Patel Bure

I don’t know if I’d feel comfortable in letting Toffoli walk although to your point, I understand where you’re coming from (ie more cap space available = more potential to weaponize cap space and bring in more younger cost controlled assets). I just think rolling with Boeser, Virtanen, Leivo, and MacEwen would be a little weak, especially if we got some injuries on that side. Having both Toffoli and Boeser on the right side would allow for the Canucks (and especially Horvat’s line) to have the potential to have two good scoring lines, while not sacrificing too much on the bottom 6 either (ie one of Virtanen, Boeser, or Toffoli could be used to play alongside the emerging Gaudette). Virtanen-Pettersson-Toffoli Pearson-Horvat-Leivo Miller-Gaudette-Boeser I wonder if the above lines would work? Gaudette gets two very good linemates to help him offensively (Miller could also take face-offs to help out Gaudette while also covering for Gaudette’s defensive shortcomings), while Leivo would takeover Eriksson’s spot on that 2nd line shut down line (while bringing more offensively to the table). Virtanen could replace Miller’s grit on that top line (hopefully). Toffoli could also help Petey with face offs (I believe TT has experience as a center if I recall correctly).

Pretty good ideas. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I think Petey and Hughes will cost 8.5 to 9 million at minimum. If you’re lucky, maybe you get Hughes to agree to a Thomas Chabot type deal but I’m not sure how realistic that is. Pettersson, in the most opportunistic scenario, could land you a Sebastian Aho type deal (although in our case, we’d probably have to give closer to 9 million since Carolina is far tax friendlier than Vancouver), but I think both players will cost more. I love your Cernak and Sergachev ideas, but is only feel comfortable doing that IF we cleared massive cap space (which you address with your suggestion of moving in from Tanev, Markstrom, and Toffoli). If Tampa matches, the Canucks should be able to work out some kind of deal for one or even both of those players (might even be better to make a trade proposal first as opposed to offer sheeting them as to keep relations good). Are you saying use our 1st as a sweetener to move Eriksson and Ferland to Ottawa, or are you suggesting Eriksson and Ferland to Ottawa for a 1st (we would receive a first). If it’s the latter, I can’t see Ottawa agreeing to that. Why would they take on two terrible contracts AND give us a 1st? Regarding Dubnyk, someone on here mentioned the idea of trading Sutter for Dubynk (they both have the same cap hit and term left). This type of deal would not only help Demko acclimate to the number one role (Solid backup), but would allow us to be freed of BOTH the Sutter and Markstrom cap. I really like this suggestion.

The only thing I’ll disagree with you is the assumption that the Canucks were falling. While it’s true that the Canucks were in a slump, they were seemingly breaking out of it by winning their last 2 of 3 games over two very good teams in NYI and Colorado. Demko was clearly starting to feel comfortable as a starter, which was a stark contrast to how he felt when he first started in Montreal (and then Ottawa and Toronto). The Canucks had lost 4 in a row at the start of February after defeating the Islanders, but were clearly exhausted from a long road trip. Their home loss against Calgary on February 8th likely felt like a road game. The Canucks traded for Toffoli on February 17th and after losing to the Wild, absolutely shellacked Boston 9-3 (they had Toffoli and Markstrom in the line-up in this game before Markstrom went down with injury). The point I’m making is this: We can’t just assume that the Canucks would have missed the playoffs when there were clear signs that they were not only coming out of it (the slump), but that fatigue, injuries, and Demko adjusting also played key factors. The Canucks absolutely deserved their playoff birth for their January performance alone. Sometimes in life, teams get lucky because they put themselves in a position to become lucky just as the Canucks did. In the playoffs. we were only one of two teams from the play-ins to get past the first round. We took out the defending champs and pushed Vegas to a Game 7. We absolutely deserve full marks for our achievements without any disclaimers. Atleast in my opinion.

Trust me, I am cognizant of that, but moving Podz and a 1st for an elite player wouldn’t solve our upcoming cap storms. Pettersson + Hughes + Demko could easily cost us well over 20 million......especially if Demko takes a huge leap this coming season (which isn’t farfetched considering those unbelievable three games that he had in the playoffs). We can sit around and fantasize about how Virtanen as a sweetener would get rid of Eriksson, or how trading Roussel and Beagle for 5th round picks is realistic and doable, but the fact of the matter is that it’s not. I’ll happily eat crow if I’m wrong here. Hence my suggestions. Also - if you start clearing enough cap like I outlined above, you can then take advantage of cap strapped teams and trade for their RFA’s (ie like Erik Cernak from Tampa) and start building some serious cost controlled depth. Obviously - the Canucks could go other routes and choose to take a more aggressive stance for this coming year (ie signing Markstrom, Demalo, etc.,), but then all you’re really doing is shortening your window, while driving out some of the younger core players such as Stecher.....and ultimately, just pushing your cap problems forward.

