Chris Thornycroft

I'm at the point now where when I see the Canucks trading for a draft pick, I'm about 75% sure it's just a bargaining chip that will be involved in another foolhardy trade to bring in an established player with a big contract and/or little time left on his contract, so we'll have to end up resigning him for more money. Detroit is still in their rebuilding phase and they're higher in the standings than Vancouver, so they're further along in their rebuild. The Canucks by contrast, haven't even done a rebuild, have very little in the way of picks and prospects, and they're selling off what little they have. This barely worked when there was no salary cap, but it's ridiculous when there is. On the surface, this deal would be in keeping with the idea of a rebuild, but we know a bait and switch is kind of this organization's MO. I've been a fan since 1990 and until very recently, I said there was no darker period in Vancouver than the late 90s, when there were rumours of actually moving to the team to, of all places, Seattle. Now it's...complicated.

I seem to remember the original was written and performed by The Carpet Frogs, or their lead singer, and that's the one that I listen to. I wish that if they wanted to get a female singer to do an intro that they'd written an original song for her to sing instead of being the equivalent of Ghostbusters. Having said that, I've been trying to track down the singer's name, because she's got a good voice. I just wish it had been something more original. It's not a gender thing - I just hate remakes.

If we've learned anything from this, it's not the coach who is the problem. Bruce has looked at the roster and realized that for the Canucks to have any chance, they have to play high octane offence, outscore their deficiencies and hope that Thatcher Demko can be a top 3 goalie. Well, Demko hasn't been and now all the problems that he covered for last season are now readily apparent. Guys like Miller turn the puck over at the worst possible times and then quit on the play, hanging a very weak d-core and the goalie out to dry. I wouldn't take anything from last night's game. You're going to win the odd game even if you're a bad team. But this isn't on Bruce Boudreau. He and Demko have basically dragged this team to respectability, for better or for worse. You can't just say, well, now we're a playoff team. Okay, let's entertain that ridiculous fantasy. Let's say they can come back and make the playoffs. And then what? Is that what this team tops out at? A 1st round playoff exit? After 52 years, is that really good enough? Have we just given up on ever winning a Stanley Cup? Trevor Linden was right. And every day, that's being proven more and more. Are we just going to dump coaches after less than a year until the beginning of time and hope that we go on a run with the new guy and eventually luck out and make the playoffs? Is that the end game?

What I want to know is how he she got a job in the front office of an NHL team (New Jersey, I believe) in the first place in her early 20s. Okay, maybe I don't want to know. I'm not saying she's the Channing Tatum of an NHL management group, but....

True, but when you're a successful team that wins championships, it doesn't matter. When you're doing it just to get into the playoffs now, knowing it will put you in cap hell later with no reasonable reason to think the team is going to be a contender soon, it's terrible. Like I said, Nobody cares that Kucherov is 29 and has 5 years left at 9.5, but I don't think anyone in Tampa is going to complain if he drops off in the final 2-3 years of his contract, because the Bolts have a couple of championships to their name. When you have that winning pedigree, you can afford to do that. But when you're just trying to make the playoffs, signing older players to huge, long contracts is not a great idea. Seriously, do we want to win a Stanley Cup, or are we happy with topping out at a 1st or 2nd round playoff exist until the end of time?

That's a Gillis mistake right there. Falling in love with older players. Miller will be 30 when his big, long contract kicks in. Obviously you don't give a 99 player away for nothing, but if you have to take slightly less than you wanted, that's better than cap strapping yourself when you're not even a Cup contender. If we were Tampa, and Miller is basically our Kucherov in terms of offensive importance, I'd say give him the contract, we're going all in for another Stanley Cup. But this team hasn't even proven it can even make the playoffs once without a bubble situation. The Bruce Effect was fantastic last year, but most decent teams get a boost from a new coach and new direction. Obviously, there's probably pressure from ownership after all these years of missing the playoffs to get back in, but that's exactly what caused this mess in the first place. Trevor Linden left the organization because he wanted a proper, well thought out rebuild and ownership and Benning wanted to get there yesterday. It's Vancouver. We're a hockey city. As long as you're straight with us and tell us that this is a process, that we're taking this seriously and our ultimate goal is the Stanley Cup and we're going to have some tough years as we draft and develop players, and we're not taking shortcuts just to top out as the 2nd wildcard team in the conference, I think fans will accept that and support it. But when you promise playoffs every year and you don't deliver, and then you trade away valuable picks and prospects to try to get there, then you create that disconnect. And I think the long contract for Miller is a symbol that continued philosophy, unfortunately. 7 years is ridiculous. If they wanted to resign him, it should have been 4 at most and I would have been okay with the cap hit. But cap strapping yourself for 7 long years on a team that hasn't shown it can even be a consistent playoff team is crazy. That's probably an example of why Canada hasn't won a Cup in 29 years. There's too much pressure to make the playoffs, so teams are taking ridiculous shortcuts and topping out too quickly. Nobody cares about hockey in Florida, so look who 2 of the top teams in the NHL are. They took forever to get there because they could. And now both of those teams are the top 2 in the entire league. When you can sacrifice the future for a mediocre result now, you'll never get anywhere. And that new contract is just a symbol of that.

