Schmautzie

Can’t blame JB for losing Markstrom and Tanev. Calgary overpaid for both. Toffoli is a different story. He signed in Montreal for the same amount we’re paying Braden Holtby. Who of those two would you rather have right now? For those of you saying that we needed Holtby to avoid losing Demko in the expansion draft this is false. Craig Anderson or any number of competent veteran goalies could have been signed as Demko’s backup for low salary and been exposed in the draft. Keeping Toffoli would have enabled us to have two legitimate scoring lines and would have made us immeasurably better. It would also have kept EP happy. A competent GM could have made this work.

I actually think this trade would be what’s best for the team. We’d be trading two players that are currently healthy scratches for someone I believe has a solid future in the NHL. As for saving money for future free agent signings JB hasn’t exactly shone in that department so far. And don’t worry as I don’t take any criticisms personally. I think the Canucks would do this trade but Ottawa wouldn’t.

White’s cap hit would be more than offset by moving Loui’s 6 million and Jake’s 2.6 million contracts. Sutter and Beagle (and Roussel ) will also be gone by the time we have to re sign some of our young stars.

I think Colin White could make a good third line centre. I think he has more upside than Gaudette for that role.

Except I think adding Eriksson and Virtanen would actually improve the Senators. That was a pretty sorry looking group we just watched for three games.

Virtanen and Eriksson to the Senators for Colin White. Ottawa has lots of cap room and can take on Loui’s cap hit. His actual salary isn’t that much which would make the Senators’ ownership happy. Virtanen still has loads of potential but needs a change of scenery and coaching. Podkolzin is set to take his job. White is a Centre who has been in his coach’s doghouse and has been a healthy scratch. He also has potential and plays a position that the Canucks do not have much depth in.

I’m worried about our third line scoring as well. I wonder if moving Pearson down to the third line with Gaudette and Virtanen would balance the scoring. MacEwen, Roussel or even Baertschi could play with Bo and Hogs.

I have no problem with Sutter or Beagle as our fourth line centre. I do have a problem with both of them playing centre in the same lineup because it makes us a two line team. If Gaudette can step up to become a legitimate third line centre who can also kill penalties that will go a long way to making us a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

I agree. Gaudette would be great if he can develop into a penalty killer but he’ll have to improve on his faceoffs first. Then we wouldn’t have to dress both Beagle and Sutter at the same time.

Any thoughts on who kills penalties for us on defence? If Juolevi makes the bottom pairing either he or Hughes will have to be play the left side on the second PK unit.

Anyone know Sami Vatanen’s controlled entry/exit stats? I’m guessing he’s a pretty good puck moving dman. He’d also be a good mentor for fellow Finn Oli Juolevi on the third pairing. Only if he can be had on the cheap on a short term though.

Speaking of not making sense what does that question mean? I think what you’re asking is why would I lose confidence in Benning only a week into free agency? It’s because he lost Markstrom, Tanev, Stecher, and Toffoli and only added Holtby. The Schmidt trade has restored my faith in JB somewhat but I still wish he had found a way to keep Toffoli.

I’ve been a hardcore fan since 1970 so I’ve seen far more rainy than sunny days in Canuck land! As I stated in my post I would only lose confidence in Benning if he didn’t have a major trade in the works and he pulled one off later in the day. Losing Toffoli at a low cap hit still bothers me though.

Overpaying for fourth liners in the past shouldn’t mean we can’t underpay now for a legitimate first liner like Toffoli.

Even with a stagnant cap Toffoli is a bargain at 4.25 million per season. Top six wingers in their twenties who want to play here are just too valuable to give up. If they had signed Markstrom and/or Tanev then I would understand not having the cash available but not now.

If Benning wasn’t prepared to pay Toffoli $4.25 million when he traded for him then why did he make the trade to begin with? He must have known that it would cost at least that much to re-sign him. This tells me that he was prepared to use Toffoli as a ten game rental all along and gave up significant assets to do so. I’ve always given Benning the benefit of the doubt until now but unless he has a surprise major trade in the works I’ve totally lost confidence in him.

Commentators noting that the Oilers are in dire need of a right handed centre that can win faceoffs and kill penalties. Maybe they’ll be willing to take Brandon Sutter off our hands in the offseason.

Speaking of getting screwed in ‘94 what about the mystery penalty call on Jyrki Lumme that led to the Rangers first goal in game seven? Lumme was visibly perplexed and no replay could find an infraction. Considering what it took to get a penalty in that series that one has always baffled me.

Voted Oddleifson. Nominating Schmautz.

Voting Chris Oddleifson. Nominating BOBBY SCHMAUTZ.

Ok that narrows it down a bit. Nolan Baumgartner?

How about Josh Holden?

The biggest coaching adjustment needed is to change the defensive coverage in their own zone. The rope-a-dope don’t pressure the man with the puck system is painful to watch and is simply not working. I’m not sure if this is Green’s or Baumgartner’s system but it has to go.

I read somewhere that Josh Manson may be available from Anaheim. Not sure what it would take to get him but he could be the combo of talent and meanness on the back end that you’re looking for.

The Blues do have a legitimate gripe about the missed too many men call on the Canuck’s last power play. That’s the longest time period I’ve ever seen a team have an extra man with no call. It must have lasted 15 or 20 seconds!