HighOnHockey
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3 minutes ago, BCNate said:
There is no way I'd pay anywhere close to 4 million for Tanner Pearson this offseason. He is a fringe top 6 forward at best, the production just isn't there. Look at the market last offseason, if anything the cap is tighter for most teams. There are a number of interesting wingers that could be on the market. We have $25 mill+ coming off the books if you factor in Ferlands LTIR, half will go to Hughes/EP/Demko. I really hope that we use the rest of the money to get bigger/stronger/faster younger, not just bring back the same guys on similar deals.
Doesn't matter what you'd pay him. Just what other NHL teams will. Three straight 40+ point seasons. He'll get 4 million somewhere, easy. Maybe more, depending how this season goes for him.
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For anyone interested, here's my current top 20, with some writeups.
1. Matthew Beniers C - Floor is very high, ceiling might not be Hart/Art Ross candidate, but could be in the Toews/Bergeron stratosphere of two-way franchise centers.
2. Brandt Clarke RD - Elite all-around defenseman. The safest pick of the D in this draft, but also high upside. Physical, good gap, good stick, high hockey IQ, phenomenal breakout passer under pressure - not as likely as some of the other top D in this draft to skate it up ice himself, although I have seen him do it successfully at the pro level when needed. The first game I saw him at U17s, with his team down a goal with a couple minutes left, he threw a big open ice hit to kill a rush dead, and then in the dying seconds he took the point shot that was tipped in to tie the game. A perfect microcosm of how he impacts the game all over the ice. Not sure just how high the offensive ceiling is. He's not a high risk player, he picks his spots carefully. His stick skills are nothing exciting; his best offensive tools are his IQ, vision and dynamic/deceptive skating - keeps opponents on their toes with quick, shifty pivots. Reminds me of Josh Morrissey and Drew Doughty.3. Carson Lambos LD - Comes with big question marks, but his upside is as high as any defenseman in the draft. Dominant defensively at U17s and in SM Sarja. Matched against top lines at 16 in WHL. Not afraid to make moves and attack defenders in the offensive zone as well as forecheckers in his own zone. Loves to try hitting the stretch pass to a streaking forward. But there is definite cause for concern with some of his decision-making and trying to force things offensively. I can't help but see shades of P.K. Subban.
4. Luke Hughes LD - Elite skater, solid defensively. Pro-style game. Better offensive upside than Clarke and safer than Lambos. He doesn't force the issue offensively like Lambos, but he creates more offense than Clarke, just by supporting and staying above the puck and letting things come to him. Unlike his brother he doesn't sacrifice defense to create offense - he picks his spots well, and just always seem to find ways to contribute offensively without putting himself in compromised positions. Upside would be something like Duncan Keith or Roman Josi. Obviously that's a longshot, but they weren't expected to be superstars either, but elite skating and just doing every little thing the right way goes a long way.
5. Kent Johnson C/LW - Creativity is the name of the game. His talent level is immense and he's always trying things, never boring or predictable. Loves to curl back entering the offensive zone, but he'll also gladly spin off a forcheck in the defensive zone. Certainly not a north-south player. I don't mean to overplay how not-coach-friendly he is though - this isn't Antonio Stranges; he's more in the Cole Perfetti category of players who are going to drive pro coaches crazy. I made no qualms about not being a big Perfetti fan last year, but Johnson uses his teammates better and he's a better skater, not to mention 3 inches taller. Best case scenario might be something like Claude Giroux.
6. Owen Power LD - Size, skill, hockey sense are all exceptional. He's very mobile for his size, but his skating is most impressive straight ahead. His quickness and agility are slightly worrisome, as fast NCAAers tend to beat him to the outside and on retrievals. Also needs to be more aggressive and physical. He absolutely loves to lead the rush. Dougie Hamilton would be a reasonable comparison.
7. Cole Sillinger C - A goal-scoring two-way center most known for his shot and sky-high hockey IQ. I saw a scouting report recently questioning his defensive ability, but it seems like everywhere I look he's disrupting his opponents' offense or transition. He's always wrecking havoc in front of the opposing goalie, and he's a brilliant shot-tipper. Doesn't wow with his passing or stick skills, and I'm not sure how high is the offensive upside, but he's a pro-style player and a coach's dream. I see a little bit of Joe Pavelski in him.
