kloubek

It is really hard to say what Horvat will become. I've always felt he looked to have a solid 2nd line ceiling, but some of the moves he makes are so skilled it is hard not to think he *could* become a top line center. His progression last season was excellent, and if he can keep that going, only good things are in his future. While an entirely different kind of player, look what Kesler ended up being when he was initially given the 3rd line center role. While not as physical, I'd say the offensive talent displayed by Horvat surpasses that of Kesler, so I'm pretty excited to see where Horvat ends up in his prime for sure.

I'm hoping that he was just thrown into the NHL too soon, and that it was the pressure of that, along with being crucified for his Team Canada play just got to him. I hope he arrives at camp confident, refreshed, and ready to show us what he is capable of. There is no reason that as long as he makes solid plays that he shouldn't be able to find a third line spot on this team. He has the toolbox.... just needs to stop slamming it shut on himself.

I really hope Edler can return to previous form. I totally agree that he was expected to do too many things, and he just doesn't have the ability to multitask in that manner. Being paired with Tanev helped him be able to think more offensive-mindedly, but he was still expected to dish out the big hits and even those two things combined was a struggle. Now he can focus on just putting up points and trying to play a sound game.

I think as long as he is conditioned enough to play consistent nhl games that Tryamkin is a lock on a 5/6 position. He proved that while he got far too winded, his game itself is just fine at the NHL level. We didn't sign him not to play him. He's not a defensive liability, and hits like an absolute truck.

Absolutely. I'm potentially more excited about Tryamkin, because he's such a damn big guy. We can really use that size on our team, let alone our blueline. People want to compare Tryamkin to Chara, and I think that's a total stretch at this point. But if he is able to improve his conditioning and positioning, he could be a real treat to have on the team. He's already proven (in my opinion) that his size doesn't much hinder his mobility, and it gives him an enormous reach, as well as having a shot that can contribute at least somewhat to our scoring. That's all a combination which is very rare to find. Much like the talent that Benning has amassed on the forward lines, I see only good things with this core that is being built on the back end. We have a variety of skillsets and attributes that make for a well rounded defense. But like the forward lines, we still lack that #1 talent - so once Benning finds a way to shore that up, we should be a really good time in relatively short order.

Absolutely it will be. It is hard for most to see now, as it was with any of those guys listed, but the potential really is there for him to be a top defender. And even if his development doesn't progress (which I highly doubt), a *minimum* 2nd pairing projection is still a major win considering his draft placement.

It is so hard to predict Hutton's ceiling. Many projected him to be a solid, depth guy, but I think it is pretty obvious by this point he has far more ability than that. People are comparing him to TJ Brodie, so I think it is important to note that in Brodie's first two years in the NHL, he was a .22 ppg, and then a .26 ppg player. In his third year (first full year), he was at .33 ppg. In Hutton's ROOKIE year, he's already at .32 ppg. So really, he's far ahead of the game compared to Brodie, and he has managed to handle an entire NHL season without any serious issues, whereas Brodie was "eased" in, due to his first real year only playing part of the season, and then the lockout. Anyway, my point being that Hutton *already* projects as a #3 guy, in my books. But if he continues developing at this pace, he really could move his way even further up the depth chart.

Yeah, I agree. He seems like a very solid character guy who has already made up his mind to follow through. Boeser is essential to this team going forward. Besides perhaps McCann (which has already proven to be very much a hit/miss proposition), he's the only player in our pool that projects to be a 1st line player. I'm excited to see what he is capable of.

I don't see that lineup happening. I personally don't think Rodin will even make the team - though I'm hoping he will show enough to keep himself here. I also wouldn't be surprised if both Virtanen and McCann spend the year in Utica. But I see us signing a UFA - and should that UFA end up being Eriksson as I believe, it would look more like this by the end of the season. Sedin Sedin Erikkson Baertschi Horvat Sutter Burrows Granlund Hansen Etem Gaunce Dorsett (And yes, Etem has played both wings)

Loved reading that story about Brock. It's hard to find exceptional talent for the NHL. It is harder still to find exceptional talent that also has an exceptional heart. I have a feeling I'm really going to be a fan of this kid.

I sure hope he signs this year. I think it is important for him to get a year in Utica under his belt before makes the transition to the NHL. (And we're going to need him after Miller is gone) Wasn't it just late last year everyone was saying we couldn't expect to see Demko with the Canucks for another 3-4 years?

OK, fair enough - he's had support. But there is no reason with our young talent and a good draft pick we couldn't expect to supply the same level of support. I mean, heck - we have the Sedins, who even at their age could allow a pylon to score. I haven't actually watched Shink play much in Calgary, but if you say he's the kind of player to head to the front of the net, isn't that exactly the kind of player the Sedins could also improve?

I don't really get it either. Benning is pretty good at assessing talent, so hopefully he sees something I don't. What I see is a 3rd line ceiling at best, and a very average player. I also see yet another center when we already have too many. In my opinion, Gaunce is perfectly fine to center the 4th line. I really wonder what Benning hated in Shink. Looks to be contributing quite reasonably in Calgary.

