Lazurus

Those guys are very good, but it kills the rebuild. Just too soon in the rebuild and as good as they are it causes problems later and could really hurt the team. With the fore knowledge of Markstrom's injury I am surprised he didn't do more work to get a better goalie As far as the title, Canuck fans IMO, are not that shallow or stupid to believe that almost getting there is enough to start a parade, give out raises or forget. I think all this does is put pressure on the GM too much and mistakes can happen. Canuck fans are too forgiving

Does the flu count as an injury? Bruins had the flu now Sutter has, on a enclosed environment, a plane, so illness goes through the team now?

Markstrom was hurt when overextended on the Pastrnak goal I am sure. That he didn't feel it right away is also very bad, torn ligaments hurt like hell, detached for about a minute or less. Also if if is an icl the knee keepss functioning and hurts later. A menial meniscus tear will not always be painful either. Benning said he flew to Montreal, woke up this morning and had a MRI after which they sent him back here to consult with the doctors. Again not a good sign, consultation means serious, try to rehab or operate or see if the operation can be postponed. Quite a problem at this time of year, I wonder who they send down to the AHL to make room for him. BUT It could be nothing at all. A possible side effect of this will be players trying to block more shots causing another injury.

True Minny has to get younger they have 3 players signed until they are 40 but I think they will be stuck with those contracts because if theytrade them and they retire the cap recapture is very punitive. Benning said he wanted to recoup the first round pick, he didn't say how but it won't happen by trading most of the team to someone. There are other markets that would be interested in Boeser that could give a first.

???? What do you mean? I thought they were thrilled that he fell to #10? Wasn't he ranked #4 or something?

He is still under contract. Maybe he is being distanced from decisions right now in case there is failure, Benning gets canned and he is promoted to GM in the interim or after the TDL and Benning maybe trades away even more of the future which compromises the cap even more he will be the scape goat for what will need to happen. Hey just spit balling and being positive for Brackett and remembering some of what was said last year and early this year. Even with a contract renewed it is no guarantee of staying, Gillis, Gilman and a host of others were paid for 5 years just after signing new deals even firing Torts Benning cost the team 2 mil a year. Pretty sure the entire cost was upwards of 6 mil a season for those firings.

July 1, because he is a free agent.

Should throw a tag on this like [disccusison}

Ya, but cap space. Marky get 6 mil, Tanev gets 6 mil, Jake, Toffoli, Stecher , Motte, Gaudette, Fantenberg, MacEwen all them for under 6 mil? Hughes is great at offence but even with who he plays with he is pretty awful 5 on 5 defence, on a plus scoring team and all the PP and ice time he gets he is a minus player, just saying he is fun to watch, generates scoring chances, jumps up into the play but the 48 goals he has help generate, 22 on the PP means he is a minus 23 5 on 5.

He is not the only "old man" with a locked in contract just the one with the biggest cap hit. Not much can really be done, he has two more years on his deal. The only way out is what every other team has had to do, except Tampa, is to trade away a high pick or prospect with him. At this point it may be the team has to think in the terms of who they retain, the pick and prospect worth Hughes or Pettersson? That may be what they will wait for so trading away the future is more appealing to the fans if put to them that way. "We had to make room for Hughes and Petrsson so wa had to give up 2 1rst round picks to move Eriksson" A 1rst round pick is the price of dumping salary in the NHL.

They may be motivated, they are very old and have Suter and Parise under contract forever. Because of the ages of the untouchables they may be willing to trade their pick for a speed up, Boeser does still have the stats to impress the fans and be their poster boy, It might take a little sweetner, Juolevi? And ?, included to get their first and a forward. Buffalo and New Jersey are both teams of interest and motivated for a Boeser deal, both have lots to offer. But both might wait until the season is done unless they really want him.

Gotta agree about Subban, I hope Jim does too. Barrie is a improvement over Stecher at least on offence. But both Stecher and Barrie might be too expensive for what the return is. Barrie is a little like Hughes only a little better at defence if he is played with a big defensive player like Tryamkin, Edler or even Fantenberg or Benn, he would give the team a one two punch. Stecher is okay but does not have the resume for over 3 mil a season. Between the big guy, Barrie, Edler Myers and Hughes each can easily handle over 20 minutes a game.

