Phat Fingers

A lighter hammer is still better than no hammer at all…

I thought he was 6’3 to 6’4 and about 205. he is 21 and they grow so quickly at that age. From the film I watched, he looked big on the Euro Ice, which I usually attribute to size and I go by my eye test, as a old medic, it’s hard not too. But I watched him box out guys really well and did a lot of one armed moves to push guys out side and away from the net that really reminded me and a young two eyed RHD Matty Ohlund. Decent wing span and very hard to get around in the Swedish Elite League from the film I watched.

Johanson is Sweden is a very interesting prospect as he fits the 215 6’4 RHD that doesn’t need to score, and Woo fits the physicality of that size and weight, even if he is a wee bit smaller. I need to see more from Juuslen, but I do think that his play is why Boroughs hasn’t been resigned yet. If anything I think the only plan is to bring in Schenn and build the core with Hughes and Hronek leading the way, and if OEL plays like shit this season while healthy then yes, buy him out, but I liked his play the year prior. Myers is not nearly as dangerous to us in a 4th spot instead of number 2 when OEL was out, I wonder if the club has the money for Ethan Bear, but I would love for him to come back. He is a nice player to have in the mix and can play up if need be.

Isn’t Hronek at least addressing some if this?

With the recent moves by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the options to upgrade and or add any Defenders to our line up has dried up considerably. The moves by Columbus make the Hronek Trade look well timed, even if you can dispute the price paid. Had Alvin not been future minded we would be looking at an increasing cost to acquire a RHD Defender with upside of any caliber let alone a top two defender, and the biggest single weakness in our club since the departure of Kevin Bieksa to the Anaheim Ducks. Keeping in mind that Luke Schenn was a far more likely and affordable option than a Severson would ever be, especially when we have such limited room to do anything in free agency at all. Other than dressing a surplus winger as a defender, to reverse the Woo experiment in Abbey by Trent Cull, what options does this team have to build a better back end than we currently have? All speculation and a CDC need to sign all the players and draft all the draft picks. Alvin did his D corps upgrade at the TDL last season. What this does is reduce the workload and demands on declining players like OEL and Tyler Myers. Quinn Hughes at least has help next year, in Hronek. With Demko healthy, it’s like winning ten more games in a season, and or winning free agency. So with a healthy Demko and now two top two defenders under 25 years of age, is this enough to build from witihin and avoid high priced free agents other than fan favourite Luke Schenn. Because the market for defenders in this years free agency just hit a fever pitch. So like it or lump it, we are getting two amazing defenders that we lacked for most of last year. Demko and Hronek with an expectation that a healthy OEL will play better than the injured OEL last year, like we expect with Demko. We stole the March on the league with Hronek and then Columbus went all in, stealing two marches on the entire league, starting an arms race in the eastern conference. I just hope CBJ is high like winners from casinos and on can’t lose streak, and trade the 3rd 0A and cap dump player like Adam Boqvist to Vancouver for JT Miller, Local hero and 11 0A and a prospect. I think that if any club should be barred from spending to the nines this off season on buy high and sell low assets, I am happy it’s the Vancouver Canucks. We have a history of excessive spending and we should have our credit cards cut up this year for sure. So with some growth expected from prospects like Woo and hopefully Rathbone, and with OEL healthy and Tyler Myers safely in a 4th spot, only holding it until a younger player takes it from him, or we trade he at the TDL for a 3rd, this defence is what it is, get used to it and realize that with Demko healthy we should have an expectation of being a playoff team. By adding Hronek and OEL healthy and Tyler Myers not expected to be the top RHD ever again, I think we have a better team than spoken too and with our offensive depth, reason to be optimistic for next year, and please someone take the credit card away from Alvin. Freeze it in a block of ice at least. Phat Fingers.

Heck, I saw a clip of Brock beating Petey in the Dot in Practice and posted, try Brock at center. AB has the positional knowledge. can he win faces offs and gain possession of the puck? After that, the ability for shifting players in the field of play is so easy in hockey, only in set pieces like a ‘scrum’ or ‘faceoff’ does position really matter. so this old rugby hooker/prop wants to know, do w3 have anyone capable of beating Petey and or JT in the dot? Thats our next third line Center. Play Podz and Hogs wit( that player, and the line will be cost effective and reliable in forechecking and attacking the puck carrier from either wing with speed, so our third Center would be able to take the Slot and not the Boards as a trailer. From the front of the net to the front of the other net. Leaving the last few feet of ice for the wingers, giving us a 190 foot to 180 foot player vs 200 foot player.

