ilduce39

That’s how I see it as well... More like a 1st 2nd and two 3rd lines... Sutter’s line could end up with more minutes when we’re up and Gaudette’s when we need a spark. Lotto line should be as dangerous as anyone in our division. No old school “enforcers” but a nice mix of size and toughness throughout. Miller, Horvat, Rooster, Jake, Mac and Motte all like to hit and aren’t afraid to scrum it up. Also, 3 lines that play pretty solid 2 way play and the Gaudette line could be a spark plug line hitting / chirping / scoring / being all around obnoxious. 3 reliable pairs who all transition the puck well.. Edler, Hamonic and Myers can all bring some muscle. 2 solid goalies. One vet who’s done it all and a high ceiling rookie ready to make the jump. Can we be excited now? I kind of want to be excited now.

I liked Stawns’ list too but I think this one is where I go. I hope Benn can be “playoff Benn” for us as well - would go a long way depth-wise.

I wonder if there was some bad blood in Calgary since Hamonic opted out of the playoffs. Maybe signing Marky’s top shut down guy creates some symmetry. Or maybe, like us, they just felt it was time to shake it up. I wish Tanev all the best but his contract is quite the commitment for a body with that much mileage.

Quick glance at his stats... 2nd most TOI on Cal behind Giordano. Most D zone starts for D men (although Cal was very balanced... 55%) led a middle of the pack Flames team in PK TOI. Blocked a ton of shots. Threw some hits. 49% Corsi. That’s last year’s down year from the previous where he was quite the stud. He’s only 30. For a PTO guy who slots in the 4-6 hole What’s not to like?

Hamonic apparently had a down year last year... but according to the numbers nerds so did Tanev. And there have been boneheaded Canuck fans who would say the same thing about Edler the past few seasons... not saying Hamonic is Edler-level but some guys just get the whipping boy treatment unfairly. He’s just nervous that Hamonic will outplay Tanev.

It opens up the options for sure.. Schmidt could even flip to his natural left side if Rafferty or Chatfield outplay Olli and Rathbone (not that I expect that to happen). Should be fun to watch how it shakes down in camp.

Yep. As we’ve kicked it around for awhile in the other threads.. this just makes a ton of sense and really smooths out the D for this season. I’m stoked about this if it happens.

If rumours about his offseason are to be believed combined with a prime opportunity at RW, I’m 100% on board with this. I think this is Jake’s year.

I kinda agree with the optimism here but Burrows was a top line talent and key contributor on one of the most dominant teams we’ve ever seen... if Podkolzin can play like prime Burrows we’ve knocked a the pick out of the park.... draft positions be damned. Edit: I agree that style wise they’re much different... just saying I’d be happy with Burrows-like production and impact out of Pods.

Lots of questions for sure but for the first time in years our top end talent isn’t the issue. Petey, Miller, Horvat and Boeser are all bonafide top 6’ers with Pearson as a solid addition on Horvat’s wing. Hughes, Schmidt, Edler and Myers form a quality top 4. Coaching plus overall team chemistry and leadership are in a good place. That’s a lot more certainty at the most important places than we’ve had in years. I agree the big “question” is in net... but I’d be pretty surprised if Demko and Holtby have a “bad” year. It might not be as spectacular as Marky was. I think the narrative that unless we get lights out goaltending or we’re screwed is overstated. I agree what could mitigate a drop off in net is the team D we saw in the playoffs carrying over. That plus increased possession could very well leave us ahead from last year even if Holtby / Demko don’t challenge for the Vezina. The rest of the questions are peripheral ones.. How well will rookie D like Juolevi, Rathbone or Rafferty play? Can Benn have a bounce back year? Who plays with Horvat and Pearson? ..and the bottom 6... Can Sutter stay healthy? Can Roussel bounce back to pre knee injury form? Can Gaudette and / or Virtanen take the next step? Can Hoglander make a splash? How will MacEwen fare in a full season? Will Hawryluk make an impact? Will Motte build on his playoff performance? Tons of questions, but still a lot of opportunity for positives.