8. William Eklund LW/C - Probably the most dynamic offensive player in the draft. Constantly darting and shifting around - a bit like Rossi in last year's draft, but a more explosive skater. It looks like his skates are spring-loaded. Also like Rossi, he loves battling it out in front of the net despite his small stature. He sometimes reminds me of Johnny Gaudreau.
9. Dylan Guenther LW - North-south winger with good size, good speed, high compete, and a well-rounded arsenal of skills. Extremely dangerous one on one because he can beat guys outside with his speed and strength, or deke them, or shoot through them, all with high success rates. Pacioretty or Taylor Hall would be decent loose comparables.
10. Chaz Lucius C
11. Simon Edvinsson LD
12. Aatu Räty C
13. Fabian Lysell RW
14. Fyodor Svechkov C - I know, I know, I'm a lone voice in the wilderness here. But I thought he was Russia's best all-around forward at U17 Challenge, and second best at 5 Nation U17s, behind Danila Yurov. Not as purely skilled or as high upside as Chibrikov, but he brings a more NHL-adaptable game. He's good in the corners, wins battles, gets to the net, he's responsible defensively, thinks and sees the game very well. His skillset is quite high end, though not elite, but he's also an incredibly clever offensive player.
15. Zach Bolduc C
16. Jesper Wallstedt G
17. Nikita Chibrikov RW
18. Oskar Olausson LW/RW
19. Xavier Bourgault C
20. Corson Ceulemans - RD-
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12 minutes ago, EddieVedder said:
Forget Hughes.
Power or Brandt are better players and what this team needs.
Why do you think that?
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54 minutes ago, IBatch said:
It doesn't happen as far a play on the ice goes. The coaches wouldn't allow it - their future personally relies a lot on their win-loss column. Maybe fans cheering after every goal against and loss in Buffalo affected their team morale, but not way the players tank on purpose - their stats also reflect their next contract. That's pure myth.
Your bang on with trading assets that could help the team, as making the team worse. Sometimes it goes the other way too though, it opens a couple of spots on the team and prospects come in and play like Hogs has for us this year. In a way that provides the management with two valuable things, time to try out new guys that are close - in some cases as a favour to burn 9 games off an ELC for future blue chippers, and of course whatever haul the team gets back.
This year Pearson for sure is on the block. I highly doubt he's part of our future plans - but i could be wrong. It's too bad Podz won't be available, because if he could get over here this would be the time to try him out (after the TDL).... that said it's also part of reason he slipped to ten in the first place. Sutter i think we should possibly keep - at the right price he'd make a great vet to replace Beagle, and we are thin for centre's in the pipe so will likely need to replace both medium term with vets anyways. And he has leadership. That said with retention both these guys are for sure tradable assets. Bear is another guy worth giving some games (as a management tank - coach doesn't want him there obviously or he'd be there already). A coaching change with a plan and alignment with JB could occur with this in mind as well. If the triple B line is reunited for example, and exceeds , Bear might also be someone teams could get interested in. That's a long shot for sure though.
And more then anything temper expectations. So far JB has hit the phones as hard as anyone during this rebuild, and aside from the few MG key vets no interest in our guys. So don't expect AR to go anywhere. Or JV the way he's playing he's close to losing his NHL career permanently.
Yeah forget the coaches, the players wouldn't allow it. They play to win, and many of them won't be around in a couple years to reap the benefits of a top pick.
But I was getting at something a little different. Imagine if at the deadline, a selling team traded not only expiring contracts, but also traded away contracted players, so that it was clear they were doing it for the explicit purpose of tanking. I'm pretty sure the NHL would consider that a punishable offense.
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1 hour ago, GritGrinder said:
Both goalies in CBJ and NYR and the kid in Chicago lighting it up this year for starters. Oh and Demko isn’t a prospect anymore, he’s the Canucks starting goalie so it’s sink or swim.
Who are you?
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35 minutes ago, Smashian Kassian said:
Yup was very impressed. Haven't followed Michigan but I'll have to do some research as Johnson is projected to go high too.
Just love his compete, everytime I've seen him play I've come away impressed. And I imagine he could play winger if needed too. No doubt a driver of a line/team. Probably better than Turcotte too honestly.