I think it's truly a tough call for management. On one hand, it is highly unlikely he will play to his salary again and he's using up a roster spot in favour of a younger player. On the other hand, his dedication to the team and work ethic are fantastic to help our young guys learn what is expected of them. And it isn't like Burrows is completely useless - he is still a serviceable player.... just don't expect what we saw from him a few years ago. I could see it going either way. If we don't load up on at least 1 or 2 significant UFAs, then I will assume Benning doesn't believe we can compete for the cup in the short term, and as a result we really have no reason to move Burrows to clear cap space. In that case, I say we end up keeping him. But if Benning was happy with the progress of our young guys and believes that with a couple excellent UFAs and a high draft pick that we can compete for the cup again, then it is an even harder situation. You know he'd battle hard in the playoffs for us and his experience would be useful, but if we require his cap space in order to make room for a high profile UFA, then you gotta think that would take preference. Should be an interesting offseason to say the least.

I'm super excited about this guy. If he's mobile and quick enough to overcome his size (and watching video of him, I believe he'll be fine) he's exactly what we need. A big guy has a hard shot and would presumably be able to deliver big hits? Heck yes.

I'm super excited about this guy. If he's mobile and quick enough to overcome his size (and watching video of him, I believe he'll be fine) he's exactly what we need. A big guy has a hard shot and would presumably be able to deliver big hits? Heck yes.

You can blame the d - which is fair, given we have AHLers in the lineup. But the fact is that he just had a bad game. He needs to move on and not let this rattle him. Lack shouldn't (and won't, I hope) be made to play all the games going forward until Miller is back.

Considering he's not playing with the Sedins (with which a pylon could score), I think he's been alright. Not as good as I thought he'd be, but unlike most of CDC who had written him off, I felt he would have a bounceback year. I think he still has a fair amount to prove.

Mentioned it in the other Miller thread. (Which should be merged). Vokun and Miller have very similar stats. Yet Miller will command triple the paycheque and will likely whine if management wants to increase Lack's playing time. Like I said in the other thread, Vokun + Moulson >>>>> Miller.

I dunno. One of those years includes his not-exactly-stellar year with St. Louis. Plus, Enroth (while playing fewer games, of course) has put up similar numbers in Buffalo. And I don't think anyone believes Enroth is currently a franchise goalie. Plus, if you go even further back than 3 years, Vokun spent years as a starter on a pretty crappy Florida team as well, yet his stats were even better during that time than I posted already. Don't get me wrong - I'd certainly agree Miller is a "good" goalie. But I'm also saying Vokun is as well, but at a far lower price tag.

I'm still not sure Miller is worth the extra he will command. Let's look at his last three years, and completely *ignore* his horrible playoff run last year: 2013-14: .918 2.64gaa 2012-13: .915 2.81gaa 2011-12: .916 2.53gaa Now, let's take a look at Vokun: 2013-14: Blood clots. Did not play. 2012-13: .919 2.45gaa 2011-12: .917 2.51gaa 2010-11: .922 2.55gaa So, in recent years, Vokoun has actually had slightly better stats than Miller. Yes, he is a risk due to his year off - but considering he would command 2 million or less per season and Miller would be likely in the 5-6+ million range, I think the tradeoff is worth the risk. Let's not forget that we're grooming Lack to be our #1 if possible, and Miller would certainly not want to be a backup if Lack burst out, yet Vokun already resigned himself as backup in Pittsburgh. The last thing we need is more goalie drama. Plus, Miller might want more years, where Vokun is coming to the end of his career and would probably be happy to have a 1 or 2 year contract. And with the extra cap space we could sign a solid 2nd line player. Also let's not forget that Miller *might* very well be on a downward slide. Last year he played on a St. Louis team which typically has a defense that inflates goalie's stats - yet his stats weren't anything more than simply "good" last year. Was it an adjustment period? Perhaps. Or perhaps he just isn't the goalie he once was. To me, there is an inherent risk involved in signing Miller, just as there is to sign Vokun. To me, Vokun + Moulson would be a far better choice than Miller alone.

I disagree. Burrows did have a horrible year, but I think he will bounce back and already showed it after he got his drought out of the way. And if management felt he wouldn't bounce back, he would have been one of our buyouts. And while Bonino is likely a less rounded 2-way player than Kesler, he wracked up 49 points last season playing about 6 minutes less per game. I'm sure we can find a way to bump up his ice time by 2-3 minutes a game and the rest of the players like Richardson and Matthias can pick up the slack in penalty kill situations.

Here's a lineup I posted in another thread, including Iginla. Also has Moulson signed. I think this is a FAR better lineup than last year, and it allows our young players to develop without throwing unnecessary pressure on them: CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER 2014-15 Canucks FORWARDS Daniel Sedin ($7.000m) / Henrik Sedin ($7.000m) / Jarome Iginla ($6.000m) Matt Moulson ($4.000m) / Nick Bonino ($1.900m) / Alexandre Burrows ($4.500m) Zack Kassian ($2.000m) / Shawn Matthias ($1.750m) / Jannik Hansen ($2.500m) Chris Higgins ($2.500m) / Brad Richardson ($1.150m) / Derek Dorsett ($1.633m) Tom Sestito ($0.750m) / Linden Vey ($0.900m) / DEFENSEMEN Alexander Edler ($5.000m) / Chris Tanev ($2.500m) Dan Hamhuis ($4.500m) / Kevin Bieksa ($4.600m) Luca Sbisa ($2.175m) / Frank Corrado ($0.591m) (or possibly Gleason?) Ryan Stanton ($0.550m) / GOALTENDERS Tomas Vokoun ($1.500m) Eddie Lack ($1.150m)

If Benning's intention is to win next season, then I am certain we make a strong push for a vet goalie. No doubt Miller is being highly sought, but I don't think he'd be upset with getting Hiller either. Don't rule out Vokoun either - who has actually put up very respectable stats.

Happy with this. This guy has won on different levels, and it is his time to break into the NHL.