I hear you, but JB is a pretty straightforward guy and as he put all his resources into getting the team into the playoffs - now the parameters changed and his focus has to be on their cap management. (Some his own doing, some like the recapture and flat cap beyond his control.) I think we’re still in a great place as an organization - as some of those old contracts age out we can bring in what we need to complement the core (and at lower prices assuming guys want to play with Petey and Hughes). Short term I’m extremely excited to see what Schmidt can do for our roster. Now our top 2 pairings each have a serious play driver. I think that alone should let us take a step forward offensively. Internally, I think Gaudette and Virtanen still have a lot of room to grow and seeing what Juolevi/Rathbone/Rafferty can do is intriguing (if not reassuring that they’ll help us push for the playoffs.). Benning paid a premium but I think his insistence on leadership and character paid off - and I think he’s added enough toughness that we can stand up for ourselves. The team should compete hard this season and the pressure cooker of an all Canadian schedule after last playoffs will really bring this group together. There’s some question marks (goaltending in particular) and yeah we can focus on some bad contracts and what we missed out on (Toffoli) but it’s still going to be a super fun year to watch and the future has never looked brighter IMO.

Quinn “2 points in 7 games” as well. What a dud. WJs always get overanalyzed by the armchair crew.

Yeah, for what it’s worth I think even without a guy like Hamonic we’re going to be better. Older Hughes + Schmidt give us 2 legit top pairing guys. Should be fun to watch!

I’m remembering kind of mixed reviews in his own end (not negative but not a highlight) but I agree he’s a stud. Still think a solid, veteran, defensive-minded RHD does a lot to round out the roster.

It’s also about team balance.. right now Schmidt, Hughes, Myers and prime young guys Juolevi, Rathbone and Rafferty are not known as defensive defence men. (Juolevi has done some PK lately.) Adding Hamonic gives us a solid RHD who’s focus is in the D zone... and he seems like a better bet than Benn to be able to step into the top 4. Paired with Hughes in a Tanev-role it leaves a likely Juolevi-Myers 3rd pairing which could be great going against average competition. It just makes the roster feel a lot more balanced.

I’m all for it but it comes down to price point. If he’s willing to take Ferland’s $ at Holtby’s term boy does that really solidify the D. He’d replace Tanev and add some muscle. Still leave a prime opportunity for at least one young guy to make the team since Schmidt (and Benn) can play either side. Would be a nice Xmas gift!

I don’t want to be too dramatic, but it’s almost as if this core is the real deal we’re going to be as good or better than last year. (Assuming goaltending holds up.) It really feels like a team’s fortunes to the top or bottom 80% of the league depends on the quality of your core, top players and just overall coaching / team culture. I like the group, so, if healthy we’re okay. I’ll actually be a little concerned if we tank with a healthy roster.

Yeah this guy is usually pretty objective. As it stands, I don’t see how we really improve in net, but the drop off shouldn’t be much with Clark working with Holtby and Demko. I still see this as a position of strength, for sure. I also think that the team hopefully learned a lot about team defence during the playoff run. I’ve certainly never seen them play in their own zone with that kind of urgency before. Defensively, our top 4 looks stronger with a more experienced Hughes and a stud like Schmidt. We’ll miss Tanev’s calming influence but we’re a lot more high tempo with Schmidt. I think Myers improves a bit as well (He’s got some more O to give) as he gains chemistry and the coaches get to know him. That offsets any decline from Edler who is still a rock IMO. I think the real wild cards here are Juolevi, Rafferty and Rathbone. Benn is a vet to stabilize that 6-7 spot if needed... but a healthy Juolevi has that high 1st pedigree and had a great year on the pk, Rafferty is older as a college guy put up a ton of points in the AHL and Rathbone has the most hype out of the 3. There’s a real chance to add something dynamic instead of the serviceable/stable Fantenburg / Stecher. We could realistically have 3 pairs who can all transition the puck and add offence. Up front the top 6 will still produce, for sure. Pearson is the oldest guy at 28. I think Pettersson has league MVP-level talent and drive. Every year just gets him closer to that ceiling. Whether it’s Jake or another piece elevated to top 6 we’re going to score. Jake having a golden chance to play with Petey - if that doesn’t motivate him nothing will (and I’ve heard rumours he’s dialled in.) I think the bottom 6 has more intrigue than we’re giving them credit for. Yes, Sutter, Beagle and Roussel feel a little stale... (Although I’m willing to hope Roussel can bounce back after a proper offseason rehabbing that knee injury.) but Gaudette, MacEwen, Motte and Hawryluk are all young enough and bring a ton of energy with some scoring pop. Lind apparently is a pain to play against as well and could push. I kind of agree with the Hockey Guy that the serious reinforcements like Hoglander and Podkolzin are likely a year out. That also gives the Canucks a year to see if Gaudette can handle 3C while Sutter’s contract runs out. I’m high on this season - we should hold our own in a very competitive Canadian conference. We also have a pretty clear path to improve in the future at 3C either anointing Gaudette or replacing Sutter. Exciting time to be a Canucks fan.