Obviously, having to give up a 2nd round pick we can ill-afford is hardly ideal, especially since that was the norm for years under the previous regime, but on its own, it was a trade born out of necessity. We needed to free up the cap space and Jason Dickinson really wasn't working out. In return, the Canucks get a young-ish defenseman who can defend (kind of important, especially on this team) and hit like a truck. Obviously, he's neither a Top 4 nor a RHD, but I look at this trade like having a lemon and making lemonade. Dickinson may rebound in Chicago and if so, good for him. We free up over a million in cap space and at worst, we've got more gritty defensive depth that we definitely need, either in Vancouver or Abbotsford. Obviously, if we're just going to do this with every iffy to bad contract that we have, giving up high-ish draft picks or prospects to unload them, then that becomes a serious problem and we're pretty much in the same place we started in 2013, but as long as it's not going to become habitual, as a standalone trade, I like it. The cap situation is a mess and while I can question why we've gone after forwards rather than D men since the new regime took over rather than a top 4 D man, sometimes the trades just aren't there and you have to take what you have and improve the team any way you can. If this group stays relatively healthy this year, they should be a wildcard playoff team and be able to outscore their defensive deficiencies with Demko standing on his head, assuming Spencer Martin can be decent enough and give Thatcher enough time off. I don't think they go far at all in the playoffs, but I think a healthy Vancouver team should be right there.

Obviously, the home run deal would probably involve Miller and maybe someone else like Pearson for Schneider, a bottom 6 centre who can take face-offs and is cheaper than Dickinson and a 1st. But given what Miller would command as a 30 year old in terms of cap hit and term, if we can get at least a 1st and an elite prospect, preferably a D prospect, that might be enough. Pettersson needs to work on his face-offs if Miller isn't around to do it for him, but if he can do that and The Kuz pans out as a top 6 forward, the Canucks will have something going forward. I've been a fan since 1990 and I'm not satisfied with a 1st round playoff exit. I'll put up with another year outside the playoffs if we actually win the Cup soon. Playoffs aren't good enough. We've been trying to be the 2nd wildcard team for the last 10 years and only gotten there twice in that time.

Apparently Cammy Granato was behind this. Good for her. It's not a fantastic deal based on Brock's performance last season, but compared to what we would have paid, it's a steal. If he's a 30 goal, 50-60 point player next year, it's more than worth it. He just has to stay healthy. Maybe we need a big, modern enforcer. If we can unload Myers for a cheaper, younger player whose primary role is to kill penalties, play sound defensively and stand up for teammates, I'd be all over that.

Passion for the game? Yes. Passion to play in North America? Clearly not. We have to realize that we're not always going to be the centre of the universe for many hockey players, when you get paid really good money tax free (compared to the average working person) to play in the KHL and you're with your family. If it's worth the difference to some players, especially if it means staying at home, I can hardly blame them. Some people value family over money. It's like calling someone a hero because they spent all their time at work, ignored their wife and kids and they left as a result. I'd consider that a huge failure. Some things are more important than money. They're still compensated very well to play a kids' game in their home country, and maybe they don't play in the "greatest league in the world," but some things are bigger than the game of hockey, and as much as we all love hockey here, you can still have a passion for the game and give up the NHL because family comes first. It's a different culture and completely different language over here than it is in Russia. Imagine if the highest level of competition was in Russia. Ask yourself if you would move yourself and your family, at least semi-permanently, over there where you can't understand a word anyone says, your wife is nagging you, or maybe all the homesickness is making you nag her. Some things are more important than money and a Stanley Cup, even if you're a hockey player. I was a competitive swimmer and I bet and bet wrong, giving all that up at Paralympic Trials over a lady who left me less than a year later. But I still get it. Would I do it all over again for someone I cared about? You're **** right I would.

Basically in a roundabout way, we're replacing Hamonic with a guy who essentially is what Travis was advertised to be - a defensive defensemen who has the potential to play top 4 minutes...only McDermott is 6 years younger...and he's half the cost. I'd call this a win by any metric. It could be a disaster, but any trade can blow up in your face for no reason. On paper, this looks like an excellent, cost saving improvement to the line-up. At worst, he's at least a reliable, still youngish bottom pairing defensemen. That's more than we were getting from Hamonic this year, so it works for me.

Is today's game still on? I heard some rumours it was postponed due to COVID protocols. It would be postponed...the one game where I bet money on them winning.

At least we're getting an experienced guy with 3 Cup rings to get the team in order and bring guys along. My guess is that it's Steamer or the Sedins who are going to ultimately be the GM, with Rutherford as the mentor for those 3 guys.

