-
Posts
21,790 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
6
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Gallery
Everything posted by IBatch
-
You’d think that he’d have cemented his place on Horvats line, no surprise it didn’t work out with the Sedins they have had all sorts of guys that never did. At least he can move up if needed and maybe this year he will play as hard as he can like he has sometimes during his first three years, particularly against former teams. If he really wants out the only way is to bounce back .. each year his contract is a little more palatable IF he can show he’s worth it....and less of a hit on us if we trade him as a cap dump later.
-
Yep. No reason. Even with the expected injuries. We are a team on the rise and I bet the media changes its tune this year, just like they did with CAR last year...what a difference adding Williams and Hamilton made (and they lost good guys too), plus one more year tagged onto their young core. That could be us next year.
-
I like this but don’t forget to take off the goals other guys score in their place. I have the team scoring around 250 and letting in right where your at around 223. That’s a playoff team right there. The difference in Markstrom last year was all of a sudden his first goal in the early part of games wasn’t nearly as common. Made a huge difference, after and before our losing streak we were also a playoff team. We almost made up for those losses too, and that’s was with EP slowing down to screeching halt ... Pearson and Boeser stepped up which helped a lot. Miller is going to change the dynamic of the top line, wouldn’t be much different if we added Horvat really. EP isn’t going to get abused with abandon anymore or at least not as much, and a summer of training the way he does (EP) is going to help him over the long haul of a regular season. His previous off seasons he worked on 21 things he identified that were wrong with his shot and one by one drilled them in (who the heck does that? That’s what happens with self made guys with no skill coaches, Lafluer was the same way, they make it up themselves and it makes them very unique). If EP puts the same enthusiasm into his strength and conditioning watch out.
-
Absolutely...I love Horvat, and if the team continued the slow walk upwards waiting only for draft picks to help us unfortunately I don’t think he’d re-sign either. And I wouldn’t have any hard feelings either. Benning is showing the team he means business and is creating a bit of an underdog atmosphere (the media is helping that) and I’m pretty sure that puts a smile on a lot of the older core guys and a chip on their shoulders , and JV now has a fire under his ass with a roster full and limited spots in the top six available even with injuries. Can’t wait to see how JV does when the whistle is put away, Horvat too.
-
You’ve been watching that long and haven’t figured out yet that us winning a cup is not going to be a regular thing, there is a lot of hockey in between even final appearances (of which we actually have more then most of the clubs since we came in), and for us a lot of losing too. I own a shirt although it was given to me and way too small. I like it because the logo rocks and because it reminds me of that team. As fans their is a lot more to enjoy then just winning a cup, if you don’t and you’ve followed this team long enough you will end up in an institution or have ulcerative colitis waiting for one as the only thing that matters. I get that maybe Benning pulled the plug a bit early but I also get why he did it. OJ not working out so far is the biggest failure and it’s pushing him to move forward. The entire core will be in their early prime and some members possibly on their way out already before any defenseman he drafts come in from this year or future drafts. And he’s already drafted the magic number(s) of guys he can afford to keep once they are all RFAs. Sure more will never hurt, now he has to focus on hitting on them with later picks for the future of the team five years down the road. Like it or not the tanking phase is over. Hes done better then I expected anyone to do coming in, maybe that’s because I’ve watched them too long or I’m just a realist (no top team gets away without paying the piper...well Detroit did but only kind of, they still had a half dozen guys from their old core helping Zettberg and Datsyuk) ... the Keenan days seemed a lot darker then these even if it ended up a short turn around thanks to Naslund and the Linden haul, something Benning was never going to get with MG clauses. Enjoy the process Bubbles. And EP, Boeser, Horvat, Miller, Podz, Hughes, Demko etc.
-
Sooo...your saying there’s a chance? Might be the nicest thing you’ve said. Don’t fret the lottery, we won’t win it anyways and even without adding Myers and Miller we would still be climbing not receding, maybe even make the playoffs. Like it or not, holes or not, Bennings already created a bubble team. Three years of rebuilding and five years of fixing the prospect pool despite the re-tool did that. Did he go all in too early. Maybe. He bet his job that he didn’t though, and yes it might cost him. On next years draft. I follow prospects and the ones coming up way too much, thinking it might help my hockey pool (which it does) and next years draft is way overhyped on the CDC, a few posted it’s going to be great and the rest have parroted it. Not once have I read in the Future Watch that it’s going to be one of the best in the last decade, or even more ridiculous (I’ve read this on this site) one of the best ever. Outside of Lafrenierre not much has been talked about in North America about Hotlz, yes in Sweden they gush over him. Byfield got some press as going first overall in the OHL here in ONT but haven’t seen much anywhere else...of the top ten I’m sure nobody here knows much of anything about them (yet). If it’s supposedly so good then why hasn’t it received any more press then this years, or last years? Hughes and Dahlin were just as hyped as Lafreniere, Mathews more so, and of course lord McDavid. A year before the draft. Temper expectations a bit. And don’t stress too much over missing out, a good draft I’m sure it will be, but a great draft? We won’t really know for five plus years..