Tkachuk would have bolted Vancouver as fast as he bolted Calgary. that’s why I never wanted Matt, love Brady, but Brady has a different character. Matt would not be liked by our fan base outside of hockey, he is too much like his father and Keith was the embodiment of and sour US player that screwed over a Canadian Team in the most arrogant fashion possible. Matt forces a trade in a fashion that was entirely predictable. He is a gifted player and a hard opponent, that I would rather cheer against than for, like Messier. The Canadian Keith Tkachuk. The chemistry is off, not the talent.

Maybe CBJ are fed up with Boquivist and it’s an our attempt to get all the RHD from the Hughes draft we thought were going to there and Hughes long gone to Detroit…

Still want a RHD this draft and dang it, we can’t draft all the players… still think the RHD and or Center at 11 with no trade is the most obvious thing to occur on draft day with a trade maybe to clear cap with a sweetener prospect on the way out… but just in case the media are bored with the cap space talk, start a JT trade idea to occupy our fan base until the cup between Las Vegas and Florida is over and my eyes stop bleeding.

dyslexic and names are hard… so I only learn to spell drafted players after we select them… lol So, this club is no longer adverse to Russian players, and Mich could drop, Smashing Smishev is a great option for a d man, and so is ASP and Timllander. then there is Wood, the youngest player in the oldest level of play possible for a NA kid, and he jumped the que to enter NCAA a year ahead of most kids. and put up points, plays Center and has a ton of time to grow into his huge frame and just by having a man’s control of his body Vs a teenagers, well, ask the ladies, there are a lot of subtle differences that make a huge difference. Here is what I like about Wood, he did not stay in a league where he would have easily dominated, he stole a year of development to show his play against men, and he dominated for parts and set records as the youngest player to do things in the NCAA. so if a guy like Wood is there, he could be on our roster by next years end, Ala, Hughes and Brock. Wood is a year ahead of every USTDP player in this draft to showing he is NHL ready. a sleeper pick. I don’t see a Casey Middlestad in this guy, but a Bo Horvat type upside with a massive wingspan which is ideal for a young third line Center. A solid two way good skating Center with that wing span is like a 3rd D man in the key defensive position in our end. Is he good in the dot, because if he has that in his resume I would not be disappointed or surprised if he is taken at 11 and is a steal at that spot. But my sleeper draft day suprise is a deal for the 3rd OA and JT Miller to Columbus and a cap dump and we add a conditional pick from next year and Alvin take Leo Karlsson who steps in next year as our third line Center and we have a FA signing or a cap dump RHD fill in d man until next year. That’s JT Miller, the 11th OA, throw in a prospect, and a conditional 2024 pick which would likely be our second…. Of course. we will only trade the draft pick anyways. with the deal for Hronek the RHD has been upgraded already. Leo gives us a Leo to combat the Edmonton Leo and JT Miler goes home to be a hero in Ohio with Johnny Hockey. We have a hot Goal tending prospect, that has massive sell high potential at this very moment and with JT going out, and a cap dump coming back and Leo coming in on a entry level cost controlled option at center, it’s suddenly a sky high one two punch down the middle that is exciting and extremely attractive long term with the cost controlled RFA player. Columbus gets a guy that they can build around who is not Likely to flee at the first opportunity. Roslivich (sp?) regressed heavily this year and is due a contract, I don’t think they have a guy to take as a cap dump on defence and any winger they think won’t re sign there, cause it’s Ohio, is fine by me. we can easily add a Garland and or a Brock to the deal as a sweetener. We have the following tradable assests as prospects. Silvos, Klimovich Podz Rathbone Woo*** Hoglander and if the Jackets need to fool their fans, our Karlsson as center… (Woo is not going anywhere, Alvin has spoken about resigning him) Leo Karlsson had Leon Drisital Up side. Dyslexic so you can fix my name errors. Thankx… lol.

‘Lets not Panic’ CDC hears…. https://tenor.com/4aeh.gif

That’s a smoke screen. When was Patty White ever a BPA

It’s a Sign! this is our year… only to have animals rise up and destroy all human society just 1 the end of regulation in game 7 of the SCF with us up by 1 goal. And never get finished. As the world we know ends for ever and humans have been sent back to the dark ages.

Simashev, he is my dark horse d man pick. LHD, but has every single element a d man needs. if one can play either side, like it looks like Simashev could, and the new Russian Love that Alvin and Rutherford have adopted, he could be their guy, should no deal materialize for a jump up to snag Leo Carlson. Alvin has been on the record about how much he likes Leo Carlson’s game. if Alvin jumps up to take the next ‘Mats Sundin’ I would be excited. that’s the only guy I would be excited about outside a Top Paring potential D man who can play the right side. This draft is going to be wild.