Is Brendan Lemieux The Loose Cannon reincarnated? Or was that Brad Marchand or Sean Avery? In any case, this should probably be the Canucks new goal song. Hey, wouldn't hurt.

This is going to be a really soft team this year. Even softer than last year. We're not trying to be a 70s Broadstreet Bullies obviously, but you need some grit in your lineup. This team will continue to have zero pushback.

I'm not going to pretend that I know more than guys who do this for a living, but from an asset management point of view, losing one of the few younger, bigger, grittier guys with hands in the system for nothing doesn't sound all that great. So we're going with the Leafs model, eh? All finesse, all offence, no defence and no grit. I know this isn't 1985, but the Pacific has some big, tough teams, and we are by any metric extremely soft. Maybe Gadjovich wasn't quite as good as say DiGiuseppe, but Jonah brought at element that the team doesn't have much of at all anywhere in the lineup. It's not all about who is generating offence. Some guys have to be able to defend and play with grit and toughness too. Jonah Gadjovich brought an element to his game that we desperately needed this year. This division is not about speed and skill. It's also about grit and size. I don't get it. Even if he wasn't quite beating out guys for a 4th line role, to put him on waivers and lose him for nothing doesn't make any sense to me. It wasn't just as simple as sending him down to Abby and having him available to call up if necessary. He was either on the big club or gone. The Canucks chose to willingly lose what little grit they have in their system for absolutely nothing. I hope I'm wrong, but you can't win, either in regular season or the playoffs without at least one guy like Gadjovich. Lockwood is a bit gritty, but he's no Jonah.

If the big club calls him up during the season, does he have to clear waivers again? Or is this it for the season? Assuming he does clear this time....

Assuming we can fit everyone under the cap.

I hope both Gadjovich and Lockwood make the team. We need speed and grit in the bottom 6. And Gadjovich's shot and net presence can come in handy on the 2nd unit PP if necessary.

For all of Benning's great signings, allocating $6 million under the cap for a bottom pairing defenseman in Tyler Myers long term seems a bit silly. The guy realistically a #4 man, but on this team, you can't put him in the top 4, because he's not defensively responsible enough to play those minutes without a defensively sound partner. So he's a $6 million d-man stuck on the bottom pairing.

Actually, Travis Hamonic's absence is probably related to his daughter's health, COVID and the fact that it was just National Truth and Reconciliation Day and he's a Metis guy and probably has serious responsibilities in that respect, particularly at this time. That's as far as I need to go with the speculation. The rest is private stuff. I'd pick my family and my cultural responsibilities too if I were him over a hockey game every day of the week. You have to do what you have to do. Some things are bigger than skating around trying to put a big piece of rubber into a net, especially if you can financially afford to take the time off and be there for your family, especially with what's being on with the pandemic, his daughter and the ceremonies going on the past few days. I figure what happened to all those kids back in the day is a bit more important than slapping a piece of rubber around with a piece of wood or carbon fibre. But that's as far as I'll go, both for his and his family's privacy, the situation, and the fact that this is a hockey forum, not a gossip column. #FamilyFirst

You have to put your family first over a game. Especially during a pandemic. But for the sake of PR, it makes sense to at least be a little forthcoming about this, regarding whether he's playing or not. Private details aren't necessary. Just a head's up. My guess is, the Canucks themselves don't even know and that's the problem. I get it if it's a personal/family matter, but at least give some notice to Jim so that he can go out and try to replace your spot on the roster. Top 4 defensive defensemen don't grow on trees, especially not at Hamonic's cap hit. He has skills the team doesn't really have anywhere else in the lineup, so it's frustrating. But again, family first. Just be honest about where things are at so that your teammates aren't completely hung out to dry.

I'd love to say Rick Rypien (RIP), but since I didn't see Tiger fight live, I have to say Gino. The guy was fearless and he scored 16 goals one year, so he could play when he wasn't distracted by trying to beat up an entire team.

The Kaprizov deal guarantees bridge contract for both guys. If we get either guy for under 7 million per, it will be a minor miracle.

The problem now for Benning is that Kaprizov was given $9 million per in a 5 year deal based on 1 good season. Pettersson has back to back seasons of a roughly PPG pace, and an injury plagued season last year where he started off slow but still had 21 points in 26 games. So is he worth 10? 11? The Canucks have around $14 million in cap space, maybe up to 15 or so if they find a way to send down some money to Abbotsford. That leaves maybe 5 per for Hughes. Despite Quinn's defensive deficiencies, particularly last year, his offence suggests he's not that much worse than Pettersson overall. And since 5 years is now the benchmark, neither one of these guys will be signed to the 8 year max term. We're looking at bridge deals, and even they will be brutally expensive. If we get both for around 3 years and stay within the cap limit it will be a miracle at this point. Then again, they both have the alternative of sitting out and making $0. So I guess it's in their best interest to sign for whatever money the Canucks can pay cap-wise. If they don't end up signing 1 or 2 year deals, I'll be pleasantly surprised.