Noble 6

I gotta say, reading everyone's opinions on here is pretty interesting. It's so wide open this year that nobody is right, but nobody is wrong either. To be honest, I liked Foote a lot at the beginning of the season and then forgot about him . He would be an excellent pickup and is as much of a sure bet to make the NHL as anyone. He probably won't be a top-pairing defenseman himself, but he could be a lot like what Gudbranson is/was supposed to be. I would want that big, tough, physical two-way defenseman any day of the week. He would fit right in with our D-core. He's the type of guy that will make sure forwards leave the zone in worse condition than when they entered. His offensive game isn't very dynamic, but he seems to make the solid play more often than not. I would really like to trade Edler for a pick in the range that we could select him so we could walk out of the draft with him. My guess is he'll probably be gone anywhere from 8th-16th overall. There are a lot of teams that could use a surefire NHL defenseman. At the start of the season, I didn't really like Vilardi. I had heard reports about his skating and kind of dismissed him. When I watch him play though he is pretty dominant. He's pretty quick down low in terms of spinning away from defenders. His body positioning is excellent and it's almost impossible to knock the puck off of him. He's great at finding the open man, especially the open defenseman (which is usually Sergachev). He would be an excellent fit with Horvat and nobody could handle them down low. His straight line speed is what he needs to improve on, but I'm not incredibly worried about that. Liljegren is someone I absolutely wouldn't mind taking with our pick. He would add a dynamic presence to our blue line and he and Stetcher could run our powerplays. Necas is someone who we could realistically take. The only 2 players I wouldn't prefer would be Mittlestadt and Makar and I've already explained why.

Thanks for the info! I didn't know he was right handed. I guess I just naturally assumed he was a lefty. That's an added bonus though! Again, I think Benning is high on him based on something I read about a month ago.

Horvat is an extreme example of improving and even he did it over 2 years. Using Horvat as the example is the smaller sample size, as there are way less cases of what he did compared to what McCann did, which is quite common. The main reason I used McCann was for a quick comparison on the schedule. Whether he was playing against men or not, McCann was playing close to the same amount of games as he would in a full NHL season. He had to adapt to the bigger, stronger, faster, etc. competition. Boeser has already been playing with guys who are closer to the NHL physically, but he hasn't played as much. He would have to learn how to keep a consistent pace and recover properly over an 82 game season. I wasn't really comparing McCann directly to Boeser, I was mainly comparing the schedule difference to highlight how Boeser will likely struggle with a certain aspect of next season. Our very own Hutton went through something similar last year. He was great the first half of the season, but then started to fade away as he had never played that many games before. Stetcher is going through something similar, though not as bad. He looked more electric at the beginning of the season compared to now. There's nothing that you can do about this, it's just part of the transition from college to the NHL, just like how CHL players have to transition to more physically capable players in the NHL. Boeser will likely face this challenge whether he's in the NHL or the AHL, so his greatest obstacle would still follow him. Even if he did work on his skating and came into camp at Horvat level (which is unlikely), would giving him more time to improve be a terrible thing? Based on how quickly he improved, wouldn't he improve even more with a full year of extra practice? Just because he spent this summer working on his skating and he improved doesn't mean he shouldn't keep working on it, right? To take you point about the equipment that helps player's strides. He could use that for a full year down in Utica. If he improves his skating to the point where he's at the NHL level over the summer, he should easily be an above average skater with a full year of extensive training under his belt. And again, the main reason I might prefer to keep him down is the avoid the losing season we should/will have next year. Nothing to do with Boeser being physically incapable or anything. The two additional bonuses to that would be a full year to work on skating and a year to transition to the pro schedule. Also, we could easily call him up for a stint or a road trip or something to see what he can do. I haven't read to many of the articles, but it seems like his family would benefit from the NHL paycheck throughout the year. He's not locked down in the minors. And again, if management keeps him up for the majority of the year it will be a good thing too. It shows that they have confidence in him as a player and as a person to handle a long season. It's really a win-win either way.

I would prefer someone who can drive the play themselves and put up points as opposed to someone who puts up big numbers on the powerplay. I would want a top-5 pick to score at even strength. He does show skill on the powerplay, but he is not as valuable if he can't do it at even strength. Sounds like Gagner, who I think is being used as a powerplay specialist by Columbus. Whether Mittlestadt reaches that level or can exceed that is my question. To be honest, I know nothing about him either. I read somewhere that Benning liked him a while back. From what I've read, he seems to chase down loose pucks and be a responsible 200ft player while still being creative offensively. Someone compared him to Giroux and others have labelled Krejci as a comparable. It's not a lot of concrete fact, but that's all I got. Could be the sleeper of the draft.

