Boddy604

You take all that with a grain of salt. What would you say if a Vancouver radio station called you and asked you live on the air if you'd come to Vancouver, your hometown? Of course you say yes, it'd be interesting.

Burrows salary next season is 3 million but his cap hit is still 4.5. So in a buyout Burrows would cost 2 million this coming season and 1 million the season after. So from a dollars sense, buying out Burrows costs almost the same as just letting him play but from a salary cap standpoint, it's about 1.5 million cheaper in the end. Backdiving contracts are mind boggling in a salary cap world. Canucks really need his roster spot, only reason I see him getting bought out. If Burrows stays, there's probably not enough cap or roster spots available for a free agent cuz Baertschi, Etem, Pedan, and Larsen still need deals and all would be waiver eligible. And Canucks only have 9 million of cap with Burrows/Higgins on the team. Those 4 probably eat up about 6 of it.

You've gotta wonder if Lucic does come to Vancouver, does Miller request a trade out? Barring that scenario though, I think we see a 50-30 split assuming both guys stay healthy. Markstrom is the future but Miller is still the 6 million dollar man so unless he breaks down, he's playing at least 2 of every 3.

Benning said all season in regards to Gaunce and Shinkaruk he'd like to leave them in Utica for 2 or 3 years until they're over ripe and can step right into an impact role in Vancouver. Shinkaruk is gone now but I won't be surprised if the same plan remains for Gaunce. He'll probably be injury call up #1 but if their choice is to have him in Utica or as a 13th skater in Vancouver, my bet is he goes to Utica.

Horvat and Etem went on 6 and 7 game point streaks to close out the season when they finally were paired up so that's fine with me. Obviously that's not sustainable but it does make it obvious there's some chemistry there too. Etem-Horvat-Virtanen? Etem-Horvat-Rodin? Etem-Horvat-Hansen? Those all look pretty nice to me.

Not sure why everyone has just forgotten about Markstrom's potential since Demko had a good college season. Wasn't that long ago that Markstrom was considered the best player in the entire AHL. Having both just ensures the Canucks can rely that position is filled for a good, long time.

This. I think he'll probably be a 40 point guy again next season though. But only cuz with a healthy Sutter, Horvat is going to get less minutes. But if Horvat puts up 40 points from the 3rd line alongside other young guns like Baertschi, Virtanen, Etem, or maybe even Tkachuk (but that one's a stretch), that's still improvement and bodes well for the future.

I only played to Junior A. My great uncle was a former Canuck though. Gregg Boddy. Dad was an assistant in the OHL. Bit of a hockey family. Should've stuck with it.

What I like about Hutton is he's shown he can play the big minutes. So has Gudbranson. That should allow the Canucks to cut Edler and Tanev's minutes to something not "Edler played 27 minutes or more in the last 5 games" like we saw last season. And with Tryamkin, totally possible we see Edler off the PK altogether. Sutter-Hansen Tryamkin-Gudbranson That's an intimidating PK that will seriously punish a team that makes a mistake.

Sutter put up 40 points on Pittsburgh's 3rd line playing a shutdown role. 40 points should be the expectation out of him. And their 3rd line wasn't very good. Personally I won't be surprised to see him crack 50, especially if the Canucks get him a top 6 winger out of free agency. In all honesty Sutter just never has played with top 6 guys, he's proven he can match up against the league's best in a shutdown role and do very well. Next season we'll finally see if he can produce the offence to match with (hopefully) higher quality linemates than he's ever had before.

If Burrows can't be traded in the off season, he'll be bought out. Gaunce can replace his role for a fraction of the cost and be just as effective, even in a rookie year. That 4.5 million dollars is much better being spent elsewhere. Like on Okposo man did he look good tonight.

Until the Sedins aren't our undisputed point leaders year in and year out, your argument is moot. They're also the best mentors. Baertschi's entire game is being modeled around Daniel. Vey, Henrik. Burrows? Well he high fives guys when they score. 4.5 million dollars for a replaceable roster spot isn't perfect. He can be replaced on the PK, he's already been replaced on the PP, and not once have I heard a rookie talk about Burrows. It's always the Sedins, Dorsett, Hansen, and Hamhuis. Not to mention him staying keeps Shinkaruk and/or Gaunce in Utica again next season.

