Kobayashi Maru

Does he really bring anything more that Burroughs would? Similar size and approach and Burroughs is already familiar with the team and system. To be honest I wouldn't bother and would seek a defensive D with some snarl or just allow some of the guys we have in McWard and Juulsen to duke it out. Unless it's confirmed to not happen, I am still putting my chips into Tryamkin being that guy for a similar cost.

I always liked Goldy, but not really what we need unless he’s super cheap and other wingers are moved out. Just blocks spots of guys we have ready to play. Nikita on the other hand….exactly what we need.

Good view of when he was here. This is when he was actually two years younger than Hirose is now. 3rd pair is the floor for him if he never improved over the next 6 years, but that is unlikely and he likely is a 2nd pair D now. He could actually pair nicely with Hirose on the 3rd pair and potentially work up from that to maybe pair with Hronek or OEL. I think he gives us a lot of lineup options and flexibility if we bring him back. He's right in his prime as well, so it lines up nicely.

He’s not an enforcer at all but he is a deterrent. Anybody on the ice knows that he can fight and that it won’t likely go well for them if it happens. We need that more than an enforcer which is not much of a thing anymore.

There are so many scenarios which is why you need to focus on the individual, and not where they are from. If we look at Western Canadian boys we could look at Benn, Kane and Lucic who have never shown a strong desire to play in Van and situations like Virtanen, where his local support network works against him based on his maturity. Overall, we should bring in the best players for our team, that want to be here, and create a support network to make them successful regardless of where they are from. With Tryamkin specifically, I think he fit our needs and still does, and from everything I could tell and appeared to be a great team-mate (Standing up for team-mates, supporting leaders like Edler). He had some limitations because of language limitations, but I think the Canucks org at the time didn't support the situation well. Still seems like a low risk way of meeting a specific need within our team with the proper support network in place.

Without a doubt, the team needs to weigh the concerns of that to ensure that there is not a situation of the Russian players being forced back (Would think that is highly unlikely). They also need to ensure that the players coming over are not in support of the war with Ukraine, but I would have to imagine any player leaving Russia would not be in most cases. Political aspects need to be considered as part of the team evaluation from a risk perspective, but you can't blanket the players because of what country they are from blindly.

Looks pretty fit to me. Commitment to fitness concerns seem a little overblown. Pretty sure completing the grouse grind as a 5'10 175lb prospect vs a 6'8 265lb prospect is a little bit different.

It's weird then that Matthew Tkachuk leads the playoffs in points and Joe Pavelski was a major inspirational leader with 4 goals last night at the age of 38 after coming back from a devastating injury. When Tampa won their recent cups it was Kucherov and Vasilevskiy leading the way. It's almost like where someone is born doesn't matter.

You want to build a team based on where they were born? We are probably better off focusing on who they are as a player/person.

It’s fine. They’ll just sign Studnicka again.

Kuzmenko did pretty well in that situation but I agree there is risk. To me it’s low risk (vs contract) because of our specific D needs to compliment a lot of puck movers in Hughes, Hronek, OEL. Bear, Hirose etc. It’s also much easier to fit a defensive D into an NHL system vs an offensive forward. Smaller NHL ice surfaces also play to his advantage in a big way.

Agreed than Myers has historically been the better D and has been paid for it. Tree is not getting that type of money and won’t. Different players and different values so not a good compatible at all. Zadorov/Oleksiak are good compatibles and we would get a big discount vs their contracts even. Knowing the Canucks management he had, I still put more blame on them than Tree but honestly we have no idea. If the Canucks said, we want you and will support you in the NHL and then didn’t do it then I wouldn’t blame Tree for refusing the AHL. I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure. I think he would bring an element we don’t have to our team that could play up and down the lineup for a reasonable contract.

The concern is valid and needs to be discussed for sure. Maybe if Willie D actually talked to him there would have been an agreement years ago. We have this giant assumption that he refused to put in the effort when he was here but what is that based on. Were the expectations even clear to him at the time? Hard to know if the coach never talked to him. I think it’s confirmed that he refused the AHL but his contract dictated that. How many of us in our jobs would move to a new country, for a fraction of the pay, worse coaching/facilities, less quality of life if we didn’t have to. Very few.

