Attila Umbrus

I got grilled back when we signed him because I said he could be a guy if paired with the right offensive talent that could put up 40-50 points in a season. I compared him to Brendan Morrison that way, in the sense that he was a good stable line mate for Bertuzzi and Naslund to work off of. Morrison was way more defnsively inclinded than Gagne, but I still think the mold fits. If you look at Gagnes stats he has had a couple up and down seasons (which makes sense as he's bounced around a lot lately). But if you look at his overall production over the years his average is around 40-45 points. I still think that given a stable environment like he had when he was in Edmonton that he will start to produce more effectively again. If he does he'll be a decent stop gap for the next 2 seasons as the kids develop. And easily tradeable if he does resume that kind of production again.

What!!! ...It's an uneven surface I swear!!...LOL.

I'm okay with Gaudette starting in Utica. He can really get a chance to sink his teeth into another 1C role like he did at Northeastern. Manitoba did great things for Kesler before he hit the Canucks roster. He wasn't there long but it helped him greatly. I can see a similar path for Gaudette...Kesler took a few seasons developing as a shut down 3 C with Burrows before really solidifying himself as a premier 2C in the league.

Eriksson was my favorite garbage man in the NHL for years before he came here. Was a fan of him in Dallas and Boston. He's got such a knack for those kinds of greasy goals. I hope it comes back. Like you said, we haven't had the kinds of offensive threats that really create those kinds of rebounds for him to tap in. Sedins were all about a controlled game and not giving the puck away. More rebounds means more goals for Loui. I smell a come back!

.........................man and we still have 2 more months of this!!........................

You can’t garnish everything about a player by measuring and calculating his counting stats and watching video, then come up with bold predictions with out ever watching the player in real time, live at the rink. How does the player do while the camera isn’t following him?? Is he floating? Is he sitting on the bench sulking? We don’t know. You have to be there in person to see the full spectrum of the athelete you are assessing. Scouting has really turned towards the selection of “high IQ” athletes that can process the game at higher levels, the rest of the kinks they can train out. But IQ is so important nowadays. And the best place to find your answers is at the rink. Not at home in front of your tv/computer. They do entertain me from time to time, but find them too biased in one approach to take them 100 % seriously. At least like you said they warn you at the beginning that they “haven’t seen this player in person but...” lol

The dog days of summer...it does weird things to us hockey fan folk haha.

Ya I loved growing up out there as a kid. Lots to do. Ya they are freaky birds haha, but I appreciate how tough they are, so makes me respect em! That’s a wicked experience too. I’ve never seen an elephant. It’s on the bucket list for sure! Cheers blunt

I was a kid and was too curious for my own good. They had their talons shaved down at least. And I always stuck close to the fence so I could jump it quickly lol. He was trying to breed them but gave up after 10 years. They even hate each other and are difficult to breed haha. The eggs were huge tho, looked like dinosaur eggs.

My uncles neighbor used to run an ostrich farm. They are mean buggers. And big friggin birds. And they like pretty much nobody. If there was an animal a**hole of the year trophy it would probably win it hands down...but maybe that’s just my opinion, and it may be flawed...since I was chased several times by them as a kid...lol

Well Judd Brackett did say he is heavier than the 139 lbs he is listed at. Said he is bigger than what he is listed at, but did not really refer to whether it was height and weight or just weight.

Indeed, there are whores from many different ethnicities...lol. I would hate the attachment of a whole culture to be on the bloody "kardashians". Armenian, I think of my old time fav band System of a Down. Rock on!

You don’t need 1st overall when you’re in the lucky 7-hole.

Exactly, and if say we did pick Sergachev instead. We don't have near the stud defensive line like Tampa Bay does to shelter him in an offensive orientated role. Tampe could afford to bring Sergachev up because they knew he could be insulated, plus learn the game at the same time. The next season or two will really show what kind of Dman he is. They can ease him into more Dzone time as they go along. Who would insulate him here on the Canucks? Time will tell how much of a rounded Dman Sergachev is, but there is a reason they sheltered him. He needs work on his own end of things. If he turns out better than Joulevi it will hurt, but now is not the time to freak out about it. And who's not to say Joulevi couldn't have played in Tampa this year, he probably could have been put in the same position as Sergachev and done well himself. He had some ups and downs this year but he held his own in a good mens league. I was a fan of Timonen back in the day, great skater, good stick, very smart at breaking up plays, good passer, great overall defensive and offensive awareness....whats not to like...plus add a few more inches... I'll wait all day for that if it works out

Exactly, we prefer to live in the clouds with our Vancouver Millionaires Stanley Cup, and laugh at all who say Vancouver has never won anything before!! ...back to the real world now...yeah, he’s not coming here...lol...but I wouldn’t turn him down either!

He’s no slouch, and I think it’s important to get a vet back in the system like Bachman. He was very versatile for us. I know there will be lots of options out there. But Lack is the leader of the pack for me.

Oh come on, I think he's a good goalie lol. I'm not saying I want him in the NHL. But yes I do think he is a capable 3rd goalie, and could be an asset for our farm team till we get more goalies coming through our system. We have Demko and DiPietro. That's it.

I agree there are better options out there. But I see Lack as a fit because he has had 2 down seasons, he could be had for cheap and I don't think he'd mind taking the "third goalie" spot in Utica that Bachman has held for so long and I think he can rebound in a familiar situation. He hasn't performed well outsite of our Canucks system... I do like Tokarski, Sateri I wasn't impressed with in Florida. Berra is as good as Lack, I think same age too. Anyways long story short we will have options to fill our 3rd goalie spot lol.

Eddie Lack is a FA, I bet he’d return to the organization to play for Utica. He’s my Bachman replacement vote at least. Know quantity, good goalie, can play in the nhl if we need him to.

I'm gonna put all this s**t in my pipe and i'm gonna smoke it...plus drink a beer to it as well

It's a perfect arrangement. As Juolevi looks up to and respects Salo. He grew up watching him. It sounds like he's been a very large proponent in breaking down Juolevis attitude, in a good way. There is a fine line between cocky and confident. Cocky does not allow for growth. Confidence in who you are and what you bring to the table is healthy. Salo is propping up his confidence while keeping the cocky down to a minimum

I'd even take a Maroon with more work ethic, which he seems to have. Man Child, Garbage Man, Takin care of business! I'm excited for this guy, we need a good net front presence on our PP.

For sure I agree with that. Holmstrom thrived in an age where you could get away with average/poor skating lol. I like the Hornqvist match, he is a fire hydrant, and our man child has a few more inches than him! Hornqvist is a better skater than him however. Obviously that is a workable situation.

Holmstrom was my favorite player growing up as well. It's how I liked to play hockey back in the day. My skating wasn't the best, but I was strong and could put in the trash LOL. I'm so happy to hear that this was a guy he grew up idolizing. I have been waiting for a player like this to be on our team. We haven't seen a guy like that in...I don't even recall?? Bertuzzi wasn't really that kind of player, he had more finesse...i'm drawing blanks lol. HELP