ItTakesAnArmy

It is the topic of the thread, I didn't start it

Lucky, I am sure that is in relation to the schedule so far or is it that there have been no long term injuries to key personnel? Certainly this team has been luckier than many in the injury department especially to key players? My "predictions" are more around annual stats and trends, not just what did they do last night. Is it not harder to win on back to back nights on the road? Rick Bonus, when he got the top coaching job, stated to the world how he was so happy to be on a team that was NOT tanking at the end of the year? Tanking is so prevalent it is common knowledge, i mean you didn't find that Buffalo, Arizona and the Canucks suddenly became good enough to be in the top ten in the league in their last 15 games or so? The last few years in the last month of the season, all of a sudden SJ can't win a game or Tampa suddenly has injuries to most of their team. They even have terms for tanking, "seeing what's in the system" or "doing deals for next year", while not to say the word tank, it is the same. BTW, the players get paid anyway and it is easier on their bodies, the ones with contracts, they get their million regardless, they might not like it but it is a business and their bodies are their industry. And they will start using that term now because it is becoming acceptable to sell hope for the next and hope that your team's management know what they are doing, that's why it has been embraced by hundreds of thousands of fans across Canada, it will be in the media. Vegas odds makers sure know about tanking, another source of information is the odds makers. The next draft has become so much more important to teams because of the cap so knowing what is coming up equally becomes much more important, as an example, the 15th pick in 2008 was worth much more than the 15 pick in the Sedins draft only because there were so many more good players, so knowing the draft is important if trading away a draft pick or trading for one, top teams will often give up draft picks for refined prospects or they used to but now with the cap they pay a ransom for them, just look at ALL the trades except Vancouver's where a 1rst round pick is involved, 90% of the time the players involved were cornerstones on their teams or it was for cap releif so they had to add a sweetener. It is good to know values. Playing for keeps or now getting serius. Well the mainstream media in all the markets seem to think that established teams will start playing more for keeps now, I am sure the comment will be made more often over the next week or two as it has already been mentioned a few times already. The Miller deal? You are correct it was robbery by Tampa. Miller the player is okay, nothing wrong with him, but to have a capped out team with no out and top FA's to sign yet, to go to them hat in hand and give them two draft picks and a prospect at a time when all other deals of this nature were backwards, Tampa was close to having to include a draft pick with a player to make room. Lot's of teams would have wanted Miller most didn't have the cap space for him either. Simply, including a first for Miller was a huge mistake, it could turn out of be a #1 overall, the team's first and no matter how good Miller is, he is a NOW player, not a 5 year player. Of course there is the pressure on everyone to make sure this works now, so special treatment. Could you here the howls if he gets benched next year for poor play or the tears when he gets his next mysterious upper body injury. .Rebuild plans are in the nature of 3 to 5 years efforts usually, look at Ottawa even or NYR, half the time, twice the draft picks, twice the young players making a dent and only a very few points behind. I really didn't see what there was that would need explaining, it is all there for anyone to look at, only my personal opinion of the Miller trade, which i didn't really harp on.

Minor correction. first year, 2014 missed every year since

Individual perspective has to do with satisfaction and satisfaction has to do with personal goals, desires and internal drive. If you don't care about who wins or loses,then the happy face If you just like the look of hair, then the happy face. If you just like to be in crowds, then the happy face. If it just watching the "boys" play, then the happy face So satisfaction is easy because you would watch grass grow and pay $100 to do so as long as you were part of the herd grazing. In reality you should just go watch minor hockey and support the growth of the game because your expectations are just have fun. If you think this team is rebuilt, done and ready for the next step towards greatness you may have issues ignoring the ages of the players or the fact as they get older their skills decline, that concussed players are easier to repeat, believing that the older crash and banger players will not be injured or play every game the same way or perhaps you start thinking EA sports type trades where the cap doesn't count and all teams agree, sort of like having the "god" button pushed. Here is a tidbit, the last time the Canucks were good, really good, just about all the players were in their prime, around 25 to 29 yrs old, being led by 30 yr old Sedins. IMO, this team is still or should be rebuilding, too many older 2nd,3rd and 4th liners with massive contracts, not enough high level draft picks ready for prime time, a dangerous lack of quality depth on defence and an inexplicable plan for Expansion and contracts two years from now. Without "inside" information then what the eyes see is all there is. They should be rebuilding for when Bo is around 26 for a big playoff push, another two years and possible 4 top quality draft picks. The future looks like; you know it is easier to see who is not on the team than to guess who is or should be, some players are just obvious due to age, injury or stats Roussel Beagle - 36+ Eriksson - at last its over Markstrom - 32 - One had to go, him or Demko - 26 Edler - 36+ and injuries Ferland - LTIR - too many concussions Baertschi - Utica anyway and concussions Sutter - 32 - injuries Schaller - stats Leivo - injuries All of these will need a younger player with more upside, truthfully all help now, some a lot more than others but two years down the line there may be 40 players that could take their roster spots. Kind of makes them all trade assets over the next year or so. Of all the prospects/picks with a pretty good 100% chance of making it are Tryamkin, DiPietro and Rafferty, of these two have played in the NHL already and were good to okay, Rafferty has become the #1 D guy in Utica followed closely by Brisebois and Saunter, the rest are hopefuls only until they get some NHL time.