LOL. Maybe I’m the long lost love child of Mike Milbury, who knows. :-p Look man I’m open to hearing about ways to clear cap space in order to re-up our RFA’s over these next two off-seasons: -Pettersson -Hughes -Motte -MacEwen -Demko -Virtanen -Gaudette -Stecher And perhaps bringing Tryamkin back while also finding a suitable replacement for Edler once we part ways from him. We have a tall order ahead of us and I’m open to suggestions. Obviously - we could move guys like Virtanen and Stecher to clear cap, but an argument can be made for building around a young nucleus that already have great team chemistry. . There are many ways to solving our cap problems moving forward obviously, but the above suggestion would 1) Allow our young nucleus to remain intact for a LONG time. 2) Clear up significant cap space to sign Demko, Pettersson, and Hughes next off-season. 3) Possibly allow us to take advantage of a cap strapped team and bring in one, *maybe* two more RFA’s via trade. Tampa Bay and Erik Cernak is a team and player that I have in mind for instance. You look at some the most recent dynasties and they all had a tight and cohesive young core that remained together for a LONG time. Detroit 90’s: Yzerman, Fedorov, Kozlov, Lidstrom, Shanahan, Lapointe, Draper, McCarty, Osgood, etc. Blackhawks: Toews, Kane, Seabrook, Keith, Bolland, Sharp, etc. Starting in 2021-2022, I could easily see us succeeding with: Miller-Pettersson-Boeser Virtanen-Horvat-Toffoli Hoglander-Gaudette-Leivo Motte-NewCenter-MacEwen Hughes-Cernak Juolevi-Myers Tryamkin-Stecher Demko Dipietro (or a vet backup) With 1-2 significant UFA adds up front if we have the cap space. Perhaps I’m wrong?

Keep Toffoli, Boeser, Virtanen, and MacEwen for the long term so the right side continues to be a strong suit + clear 12 million in cap space with Beagle and Roussel (via Podkolzin sweetener) + Eriksson (via 2021 1st sweetener). 12 million off the books + LTIR Ferland + 50% retention on Baertschi + letting Markstrom and Tanev walk = having enough money to reup all of our RFA’s both this off season and next off season. We could also walk from Benn and Sutter at the end of next season for extra cap. Not only that, but you can take advantage of a cap strapped team like Tampa and bring in a guy like Cernak (maybe Lind and Rathbone gets it done?) 2020-2021: Miller-Pettersson-Boeser Pearson-Horvat-Toffoli Virtanen-Sutter-MacEwen Motte-Gaudette-Bailey Edler-Myers Hughes-Cernak Juolevi-Stecher Benn Demko [Greiss or Talbot] -RFA’s of the 2020 off season all comfortably re-upped to establish core for many years. -Lots of cap space available to reup Demko, Pettersson, and Hughes. -Possibly still enough cap space to bring in a high ticket UFA in the following season or take advantage of other cap strapped teams to bring in a good RFA who fits our age demographic.

It’s a controversial take for sure, but like I said - 12 million would go off the books at the snap of a finger. With guys like Juolevi, Tryamkin (whom I haven’t ruled to make a comeback), Rathbone, Rafferty, Lind, and Hoglander are still guys that we have in the pipeline and so it’s not like we’d be devoid of incoming prospects. One of the biggest strengths of the Canucks is how tight-knit they are as a group, so why mess with that? The Canucks could really create a long term identity with guys like Pettersson, Hughes, Horvat, Demko, Boeser, Stecher, Virtanen, Gaudette, and Motte all here long term. 1) Keep their young guys that have already bonded with one another. 2) Clear cap and establish a core group of guys for many years to come. 3) Take advantage of cap strapped teams like Tampa and bring in guys that fit within their age demographic (Cernak)

I defeated Liam Neeson already and so I’m not sure if there are any realistic options out there right now. The site has an ignore feature and so might I suggest using that?