I think there are a lot of ways this could go. I think Necas is the guy we will most likely be ending up with. Liljegren is looking like he could be the 2nd option for Benning. If I had to guess, I'd say that Benning's rankings look something like this: 1) Patrick 2) Hischier 3) Necas 4) Liljegren 5) Vilardi That would be fine by me. Personally, I just hope that Mittlestadt and Makar aren't too high on Benning's list. Mittlestadt's 5 on 5 stats have been below average. He has something like 7 points in 20 games at even strength in the USHL. That's not mentioning that he returned to high school, where he likely didn't develop as much and might've developed some bad habits being so far above the competition. It's an attractive package, but I don't think we should buy in. Makar is too risky for me in the top 10.

I thought he looked alright. Very similar to how Baertschi was when he was new to the Canucks. It looks like he's capable of more.

To be honest, Sergachev looks really good out there too. He is so far above the CHL in terms of physicality it's funny. He just shrugs off anyone that comes at him and imposes his will on anyone. He doesn't play the pro style game like Juolevi, but he looks like he could easily learn it. Seeing where Juolevi plays next year will be very interesting. I would bet on returning to London or being sheltered on the Canucks.

Again, the commentators continuously go on about his character. Very encouraging to hear.

The way you worded your other response made it look like it was either tank or play Boeser, as if they were two separate things and we could only have one or the other. And I already explained why playing in the AHL wouldn't be that bad for him. He could: -Avoid the bad season the Canucks will likely have, whether he's on the team or not -Work on his skating (specifically his acceleration/explosiveness) -Play a full season as a pro You said that "If he shows he can play in the NHL, he'll have shown that he doesn't need to adjust to the pro schedule or any of the other things you mentioned because he is already doing it." That is simply wrong. Being able to have a good 10-15 games at the start of the season does not mean anything in terms of schedule. That doesn't mean he'll be able to keep up that level of play by games 50-60, let alone games 70-80. He's only played around 20-30 games for each of the last 2 years, it will be an adjustment for him no matter what, especially when you factor in travel. McCann is an example of this and he had been playing more games than Boeser in the CHL, In addition, just because he's playing in the NHL doesn't mean he's already improved his skating that much. A full year with extra practice time would give him an opportunity to add a whole other gear to him. He could make his skating NHL level this summer, but he could take it to the next level with a full year. He could improve the same way Horvat did in less time since he will have more practice time in the AHL. Playing in the AHL wouldn't hamper his development in any way unless he got lazy himself. If he sticks in the NHL then great for him, it will show management's confidence in his ability. It's a win-win situation. I would just prefer him not to be a part of the losing personally, that's it. Who said anything about putting everyone in the AHL for every year? Edmonton's looking pretty good too now that they've brought in proper management. We wouldn't have the same problem as them because our GM is not a lunatic like theirs were before their current regime.

Playing Boeser next year won't suddenly make us a Playoff team. We likely won't finish any better than we have this year and could possibly do even worse with Miller gone and others regressing. The point was to keep him away from the toxic losing environment and play on a better team and do better individually as an extension of that. Finishing bottom 3 next season isn't directly tied to Boeser being in the NHL or not. He won't suddenly regress because he spends some time in the minors. It will help him learn the pro schedule (playing 70-80 games a season instead of 20-30) as well as give him more time to work on his skating, which could use a little work. So, by keeping him in the AHL next year. he can adjust to the pro schedule, work on his skating and not be a part of the losing environment the Canucks will/should likely have. Also, just because he plays in the AHL doesn't mean he is stapled there. It's not like we can't bring him up for a couple of stints throughout the season and give him some games and an NHL paycheck. We will still see him, just maybe not for the whole season. One more thing regarding the draft. I specifically said the top end of the draft was loaded with studs. So no, we won't get the same caliber or player no matter where we finish.

Next season doesn't look very clear at all. He played well and looks like he will make the team out of camp, especially after a summer of training. My main concern would be the strength of our team next year. I think we should have a weaker team next year as the top end of the draft is loaded with studs. I think that would mean playing Boeser in the AHL to keep him away from the tire fire.