-
Leafs, ARI, CAR. Buffalo ...OTT. Two decades, one decade, one decade and who knows yet, and decent odds at a quick turn around. Edit: the Oilers model is hung up as a warning in every rebuilding GMs office as the flip side of tanking.....or tanking hard far left or whatever or at least it should be.
-
All i can say is Benning has average draft is no 8th overall since he started but somehow has managed the 2-3rd best lot of under 21ers in the league. Complainers will complain. Where is EDM on this list? Close to DFL. Sure they’ve aged out but they also rank 30th compared to ADP, where as Benning is 8th. Complainers will complain no matter what. Like the Myers signing was an an overpayment despite 58 guys within 500k, a lot of them with NMC and NTC. Boo boo we didn’t sign him for 7.5-8x7 so we all could really bi$&h about it. Yet some do. Miller cost us a first round pick. Yet Horvat is absolutely stoked he’s no longer working for a losing squad. Why don’t we wait a year before passing judgement on that one. Benning or whomever took on a team falling. And did what he could given the mandate. Personally I thought things would be a lot worse.
-
More importantly, how does our defense rank compared to the rest of the league? My guess is we moved up quite a few spots from the start of last year, Hughes and Myers >>>>> then Poopoo and Guddbranson Think we were mid twenties when THN ranked the defense last fall. Would expect it to be right around the middle this time. Maybe a little higher depending on how healthy it is and how well Hughes does.
-
Is the Toronto management trainwreck Oilers 2?
IBatch replied to *Buzzsaw*'s topic in General Hockey Discussion
The cap had nothing to do with Myers leaving (WNP offered more), or Trouba - he simply didn’t want to stay....and no cups for them, probably not at all with this core now... -
[Discussion] Winnipeg Jets window has closed
IBatch replied to The_Rocket's topic in Proposals and Armchair GM'ing
You can draft them and trade for them but will they want to stay. Feel sorry for their fans, two years of contending flushed away in a few short weeks. The best they can hope for is stellar goaltending and great cap management and GMing to turn things around, they still have a great forward group but as we’ve all know in the playoffs that’s rarely enough. -
[Proposal] Loui Erickson trade
IBatch replied to canuckistani's topic in Proposals and Armchair GM'ing
This is almost exactly what I’m thinking too. Especially the using it as an excuse to get out of contract bit. Good post. -
[Proposal] Loui Erickson trade
IBatch replied to canuckistani's topic in Proposals and Armchair GM'ing
I know that we all would like LE and his cap to go away, but the reality is it just won’t happen. And that’s ok. He’s still a decent third liner or middle six player, durable (his aversion to contact helps no doubt) and up until now hasn’t complained despite being used as a defensive forward, after years of top or second line play. It’s not his or the coaches fault he’s declined and that’s the best way to play him. Maybe the effort hasn’t been 100% and this will change things. If he really wants out his best move is to play himself out, as in make himself desirable to other teams. Maybe he ends up in Utica but that doesn’t really send a good message unless his play dictates he should and so far it definitely hasn’t, he’s way better then an AHLer still. Or maybe one of our top six guys is out for a while and he plays great in their absence...wins back a spot. I’m sure TG wants him back as he’s a way better option then a half dozen or so of our forwards...until I see Benning sign a guy another top six guy I have serious doubts LE is going anywhere and even then, Sutter seems more likely...better cap hit, less term etc. Might be a palatable cap dump, and previous interest. -
[Proposal] Sign UFA, M Johansson
IBatch replied to BigTramFan's topic in Proposals and Armchair GM'ing
He plays wing and center so the plan could be to load up a third line and have good players that are capable of moving up as needed...like TB. Their third line would also make a decent second line, as when those guys had the chance to play top six they did a good job. Cerilli is new but he scored I think 19 goals with no PP time and manning the top P.K. unit in the leauge (and some shortys too). Where the heck do they find these guys anyways?... How many goals did JV get as rookie again? I’m jealous. Best drafting in the league by far, nobody gets as much as they do given their draft position....a whopping plus 22 (out of a possible 30) based on ADP (average draft position) ... we are a plus four....EDM is a -23. Personally I think he needs to stay away from the remainder of the group. Unless he can get a guy like this or Dzingel for around 4 to 4.5 it could easily end up like another Sutter fiasco. Save some spots for the new kids coming up. -
[Proposal] Sign UFA, M Johansson
IBatch replied to BigTramFan's topic in Proposals and Armchair GM'ing
Dzingel too. Not sure if he’s already gone but he’s also be a good fit. Both of them would be like Higgins was, a decent middle six guy that could move up and down the lineup as needed. The only thing that bugs me about this is it feels like we’d be giving up on JV. Bear will likely go down at some point, but it would require two guys to go down before he gets a chance. That said I do love how Miller displaced Goldobin...and in the end it’s alway a good thing to make your team better once you out of tank mode. -
Based on how things worked out with Luongo and that all they do is double the length of the contract and divide what’s left in two, plus what was prepaid, it doesn’t look good. My guess is it would be something like 4.5 million for six more years, that’s a bad thing to do to a franchise... maybe it’s even worse but it’s definitely not good. edit: and if he retired then it’s dead money without a body, and he’s worth around 3 per year so that would suck too...if they can’t trade we might as well suck it up. Who knows maybe he will play every game like it’s against Boston and he could actually earn it.
