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sockeye

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Everything posted by sockeye

  1. Benning could've made cap room for TT if he really wanted to. He could have signed and traded Virtanen and he would've had room to sign TT. I have supported Jake in the past but this would've been the wise move. Benning had a couple months to work things out from the end of the bubble until the end of free agency. He should've known what he would be up against (re Covid and the cap) and he shouldn't have "run out of time" and end up losing assets for nothing except for freeing up a little cap space.
  2. With what Ian has done with Marky and Thatcher, we would be crazy not to at least make a solid effort to re-sign Ian Clark.
  3. I'd say we need a minor miracle to make the dance. However, I'm really impressed with how the Canucks have improved their defensive game over the last 15 games or so. That bodes well for next year but I don't think we have much of a chance to make the playoffs with where we are in the standings and with the games in hand that Calgary and Montreal have. Nevertheless, Go Canucks!
  4. Based on the links below, the way I read this is that it doesn't matter how many AHL pro games a young prospect has played; as first and second year NHL players are exempt. Here is a link to the Kraken Expansion Draft rules: https://www.nhl.com/news/seattle-kraken-2021-nhl-expansion-draft-rules-same-as-vegas-golden-knights-followed/c-302586918 Also, here is a quote from DK Pittsburgh Sports (from March 31, 2020): https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/2020/03/31/nhl-expansion-draft-seattle-rules-format-vegas-tlh: "prospects who have yet to make their NHL debuts at this point are exempt from being selected in the draft and do not have to be protected. Since first- and second-year players are exempt, that won't change if a prospect makes his NHL debut in the next year." The way I read this is that Lind, Dipietro, Rathbone, Gadjovich, Jasek, Focht, Woo, etc would be exempt from the ED and would not need protection because they can't be selected. Hoglander would also be exempt because this is his first NHL season. According to the above, as this is Hughes' and OJ's second NHL season, they should also be exempt (I'm not sure if OJ's playoff games count). I think MacEwan won't be exempt because this is his third season (he played 4 NHL games in 2018-19). I'm not sure about Tryamkin if we re-signed him but I think he would be exempt from selection (i.e. wouldn't need protection) because he hasn't played any NHL games for at least three seasons.
  5. True, but they might also opt to take a young goalie like Laurent Brossoit as one of their goalies. I would. Jake Allen is another good option. They will no doubt have a good goalie tandem whichever goalies they take.
  6. There is nothing wrong about having great goaltending but there is something wrong with allowing the 2nd most shots per game in the league. The reason Demko has to be great is that there are too many high percentage scoring chances and too many shots against per game. This is a similar trend to last season where Marky was called upon to save our bacon. Looking at NHL.com, we have the second most shots against per game (33.4 shots against/game) of all the teams in the league. Second only to Chicago. Unless we can reverse that trend, we will never be a true Cup contender. We need one or two more good defensive defencemen and better defensive play from the forwards before we take the next step. Last season was just an aberration (we were lucky we advanced as far as we did). Anyway, I'm a long time Canucks fan and I will support them regardless and I sure hope this version of the Canucks takes the next step (maybe in a year or two?).
  7. I'm thinking that, one of the reasons OJ is not playing (besides the solid play of Hamonic and Benn) is the Expansion Draft issue. Mind you, I like how OJ has progressed and I think he will be a regular next year. If OJ played more than half the season, correct me if I'm wrong, wouldn't he have to be listed as one of our three protected D in the Kraken Expansion Draft (i.e. we wouldn't leave him unprotected)? Here are the Vegas Expansion Draft rules which, from what I've heard, will be the template for the Kraken ED: https://www.nhl.com/goldenknights/news/expansion-draft-full-rules/c-289403076 It would be ridiculous to not protect a young defenceman like OJ who looks like he'll have a promising career.
  8. Good game. We beat a better team with our fantastic goaltending ...... again. Thanks Thatcher! Tyler Myers had a good game as did all the D who had lots of blocked shots. I'll take it.