Has there been any documented proof of Virtanen having shown shown up to games “higher than a kite” during these past five years? Be careful with potential libelous and slanderous comments. Like I said earlier, for all of Jake’s warts, the guy still produced at a 20 goal clip with limited even strength and PP minutes. Furthermore, the Advanced Stats community came up with findings recently that showed that the Miller-Pettersson line had better Corsi numbers with Jake on it in comparison to Toffoli and Boeser. All I’m saying is that perhaps there is more there with Jake.

Why didn’t you mention Eriksson in the above? I have no issue in you criticizing my post, but why neglect one of the biggest parts? In terms of preserving team chemistry, how would re-upping Motte, Virtanen, Stecher, and Gaudette go against that? (especially admist the rumors of the Canucks moving on from young popular lockerroom players such as Stecher and Virtanen. In my outlined plan, we would keep those guys). You do make a good point about the defense, but with a lot of our bad cap off the table, the Canucks would have options. For example - we could take advantage of cap strapped Tampa and pry away Erik Cernak. Maybe we give them Lind and Rafferty or something (I honestly don’t know if that’s fair value, I’m just spitballing). With a guy like Cernak here, we could let the aging Chris Tanev walk. Miller-Pettersson-Boeser Pearson-Horvat-Toffoli Virtanen-Sutter-Leivo Motte-Gaudette-MacEwen Hoglander Edler-Myers Hughes-Cernak Juolevi-Stecher Benn Demko [Greiss/Talbot] Not only do the Canucks preserve their core for the most part and still stay youngish, but they put themselves in a great position to easily re-up Pettersson and Hughes while having a great young nucleus that would likely remain intact for years to come.

Benning can say whatever he wants but he may not have a choice, especially with a flat cap that seems to be on the horizon. I agree that moving a 1st rounder and an elite prospect is NOT ideal, but you yourself said it best: We’ve got guys like Hoglander, Juolevi (whom I penciled into my lineup in my OP), Rathbone, Dipietro, Lind, etc., and so it’s not like we’re devoid of incoming prospects. Whether we like it or not, clearing enough money to be able to sign Peterrsson, Hughes, and Demko (should we decide to keep him over Markstrom) is going to be an ENORMOUS challenge. Knock on my proposal all you want, but the fact of the matter is that Eriksson, Beagle, and Roussel being off the books clears 12 million right there. Boom, gone. Like I said - moving Podkolzin and a 2021 1st would NOT be ideal, but if that gave you enough money to....... 1) Solidify and establish your young core of players long term: Stecher, Virtanen, Motte, Gaudette, Demko, Pettersson, and Hughes. 2) STILL have a good pipeline coming in despite the loss of Podkolzin and 2021 1st: Juolevi, Tryamkin (who I still believe can come back), Dipietro, Rathbone, Hoglander, and Lind. 3) Preserve one the team’s biggest strengths in team chemistry and continue to build upon that. Then I honestly don’t see how this is a bad thing (although again, to your point, I realize that using Podkolzin and a 2021 1st as a sweetener is not ideal). However, with Eriksson, Beagle, and Roussel completely off the books (12 million), combined with 50% retention for Baertschi and LTIR for Ferland, that’s about 17 million in freed up cap that help us do everything that I described above......comfortably.

I like your Eriksson thought but I’m not sure if that would be enough for a team to take on Eriksson without retention. As far as Virtanen goes, I might be in the minority here but I still think there’s something there. For all his warts, the guy still produced at a 20 goal pace this past season with limited minutes. Once Gaudette develops his game a little, I could definitely see a 3rd line consisting of Hoglander-Gaudette-Virtanen doing some damage. Ferland going on LTIR + Baertschi trade at 50% retention are very realistic and doable in my opinion.