Following this guy from my armchair has been quite the journey. I’ve gone from thinking he’d be a rock on our blue line, to being bummed out by him leaving, thinking he was likely washing out in the K. I really thought for awhile he’d plateaued and the team had kind of passed him by... but with the flat cap and a good season... Now I hope he’s committed to a proper run in the nhl. A real американские горки of emotions with this guy.

Yeah I agree across the board. Definitely looks like JB having made the playoffs, seeing what everyone can do and being up against the cap, is ready to start picking and choosing who he wants to build a playoff contender with. OEL / Schmidt tells us a bit as well. One, JB wasn’t going to overpay or pay a pre-pandemic price for OEL... not afraid to walk away (avoiding sunk cost fallacy again) and two, he’s able to find, leverage and close a good bargain (inside his own conference) even with a cap squeeze.

JB seems to have made his bed with Motte, Hawryluk and MacEwen.. that’s an obvious style he’s courting right there for the bottom 6 and they’re all young and cheap enough to work with long term. We’ve long noticed there were too many middle 6 types on the roster... with Leivo’s injury it seems like they just aren’t willing to commit. I would have been fine gambling on him at that price but more opportunity for Jake in the top 6 or Hoglander/Lind etc. Not like we don’t have options.

Going to be pretty interesting to see how these guys do on another team. Markstrom will be pretty obvious... but Tanev and Leivo were viewed very positively without that big in your face impact... will they move the needle in Calgary?

It’s a common enough line? And, yes, used on a recent example to be silly. I’m sorry you didn’t understand, took it literally and it hurt you.

It’s an interesting thought experiment. Would you be willing to burn maybe a 1st plus Hoglander to clear out Eriksson and Roussel. Buy out Sutter and *poof* there’s 10+ mil in room. With that we could probably have brought back Toffoli and maybe Tanev or took a run at Hamonic or Barrie and maybe even Granlund. IMO the price would be a big gap in our prospect pool with no 1sts two years in a row... plus losing a top organizational prospect. Then we’re signing a bunch of older guys who all have some warts. Less roster flexibility as we re-sign Petey and Hughes. A lot more locked in. More exposed at expansion. I dunno.. it sure would be nice to have even just Tanev and Toffoli back for next year.. but the price + commitment is a lot. FWIW I think we’re still a strong bubble team next year... so I’m fine taking a lateral step to really jump forward as contracts expire naturally the next 2 offseasons while keeping our prospect pool strong.

Uhh yeah that’s “the joke” if you could call it that. Thanks guys. ...and yes if you poke around the palmu thread he’s had a ton of hype. Deservedly so at times. Nothing wrong with getting excited about a prospect but it sure looks like he’s more likely to settle into a nice pro career in Europe rather than ripping up the NHL. I thought he was a good example of pumping the breaks on expectations when it comes to long shot late draft picks, even when they’re doing awesome.