  9. Well, for starters, as I've said many times before on CDC, the fans expectations this year were too high. Last season, the team was OK but only OK. We squeaked into the playoffs and our shots against were terrible (35 +) most nights (not a sign of a strong team). Our strong play in the playoff bubble was an outlier and the only reason we went as far as we did was because of Marky and Demko. Sometimes, I look at the comments on CDC and just don't get them. Everybody says Vancouver is a very knowledgeable hockey market but I'm not so sure. I doubt whether a lot of the bloggers have ever strapped on the skates and played on a team. This year, we lost a bunch of good players (Marky, Tanev, Toffoli, Stecher and I'll throw in Leivo too). That's a huge transition. We had very few pre-season games and had to adapt on the fly with a very young core. I predicted that we would not make the playoffs this season so, to me, if we happen to squeak in again, that would be amazing. I always look at the other teams in our division and, with the exception of Ottawa (who are progressing), they are all solid and could beat us on any given night (their rosters are stronger than ours and more mature/seasoned). For us to be a playoff contender, we need better team defence and we need our defencemen to play better (especially, Myers, Hughes and Schmidt). From a positional standpoint, our Defence is not where it needs to be to be a strong playoff team. For example, look at Montreal's defence or Vegas, or Toronto or Tampa Bay (maybe Colorado, Boston, St Louis and Dallas too); to be a contender, we need to have defence that matches up against those teams. I don't think we have that yet but I'm hoping for the best (draft picks or trades). We are one of the most penalized teams in the league and I don't blame that on the refs. Most times, I think they get it right. We usually play pretty undisciplined. Our guys need to quit grabbing and hooking and focus on keeping their feet moving (don't get beat) and keep their stick on the ice. If our D plays better, our team D is better and we play a more disciplined game, we will at least be knocking on the door of the post-season. I was pleasantly surprised that we have improved so much in the past 12 games or so. The fact that our play is trending higher now (the games are closer) and that we are playing better team defence, is a credit to the coaches, especially in this strange Covid season. Also, a huge factor is the play of Demko which is much improved in his last 8 or 10 games. I still see some bright light for Virtanen and Gaudette but I think we may lose one of those in the expansion draft. With the additions of Podz, Lind and Rathbone, the future looks bright. I think Travis Green and the assistants are good coaches and they've done well with what they have to work with. They need to be re-signed.
  10. I predicted the team this season would be about 5th in the North Division but they could end up being 6th. Unlike most CDCers, I wasn't overly impressed with last season because our number of shots against was atrocious on most nights. That's not a sign of a contender or even a strong playoff team. We squeaked into the playoffs and Marky was spectacular most nights last season and into the playoffs. However, it doesn't mean I wasn't super happy with our playoff run - it was great. I thought Montreal picked up some really good players in the off season and I'd be surprised if they continue to fall in the standings. Obviously, the Leafs are loaded with talent and they are a cup contender. Winnipeg seems a pretty solid third place team but we'll see how the season unfolds. I'd be surprised if Marky and Tanev don't help turn things around in Calgary but I think they will be battling with Edmonton for the last playoff spot. With the loss of Marky, Tanev, Toffoli and Stecher, I thought our team was considerably weaker but I was hoping for the best when we acquired Schmidt and Hamonic. They're OK and we should be stronger next year. The real good news is Hoglander was a pleasant surprise but he needs a year or so to reach his potential. Juolevi is definitely trending in the right direction. Demko looks like our future starter (he looks real good). We're not quite there but our young core are good and we could be a contender in about two years or so. I was disappointed to lose Toffoli and the assets we gave up in that trade. I'm still positive though with Podz coming in and Rathbone soon (maybe Lind too). Maybe we can make some trades and acquire more assets (younger players or picks) before the season ends. The future still looks bright.
  11. Great game by the Canucks (including the coaching)! You could really see how the extra practice time has helped the team. This team is decent but they aren't making the playoffs this year. I'm not a tanker though. Tanking just builds a losing culture. The other teams in the division have too many games in hand. I really like how we've played in the last 10 games or so. The big boys (Jake, Gaudette and Zack) all played well. Great to see Demko get his first shutout!
