canuckleheads fan

I do, he's a big, RHD who moves well, and plays with an edge, he can move the puck and has offensive upside. He is exactly the kind of player you need in the playoffs. Plus he's been awesome on the PK.

That's why I think they'll take either Jake or Gauds, whichever we don't protect.

I wonder if the staff is trying to hide Olli from the draft, so they don't have to protect him. Maybe they know what they have in him but want him to get a full training camp and pre-season. Also, Benn has seen a terrific resurgence since replacing Olli, so I understand why TG is riding him. If that's the case, I hope they plan to sign and protect Hamonick because he's been a revelation and quality RHD is hard to find. Ever since hearing that TG prefers Dmen to play their natural side, I've been watching carefully how difficult it is play your weak side. Having to take the puck on your backhand on a puck up the boards at the opponent's blue line is so much more difficult and often shuts down so many more options as opposed to being able to take it on your forehand. As good as Schmidt is at switching from backhand to forehand, it still stops the quick shot or pass on a puck up the boards. For the ED, I used to think they would protect Myers, Schmidt, and Olli and sign and expose Benn, but now maybe they'll protect Myers, Schmidt, and Hamonic, sign and expose Benn and not protect Olli. Since Olli has had injury problems and has yet to play an entire, healthy season, taking him would be a risk for Seattle. I suspect Seattle takes one of our young, draft-eligible forwards, like Jake or Gauds, if we don't protect them or Holtby. Sorry Myers haters, I don't think he's going anywhere, and I'm happy about that.

I've noticed that Miller does a lot forehand draws, so he's set up to basically shoot the puck back to the right point, or to the right side boards.

It's more likely that Lind becomes 3C, they're converting him to center in Utica and he's playing in all circumstances.

I love Miller, probably the third or fourth best first round draft choice the team has ever spent. But the other poster was right, sometimes he tries too hard, like trying to dangle three or four opposing players at their blue line, turning the puck over and causing an odd-man rush going the other way, as opposed to the smart move, shooting it deep when you don't have a play.

I expect Gauds or Motte to start at #2 wing (LW/RW since both Gauds and Virtanen are both RH), and Vessey to get limited, protected minutes in the bottom six until he learns the system and has TG's confidence. Gauds has played really well of late, he's moved the puck, he's created and he's scored a couple of times, the shootout winner on Wednesday was a beauty. To my naked eye, he looks like he's skating faster than he did last year. Personally, I don't understand all the excitement over Vessey, he's a good pickup because he was free and might be able to turn things around, but he also played lots of top-6 minutes in Toronto in a wide open offensive system with arguably better players than he'll play with here and he struggled to put the biscuit in the basket. Classic CDC, get all wet over a new face before you turn him into a villain, I recall a player named Goldobin. Gaud's play over the past couple of weeks makes me think he should be one of the seven forwards JB protects. Bo, Brock, Petey, JT, Motte, Gauds, and Lind.

100% this. When other teams learned that Bobby Orr had bad knees, they specifically targeted his knees, and sadly shortened the career what I think was the best player to ever lace up a pair of skates. If teams learn that EP has a wrist injury, how many more slashes will he suffer on that wrist? A back injury? They'll cross-check him into the middle of next week. I'd say there are lots of dirty players in the NHL, like Kadri, who would purposely injure EP if he could.

I think we have enough of a body of work to render a verdict on JV. He's a major disappointment, not because he lacks size or skill, but because he lacks drive. I would disagree on OJ. Due his injury history, the jury is still out . I think he's looked remarkably good, confident, intelligent, and dependable when he's had a chance to play. He looks like a cornerstone piece over the next four or five years. He will likely replace Edler as a big minutes eater as a top-4 Dman with lots of PK time.

If you want to frame it with the logo side out, what does it matter what name and number are on the back?

Not sure where you're getting that, because this is from the NHL's website as of 10 seconds ago: * One defenseman who is a) under contract in 2021-22 and b) played in at least 40 NHL games the prior season or played in at least 70 NHL games in the prior two seasons. Okay, that was from an article posted this summer, stupid they didn't update it. I found the cap friendly website with the updated numbers for the shortened season. Now I'm really confused as to why we're not seeing more of Olli. That's frustrating, since even though Benn has been solid, I don't think he's been any better than Olli was, and Olli needs the seasoning, where the Canucks plan to either sign and expose Benn or not sign him at all.

I don't pay a lot of attention to signings by other teams unless they're former Canucks, so I had to look up the Skinner contract. Wow, that's robbery! He's not even their best player. How do you sign a minus player for every year of his career aside from his Calder year and the 40-goal-season first year in Buffalo to that kind of scratch? wow.

The only reason I can think of for Benn playing ahead of Olli, is that JB plans to make Benn the Dman they expose in the expansion draft. They will sign him to a one or two year deal before the season is over and expose him. I don't think they want to expose Myers, because he's played extremely well this season, he plays in all situations, they have no other Dmen who play with an edge, and of course he's right handed which is a premium today. The Canucks have no developmental RHD ready for the show, yet. Of course they'll protect Schmidt and Olli, Hamonic and Edler are UFAs, but Hamonic has already said he wants to resign in Vancouver and Edler isn't going anywhere so they will both likely wait until after the ED to sign with the Canucks, so that leaves Benn as the player with 70 games played over two seasons. He just hit 70 on Monday, so I expect we'll see Olli again if/when the team loses their next game, or somebody gets hurt.

People move freely between behind the bench or the front office and the analyst chair. A stint at coach would give him even more credibility with the audience. I love the guy, he and Burr are my all-time favorite players.

I know Francis has put together an impressive team. I think teams learned from the Vegas draft and things will be a little different this time. We'll see.

I think Vegas was kind of a one-off. They did a fantastic job finding under used players ready to break out like Karlson. Also with limited AHL play and limited travel, Seattle won't have as good of a view into the better players teams have in the minors.

Green's line matching was superior, I was thinking about it this morning, that other than the PP, McD was never on the ice W/O Bo or Miller opposite him. Travis made sure the fourth line never got trapped out there against the Oilers first line. He also made sure Edler was out there against McDavid most of the game. Our PP and PK were also better than theirs. And most importantly, he put Demko back out there immediately after he gave up 5 against Montreal, I was sure we would see Holtby. All of those are superior coaching decisions. As long as the Canucks play against one or two line teams, like Toronto and Edmonton, they have a good chance. A balanced team like Montreal exposed our weakness in the bottom six.

Because it's unlikely he would be picked, and Vancouver is probably going to be a better team over the next two seasons. It is more likely Seattle either picks Holtby as a proven starter or one of the younger players that we can't protect. Just because the Canucks expose him doesn't mean he'll get taken.

Why wouldn't he? He's coming to the end of his career and both Vancouver and Seattle put him close to home.

Because it's more salary and term than he would get anywhere else. He knows becoming to the end of his career. Signing with the Canucks or being taken by Seattle, in either case he'll be close to home.

The Canucks will probably sign him for about 1.5 for two years, which I would support rather than losing Myers.

Better than losing a top-4 RH Dman.

He's from Victoria, I'm sure he wouldn't mind being taken by Seattle. He'll probably sign a two year deal at a 6th Dman price. Honestly, why else is be playing ahead of Olli?

That will be Benn. The reason he's playing every night is to get his 70 games in. Then the Canucks will sign and expose him. It's the only thing that makes sense of him playing ahead of Olli.

Bo, Brock, Miller, Petey, Motte, Lind and either Jake or Gauds depending on who has a better second half. Myers, Oli and Schmidt.