[proposal] Operation “team chemistry”: Catering to one of the Canucks’ biggest strength If there is one thing that Canucks have shown these past few seasons, it’s that they are a very tight-knit cohesive group. While the following strategy that I’m about to mention probably isn’t the best (nor is it particularly advisable), I do think it’s worth mentioning.....so here goes: Step 1: 2021 1st rounder + 7th rounder + Eriksson for a 6th rounder (aka “The Marleau to Carolina deal”). Zero retention for Eriksson. Step 2: Beagle + Roussel + Podkolzin as a sweetener to *insert team here* for *insert draft pick here*. Zero retention for Beagle and Roussel. Step 3: Sign Stecher, Gaudette, Motte, and Virtanen, to comfortable extensions. Show the boys and the team that management believes in the current core. Step 4: No more talks about trading Boeser. Ever. This includes yours truly. Step 5: Sign Toffoli, Tanev, and Leivo, but Markstrom has to walk. A 1A backup such as Talbot or Greiss is signed to aid Demko’s transition to number one (ie Demko starts 60-65% of the games). Goals achieved: 1) Canucks keep the bulk of their young core together as far as Stecher,Virtanen, Gaudette, Motte, and ultimately Boeser goes. This ties into one of their biggest strengths: Team chemistry. Management shows massive faith to the boys. This also shows commitment to building for the long term as management shows a commitment to prioritizing keeping young players. 2) A MASSIVE amount of cap is removed from the books which will ultimately aid our biggest goal: Having enough money to sign Pettersson and Hughes. 3) Sutter stays on for another year which will help Gaudette develop a little more before taking sole ownership of the 3rd line center spot. Miller-Pettersson-Boeser Pearson-Horvat-Toffoli Virtanen-Sutter-Leivo Motte-Gaudette-MacEwen Lind Edler-Myers Hughes-Tanev Juolevi-Stecher Benn Demko 1ABackUp

I think the Marleau deal (the one that saw Marleau get traded to Carolina from Toronto) *might* get rid of Eriksson. Eriksson + 7th round pick + 2021 1st for a 6th round pick. In my opinion, that would be the best option for getting rid of Eriksson. Podkzolin or Demko could also be used as sweeteners to move Eriksson without retention, but I would strongly advise against this idea. I am of the opinion that Demko is the next Carey Price, and also believe that Podkolzin will be a solid top 6 player. A Russian JT Miller type guy. Unfortunately, I don’t think Virtanen would be a strong enough sweetener to move Eriksson.

Here’s my thing with Gaudette: Although I’m really pulling for him due to his underdog story (ie 5th round pick that turned into a Hobey Baker winner, etc.), he’ll REALLY have to take a leap in his offensive game in order to become an effective player for the Canucks. He’ll need to become a guy that could carry a 3rd line offensively and bring out the best in his linemates (and ultimately, make that line a consistent bottom 6 scoring threat at the bottom 6 level). The reason why he’ll have to turn into that guy, is because I don’t think it’s likely that Gaudette will become a defensive stalwart of any kind. Gaudette’s game is about offense. He’s not a two way player, and he’s not going to be a Brandon Sutter or Jay Beagle type. Even if Gaudette develops into what I described above, it’s still going to be Horvat taking on the tougher match ups and defensive responsibilities. That’s not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing, but that’s what I believe would be the reality even if Gaudette maximized his potential. Gaudette’s not a two way guy and he can’t play wing. If Gaudette is to have value for the Canucks, he’ll need to develop into a “2A or 2B” calibre center that can carry a 3rd line offensively (while having defensively responsible wingers to cover his deficiencies). On the flip side - I wonder if there would be some value in the Canucks actually going out and getting a good two way center that could help the penalty kill and take defensive pressure off of Bo so that Bo isn’t so over exerted in this area. Would a package of Pearson and Gaudette land a player like that? (Colton Sissons perhaps). If the Canucks were to package Pearson and Gaudette for a good young two way 3rd line center, would Baertschi be able to fill the shoes of the departed Pearson?

I won’t speculate on trade values, but rather, suggest approximations as to what it would take for the Canucks to get these players off the books. Ferland: LTIR Eriksson: 2021 1st, Podkolzin, or Demko as a sweetener. Or 1-1 deal to the Devils for Corey Schneider? (same cap hit and term left). The addition of Schneider would allow us to give the reigns to Demko while walking from Markstrom, which would result in an overall cap savings. The Devils might be interested in this because Eriksson is owed far less money in real dollars. Beagle: Trade with 50% retention in his final year. Sutter: Trade with 50% retention. OR - trade Sutter to Minnesota for Devan Dubynk (similar cap and term). Same logic as my Corey Schneider idea from above. Roussel: Trade with 50% retention in his final year. A 2022 1st or Podkolzin as a sweetener would probably help the Canucks package both Beagle and Roussel together without any retention required. Benn: 5-7th round pick without retention. Baertschi: Trade with 50% retention.

Sounds like a good plan for the short term (next season), but taking on Tyler Johnson's contract beyond next season seems like it would lead to a ton of cap problems for us. As far as back-ups go, I wonder if Ryan Miller would be willing to come back here on a one year deal if we walk from Markstrom?