Does anyone have an in depth analysis/review on Necas? He seems like one of those guys who could turn into one of the better players of the draft that most people knew nothing about. He's been ranked as high as 3rd overall, so I think getting a handle on him would be a good idea. He could be similar to Barkov in the sense that he's not a flashy player playing in a smaller market, so he could get a little under looked and under appreciated.

Thanks for the update guys!

When are the games? They should be pretty exciting games to watch.

I really don't see Keller struggling much specifically due to the size of the West. He's way too smart to put himself in a position to get trucked into the boards. The only thing that would suffer is he might lose some more board battles, but there are a lot of winger that could do that part for him in Arizona. He's got amazing IQ, vision, agility, hands and evasiveness. He was my favourite along with Sergachev last year and is probably my favourite non-Canuck outside the NHL. Going back to the draft, I think it would be a good idea to draft another defenseman. Liljegren could bring a new element to our defense and make us that much better. Valimaki also looks like a pretty good option as well. I'm not sold on Makar and probably wouldn't take him in the top ten but he could be a good high risk pick after that. The reason I say we should pick defenseman is because none of these forwards outside the top 2 look like they can offer us something we don't already have. All these centres and winger look like they will top out as 2nd line players, which we already have. I don't think anyone could realistically displace what we already have: ________ - _________ - Boeser Dahlen - Horvat - Goldobin Baertschi - Gaudette - Virtanen Granlund - Gaunce - Lockwood The only player besides a defenseman and the top 2 I could see fitting with our team is Vilardi. He could be a good 2nd line winger. His only real knock is his skating as he is big, strong and smart. I'm not sure if he could get it to Horvat heights, but I expect it to improve. He will be a big guy that is really hard to knock off the puck when he fills out even more. He would looks great with some pieces we already have: Dahlen - Horvat - Vilardi That's a hardworking, smart and defensively responsible line. The only concern would be the collective speed, but I think it would be fine as Horvat is the only one that has important defensive responsibilities and he is fast enough. Going back to defenseman, I think Liljegren would really solidify our group. We would have a pretty diverse range of skill sets, with a good mix of IQ, puck moving, size and stay at home guys. The only thing would be Liljegren would be pretty similar to what we already have in Stetcher, but that doesn't sound like a bad thing. Our D core would look pretty great if we got him since he is in our range: Juolevi - Gudbranson Tryamkin - Liljegren Brisebois - Stetcher Hutton

Now that the topic has been brought up, I'm curious as to how Demko stacks up against other young goalies. It seems Shestyorkin is ahead of him along with Sorokin. Does anyone who knows more about other teams young goalies have a list?

1) Patrick 2) Hischier ------------- 3) Liljegren 4) Necas 5) Pettersson 6) Vilardi HM: Foote, Valimaki, Suzuki I really like Hischier and his style of play, but I haven't seen much of Patrick. I'm just trusting the majority of scouts there. From there, I like Liljegren mainly because his payoff could be the most rewarding outside the top 2. I think some of his deficiencies have been slightly overblown similar to Chychrun last year and mono has not helped. Necas has been tracking very well according to reports and could be a solid player. Pettersson has been doing great things in Swedan and probably has one of the highest ceilings. Obviously the frame is a concern, but we need a skill set like his. Vilardi is someone who I think will be more of a winger. I think he would be absolute magic with Horvat down low as they are both big, strong and smart. To be honest, I don't think I'd be mad or dissapointed in the slightest if Benning didn't take one of the players I wanted. I'm not really attached to any of the players I prefer the same way I was last year with Keller and Sergachev.

I was hoping for Keller as well. He would really look great with Horvat right now as our 2 young centers moving forward. Man, so much skill, creativity and offensive flare. Juolevi has really solidified our defensive core though and I understand and support the pick.

I was off of CDC for the last couple of days. Wow the last 15 pages were quite a roller coaster.

I'm not as concerned about him translating his points in his first 1-3 seasons. I just want to see what type of game he can bring and let him know what type of game he has to grow into. Let him learn systems, how to forecheck efficiently, adjust his game, etc. It it seems as though his Czech team has tied him down quite a bit since being drafted. If we could bring him into a more controlled environment I think it will make all the difference. I think he has the potential to be an effective player, but we need to take control of his development. I understand what you mean about -10 points though.

