J-P

I would like NT back asap but the real difference would be in the playoffs in a couple of years. I would feel much better if NT was helping out QH and EP in front of the net in the d zone. Also - I think NT will reach his ceiling in 4-5 years at the earliest, so I don't worry too much about his previous stint here. He can start as a #4-5D and go from there. I think his ceiling is as a number #2-3 with a toolbox few if any other defenders have.

Never gets old reading that ;-)

That's not what he said. In swedish: "Det är fortfarande kul att spela även om det är tråkigt att inte gå till slutspel och vi inte lyckas på den biten." In english: "It's still fun playing even though it's a shame not reaching the playoffs and have success on that level." "Tråkigt" means "boring" in other contexts, Google translate is not that sophisticated...

Wouldn't he be offside though if he stayed by the net all the time while his linemates skated from end to end? ;-)

After thinking about I still feel a year or maybe two could be ok, but with four years remaining I say let the oilers chew on it.

LE is a pretty low-profile guy. For him to tell a reporter that he doesn’t have the coach’s trust and hasn’t been put in a place to succeed seems like a big deal to me. The family part - talking about it taking a long time to get things in order - might indicate otherwise, but apart from that it sounds to me like he wants to play lights out during WC and then move on. Well see.

Nice to see some love to Botch from Canucks army etc. He was a polarizing figure, but the truth is rarely black and white and nice to see people bring up his contributions to peers and the community.

I think if LE has a good and productive WC then GMJB should start planting some rumors about LE not happy with usage, feels he can still be productive etc. Could be enough to lure some interest... I wouldn’t mind Lucic on EP:s wing for a season or two but doubt it would happen. LE and Sutter or Tanev to Oilers for Pool party and a 2nd with some salary retained I’d do.

The source for his bolting is very thin as I understand it. Could happen but I’ll believe it when I’ll see it.

Yeah can’t really blame Nik for bailing, I never liked Pronger either.

Having Clark on board is a very underrated asset and bodes well for Marky and Demko and Canucks goalies in general moving forward.

Watched the 3rd period Sweden - Czechoslovakia. Not impressed by Broberg, questionable positioning on D and just lacking general hockey IQ with and without the puck. On the other hand really impressed by Tobias Bjornfot. Mobile, smart, great passing and quick release - why is nobody talking about him? (Small sample I know...)

Nick Backstrom, Nick Lidstrom, Hank Zetterberg, Peter Forsberg etc. says hi. Don't know if you're trying to troll but quite obvious that the North American tradition of physical heart and soul hockey is still vital to playoff success, but also that winning leadership and culture can come in many forms (and nationalities). Last year's stanley cup winners is a good example (oops, top 3 scoers all European...).

I think Beagle actually created lots of offense from hustling etc this year, but he’s not a playmaker nor a finisher so he needs other guys to do those parts. A 4th line of Rousell - Beagle - Virtanen could both score and drive opponents crazy.

It’s google translated from Russian so I would take it with a grain of salt. I don’t know any Russian but I still know enough to tell that’s a pretty bad translation;-)

Ha ha that's too funny - he does the little things that every coach wants!!!

Season ended in NHL April 6, WC ends May 26

No idea what Panarin's personal situation and views are, but from what I've seen he's playing well, looking very engaged and looks like the fans love him. So whereas it earlier in the season it looked like a given that he would move on, the current cup run (I think they will advance to at least the conference finals) might change things.

True, but the Swedes will be a much better team than the Canucks so guess they have him in high regard. Also - guy has a big family, is 33 and is delaying his vacation almost 2 months to play at the worlds. He does have a lot of history with the national team, though.

Seems strange to me that LE is going to the worlds. Both that he wants to go and that he was invited. Maybe last games before retirement? Or maybe he’s just still a good and highly motivated player? ;-)

Took the stats from memory, I stand corrected ;-) But let’s just agree it’s a good trade for all parties so far, time will tell the rest.

I can admit to being a bit biased when it comes to Guddy, his time with the Canucks was frustrating. Seems like a nice guy though, so if he can find success in a sheltered role all the better. I know throwing the puck to the opposition in the neutral zone isn’t technically a giveaway but it still hurts the team... Going by the stats Guddy is the pens best defender this playoffs - although with the highest ozone start % - that doesn’t make it so. He failed my eye test big time, but by all means, if his stats look like this for an extended period of time I will admit being wrong (but I’ll still be glad he moved on!).

Not impressed by Guddys game today. Clearly #6 on D and would get much less time if they didn’t coach the pairings quite evenly. No hits, no clean zone exits, gives the puck away constantly, hardly keeping up - glad we moved on.

Not so sure Guddy is really playing that well. Being a plus player on a good team doesn’t say much. He scored a nice goal last game but also got turned inside out by Lee and was on for a goal against on the counter attack. Only watched the highlights though, will watch the game tomorrow.

I think size is still needed but agree skill is the most important hole in the lineup. That’s why the fates of Goldy and Baer is important. Pearson and Leivo are nice 3rd liners with upside but we need more skill than EP, QH l, Bo and Boeser.