Strictly as trade assets? Or trades at all? Depends upon the desperation level. While it could be stated right now that this team is "competitive" with other teams it has been happening almost injury free. Ferland never helped the team last year and didn't really do anything Zack hasn't done either. Sutter might be done, like what happened in San Jose with Jonathan Cheechoo, he just didn't recover from the surgeries. Leivo helped but was essentially a 3rd line player. So while the team might be close to a playoff spot, they have not won 16 games in 25 game stretch in I don't know how long, they are rarely even able to fill in for injuries over that period, so no they are not a playoff team unless other teams tank. They also have fewer young players than most other teams, this is a NOW team, even a future is hard to see with how few draft picks are making the team or making an impact. Vancouver is quickly following the Edmonton path the only difference is the Canucks are getting and relying more on good to outstanding goal tending. As a comparison, Buffalo - Pettersson - Eichel, Eichel wins marginally, Dahlin to Hughes, Dahlin wins he is two years younger than Hughes, Boeser to ?, this may be where the Nucks are ahead but after that the comparisons are mostly young with a future vs old looking at retirement with the Nux on the retirement side. The issue being that the fans have been subjected to losing for so long that a playoff appearance is becoming the end all, be all and unfortunately Benning seems to be in that category. At any rate it if the one in charge thinks this is a championship team or a playoff team at any costs to save his job, which is stupid because he will be paid his contract regardless of outcome, just whether he screws the future more. He wants to get back his first round pick? From which team? A cup finalist, a 30th or 31rst for a top notch asset? Sure let's make the strong team even stronger, oops already have done that giving Tampa a top notch player. Want that first back that might be in the 20's or even a lottery, Boeser and Eriksson together to Minnesota for their first and Greenway. A fire hydrant will get 60 points playing with Pettersson. That makes a difference in what is a tradable asset. Sure Stecher rumors are he is asking so why not, he by himself doesn't get enough of a return

JANUARY, a start of a reason for a slide. Injuries. The Canucks have been blessed with the easiest schedule up to date, most days between game, most times playing a team in their second of a back to back, most back up goalies. Now come the start of a hard schedule Over the next 16 days the Canucks will play 9 games, a back to back and a five game road trip. With all those games condensed as they are the schedule maker still managed to fit in two days between games, a rest period. The Nux have been playing at 100% since the season started, so of the better teams have been coasting a bit and will now start putting the pedal down. Markstrom or Demko may have to be traded or lose one of them to expansion and then there is the cap and that this team is in a big cap crunch, mostly because contracts and poor stats, no other teams want to take on any vets the team may want to move without a draft pick sweetener. Benning has already demonstrated he will over pay in trades. No matter how good Miller is fitting in now, he is a now player, not a foundation piece in 3 to 4 years, but he does have no clauses so he can be moved, remember Kesler's slide after 30 the decline, that is 3 years from now. FEBRUARY Injuries. Starts with game 2 of another 5 game road trip, the players should be more rested after the long all-star break, most anyway. Towards the TDL the schedule maker again gifted the Canucks with a huge break, they will pay for it in March though, 3 games in 10 days all at home and no back to backs. A well rested team will look very good vs the tired teams they have to play over that period, so they will be close at the TDL. The team could look much different after the February 23, the TDL. I expect a disaster, with FA's contracts ending and desperation to make the playoffs, the future is at stake, the next 5 years all in this month if there are bad decisions MARCH Injuries. Beware the ides of March, 16 games in 30 days, the heaviest month of their schedule, November was not so good and it only had 15 games and almost no injuries to players that had made significant contributions to the team. Starting on the road in the second of a back to back, one of 4 in this month with three on the road. There might easy games towards the end when teams decide to maneuver for improved odds and draft positions, the smart teams almost always do this, see Chicago and Tampa. Team's that have desperate GM's that have sold the farm to make the show get to show "improvement" to sell hope for the next year. Edmonton has a steady GM, Calgary may have traded for a goalie, the Knights will have played the Canucks another 2 times, Arizona has shown they are all in for a playoff spot and have oodles of assets, picks and prospects, they may get cap space at the TDL or through an LTIR, who knows where LA and SJ go, LA is a surprise, SJ is better than their record. And Anaheim with their 250+ man games lost and still in the hunt. This is such a deep draft there will be a repetition of the McD draft, the last year of guaranteed spots, but teams now see the odds change like a gambler, what difference between finishing 22nd and 28th or 29th, there will only be a few points between under the new system, it will be obvious that the team is "looking to see what is in the system" and give encouragement to their fans that they might get a superstud with better odds, it is good for the franchise and future to sacrifice one month to gain a possible 10 year player.

