ToTellTheTruth

I wonder if the Canucks might have been in there on the Toronto trade?

I think looking at the teams in the hunt for playoff spots or just had injuries and don't want to put a player in LTIR. Cap Hell; Washington Vegas Edmonton Tampa Florida Maple Leafs Pittsburgh Next level teams NJD Rangers Dallas

There is no value in putting Pearson on LTIR for the rest of the year unless they are taking on more cap. It is only good until TDL day and then it doesn't matter anymore. IR and LTIR would be the same after. Something like working with Edmonton for a Karlsson trade but that is long term cap retention, the Canucks would have to get multiple 1rts for multiple years from both teams. But retention around Kane might make a lot more sense. Or some other high cap hit contract in the last year or a RFA

No real reason to place Pearson on LTIR unless there is a trade coming before the TDL and the space is needed. Sitting with about 4.3 mil in cap space before this adds a substantial amount of usable space. 7.4 mil space now. Next year Pearson, if healthy loses trade protection. I sure hope they aren't thinking about trading for one of the available defencemen especially Chychrun, way too expensive unless it is a multi player trade. If Gavrikov then a bigger trade. Or the 3rd in a three way trade where the team gets picks.

To even make it more baffling was signing Garland and Sutter before Pettersson and Hughes then whining there was no cap space. Why did an RFA part time NHLer earning the league minimum get preference? The story line some media are trying to promote is that is why Pettersson only signed for three years. Although I can't see what term had to do with how much, which was because of those other preferences. AND how does Garland get a 5 year contract at 5 mil a year as an RFA and making 775 K? Just about anything he did was beyond comprehension, 3 mil for Pearson that early then no cap space for any others? Just letting every or just about every FA walk away for nothing? What "hockey" trades? A first round selection with less than a full year dealt for another, at the time, part time dman with no pedigree, a reasonably priced center for an often injured 3rd line center? His best trade is somewhat questionable too, a capped out team. At a time when capped out teams are adding in sweeteners to make cap space Benning gives up a first plus allowing them to have a valuable trade asset and win a cup. The Canucks gained a whopping 9 points in the standings for that gem. Then there is giving a divisional competitor cap space by taking what they offered for a pick, on paper not bad but a careful look would discover that the player's stats were a product of the teams he played on, but hey, he allowed them to sign a STUD dman helping them out. He fired every front office guy that had a thought. Signed a player that doctors refused to clear for play, bad enough but give him a 4 year 3.5 mil uninsurable contract with a NMC, just so some fans that hate Aqullini understand that even though that contract came off the cap the owner supported the team and had to pay every dime of that contract. Most LTIR's are insured. So Benning screwed him too. BTW he IS the WORST GM in NHL history for such a short term or 7 year period. In every stat.

Wow way worse than I thought. I always compare with other teams.

See what the 34th thru 37th picks look like too, equivalent of last years 10th to 20th. Combined if they are lucky enough to get a couple more 1rst for this year they could get 3 or 4 NHL players from this draft. And if they are really on the ball they will build for the future 2025 draft, which has 2 or 3 players of note already. Say get a Washington or Pittsburgh first or estimate another team holding on for their vets that could bottom out or be a lottery pick that year. Make some trades for conditional protected 2024 first with unprotected 2025's as the next if needed but outright 2025 picks would be best. Should the Canucks somehow end up in 30th in the league and it could be done because quite often bottom teams start winning for next year's "hope" in their markets for season ticket sales they would have about a 23% chance at first or second overall. While wildly not a hope but you know what they say "never say never" 31rst the odds are 28% for 1rst or 2nd. The worst they would do is drafting 4th. Just maybe the team gets lucky this year.

3 losses to Anaheim and done. 30th Lose two against Chicago and just possible for 31rst Arizona has more regulation wins too so those two games could be very important. These could be considered 4 point games. I don't think catching Columbus is possible but then I thought 26th might be the best they could do. If at TDL they can move a couple more players, Miller, Boeser and Garland, that would fix the room. Might even get another draft pick or two.