As a young player breaking in he could be a great 3C, then when he gets better shift him or Pettersson to wing in the top 6.
They play this Saturday (11am) and Sunday (2pm) against Wisconsin. Definitely worth a watch, as another poster mentioned they have Beniers, Johnson and Power, all pretty sure top ten picks, and it's not outside the realm of possibility they all go top five. Plus Cam York, Thomas Bordeleau, Brendan Brisson, John Beecher and Canucks pick Jacob Truscott. And on top of that, Wisconsin has Cole Caufield and Dylan Holloway.
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1 hour ago, Smashian Kassian said:
Power, Clarke, Lambos, Hughes. A group of good defenseman available. Power or Clarke would be awesome.
I also really like Matthew Beniers. Was more impressed with him than Zegras at the World Junior. He's got skill, compete, and a complete game.
Then Dylan Guenther, maybe if we don't pick right at the very top, seems like a complete play driving winger. Could be a nice piece for our group.
These are my early impressions. I wouldn't rule out the goalie either, but not top 5.
Completely agree on everything, but especially Beniers. He's pretty much locked in at number one for me at this point. The numbers don't look all that flashy, but essentially everything he does will continue to work at higher levels. Dynamic skater, elite hockey sense and vision, exceptional defensively, and his compete level is off the charts - second, third efforts, no play is ever dead.
Zegras was doing all kinds of damage in the offensive zone and on the scoreboard, but Beniers was doing everything all over the ice, and it's no different at Michigan, where he centers the second line but plays big minutes in all situations. He and Kent Johnson compliment eachother so well, where Johnson is free to be creative and take risks knowing that Beniers is always staying above the puck, but also putting himself in positions to be dangerous. I think he'll be something like a Jonathan Toews or Dylan Larkin.
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2 hours ago, Provost said:
Tanking is intentionally losing a season to get a better draft pick. That happens really infrequently.
Every trade deadline, however, there are teams that have (despite their best efforts) dropped out of contention who trade off expiring contracts for futures. Pretty much nobody defines that as tanking, even though it is objectively making your team worse for the remaining meaningless games in order to give a better chance of winning in future years.
Nobody has suggested we do the former, and it would be dumb not to do the latter and let assets walk for nothing when we could have gotten picks for them at a time the market is highly inflated.
Well, technically the purpose is to get assets for expiring contracts, not to make the team worse. The tanking aspect is a side effect. At least that's what the lawyers would say, as intentional tanking would be a punishable offense.
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1 hour ago, The King said:
Wow, your drinking the Kool aide, big time! Demko is not even close to being the top goalie prospect in hockey. That's friggin halarious, oh let me guess you and the other idiots who thought the kid was the real deal from the playoff series against Vegas. That was our opportunity to sell high, and get a 1st rounder in the upcoming draft. We're still building and the strong goaltending provided by Markstrom allowed for the club to play a style that suits our high end players.
Name the goalie prospects you think are better. I'm open to debate.
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As someone who is only a part-time Canucks fan, it is funny to me to see how some of the die-hards are getting lost in the weeds. I get that it's been a tough few years, but you're somewhat early in the process. They didn't rip off the band-aid with a drastic tear-down rebuild, but went with a more gradual process. Missing bad on Juolevi with a high pick slowed things down slightly, but it happens and isn't the end of the world. Chicago picked Jack Skille and Cam Barker while building their dynasty, L.A. picked Thomas Hickey and Colton Teubert.
Overall the Canucks have overwhelmingly hit it out of the park in the first round, and now are sitting with potential franchise players at every position, with a 21 year old Quinn Hughes on defense, a 22 year old Elias Pettersson at forward, and a 25 year old Demko in nets. Add in Horvat who is still 25, Boeser is still 24, and Hoglander is just 20.
Sure, they lost some top veterans in Tanev and Markstrom and took a step back this year as a result, but this is the youth fully taking the reins and it's gonna be bumpy at first. They need to make some moves to shore up the defense, absolutely, but I'm pretty confident this can be a contending team by next year, and will be for years to come.