A rebuilding Chicago just in their second year of rebuild, skates in with twelve players 24 and under. Only 4 points behind and having goalie and cap issues this season, they just got another 7 mill in cap space with Seabrook added to LTIR and looking to add via trade. Cap space, ahhh.. The Canucks, rebuilding in year 6+ of Benning, have only eight 24 and under if Zach draws in and Demko plays. Canucks are on a streak and Chicago has won 4 of the last 5 games. The Canucks should have the advantage.

Only numbers that matter are the final score and the two points Not in this thread

AV and Mitchell were against each other, AV said Willie should have played through a little ding, WM disagreed and was in the doghouse after, with Coho and Grabner, AV just refused to play those in his doghouse, Willie, Coho, Grabner and Ballard. Glass stated the same thing when AV told him he had to take on Boogaard, the only way to get icetime.

Ya, that 4 goals on 7 shots gets me all the time

4-3 Canucks. Canucks. Pearson Roussel Pettersson. Blackhawks. by a mile

Don't vote for him, the Canucks can not afford the bonus hit on the cap next year

Benning's outstanding drafting? When has he gone "out of the box" drafting and succeeded? Sure Boeser, Pettersson and Hughes are good, but what was the cost? Being the worst team in the league on average over 5 years? Boeser was pure luck, the scouting agencies and GM's mostly all missed on him, but he was ranked #25, just about where he went. Pettersson and Hughes were BPA, a monkey could have selected them. His "out of the box" selections, Jake Virtanen, should have been around his peers at that spot, lot's of "they should have taken ???" considering how many drafted after have far surpassed, he is a good middle guy and NOT playing as a power forward. Out of the box #2, Juolievi, a total bust 4 years later he still hasn't played one NHL game and is described as slow in the AHL. Again the comparisons with the team itself, four years losing 50 games a year, and any improvement justifies all those top draft picks and getting close to being better than 7 other teams? Great contracts falling off but in the meantime taking up a roster spot and eating up younger players hockey careers. This HORRIBLE owner the team has is allowing and has allowed somewhere around 100 million in mistakes by Benning not counting devaluation, honestly I don't know why unless Benning is to be the whipping boy after another two top ten drafts and taking the blame as being a GM that wasted most of Horvat's career and trading away the team's first overall pick. Bennng instilling hope by driving the team into the cellar so every incremental movement up is now seen as a major improvement, the fans are now so disenfranchised the idea of making the playoffs is almost parade worthy. He has them concentrating on NOW and not the cost of NOW or what can happen in the next two years. What Benning has done is sold a single game, that is all, one game, not a season. While the season is made of single games marketing it this way means forgetting past seasons and all past mistakes, making a playoff appearance something of glory. It treats fans like simpletons, cheer a player, the team is not here to win a championship, it is here for you to pay to look at. They have done a great job, the four worst years in franchise history and some fans think there has been a good job done.Simpetons Funny, Gillis, the guy a lot of posters blame for Benning's blatant errors, his first press conference was he stated the goal of the team was to win the Stanley cup, a team that had failed to make the playoffs that year, in half the time Benning has been here the team was at that level, in no cap trouble, over 8 mil available (5 mil was a lot) every year, a "destination" for free agents who took a pay cut to come and his only two top ten picks both were home runs, Coho's congenital back problem curtailed a good career and of course the current leader of the team, the roster was set and no draft picks could crack it and AV didn't play rookies.

No he didn't draft, Charrelli did, watch the behind the scenes stuff from Boston, Benning sat there all quiet and listened to the head scout and Charrelli. Benning - Boston scouting - 1999 draft to 2003 draft as director of scouting only, he didn't "find" any of the mentioned. Funny about the capologist, the league hired the guy Benning fired to interpret the cap for them, seems we already had the best guy.

Well he is getting plenty of practice stopping shots lately, 40+ a game. If he still wants to stay he will want a clause and term, 6 years at 6 million and a NMC for the first 4 years, with huge signing bonuses for the first 3 years, something in the neighborhood of 8 to10 mil a season. No meaningful talks at all.