Myers and Tryamkin are only similar based on height. Myers is a tall offensive D without the opportunity here for obvious reasons. He also has defensive gafs because that is not his true game. Tryamkin is a shutdown guy with the size to truly punish players in our zone. Much more of an Oleksiak than a Myers type player. We need exactly what he brings and I think we give him a proper shot this time. Canucks management/approach at the time are more to blame than Tree himself. That era was one of the worst for player development. On a separate note (Not related to your comment at all) I’m sure there are North American players that don’t integrate into KHL teams well and in those cases who do we blame? No player will succeed if they don’t have the support they need to be successful.

I think if you take Wood out of that list you have the Canucks list in order.

To me the situation with Kravs is pretty simple. He has strong vision and ability which could allow him to play up and down the lineup, but his speed and play engagement just needs to turn up a bit (He seemed to stop within the play and took a bit to get moving again vs always skating). We have the right system and coaches for that, so it's a simple question of does he put in the work to keep momentum on this. An offseason of fitness/skating development along with a mindset of matching what Podz brings and we have the perfect makings of a 3rd line with Podz/Kravs and our new 3rd line C via FA unless Raty is ready. That could potentially be an X factor for us if they can drive the play with some skill against easier matchups. I personally feel he will be committed to it and it will work our next year.

I think the question about Tryamkin being able to play in the NHL is pretty crazy. I think he was NHL ready when he was still a prospect, it's just that the situation wasn't right for him. We didn't have the right support network to get the most out of him and develop him and to be honest none of our prospects developed well within our system at that time (McCann is another example). Our coaching and leadership group now have the ability to develop players properly. We also need to not forget that he was a prospect back then and is now 28 and a fully developed D. He played mostly key mins for Avto and can skate well, not even just for a guy his size, but in general. There will be an adjustment to our system similar to any player joining, but at least there is a proper coaching group to do that along with a superstar Russian D in Gonchar. I would say the chances of him being successful as a bottom or middle pair guy is high at the very least. The potential upside could be huge as well since he is not 22 anymore, he's a fully developed 28 year old D in his prime now. I think he becomes our own Cernak-esque D-man within our team if he re-joins us and exactly what we need.

Mostly thinking of a team like Arizona where the cap vs salary could be a major bonus for them or another bottom team, but giving them Rathbone might just finalize it. He certainly doesn’t have a lot of value but Myers and Rathbone for FCs might work nicely.

-I think Hoglander makes the team as a middle 6 guy to offset a Boeser/Garland move, Rathbone gets added as a sweetener in a trade (Maybe with Myers for FCs) since he just hasn't shown enough in the NHL consistently, and Woo is a tough call but he'll have to impress at camp to make it. I'd love to see him in the NHL, but he's borderline at this point and signing Schenn or Tryamkin may make it tougher. Woo likely also has the highest chance on slipping through waivers. -Aman is our 4C so he'll be here -Podkolzin will likely be on the NHL squad as a middle 6 guy and his performance will determine what line he plays on. -Johansson will likely start in the AHL (To understand our system) unless he plays really well in camp -I think Hirose continues to surprise and plays in the NHL due to high hockey IQ and swagger, Silovs plays as the backup to Demko, but Karlsson, Raty and McWard mostly play in the AHL next year with top mins and call ups for injuries.

Moore Dvorsky ASP in that order with consideration for Danielson.

I think the recent start to the U18 tourny has changed my mind a little bit on some of the later picks. I think at this point, I would go with the following for the Canucks based on need vs BPA: 1. Bedard 2. Fantilli 3. Carlsson 4. Michkov 5. Smith 6. Reinbacher 7. Benson 8. Dvorsky 9. Moore 10. Sandin Pellikka 11. Sale 12. Danielson 13. Yager

I think I'd be willing to wait a couple years for a Bure/Pasta level winger vs a 2nd line or 2nd pairing player who will likely only be NHL ready at that some timeframe anyways Obviously some research needs to be done, but if you get an elite level talent and sign him to his ELC once he's ready to join, I think you take it and run.

Highly possible and I would say likely even previously but the Kuz, Mik signings and Gonchar coaching may help move the needle towards us. I think he was a bit left to his own with no support in the Willie D days.

He’s kind of neither. He can’t fight but he sure is a deterrent because he can hit and skate. He’s almost what we want Myers to be (Big steady RD) but Myers is just too chaotic. He can skate like Myers, but is 30 lbs heavier and plays a more steady game. We don’t need a fighter as it’s not part of the game so much but we do need some deterrence that can keep up the pace. I think he fits our needs, cost savings, and timeline well.