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On 2/6/2021 at 6:47 PM, The King said:
35 years of Canuck fandom has had its amazing highs, and some pretty low lows. This year something feels very, very, very off. Covid-19 has caused "Bubble hockey" where the team was definitely punching out of it's weight class, but really exciting to watch. Coming into this season I had tempered expectations, because let's face it they were only a .500 team last year, Where the wheels have fallen off; 1.Why did we let Markstrom (Petersson's only good friend on the team) walk for nothing? Why did we not trade Demko right after he shone in the series against Vegas? We would have gotten a good 1st round pick for sure. It's called asset management. Markstrom 6years for 6 million was completely fair. We now witnessing what bad goaltending results in. 2. Letting Tanev walk was just as laughable, as he had solidified his position as the 1st best defender on the team and the very best fit for Hughes, if your doubting just ask Hughes, I did, and he's pissed. 3. Benning gave up Madden a blue chip prospect and a 2nd for a really good top 6 forward that solidified our top 6, why did he abandon this plan? Why sign a forward in Virtanen for 2.55 million, and your truly don't believe in him, and you even said as much. I love JB, but whoever's behind these moves needs to pay a price.
With all this said, some will say "oh, easy to say now, but no one has a crystal ball,,," Are you kidding a blind man could see this a mile a way.
Until this team get's this sorted out, I'm done, it's way to painful to watch, it's like seeing someone you care about destroy themselves. This won't be fixed through free agency, only through a few more years of strong drafting and a couple of astute trades.
With a young, up-and-coming team, trade the best goalie prospect in hockey and sign a 30 year old for six years. Thank God you're not GM.
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16 minutes ago, R.Dahlin26 said:
1. Eklund
2. Hughes
3. Clarke
4. Johnson
5. Beniers
6. Power
7. Lambos
8. Edvinsson
Clear top 8 IMO. Looks like we’ll get one of these guys hopefully.
Great list. The order is quite a bit different from mine but almost all the same players. Only difference is Edvinsson, who there is no way I can put inside my top ten right now, although I can totally understand the sentiment. Excellent skater, probably the best stick skills of any defenseman in the draft.
But he's brutal defensively - was constantly getting burnt by skilled forwards at both the U17 tournaments, and now in SHL he makes brutal defensive reads on a regular basis. He is already able to be an impact player offensively at the SHL level, but he just can't get opportunities cus the coaches can't trust him.
Again, I get the temptation to say, "well, he's 6'5 with remarkable natural talents, he can learn the defensive side later", but the problems are just so egregious I think they needs to be taken dead seriously. I'd be terrified to draft this player.
Switching gears, I'd be interested to hear your reasoning on Eklund at number one. I've had very limited viewings on him, but his offensive talents are glaringly obvious. I would have no issue calling him the most dynamic offensive player in the draft, even ahead of Johnson, but I'm curious about his hockey sense, compete, and other intangibles, which I haven't seen enough of him to develop an informed opinion about.
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On 2/5/2021 at 9:30 PM, GoCanucks16 said:
can he play goalie
Can he coach and GM?
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The way the term "generational" gets thrown around here is astonishing to me. On just this one page I've already seen it applied to Drew Doughty and Quinn Hughes.
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6 minutes ago, *Buzzsaw* said:
Right now Benning is panicking and looking around desperately for some way to save his backside.
This is exactly what the organization does not need.
Having a fire sale on Virtanen and getting some throwaway player in return is not going to solve the team's problems.
This season is already in the toilet... let's not throw away the future.
What is needed:
- Fire Green and get a decent coach in.
- Get Tryamkin signed
- Look for free agent defensive prospects and give give them tryouts... check Europe too.
- Give Woo a try.
This is good, yes. A playoff spot is still well within reach. Plus the top players Demko, Pettersson and Hughes are still very young. Just stick with it, and if not this year, by next year you will be a contender. Not sure what else is available for coaches right now. How would you feel about Guy Boucheron?
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1 hour ago, Arrow 1983 said:
This is my time
and Demko will be a star and I have been saying that for a long time maybe not with Hughes in front of him
Lol. I love that you acknowledge that this would be the first.
Maybe Hughes will develop the defensive aspect of his game. If not, they don't need to give him the massive contract you're so worried about. There's a lot more that goes into contract negotiations than points, especially now days with all the analytics so it's not just about a guy's reputation as a defensive player, there are loose objective measures.