Okay, lots of holes have been identified, holes that Markstrom and Demko covered up. Now they are so bad Demko looks bad. So Tocchet is trying to get finesse guys to be plumbers and plumber to be ballerinas. THE GAMES ARE SOOOOOO MUCH BETTER! Right, a stat that shows this or that but the stat that means the most? WINS/LOSSES. So nothing has changed indeed with the "new improved coach" the losses are even worse because he is showing them how to play. This is a good thing, so many players look like they are going balls to the wall so they are desirable or tradable. The team progresses towards some really good draft picks and might even get a few more. All these losses will look like GENIOUS if they get Bedard. Suffer with a smile knowing that just maybe, for the first time in...... well ever, this team is building a future, maybe, the TDL and draft day will tell. But don't complain, support the "build" Every loss looks like....VICTORY!

6-4 Flyers van Riemsdyk

I don't know where all the Tryamkin highlights disappeared to, there used to be compilation highlights of all his games here an now there are hardly any. I am sure they are still on the older posts but it almost as hard to find as the Goldwater papers to do with Arizona bankruptcy where Bettman testifies about the NHL. This is really strange that they are gone or hidden somehow. There were his "hits" where he broke Richardson leg, flattened Benn two or three times, held McDavid at bay, clearing the front of the net of ALL players, stepped in to end a few face washings, there was hours of those and now they are gone. Maybe I will try a different search engine. Most of his fights were not super impressive, but he just rag dolled the opponent(s) a little like Byfuglien, nobody wanted to dance with him and when he hit, well there were no board battles, just the other guy getting up

What would they do for a rebuild? Get more defencemen? They have over 20 in the system, most are under 24 yrs old. They have prospects for the next 3 years without adding any. Werenski, Bean, Jirieck and then some vets in Boqvist and yuk, Gudbranson. Their D Corp is so bad that with injuries to 6 NHL regulars they are still better than the healthy Canucks in GA. They have enough young assets they can make trades for a vet or two if needed, but it isn't like they expect to win a cup next year but they should be in a playoff race. They are a team coming out of a rebuild sort of like NJD or Buffalo but just had some really serious injuries and had to rush a couple of prospects. They start their climb now for next year. Washington may be wanting to add him before next year. They are in a playoff spot now. And Miller's NMC doesn't come into effect until July 1. That NMC is why I think Winnipeg should be in on him too because he has term and Wheeler is 37 next year, a saving of a quarter of a million in cap space to replace him but they also have over 6 million in cap space now. Miller's cap hit for the remainder of this year would be 1.7 million so they could make this trade for Miller and still have enough to take on Garland or Boeser. The top NHL FA's are not lining up to play in Winnipeg. Even if they sign Dubois to one more year they can make that happen.

Or he takes over for Backstrom, which is probable considering no professional athlete has ever recovered enough to continue his career after his surgery, none have lasted, they try but eventually fail.

Columbus currently has 15 players 25 and under on their roster including those on LTIR. They have an additional 12 in the minors Loaned another 7 under 22 yrs old And another 11 under 22 yrs old and younger listed as prospects They have 4 players 26 to 30 yrs old. While not all will be NHL players they still have all their picks and will be getting possibly two more NHL top prospects more this year. What is a rebuild if not collecting a ton of young players. They need a vet or two. Tocchet sounds like Torts almost verbatim. Pretty sure that is a rebuild already, who else they going to

Remember here in Vancouver what the talk was constantly? A losing team always talks about the future and those prospects. Hell Juloevi was the one for years. It takes years of losing and then a new front office to admit the team isn't that good with a few exceptions, teams that do a planned tank. Players of Gaudreau's calibre rarely become available in FA and then even more rarely go to a small market team. I always wonder what folks think team's or players will say that would be considered negative in public. You can't be saying negative things and hope for players to want to come or then negotiate a trade for a player the team has negative comments about. But Columbus is just one team that might want him, Winnipeg, Washington, Boston, Pittsburgh, Carolina but some of them would need cap help. Thing is Vancouver is in a pickle because if Miller ends up on the third line that is a cap disaster. He is already the #2 guy and if that doesn't change then neither has the team's fortunes. Miller might waive his NMC but right now he doesn't have one making any trade easier.

