kloubek

Well, they aren't going to do it on their own. But I do think that's an adequate core from a talent perspective. I believe we *generally* have the required supporting cast on the forward lines. As others have said, we need a true defensive stud added to the blueline, and we have too much invested in players who aren't playing up to their contracts back there as well. We're probably stuck with OEL's contract, but Myers will be off the books after next year, and I think that 6m cap along with the cap going up will allow enough of a blueline retool that while it may not be this team's biggest strength, it should no longer be a liability. This team's success also hinges on Demko rediscovering his game. This team playing a cohesive defensive game hasn't been it's strong suit, and while revamping the D should help, unless something else changes (coach?) I expect we'll continue to rely on our goaltending to bail us out of games.

Frankly, I think it's reasonable that a GM of any lackluster team would say that nobody is untouchable. I mean, even Petey is "touchable" for the right return. You think management would say no if we were offered 10 1st round picks? Everyone has their price. So the statement really doesn't mean much, except that they've stated publicly that Petey won't be moved so they kinda have to be held to that. I think from a message-to-the-team perspective, it's wise to state that nobody is untouchable. That makes all the players accountable and hopefully brings out the best. Should management make a move because someone didn't pick it up, they have likely become the victim of making too much money, or their own inability to perform. I maintain we have enough strong players on this team that it doesn't really need an overhaul as most seem to want. We just need to take care of the deficiencies: 1) Given our crappy penalty kill, we take too many penalties. 2) Whether it be the defensemen themselves or the team as a whole, we need to figure out a way to defend better. Our team leads the league in high-danger shots. 3) We need Demko to return to form. Our goaltending has been... meh. 4) Our faceoffs kinda suck. If it wasn't for Bo, we'd be at the bottom of the league. If he gets moved, this will become a major issue. 5) We don't block enough shots. 6) The team is fragile. The last 2-3 years have seen an undue amount of challenges and I think the team in general gets easily frustrated and demotivated. 1, 2, and 5 go hand-in-hand. We need either the team structure to change, or some players to change, but either way, we make games too easy for our competition. 3 can only happen within Demko. I feel SM has done a decent job as backup, but we need our #1 to be a #1. He has let in 1 full goal above expected, and if he mimicked his performances of the past, we would have won anywhere from 6-8 more games so far this season. 4 is acceptable right now, but again, only because of Bo. We need at least 1 more guy who is great at faceoffs, as it just isn't realistic to get him out there to take the faceoff then go to the bench. Yet, sometimes that's what this team does. 6) I think will resolve itself once we get everything in place. Unfortunately, Bruce and management were SUPPOSED to be those people. If management wants a different coach than Bruce, fine, but they better pick the right one so the team can stop being in a state of flux. I don't think the team can ever be stable unless those running the team are.

He kinda does: "The Canucks stretched it to as far as they could go." "The Canucks will now take the best trade offer for Bo". Apparently he did specifically say nothing was "eminent", but if this latest offer is "as far as they can go", and if he's claiming something as far as the idea that the Canucks will take the highest offer, that kind of contradicts it not being eminent. But you're right - anything can happen. But the only way I can see us affording Bo is if we move another moderate to significant contract... which is something management hasn't been able to do... despite their attempts.

Don't think it's been posted yet, but Dhaliwal believes the Canucks made their final offer, and it was rejected. He believes Bo moving on is inevitable. Not only would our team suffer (of course), but our Faceoffs will take a HUGE hit.

Pretty much this. I'm sure he can improve on FO's, but chances are he will never be a Horvat in that regard. For that matter, our faceoffs will be looking mighty weak in general if we can't re-sign Horvat. Petey has been a bloody beast out there. He looks so much stronger and the most involved/active as I've ever seen him. One of the few bright spots in what has so far been another super frustrating season.

Can't say this aged too well, 2 1/2 weeks later, he's at 8 points in 27 games. Don't get me wrong - that's still very reasonable production given what else he brings to the table - though one has to wonder if his prior production was just a bit of a flash in the pan, or he really has the potential to play like that consistently.

To be fair, he is by far the most effective player on his team with a 2ppg record so far.