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7 hours ago, hammertime said:
I don't think he is forgotten. I think he is a high floor LD so for that reason especially in this mystery draft class I could see him going in the top 10. However from LD standpoint I have Luke and Power, who should both be gone before we pick unless something terrible happens, then Edvinsson ahead of him.
I really feel if any of the fellas in my above post drop to us these are must pick's. Lambos isn't a guy who gets me out of my seat when his name is called on draft day. He's the girl you take to the dance when you waited until the last moment and you know she will put out.
Interesting. This seems to be the general impression I'm getting on Lambos from most sources, but this has not been my impression at all. Almost the opposite. I see a defenseman who is simply dominant in the defensive zone at the junior level, who can sometimes take himself a little out of position to make a play on the puck, causing a lot of disruption and leading to very little OZ time for opponents. But at higher levels this could backfire badly. He also ought to be way more physical given his size.
I see a very smooth skater with some deceptiveness who moves exceptionally well in all directions, but isn't blazing fast. His multidirectional skating is a big part of his dominance in the defensive zone, allowing him to break up rushes before they go anywhere, again limiting opponents OZ time. And he has that rare ability to break up a rush and make a quick transition play in almost a single movement. He stickhandles and protects the puck well, and in Sarja he goes end to end like it's a stroll in the park; he also likes to make plays around the net and has the hands to do it.
But I also see a player who consistently makes bad decisions, particularly with the puck, but not only. He loves to challenge forecheckers and to try breakaway stretch passes, and far too often these blow up in his face. All in all, I don't see a high-floor, low-ceilling kind of prospect. I think his upside is tremendous both offensively and defensively, but his decision making really worries me, to the point that I think it is quite possible that the supposed high floor falls out entirely.
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5 minutes ago, Isam said:
If we are middle of the first i am still looking at guys like chayka, sillinger, or even ollausson before those guys in the mid first round
Well, I mean I could have just posted my whole list, but what I was doing specifically was trying to highlight some players who could end up being steals.
If you're interested in my takes on the three players you mentioned, I actually have Sillinger in my top ten, so that's a bit of a different story. Olausson I have right around the same range as the three I listed. I'm not as high on Chayka. I find his game boring, which I guess is what you want from a stay-at-home type defenseman. Makes smart, simple plays with the puck; more likely to use the boards or make a short pass than skate or stretch it out. But the difference between him and other safe, dependable defensemen, as far as NHL upside is concerned, is that he's 6'3 and skates very well.
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Lol, wishful thinking by some hoping for Clark, Hughes or Beniers. Realistically I would expect the Canucks to end up picking somewhere in the middle of the first round. Some possible gems in that range could be:
Nikita Chibrikov - He's up there with Lysell, Johnson and Eklund as the most dynamic offensive forwards in the draft. Skating agility and quickness, hands, and playmaking ability are elite. One of the few players who can create something out of nothing on a pretty regular basis. Size and ability/will to win battles consistently will keep him out of the top ten, but the upside is big.
Chaz Lucius - Has a wide array of pretty high end skills, but no one thing that stands out as elite aside from his vision and awareness, which might be the best in the class. He scores a lot of goals partly because he has a great shot, excellent hands in tight, and he likes to get to the net, but mainly because he is brilliant at reading and anticipating the play, hiding in coverage and slipping into openings with perfect timing. Same thing when he has the puck, he knows how to lay it perfectly into open areas to put his teammates in dangerous scoring positions. He's missed the entire season so far with injury, so there's some cause for concern, but he would have been an easy top ten pick had he been healthy.
Corson Ceulemans - A right shooting defenseman who is mainly known for his skating and offensive ability, but he's 6'2 and sound defensively at the junior A level, so there's potential for a really good two-way defenseman. His biggest strength is his ability to make breakout plays under pressure.
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Vasily Podkolzin | #92 | RW
in Prospects / Farm Team
Posted
Lol. Hoffman only got 4 million so thats what a 36 goal scorer is worth. Right. Not like Hoffman has all kinds of issues and baggage that affect his value.
Look man, I'm not the one you need to convince. Pearson is gonna get whatever the market dictates his value is. See if you can convince 31 other teams not to offer over 2.5 so the Canucks can re-sign him cheap. As a fellow Canucks fan, I honestly wish you the best of luck.