I think that is a little bit of a generalization, C1 or C2, there are just not any established centers out there unless he wants a player like Kopitar, Getzlaf or Carter, a veteran, otherwise saying that is essentially saying he is not going to make any deals at all, which team will trade their #1 center away or #2? If they are any good thet keep them. As you pointed out before, Boeser is not an exceptional skater or play-maker, he not large and is not really a boards guy and back checker. While not totally one dimensional it has been his effort that has been his biggest asset since his shot seems to have gone south. It may have been premature to stop rebuilding because he was labeled a "core" piece, maybe not but this team still needs more players for the future under 24 and he might be able to solidify either the defence for years to come or get a couple of young players in picks or prospects. I know I see alot of posters stating 1rst round picks are carp shoots but that is not really the case even with this team, Giliis's only two top ten picks were very good players, one was traded but he had a very serious back problem and the other is the Captain, he was 2 for two, as a matter of fact the Canucks since Linden was drafted only had 3 bombs in top ten picks, so they are almost sure things as a matter of fact and just about all the teams best players have come through the draft. Hugher, Petterson and Horvat maybe even Miller are core players

A thing to think about at the TDL. In the beginning of the season there is little pressure to make a deal, "there is time yet". There are also all 31 teams that have time At the start of the season the GM thinks his team might be good enough so there is no pressure from fans, at least in Vancouver, to do anything but wait. As the season rolls on those expectations start to become clearer and more intense. And come the time around the TDL, the GM knows for sure that his team is "just that = close", for a team that has not been in the playoffs for awhile the pressure can mount to do that one deal, to get that extra help to put the team over the top or the flush out the contracts so next year there is lots of wriggle room. IMO the Canucks are on the fence, unfortunately for them the hardest month of their season is next month and losing, going less than .500, will not get it done and there is no rest between games or to heal injuries, a player out for a week could miss 4 or 5 games. That said the team can be both buyers and sellers and take advantage of that GM trying to save his job or the competition between two or three teams to load up, sometime a team will outbid a competitor just to make sure that team doesn't get the player. Hockey trades can get done at the TDL and most or some players will have increased trade value just because there are limited assets available, players from 7 teams at the TDL vs 31 teams after the season, Some teams have done remarkable re-tooling or shortened their rebuilding by years by getting extra 1rst round picks. Entry level contracts are new way of cap management unless the team hands out clause contracts like candy. Just an added thought process to consider, compressed time.

Is there another center in the Canucks system I cannot find one, Madden may have worked with Boeser, both players of the future, is there another? Gaudette might fit but then any deal is for more than just Dumba, there has to be a young NHL forward coming back. IMO with StLouis and the other large defense in the conference a bigger forward will help much more in the playoffs hence the Greenway suggestion. There is Buffalo that might like a trigger man to play with Eichel or Reinhart but this might be a bigger trade involving more pieces both ways, not something the Canucks have done the last 6 years. The Devils have the team's 1rst and a few large forwards Lots of potential win win moves possible with this team.

Eriksson is actually playing pretty good but cap space. Package him with Juolevi and Lind and a 6 or 7 pick AND retention Make Demko the goalie of the future or trade him Trade Markstrom extremely hot market TODAY Use Stecher and Baerstchi for magic beans to make space, call up Rafferty Tanev's shut down game and playoff experience for Barrie, TO is going nuts, use it. Trade Markstrom to Carolina for TO's 1rst Sign Bogosian, he is free. This is not selling out Eriksson can be replaced with Mac Demko or Markstrom will require taking something back, a backup goalie? And there is DiPetro. Stecher gone but Ristolainen and maybe Barrie in Tanev replaced with Fantenberg, Tryamkin and one of the above mentioned.

RISTOLAINEN I would like to see a defence of Top 6, not in order Ristolainen - Myers Barrie - Tryamkin Hughes - Edler

yup some people will always be doomsayers Personally even if they don't make the playoffs I will not be disappointed the Canucks have made this season very fun to watch. No matter what happens the Canucks are going to be playing meaningful games till the end of the season cause that's the position they have put themselves in. As they say the playoffs is just gravy they're not cup contenders and I don't have very high expectations for their playoff chances. To me the playoffs just mean a few more games. Any playoff success is just the cherry on top. 16 games in 30 days, 4 back to backs 3 of them on the road, only 4 games vs teams out of playoff contention, a tough schedule. Is that doomsayer stuff? I do expect a lot more than just an appearance for the cost.