Don't look now, but Petey is officially in the top 10 in NHL scoring. I don't mean to brag (ok, I kinda am) but I've been saying for years now that I felt Pettersson was going to be a top 10 player. And now he is. I've also been saying he might be a top 5 player at some point in his career. He's currently 3 points away from exactly that. I'd also like to point out that amongst the top 10 players, he has the fewest penalty minutes, and although I don't have the stats to back it up right now, I think we can all agree that Petey has been a real defensive force this season. To me, that's equally impressive that he is managing to put up points at this rate, and is getting very involved physically, yet isn't suffering whatsoever on the defensive side. To me, this is truly a breakout season for him - which warms my heart considering all the confidence he had lost at the start of last season. He's also quietly becoming a leader by leading by example. If Horvat is in fact moved, I think Petey is at the point now where he needs to be a consideration as captain.

So we didn't lose him for nothing? Our options were to re-sign, offer him a higher aav QA (7.5m?), or let him walk. Management chose to manage their asset.

That's so this morning's social media...

I have no issue waiting Stillman. He's easily our worst defenceman with minutes under his belt. In which case, taking a gander on P Myers doesn't look so bad at all...

There are GMs who don't necessarily look too much at analytics, and instead seem to base their decisions on a player's point totals.(Gudbranson, anyone?) In that regard, Brock should still have reasonably strong value on the trade market. I do agree that if you look at our lineup, what the Canucks are paying the guys, and who are the most movable assets, that Brock has to be in consideration for being traded. But if we manage to find a GM who values points alone, perhaps this is the time for him to get a fresh start elsewhere. It would be sad to see us move on from Brock, as he's been one of my favourite players (as a person) in recent memory, but I do think it might be time.

You guys are harsh. He certainly has his faults, and hasn't got that shot back quite yet. But +/- is only one stat. Another stat would be that he's on pace for 67.5 points - his best season ever. Don't get me wrong - that's a bloody horrible +/-. But at least he's contributing out there.

Frankly, I'm not exactly a very social person. I have a very small circle of friends, and none live in my city. But my limited time with others pre-covid has now been reduced to nearly no contact outside of work with anyone other than my family. Considering my relationship with my wife is on life support, this means my positive-influencing interactions tend to be with my son and my dog alone. And yeah - I've noticed an overall decline in my mental health as a result, and I've already been struggling with depression for 30 years prior. I truly believe that this lack of social activity combined with world and economic issues, I think there are a lot of people in a rather uncomfortable place right now.

God knows he needed to. The season up until the last few games has not been kind to him.

Prior to this season, I would have sided against this happening. Yes he takes a chunk of cap, but given his playing style and the fact he could pot a point every other game, it wasn't a bad deal. But this season, he's hurt the team more than he has helped it. His last game was truly brutal.

I was thinking the same last night. There was one ad (of course it repeats itself all along the boards) where there was a black puck moving against the white background and it was quite annoying. I mean, I get that this is a means to cater to specific markets and maximize marketing income, but it really does get distracting.

Brock is still getting points - just not so many goals. Although we would obviously like him to regain his shot, his ppg is actually about as good this season as it's ever been. To me, Boeser's main issue isn't his production, even without the expected goal count. It's more about the fact he isn't very fast, isn't very physical, gets injured somewhat easily, is a bit lazy on plays sometimes and doesn't seem to have the drive this team needs from all of our players to succeed. He even put a 30 goal expectation on himself which isn't exactly coming to fruition. The last couple of years, I gave him a pass based on what was happening with Duke, but with that hopefully now behind him, now is his time he should be shining. Despite the lack of goals though, his nearly 1ppg isn't exactly a bad showing. If the perspective of GMs is that he's still a highly valuable player, it pains me to say it, but I think we would be best moving on. Perhaps trade him for the defensive RD we've been needing for so long. I think we have enough scoring in our lineup that it wouldn't adversely affect us too much.

I agree with everything you've said here. Stillman's first half was pretty bad (as usual) though I think he played alright the second half. That one gamble pass leading to our goal could have gone either way, which is always concerning. In short though, Demko lost us this game. Naturally, the team could have been a bit tighter defensively which is nothing new, but the Knights have a lot of talent and it's hard not to have breakdowns. But at least if Demko played like he can, we would have won that game. Along with several others in this rather young season. Don't get me wrong: He's shown what he is capable of. He's a great goalie. But he needs to get his s**t together sooner than later.

That may have been the most nervous anthem singing I've ever heard.