I can write a whole piece on Gaudette, lol. While I admire Gaudette and his journey to the NHL, I just don’t know how he’s going to fit in with the Canucks’ future plans. 1) Defense is clearly not his strong suit and so we wouldn’t be able to rely on him to take on more defensive responsibilities to free up Horvat and Petey a little more. 2) Gaudette has scoring abilities, but are they good enough to carry a 3rd line with 3rd line calibre wingers (and contribute to creating a bottom 6 that can consistently chip in?). I’m not so sure. Gaudette definitely took strides this year, but can he develop into that good 3rd line pivot? Even if he does, will Bo still have too much pressure on him in terms of defensive responsibilities?

To your last point, I’m wondering if the Canucks might consider moving Gaudette I’d they are also moving Sutter. If Baertschi is deemed ‘unmovable’, then it might be worth the Canucks giving Baertschi Pearson’s spot while packaging Pearson and Gaudette for a good and young two way 3rd line center that can assume defensive responsibilities. Miller-Pettersson-Toffoli Baertschi-Horvat-Virtanen Roussel-Sissons-MacEwen

My only issue with offer sheering Cernak is that we have cap space issues of our own. The other factor to consider is that offer sheets are often seen as “taboo” in today’s NHL and most offer sheets are usually matched (while giving the GM that made the offer sheet a bad rep amongst the old boys club in the NHL). Some people have suggested Virtanen for Cernak, but I don’t think Virtanen has enough value to land such a part. As far as the Sutter for Dubnyk idea goes, the idea behind this is that both Sutter and Markstrom would come off the books in this deal. Obviously, we could let Markstrom walk and sign a better 1A goalie than Dubnyk, but Sutter would still be on our books. Furthermore, we would have the option of walking away from DD at the end of the season if Dipietro looks like he’d be ready to join the team in the following season. By contrast, if we were to sign a 1A goalie, he likely wouldn’t be willing to sign here for one year. It’s the same reason why I wouldn’t mind doing a Boeser for [insert young top pairing right handed shot defensively oriented guy]. A deal like that not only clears Boeser’s 5.8 million dollar cap hit (while limiting damage to the right side since we’d be signing Toffoli), but would also allow us to move on from Tanev. IN: Dubynk, Carlo OUT: Sutter, Boeser, (Markstrom, Tanev = wall) Net cap savings = Markstrom’s cap hit + Tanev’s cap hit.