-
I’m sure others have mentioned this, but buying out LE would be devastating to any team that did it. Recapture penalties and six years of handcuffing your cap is not a wise decision. We are better off putting him in Utica, opening a roster spot, getting a little cap relief absolutely just waiting it out. The way I look at it we have a 9 million dollar reserve for when we really need it...
-
What are the hidden costs of running a NHL team?
IBatch replied to Doesntmakesense's topic in Canucks Talk
Absolutely...Who knows maybe he’s 23 and just wrapping up his MBA - but as a former BCOM graduate I can say this is first year stuff (BCOM - Not MBA), not sure how he got through that, think maybe that’s about where he’s at now (first maybe second year)...with plans to get his MBA. Would get an F as a project the way it is, 5 minutes of googling you can come up with a decent overall from Forbes, dig a bit deeper and their are arcticles that get more specific. And as I mentioned earlier, the cap is set so players and owners basically split the revenue (not all revenue goes into the pot either, it’s kept by the owners like Expansion fees are split equally and go right into the owners pockets) . So start with 80 million, then take expenses off that. Retained earnings are well over 100 million for the franchise (profits not paid out), they bought it for 207, it’s ranked 9th overall and close to 750. There is a reason rich people are lining up to buy one of these, with revenue sharing as long as the franchise is relatively healthy and isn’t like ARI or CAR was (they really did a great job last year getting bums back in seats) and the market interest is high enough, these things are money makers. That’s why they can ask for 650 and get it, artificially raising the bottom of the franchises up. Its set up for an easy 8-10% ROI including the fees they pay themselves to run it. That’s a dividend. If they own the arena they also make money every single time it’s used for something else. Concerts. Events. Etc. Each franchise is partnered with an elite group of billionaires. Some better then others. If FA sells the Canucks now he will have lined his pockets with well over a billion dollars. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the next core pushes the value up he might do just that. Under the cap the days of owners whining and crying foul (and rightly so) that they are bleeding money are all bit over. Revenue sharing keeps all the franchise’s healthy. ARI is the lone outlier, with a new billionaire owner with plans to put the arena where there are actually people...who knows it might actually work... -
What are the hidden costs of running a NHL team?
IBatch replied to Doesntmakesense's topic in Canucks Talk
Sure they used as very creative accounting when it comes to filing their personal income tax....in the end it should only be what they paid themselves from whatever company they have, losses from a company can only be used against previous or future profits within that company - each is a separate entity. If CCRA is after them they should be firing their accountant firm. -
[Proposal] Tanev trade idea #10,000 - VAN-WPG
IBatch replied to JM_'s topic in Proposals and Armchair GM'ing
One that pays him six for he regular season, and IF make the playoffs six for that season too.... Hughes gets paid six no way he gets more then Horvat too. We have to model things around St. Louis now right? No big cap hits, for them they use the “7.5” model - as in other then AP and Tarasenko nobody is allowed to make more. -
[Proposal] Tanev trade idea #10,000 - VAN-WPG
IBatch replied to JM_'s topic in Proposals and Armchair GM'ing
Now you’ve gone and done it....Boeser has to be traded no way should he make MORE then our future Captain. Myers only go 6 because no way should HE make more either. LE. 6 seems to be the Magic number on Vancouver, we want a team of muckers that can get err done, no higher end talent allowed. -
[Proposal] Sign UFA, M Johansson
IBatch replied to BigTramFan's topic in Proposals and Armchair GM'ing
Not sure he’s good for 50 points on this team but you never know. Horvat is no Backstrom or Kuznetzov...although pretty good. Wouldn’t be the worst signing in the world, but personally I’m happy with Bear on his off wing, and JV as the first guy to get the chance to finally make the top six. I see this guy as a serviceable vet, middle six player. Certainly wouldn’t be bad at that cap hit and term though... think we have too many depth guys and Pearson would likely pace him and be more effective all around player at a smaller cap etc, same with Bear. Know Benning wanted one more top six guy and he was rumoured as one of them...so who knows it could still be in the works, think we’d need to move on from JV to get the deal done though and think I’d rather just keep JV. -
[Proposal] Loui Erickson trade
IBatch replied to canuckistani's topic in Proposals and Armchair GM'ing
This deal is fair and might work for both teams. I really don’t think LE is going anywhere unless Lucic or Ryan or a similar bad contract comes back the other way. Personally would rather just stick it out, the devil you know right, plus from LE’s viewpoint the only way out is to start playing like we’ve seen him capable of when he’s really trying (he’s had games where he’s our best player), like against his former teams etc. Each year he’s done, he becomes easier to trade (assuming he doesn’t regress), worst case scenario he does and we just send him to Utica save 1 million. He’s buyout proof, and in some respect he’s like a cap reserve (plus the recapture penalty), that will keep the money on the side for when we really need it. 9 million could buy us something special later on, and be used for our own guys raises etc. -
Plus arms and skates remember....oh wait then the cup height (top), damn probably 4.