I know mine is not a popular opinion. When I read Twitter, it's a huge ball of negativity and all the "experts" are saying this needs to be blown up and started fresh. CDC isn't far off. But I personally don't believe that. I do feel we have an incredibly fragile team, with a fan base and media that are very, very hard on the team. I mean, I know... we can and should expect more from the Canucks after all this time and after different coaches and GMs. But let's not forget that Bruce helped this team be one of the best in the league after he arrived last year. We are scoring enough this season, but our D coverage blows (as it has for years). Yes, our D corps itself needs to be fixed but it seems that while we all knew that, new management seemed to think it was good enough. Still, add in maybe 2 guys and cut the fat (cap) out, and it doesn't really look that bad. I maintain that while Hughes may not be as well-rounded as, say, Makar, he's still the most gifted defensemen this team has ever had. That's a good start, at least. And consider this: Demko is currently letting in an extra goal a game over what we were used to last season. If that ALONE changed, we would be in much better shape. If we had 1 goal less scored against per, we would have had an opportunity to win 6 more games so far. Say we won half of those in the end. 3 games = 6 points, and we would currently be 2 points out of the 3rd Pacific spot. Now, if our team could play a decent defensive game at the same time, all of a sudden we're probably sitting just a couple points under the top position currently held by the Knights. It's clear the team cannot continue being this wishy-washy no-identity team and expect success. But I truly believe if we were able to string some wins together and the team played like it CAN that we would build momentum that could carry us to the playoffs. Isn't it worth giving it one last shot before we commit ourselves to several years of another rebuild?

Are they both same side? I'd say so then. Stillman isn't THAT bad, but he contributes nothing but giveaways. Burrows doesn't score either, but he actually does something out there. Demko has played excellent tonight. Great to see Bess snap his skid in style. Petey is a beast this season.

This team has great scoring depth. I think regardless of our opinion of the team, management, the record or the players, we can likely all agree on that. Everything past that is up for debate. Is Demko our guy? (I believe he is, but confidence from the fans is quickly waning). How bad is our D, really? (Or are our defensive woes equally due to forwards who aren't playing a 2-way game, or perhaps a coach who isn't playing the team with enough structure). I think the feeling surrounding this team is because a) We saw something similar last year and b) Nobody really has an answer for what's wrong. There are also other things going on which seem to cast a shadow on the org, such as the indecision with Horvat. Overall, it just "feels" bad. But really, consider where this team would be if Demko was giving vezina-level performances as he was expected to? What if on top of that we were able to bring in a couple of true solid role defensemen. Maybe one big RHD who can keep up with Hughes and compliment him properly. Maybe a guy capable of scoring so Hughes isn't the only one back there who has to do it? (I'd say OEL was supposed to be that guy, but he's looked just awful so far). My point being that everyone is claiming the sky is falling - which I can appreciate, but it could be righted by just a couple of things changing. And once that happens, momentum can build and all of a sudden, we're a playoff team again and it doesn't look so bad. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I believe in most of this team - despite the poor results this season. Obviously the Canucks cant stay the current course, but I'm not sure blowing everything up and rebuilding is the answer either.

Sorry, but that's not "crazy overpaid" in today's league. He's on pace for 37 points this season, which isn't amazing but certainly isn't bad and would constitute his second-best season as a Canuck. You need secondary scoring, and Pearson also brings the leadership and heavier body. There was an article written this past March, which found that he was good for 4th even-strength on the team, as well as leading the team in points per 60 minutes since Bruce took over, and was also 2nd on the team on expected goals for behind only Pettersson during the same timeframe. If anything, I'd say his contract provides solid (though unspectacular) value.

Honestly, I think many people saw the start before the two wins, and made it up in their mind that their season was done. Then the two wins happened, and they either look like a fairweather fan, or stick to their original assessment. I, for one, haven't given up and won't give up this early. Yes, the start was atrocious and it's very concerning it even happened - especially considering prior such occurrences. Such seeming fragility is a team breaker and can be the difference between a playoff run and a complete collapse if we even make it that far. But I believe we have the players on this team that are capable of success. Fragile or not, get a few wins under our belt and some confidence, and I could see our team surging back quickly. But things are going to have to improve. Demko is going to have to win us some games. Our defense and defensive structure will need to improve, and damn we need Hughes back. And be damned if our penalty kill isn't very last in the league - and that stat alone will kill a team in the long run.