The Canucks don't necessarily need to take a small step, and can also work around their cap issues fairly easily. I would be ok if we took a small step back next season (similar to what happened in 2007-2008 after the Canucks made an unexpected 2nd round appearance one year prior), but I also don't think that this will necessarily happen. People keep talking about our cap issues, but I honestly think that we can work a way around it and still come out ahead. Here is what I would do, or at least attempt to do. The Agenda for the 2020 off-season: 1) Sign Toffoli. People might disagree with me on this, but I think Toffoli should be our biggest priority out of Markstrom and Tanev (which I will explain later). Sign Toffoli and solidify the RW spot. 2) Trade Boeser to Boston for Brandon Carlo, which allows us to walk from Tanev. Most people will be furious at me for suggesting this (and trust me, I'm expecting the :confused: smilies to be rolling in after this post), but this trade would help us in a lot of ways. Carlo is young, big, very responsible defensively, and would be a terrific 'ying to the yang' for Hughes long term. Think Muzzin to Doughty. Furthermore, Carlo is capable of playing on the top pairing. The presence of Carlo would allow us to walk from Tanev in this off-season, while also allowing us to walk from Edler in the next season. With Carlo's presence as a top pairing RD for the team long term, it would also put far less pressure on some of our other defensive prospects (i.e. Juolevi, Rathbone, Rafferty, Tryamkin) in terms of not expecting them to fill the shoes of Edler and being top pairing defensemen. The presence of Carlo, in effect, would allow for the aforementioned prospects to settle in as good 2nd pairing dmen. Anything beyond that would be an added bonus. People will be upset by the loss of Boeser but honestly, rolling with Toffoli-Eriksson-Virtanen-MacEwen is still quite solid, and replacing Eriksson with Podkolzin in year's time would still likely keep our RW as a strong suit. 3) Trade Sutter for Devan Dubnyk, walk away from Markstrom, make Demko the new #1. The Sutter for Dubnyk idea was mentioned by someone else in another thread, and I think it's absolutely brilliant. The Wild get a centre, and the Canucks get a good '1A/1B' veteran goalie that can help Demko ease into the #1 role (Demko can start 60-65% of the starts and can even play more if he proves capable). After one season, the Canucks can walk away from Dubnyk should possibly give gateway for Dipietro to step in as the back-up (and if not, there would be other vet options out there.....maybe Dubnyk again). With the presence of both Carlo and Dubnyk, the Canucks can walk away from both Markstrom and Tanev without having lost anything. IN: Carlo, Dubnyk. OUT: Boeser, Markstrom, Tanev, and Sutter. TOTAL net cap savings = circa 7-8 million. 4) LTIR Ferland. 5) Trade Baertschi at 50% retention: Perhaps I'm wrong here, but I think Baertschi at 50% retention is very doable and some teams would bite on that. . 6) Re-up Motte, Virtanen, and MacEwen. I know some people are down on Virtanen for his off-ice work ethic, hockey IQ, and questionable habits, but the fact of the matter is that the guy was still on pace to netting 20 goals this past season with very limited minutes. Warts aside, Virtanen is still one of the fastest players in the league and has the potential to play physical. If you're looking for a guy to take a calculate gamble on it terms of developing his game, it's Virtanen. I know Benning has thought about using Virtanen as a trade chip, but I don't think the return that Benning would expect would be there, and hence, likely making it a better option to keep Virtanen for now. 7) Unqualify Stecher and let him walk. This sucks because I like Stecher and his heart, but this makes sense from a cap perspective. Someone like Rafferty or Chatfield can replace Stecher long term for much cheaper. For next season, Benn can be the veteran presence that helps someone like Juolevi acclimate to the NHL before the Canucks themselves let Benn walk in the following season (to clear cap for Pettersson and Hughes). Line combinations Miller-Pettersson-Toffoli Pearson-Horvat-Eriksson Roussel-Gaudette-Virtanen Motte-Beagle-MacEwen Lind Edler-Myers Hughes-Carlo Juolevi-Benn Rafferty Demko Dubnyk The Agenda for the 2021 off-season: 1) Get Eriksson to retire or move him to a cap floor team. With only 2 million in real dollars remaining, this shouldn't be too difficult at this point. 2) Walk from Edler and Pearson. This money can be applied towards Pettersson or Hughes. 3) Eriksson and Benn money off the books can be applied towards Pettersson or Hughes. 4) Dubnyk off the books --> This money can be applied towards Demko. Dipietro steps in as the back-up. 5) If Podkolzin looks like he'll be ready to step for the 2021-2022 season as a top 6 forward, then use Virtanen and a 2022 1st rounder as sweeteners to move Beagle and Roussel in independent deals if necessary (i.e. Virtanen + Beagle or Roussel) + (2022 1st + Beagle or Roussel) in independent deals if we need the extra cap space. One of Juolevi or Rathbone as a sweetener might also be able to get rid of Beagle or Roussel. Line combinations: Miller-Pettersson-Toffoli Virtanen-Horvat-Podkolzin Roussel-Gaudette-MacEwen Motte-Beagle-Lind ??? Hughes-Carlo [Rathbone or Juolevi]-Myers Tryamkin-Rafferty Chatfield Demko Dipietro

Dislike. If I'm moving Boeser, it's only for a young top pairing defensively responsible right shot defensemen that can fill the shoes of both Edler and Tanev one day. In such a trade, my expectation would be that we would be able to let Tanev walk in this off-season while letting Edler walk in the next (which would serve our ultimate aim of aiding towards having enough cap space to comfortably re-up both Pettersson and Hughes). Only way I move Boeser for Bertuzzi is if we build a time machine and trade for Todd Bertuzzi's 2002-2003 self.

I know we'd all like to see some kind of Virtanen for Carlo type deal, but more realistically, the asking price for Carlo would be Brock. People will be annoyed at me for saying that, but it's probably the truth.

My thoughts about Millar is 'meh'. He would be a semi decent add as a UFA on a 1-2 year deal, but I'd pass otherwise. Good 3rd pairing guy that would help on the PK, but yeah..... He's getting up there in age.

We all know that Eriksson is a zero offensively these days. Ignoring his cap however, he is still an excellent defensive player and very rarely makes mistakes. He’s obviously not worth his cap hit but he’s also a lot more useful than you think. Anyways, we’re unlikely to get rid of him this off season and so there’s no point complaining about the guy.