That doesn't happen very often. Boston and Tampa allow goals like they have a 3rd string goalie in net and the real 3rd string goalie gets a win. The term sick and tired might have has some influence on this game. I The Canucks took advantage of what they were given. The Canucks were the fresh team only one game in 5 days, Boston was their 3rd in 4 days and on the road. The goal total was impressive to be sure, it has been a very long time, against Minnesota or Colorado, I am not sure, a long time ago. Both impressive and maybe a little alarming still, a very tired and beaten team still got over 35 shots on goal. How old is Chara? He doesn't score much but his size sure shuts down rushes and he doesn't get pushed around. Tryamkin would sure be a help in that area. Another player with a "T" starting his first name? A Tyson to go with Tylers? The talked about Stecher for Barrie might also be a plus in a playoff push, both need new deals next year and with Barrie having an off year maybe less than anticipated. Stech and a minor prospect or late pick, 5, 6 or 7 might not be out of line. Team should also go for Bogosian, he is free and has playoff experience, the team does not have enough defensemen yet and even if Tryamkin plays they are still a little shallow. Great win, 9 goals, wow.

And Demko

The closer it gets to the end of the season the more some posters are entrenching themselves on sides and becoming more "fanatic" is those they support. There are only 4 players under 24 making an impact. This is the 2nd year of a rebuild that started according to Benning when the Sedins retired in 2018. What if the team does not make the playoffs? What if they do? Not much thought about the next 3 years happening or being discussed except the usual "video game" type responses, like just trade Eriksson, just get rid of Beagle, just sign Markstrom to a huge contract and force Demko to stay, Byfuglien showed payers can still refuse to play and get rewarded, just forget that injuries take a toll and that performance declines as players age. Forget about the cap and sign everyone, like a fantasy game. They have a shot at the playoffs, the more Benning alters the team the less chance next year because he cannot keep all these players nor are they going to be the same in two years. This is a one off. To get rid of players with guaranteed contracts there needs to be a partner that is why so many teams GIVE up a first round pick to make it under the cap, Tampa is the exception, they ended up cleaning up, they signed the player they wanted and then traded for another that helps them now. So many here will respond with "who cares about next year?" How about all those that keep throwing how good the prospects will be without ever looking at the team to see if there any apart from 4 even playing. Horvat is now considered a veteran of 5 going on 6 years

BB was exceptional because of how late he was taken but there are many in that draft class just about as good. Horvt was destined for Utica until his injury but then played and was close to the best player in the playoffs. You can't compare the Canucks two picks JV and OJ to the rest of the teams, players around them excelled, a lot of players. Unless you are making a statement on Benning poor draft record. I have looked and the two you mention are in the minority for successful impact drafted players in their draft years, of the top ten they are just about the two worst examples of making an impact quickly. One reason the team has had Calder cup candidates is they are older by a couple of years than those they compete against Boeser and Pettersson were older vs 18 yr olds, this year is a little different, Hughes and Makar are both college guys but there are 18 and 19 yr olds they compete with for the Calder this year. Neely did not have multiple surgeries and injuries when they traded him so that is a weak comparison. The two year development of top ten picks is just this team, not most anymore, but even if that is correct, true and good, what is two more years of getting the team ready for prime time for years to come rather than trading away top picks for players that have a 3 or 4 year shelf life and straggling the team with clause contracts and aging players guaranteed roster spots. This year for a possible playoff spot, with only 4 players that will be effective in 4 years? Next year this team will be vastly different, a goalie change alone will have a negative impact. This is not a young team, it is not filled with young star players or bottom six players, it is still a team in the 2 nd year of a rebuild.

A lot of suggestions. It will be hard and expensive to move some of these contracts because of clauses, the amount of the contract and the age of the players. 3rd and 4th line 30+ yr olds earning upwards of 3 mi a year aren't easy to move especially when there is term and clause. Injury history will also hinder a deal, even if Ferland waived he and Sven will be hard. It might be easy to trade for a bunch of picks that have a very little to no chance to make the team but it will cost the Canucks more to make the deals that they get back. This is Tanev and Markstrom's last big contracts, Tanev would want at least the same as Edler with longer term and Markstrom will be a FA that the team will not be able to compete with other teams, not enough cap space. A danger here is that much of the future is discarded to repair bad contracts and get enough cap space for today's team, a danger because this is an unproven team that is battling for a middle of the road status now, not the ideal goal IMO. Here is out of the box, Horvat and Boeser for Eichel

The NHL investigates some of these like they did with the Hossa LTIR, But Boeser might be ready to return before the end of the season which i think cause financial penalties next year. 8 weeks is a very long time for a rib injury, remember Linden played with a rib problem in the 94 playoffs so it might be just a comfort thing. IMO Boeser is spending time with his Dad right now. Not like a rib injury can be rehabilitated, I only say this because there is a blackhole on his whereabouts.

Don't know about that, in the 12 or 13 minutes of icetime they did their role just fine, their role is not to be scored on, that is their first priority.