Silver Ghost

Somewhat rare to see Friedman engage in this level of wishy washy conjecture. Borderline absurd? I find it completely absurd. Myers, like it or not, is one of the top available UFA at the hardest to fill position, Elliot. Seems legit no team at all other than the Canucks are interested.

I just said people talked about Delorme a lot which is something you dont necessarily want with scouts because its usually the negative lol.

They easily could have moved a player in spite of a ntc though. Miller was the easiest option for sure but probably only because he could return something decent while also shedding cap space. I don't think the Canucks could have paid much less tbh. They really didn't pay a super high price with all the conditions on that pick. It was fair value imo, even considering TB cap situation.

I like that Sakic knows the value of his players and holds out for the best deals he can get. But that might bite him with Barrie next year.

I know him casually and have never seen any sign he is a snob. Pretty much the opposite in my experience. Still wouldnt have wanted the canucks to take on that contract though.

Tampa was not in nearly as much of a cap crunch after the Callahan development though. They clearly looked to move a player that could get them a good asset while still relieving cap. Thats a different situation than say the Marleau cap dump where TO was conpletely at the mercy of other teams for a player no one would pay assets for. JT Miller as an available player absolutely would have had competitive offers from other GM's. Benning did not likely have as much leverage or room for error in offering for him. If he gets 25 goals and 65 points its a huge win for the canucks. The only thing that would diminish that is the 1st becoming a high 1st when the time comes.

Thats a good thing. Look how much people talked about Delorme etc. over the years.

Sakic hangs up unless that prospect is someone like our 10th OA selection a few days ago. Even then he probably would say no.

What the heck does any of this have to do with my post? I meant in a package trade, not just a draft pick btw. Dmen are more coveted but are traded all the time. Trouba and Subban being recent examples of top 4 D who have been traded, so not sure the "top 4 D are untouchable" opinion holds any water. Getting in the playoffs takes a lot of things going your way.

I feel confident that the Canucks will be a playoff team in that time frame. So obviously I look at ths trade through that lens. The real risk to the Canucks, imho, is tying up 2 years of 1st round picks when 1 could have been used for a top dman. But the condition had to be this way or the risk would be all on the result of 1 year.

I didn't say they were going to trade core players lol. They could have traded pretty much anyone other than their core group that had a bigger cap hit to achieve a similar result. They chose a guy thaf could get them a reasonable return that was reasonably expendable to their team. Notice i saud TO THEIR TEAM. Doesnt make him an expendable or throwaway player. I am positive the Lightning wish they could have kept him. A heavily conditioned 1st and a pretty meh 3rd and contract spot throw in goalie is reasonable value but not a grand slam at all unless that pick turns out to be a high lottery pick. Even if it does, its potentially 3 seasons at best before they realize anything on it. Its agood trade for both teams. Sometimes both teams can get what they need and live with what they had to give up to get it. Thats the case here.

They didnt need to move Miller exclusively though. They had other players they could have moved for less of a return. Plus, the Callahan announcement took some of the cap pressure off. Tampa made a concious decision to give Miller up because he was an asset that could get them an actual return. They easily could have made a different choice to keep Miller and move a less desirable player for a lesser return or even having to sweeten to dump a player. Miller would have gotten a lot more if they had no cap crunch and no ntc kicking in. Its a solid single with the potential to be a double, triple, or homerun depending on how the Canucks fare the next two years. For the Canucks, i think its a double right now with potential to be a triple or a homerun depending on how Miller fits in and how the Canucks fare.

I am more interested in no nmc and a non buyout proof contract structure. Those are what really make for boat anchor contracts. Give him the extra year and a bit more money but win on these JB.

We already have Edler so its not like Myers will cost us Edler. He wouldnt be replacing Edler so most of your points are moot on that front. Complementing what Edler brings and limiting Tanev's exposure to hopefully let him play a season of games are what Myers would hopefully bring. You know what also helps defensively? Controlling the puck more in the offensive zone and generating more offense. Thats why one dimensional defensive dmen are not going to be the only answer. Who knows if Myers will provide mentorship, etc. Who knows if they even need him to at this point. Protecting the young players is an overused cliche. Protecting them from what? The more you have the puck the less your D are getting turned around, hit, or having to block shots. All key factors in dman injuries in general. Protecting them doesnt mean fighting when they get hit. Protecting them within the lineup is what coaches are paid for. The available dmen out there are what they are. Signing one dimensional defensive bruisers is not going to help at all.

Our defense needs size and offensive ability more than it needs defense only. Defensive defensemen are much easier to find on bargain contracts. Signing dmen to support the kids is a pretty big catch all. Support them how? And as for Myers contributions being enough, who knows? Will he be a better option than almost any dman on our team at this point or available on the market? Very likely. The contract value and term will be the ultimate determining factor of that anyway. And status quo or bargain tweener type defensive defensemen is not going to cut it for this team to progress.

I amnot offended at all. Whether it is a good trade or not wont be determined for a year or two really.

It means our core hasnt lived up to what they need to be, injuries have ravaged us, and/or our team has not added the necessary pieces to move forward.

You can't run a team based on that though. Otherwise you will never get anywhere. Injuries happen,players move on, etc. All the more reason to add complementary players to your lineup to spread out that risk. JT Miller is a perfect example of doing so.

6.5 to 7 mil is unfortunately the going rate for the most sought after position in hockey. Thats just the economic reality even if we dont like it. The cost of guys like Ristoleinen or Barrie is likely prohibitively high to acquire via trade. No one in the UFA pool really stands out as being a better option at what will be a reasionable contract. Also unfortunate but true. The only way to get a comparable player would be to trade assets for what is either a bad contract or a soon to be expiring one where the cost will be astronomical by comparison.

In terms of the pick thoigh, making the playoffs or not is the only thing that determines if it is too high a price or not. And there are many more factors involved along the way.

I am not saying Myers is or isnt the answer. Like with any player, there is risk. And it depends on the contract of course.

So what exactly do we need Myers to be? I think if he can re-establish his offensive game in Vancouver that is far more important than being scary. Look at how trying to make Tryamkin into a player he is not worked out. A good coach maximizes the strengths and minimizes the weaknesses of a player within his lineup.

Does he do those things well enough to be paid a fair contract on a team that needs those attributes? Are there other clearly better options available either by trade or through free agency? If so, what is the cost to acquire or sign them? Expecting a perfect solution instead of fairly evaluating players who improve the team at a reasonable cost while minimizing the risk of their weaknesses is why some teams struggle surrounding their core effectively.

Contract amounts rise over time though. The market rate for a player is a moving target, and that is by design by the NHLPA and agents.

Thats why the contract will determine if its a good move or not. The player himself is a good fit for what the Canucks need.