It's a conundrum. You have to be heavy to beat the West. But then you have to be fast to beat the East. Lots of middle ground to be found.

Bo was awesome last year, I don't care what anyone says. Almost everyone goes through a sophomore slump. During his, he was asked to play a 2nd line shut-down role. Which he did to the best of his ability. Halfway through the season his offense picked up. Around the same time Beartschi's and Virtanen's did. Bo more than doubled his point output. He got a few more goals but I believe that's just the beginning. He can easily be a 20+ goal scorer every single year. With Sutter back in the lineup his PK minutes will dwindle but I believe his PP2 minutes will stay the same. Him & Baert will face better matchups. I can't wait.

lol @ how old this thread is. I read the first post and was like double you tea eff???? until I realized. anywho, in a complete season Burr is a 45+ point player. His 4.5m salary is on par with that especially when you factor in his incredible defensive play. If he plays 80 games he is capable of giving us 20+ goals and a 200ft game. In the last 7 years I only consider one (Torts of course) to be undeserving of his contract. He is the best with the Sedins, which is why we may see him start there. Willie knows how to maximize everyone's potential, and Vrbata can score anywhere. If he was terrible defensively like, say, Lupul, I'd light the torch and run him out of town. But with today's contract and all he brings.. it might just be a bargain. Dorsett & Prust will help keep him healthy. His love for the team and city is undeniable. I am ok with keeping him. We have shipped out enough of the core to make room for rookies.

All he cares about is cash and term. That was evident when he left us after the 2011 run. Refused NYI and ultimately said he wants to win a cup in Buffalo. Bet he didn't get that out with a straight face. All of that makes me question his character and commitment. I would not move one of our top 4 D for this guy unless the contract was ridiculously favourable. He was our PP quarterback and made Edler a better player. But now he's 3 years older and probably picked up some terrible habits in Buffalo

Iginla wants a 2-3yr contract. With the way he plays, he can't afford to spend time on a rebuilding team. I don't see a problem with us inquiring. But I doubt he will agree to our terms. I disagree with Kesler that we are 4 years from being a contender. Within 2 years we will have the majority of our best prospects playing. While our vets will still be effective.

Virtanen is more likely. To get Sam you need to be in the top 3. Frankly, I liked him over Ekblad or Bennett. But each team has their own needs. I wouldn't want to see Garrison go. He has a beast of a shot. Last season was terrible for everybody. But if they want to play Corrado somebody needs to go. Edler, Bieksa and Hamhuis seem to be out of contention. Tanev and Stanton are good. But they are also cheap due to a lack of proven offense. Garrison would be the best strategic move. However, if we did trade with FLA, we would draft Ekblad. So we are looking at a deal with Buffalo or Edmonton. Buffalo needs solid vets. Edmonton needs vet D. Garrison, Hansen & 6th for 3rd & Gagner

Same list that was being shopped around the deadline. The three best fits are Pittsburgh, Anaheim & Colorado. Anaheim would have to overpay to keep him in the division. TDL rumours were Etem + 1st + Smith-Pelly. But hearing that D-SP changed some hearts during the playoffs and may stay. Pittsburgh seems to be ready to give up Pouliot. But not sure if Sutter + 1st will be enough compared to the other offers. If there is any truth to the James Neal rumours I would love to see him & Edler involved. Colorado - my favourite option. People are talking about Statsny but I think the playoffs helped his case. O'Reily is more likely. There might be bitter feelings left over from the last contract negotiation. Especially if you believe he felt a little burned when they gave the C to Landeskog instead of him. He has tremendous potential & a friendly contract.

MG had a good idea of how to play but was poor in acquiring/managing talent. All of our best players were from the previous generation. Our current pool of prospects came at the expense of 2 top goaltenders. If Tortorella stays he needs to be remolded like AV was. Instead of turning us into Nashville.

No way. Garrison has played decently although his offence did dry up. So did the rest of the team's. Tort's style of play isn't conducive to scoring a lot. All 5 guys exit their zone from the same area - from a standstill. As of today there are probably 15 teams that would sign him for more than we did. If he bounces back he will be a beautiful steal. Edler was far worse yet has more potential. He'd be the better trade. Notice I did not say BUYOUT because I think using one on any member of our D is a waste of opportunity, talent and money.

I think our massive injuries can be accredited to "Torts style". He rides the top guys. They play tired. They make mistakes, their tired bodies absorb impacts and suddenly we are down 12 goals & 2 men. Not to mention how many shot blocking injuries we have had. That's Burr's entire season. I am not saying don't block shots. But we need to go about it intelligently. And it's plain to see that asking a bunch of 30+ yo's to play 24 minutes a night will only work until the end of December. If Torts can't adapt he needs to go. I'm tired of playing like Nashville.

I think this is a good deal for the timing. Had we tried to trade him 2 years ago, or at least kept our mouths shut about it last year - we'd have Bjustad. Matthias has potential. Markstrom will be a solid backup. Between the two somebody will step it up. Good for Lu to go home. FLA will appreciate him more than we ever did. I hope we have more trades coming. With 2 young goalies we need more front-line depth. If Phili hadn't taken MacDonald we could have given them Kesler + Edler for half their team

Honestly, I hope he has a pending trade. Otherwise this is just insulting. Lack may have played well but the only excuse to play him would be if his last game was a blowout or shutout. I know we need points and the coaches play who is playing well.. But Lu had an Olympic shutout and if him and Lack swapped starting roles, he'd have the better numbers. If he isn't traded he will be a waste of a buyout, because we will be stuck having to retain $$ to dump Booth.

Moving Horvat would be a terrible move. Every team has at least 2 guys that were top 10 draft picks leading the way. Our last two were the Sedins, over 10 years ago. And it took them 3 seasons to get going. We move Horvat and we set ourselves back. Gaunce is playing with McDavid. Shinkaruk is small but hungry. Both would get sizable returns in 1-2 years. Not to mention Schroeder and Kassian.