He signed that long because twice he came back to play and twice waited months and then decided Benning would never let him play in the NHL until the reserve status was over. Why some folks would not want more free money is just an emotional reaction. He would be an upgrade. Even if it was only for truculence. Teams toughen up for the playoffs, I am sure wee Hughes would grow inches with hi on the team if for that only. The kid was a rookie with a coach that ignored him and put him in the most difficult positions constantly. He still ranked as the 2nd or 3rd best defenceman on the team, as a rookie. He had more "dances" than any Canuck since he left in total, well maybe Schenn has caught up. I hope he can come back because I sure would hate to see him on Edmonton or some other division team, Petey would be a pancake and no one would dare step up to make a correction without taking a chance with their health.

One of the teams I think may be in on Miller Columbus is pulling a defenceman out for a trade very soon.

Two defencemen being traded very soon

Or he is playing in the wrong role. He is supposed to be pretty decent defensively At 24 he fits into the project player and if waived then he is free money to give it a shot.

Markstrom and Demko were outstanding, but the players ere younger too. The team even with them was horrible though. All NHL teams have to get bad before they can get good, really bad and if planned out well it is just for a couple of years, otherwise it looks like the Canucks and Edmonton, more than a decade of being a joke. Good defence can make a goalie look good too if the goalie is not a Veznia calibre to begin with. Marky and Demko both had league leading stats for games over expected, shot quality and games played.

Tocchet, you could take Tortorella's comments and they sound the same. Lots of comments about negativity. What is the positive? Well now it is that the team is getting closer than I ever thought to Bedard. IMO any player that is happy playing for this team has to be moved. Otherwise they are nothing more than a wrestling show. Get paid to perform and have a three month holiday the same. Pettersson will now be pressured if they keep putting him in front of a camera. They would be making a big mistake to make him the Captain before his next contract is signed. A disconnect in the room can be disaster. As far as how players think, they are a specific group of personality types. Pacifists don't usually have a lot of success unless a stupendous talent, attitude has so much to do with winning. The term "Nice guys finish last" is real. Burke even stated that teams look for those players on the edge, he wasn't referring to ballerinas, closer to criminals. Name 10 players in the league that have state outright they want out or off a team. But then name player that say they hated the trade off a losing team. Even Horvat said he wanted to stay, he thought he would be here for his career BUT he is happy now playing for the Islanders. Most players say they are happy with their new teams. Players just don't say they are pi**ed off very often, they just show it on the ice one way or another. So negativity, player dissension, losing all make for a happy positive narrative? Even Pettersson has stated he want to play on a winning team, in the playoffs and at the time did not commit to a long future here, it was his choice of course now the reason for the short term is the cap which is untrue. They had the cap space when they signed them, Ferland and Sutter were going on LTIR opening up enough cap space and Benning never worried about the future, "we don't know what will happen tomorrow" and they would have had the space in the future. Benning prioritized Sutter, Garland and other players ahead of Pettersson and Hughes.

Not unexpected Shot suppression is better? May be less shots but still high quality shots against. Not the players fault anymore, most have had three different coaches over the last 4 seasons. They are doing the best they can, that is just who they are it doesn't mean they aren't trying. This is a bad mix of players and a losing culture. Trading away one player won't change that. Still need to score 5 games to have a shot. Crowd noise was less as the fans acknowledge the need of taking some bad medicine to get better and that is what bad medicine looks like. Geez, now only 6 points out of 30th with lose the three against Anaheim and next two against Arizona those are all 4 point games.

Rebecca!

Last night Chychrun was sat due to a trade possibility. Scares the hell out of me because of the Tocchet connection to Arizona and what they want in a trade. Two firsts, Canucks have two, player, Canucks have plenty and a AAA prospect, Canucks just got one and may have two others. And a huge Canuck need is for a defenceman Allvin was very explicit about mentioning his thoughts that the Horvat trade was for equivalent of three first rounders. That statement at the time was odd to me and just trying to soften Horvat being traded but now ...... Should not have to wait long to see if the player the Canucks could have taken cost 3 times as much now Big rumour is LA but until the deal is done. Chychrun would be a horrible trade for the Canucks, he hasn't played a whole season yet and doesn't have outstanding stats even for being on Arizona.