Very true. I just wasn't sure where Demko's head was at. Haven't heard anything from him about what he wants.

Hockey is a business. The management in place now is not the ones who gave him that deal, nor are they the one's who had him in his prime, they don't actually owe him any loyalty so your dog reference doesn't really apply. I make decent enough money but I know if a younger, cheaper guy gets hired and starts out performing me, it's only a matter of time before I get handed my lay off papers. And that's at a 90k salary, not 4.5 million. Why would hockey be any different?

I hope it is. Does Demko want to give up on college for hockey though? I know other players have stayed till they get their degree and then they leave.

Wouldn't he need to leave college to report to Utica though? NCAA rules prevent him from participating in everything else, can't imagine AHL being any different.

Sedin-Sedin-Free Agent Baertschi-Horvat-Hansen Dorsett-Sutter-Virtanen Shinkaruk-Vey-Etem Fixed it for you. Bye Burrows. McCann gets a year in Utica to play 1st line minutes and 1st unit powerplay.

Burrows has a 4.5 million cap hit, top 6 money, and he produces at a bottom 6 level. Outside of fan loyalty, there isn't any reason to keep Burrows over another free agent with a similar or slightly more (5-6 million per) cap hit. Even without Burrows, you still have the Sedins, Sutter, Hansen, and Dorsett as mentors. I'd even include Horvat there as its been pretty apparent the incoming rookies look up to him. Retain Burrows for 50 percent and free up 2.25 million of cap in the offseason and send him out. It's only retained cap for 1 season anyways. Shinkaruk has history with Etem and Vey. They were a former line, and a dominant one. Make that a line. Buy out Higgins in the offseason and you go into next season with like 19 million in available cap and only Baertschi, Etem, and Vey needing deals. All 3 combined won't cost more than 6. Leaving 13 million for a free agent forward and defenseman. That's enough cap to get a high end one of each.

If he doesn't clear, that's an extra 4.5 million in free agency. Question, would you rather a 4.5 million Burrows? Or a 5 million Okposo? I know where I'd rather spend my money.

There won't be another McDavid for a decade.

Dispose of Iron Man Sedin and replace them with always injured RNH. Genious

Without the Sedins, we're the next Oilers. No.

If we didn't have Gaunce and Shinkaruk waiting in Utica, I'd argue he still has value for us. But we do have Gaunce and Shinkaruk so he's a roster spot that can be filled and improved on with stuff we already have.

A Burrows retained 50% is a pretty decent 2.25 million option for another team. That should have takers. And it opens up a spot for one of Gaunce, Zalewski, Shinkaruk, or a free agent. Anyone over 30 in the bottom six is holding back rookies at this point.

Burrows has done well in his time here. Truth is though, we now have a roster that likely already includes Sedin and Baertschi on left and Hansen, Etem, Virtanen, and Dorsett on right as locks for next season. With both Dorsett and Etem able to switch wings should the need arise. Add in a free agent aquisition or two and guys like Shinkaruk, Gaunce, Zalewski, and potentially Grenier pushing for a spot on the team and Burrows suddenly becomes the next Higgins. Even without free agents or Burrows that's still already 10 people who have a reasonable to guaranteed chance of making the roster with only 8 spots available. An underperforming 30+ year old forward who is preventing someone from being on the team isn't going to stay around. If the Canucks miss the playoffs this year, that will expedite his removal even more cuz they won't want 2 years of carrying big contracts at the expense of improving. Burrows likely already knows or has been told his time here is limited. And even if he hasn't, it's pretty obvious. There's no situation other than letting Baertschi go (which makes no sense) that let's Burrows stay. Unless the aim is to have a 2nd season with mostly this roster and then decide what to do with Miller, Higgins, and Burrows. But I can't see that.