I accidently put this in the Dahlen thread, but i'll put it here now I think it's absolutely imperative to get him signed this summer and bring him to Utica. He has nothing left to prove in the tier 2 league and would be much better off playing in the AHL than in the Czech tier 1 league. Out of all the prospects we can sign and bring over this summer, he might be my highest priority. I want to see what type of player he becomes in Utica. Mainly whether he can find a way for his scoring to translate or become an effective bottom 6 player. I think he is capable of playing either role based on what I've heard in the past about his speed. But I really want him coming over and learning the game over here.

I think it's absolutely imperative to get him signed this summer and bring him to Utica. He has nothing left to prove in the tier 2 league and would be much better off playing in the AHL than in the Czech tier 1 league. Out of all the prospects we can sign and bring over this summer, he might be my highest priority. I want to see what type of player he becomes in Utica. Mainly whether he can find a way for his scoring to translate or become an effective bottom 6 player. I think he is capable of playing either role based on what I've heard in the past about his speed. But I really want him coming over and learning the game over here. EDIT: Whoops! Wrong section. I saw the last post had Jasek in it and just went for it.

Could slightly ease the situation. Every spot helps.

Thank you for the information. That's good news as it means that Brisebois can play in the AHL next year without it counting towards our contract count, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not sure if there are many players we can afford to lose out of the ones I listed earlier. The only ones that are questions for me are some of the Utica resignings as we have a strong wave of youth moving in and possibly replacing them. That list also doesn't include our 2017 1st rounder who could very well be a European who is eligible for the AHL. Chatfield is a solid addition and could very well turn into something good. His contract spot is likely more valuable than anyone similar we could've had. To say that I'm not concerned would be a lie, but on the flip side it's always good to land free young players. It is definitely looking like a more complex situation than initially thought. It looks like Stukel could stay in Junior. He does play for the Hitmen, who were previously deemed to have a bad environment, but that could've been specific to Virtanen. I think it would be ideal for Abols to get a contract. He has spent a good amount of time in Junior as has to take the next step. I guess the KHL wouldn't be terrible, but I would prefer him in Utica. Jasek is someone who I think must be brought over. His Czech team hasn't been willing to loan him in the past and he seems to be stuck in a bubble between the top men's league and the 2nd tier. Apparently he was playing well in the top tier before his team got eliminated, but I think he should be our priority this offseason. If we don't do it now, it will just result in more wrestling matches to bring him over in the future. I think Zhukenov would also potentially benefit the most from making the jump to Utica. The focus for him would be adding strength and other physical tools and figuring out how to adapt his game to the next level. We should be looking to bring in as many prospects as possible, but they need a solid foundation to step into, similar to what we're working towards/already established on the Canucks. Finding that balance between bringing back guys like Grenier, Pedan, LaBate, etc. versus injecting young players like Jasek, Brisebois, Neill, Zhukenov, etc. will be tough to do. I'm not sure there is a right or wrong answer to it. I think my priority list would look like this: 1) Jasek 2) Brisebois (contract doesn't count) 3) Zhukenov 4) Abols It's not that I don't care about the rest, but I think those guys will benefit the most from making the jump. If we had more contract slots, we could bring more people up. Thank you both for the information.

By my count, it lines up like this: 3 open slots to start 1 gained from expansion 15 gained due to RFA/UFAs 7 gained from Utica RFA/UFAs That adds up to 26 open slots for next year. Now here is where we lose spots: 4 lost from resigning Horvat, Gaunce, Tryamkin and Gudbranson 2 lost from MacEwan and Chatfield's contracts kicking in 3 lost from resigning 3 of Boucher, Cramarossa, Skille, Rodin, Megna or Chaput 5 lost from resigning Garteig, Pedan, LaBate, Grenier and McEneny 1 lost for Boeser 8 lost for Jasek, Neill, McKenzie, Zhukenov, Olsen, Stukel, Abols and Dahlen to play in Utica 2 lost for a backup goalie and depth defenseman in Free Agency That adds up to 25 contracts. I'm not sure what the rules are on Brisebois' contract and how the sliding works, but that might count too, which means we'd be at the limit. It's never good to be at the contract limit as it limits your flexibility throughout the season greatly. Unless I made a mistake or I'm missing something, it's not looking great. We would either have to lose some guys or force other to stay in Junior. Am I missing something?