Fully agree on the happy with the if one of the three is selected at our spot… to be honest, I had to at least think if all three are still on the board, it will be interesting to see how Alvin is at drafting D men. Since JB was bi polar on the topic.

Me, I am with Button on ASP. I don’t see size as a problem either, as he is 5’11 and around 180lbs in his draft year. Already bigger than Hughes. He adds an inch or two he and twenty pounds in the next three to four years, he will have no issues in playing in the NHL with his agility and skating. ASP then Reinbacher then Willander Or a Center that can play in two years.

Still no person near the level of Hronek on the right side. and it’s such a high value position, unless he Myers this up, or OEL’s his way into this dog house, or slips by the Pool-man, he will not be a declining asset.

Stawns, Sorry, I meant NHL RHD. Not RHD prosepects and or 6/7 guys. Hronek has top paring abilities and or a solid number 3 at his floor who plays a RHD, which makes him a sold Number 2 RHD on any roster as his floor. Juulsen, 5/7 guy is he plays to his best pro too date, with un proven upside for all 3, but it’s nice to have someone in the system. But provided we can sign Luke Schenn, who can log 4/5 minutes and Myers is still here, Hronek is our number 2 guy and then OEL is our number 3 guy. Without Hronek we are really naked on the back end with only Hughes. Having a younger guy who is still trending upwards who plays a key position to ‘shelter’ our older vets and our younger prospects and depth players is now possible in most game situations. Given the age of our next 2-3 defenders, it is wise to get that depth deeper and deeper. It’s a very skinny and naked backend with out Hronek.

The heck you say… They don’t have a RHD other than Hronek atm… lol… but seriously? and we have two guys who are top six centers and a pretty decent showing for a rookie on the 4th line this year, we need a bottom six journey man Center that can be a better fit than Dickinson. Those guys are often found in college and also can be developed through the farm. I would really like to see Podzolin take some draws and play at center. Here is why, he is a very aware player without the puck and also a good forechecker. he has a tendency to rush his shot, but when looking for a line mate, he is more patient. I think there was a sophomore slump to his game and with the club playing without Demko, the main difference between playoffs and not playoffs. Demko. we would be in a different draft situation had Demko taken ten more games to return to the lineup… but we were dead on arrival without Demko. So we have a stronger team with just a healthy Demko and others this next year and Hronek is a better use of the cap space that having a 8 mil plus 3rd line Center and no Hronek. so how did we get fleeced? in two to three years, that draft pick may be an NHLEr as good as Anthony B or even Hronek.

We have the best RHD in the club since Bieksa left. we need another and I really hope ASP or Reinbacher is there at 11. and that’s about the cost these days, From the scouting reports, he is a very good RHD D that plays a good game, improving without the puck. Who else were we supposed to get, Seider? We haven’t drafted this type of player, and if we don’t start to invest in the defence, Hughes is going to be isolated and over played and leave when he can to a better opportunity if it’s just him. Myers will be gone when Hronek is resigned. Myers will be dealt after that bonus is paid. for a player on a expiring contract for a cash strapped club that is a UFA at the end of the year. Poolman is no where on the horizon and we have minor leaguers and hopefully a Luke Schenn resigning this offseason. Gotta start somewhere. it’s also going to cost a lot and Alvin targeted Hronek and got him, there is word that he is hot after Alex Lafanaire, and with what and or how, I don’t know.

Must resist shinny wingers… can’t... Take the RHD, take the Center….

A trade sweetener would be a conditional 2nd next year with Garland and a player back. Garland pots 20g say, the pick becomes a 3rd. Moving a first, in this draft, only if you can bring in a 25 or under RHD that can play top 3 Minutes in the NHL. Oh wait, we did that already. AB, Garland and Brock would be movable with a conditional 2nd, IMO for next year.

IMO, wee would be insane not too take one of the two, should they be available. Personally ASP plays like a Hughes 2.0 with a way more solid core and can hit with effect. Reinbacher is a more prototypical NHL D man with a great outlet feed. They are almost the same weight but Reinbacher is 3 inches taller. ASP on the Right Side with Ep40 and Hughes, Miller and one of our dozen wingers would be a devastating PP. devastating.

I see a C by Klimovich’s name, and he was drafted as a winger. he has the size and seems to have grown into an AHLer in his young career. As a second rounder, he is not expected to take an instant leap, and he was the youngest player in the AHL in his first year, so does he have NHL potential as a Center, or is that just optimism. not saying top six, but a NHL Center capable of taking NHL draws?

Hanging in Gurn. It’s a story and or a dozen… but being above ground is a great thing to appreciate.