  12. There's no way we get a first for Edler at his age especially when he becomes a UFA at the end of the season. We'd be lucky to get a second round pick. Sutter is also a UFA at the end of the season. We might get a third round pick but likely less. The only player that I think might generate a second round pick (not a first round pick) is Pearson. I think you are a little too optimistic with your proposal. Also, I would definitely not trade our first for Sam Bennett. He is not that good and I'm not sure I like his "why me" attitude on the Flames. I would definitely not give up Rathbone (we don't have many good young D man in our pipeline). We need more Draft picks and not less if we want to build for the future.
  13. Good for Coach Q but he has a lot more to work with on that Florida team.
  14. That's true but I wish they would have followed Linden's advice and do a full rebuild 2.5 years ago (Linden left the organization July 2018), assuming Linden wanted the rebuild, because we would be 2.5 years further down the rebuild road and there would be more young players surrounding Petey and Hughes (i.e. more draft picks and young prospects in the pipeline). I agree that the rebuild could have started before the Sedins retired but that was a diifficult decision; kind of shoulda, coulda, woulda. In hindsight, maybe we should have done the full rebuild earlier. I do think it was respectful of the Sedins to do what was done (by management and ownership) up to when they retired three years ago but I feel we have lost three seasons where we could've had a boat load of draft picks and prospects. Even if we accumulate draft picks now we have wasted 3 seasons and Petey, Hughes, Boeser, Hoglander and Horvat are going to be that much older before we are a successful franchise again (I'd say, in 2 to 3 years from now). This is my biggest beef. Forget the rebuild - go to full rebuild; better late than never.
  15. LE was a very legit NHL player when Benning signed him. At the time, our fan base (me too) felt we had won the lottery because lots of teams wanted LE when he became a UFA. There was no reason to think otherwise. LE had a great season the year before and he had shown good chemistry with the Sedins in international tournaments. Needless to say, it didn't work out.
  16. I've said from the beginning of the season, we are losing games because our players are not quite good enough; and our core players are, generally, very young. Our defence was weaker with the loss of Tanev and Stecher too. I wasn't impressed with Boeser last year or during the playoffs but, happily, he is proving me wrong this season. I was concerned about his speed and two-way game and both seem improved. I was very concerned about our team defensive play from last season given the very high number of shots against most games and Marky had to bail us out too many games. However, in the past 10 games (this season) or so, our defensive play is much improved as the shots against have dropped. I'd say our guys are about two years away from being a solid playoff team. As much as it hurts me to say it, I predicted that this team would not make the playoffs this season and, it appears that I'm right. I think Green is a good coach but that doesn't mean he won't lose his job. I don't think a new coach is going to wave a magic wand and turn this team into a strong playoff team.
  17. Also, we need more shots instead of taking the puck around the back of the opponent's net then losing the puck. If you don't get a shot on net, you won't get a chance to score (look for rebounds etc). We need less perimeter shots unless we have a body in front of the net. Our team is not built for scrambly dirty goals (in front of the net) which we need more of. Maybe in the off-season we can address this issue or we can use Jake or Zack to park themselves in front of the net.
  18. Let's look at the bright side. We are on target for a top 10 draft pick. We had too much turnover in the off season and we'll take a step back but I bet we'll be much better next year (fingers crossed).
  19. No, I don't think so. It's based on NHL games played not pro games. Lind, Jasek and Gadjovich aren't eligible to be picked by Seattle so no worries about having them on the protected list.
  20. Great game by the Canucks! Every player played well. I didn't like Virtanen's penalty in the defensive zone but he came back with a solid game. Holtby was excellent. The coaches did a very good job. Juolevi had a very good game as did all the defence.
  21. Thanks, you are right. The web site below says a team can protect 7F, 3D and 1G. https://www.nhl.com/goldenknights/news/expansion-draft-full-rules/c-289403076 The above web site also says: * All first- and second-year professionals, as well as all unsigned draft choices, will be exempt from selection (and will not be counted toward their club's applicable protection limits). Vegas is exempt from the Seattle expansion draft and they aren't required to give up a player. Hoglander, Podkholzin, Dipietro, Woo, Lind, Jasek, Lockwood and Gadjovich would all be exempt so Seattle can't pick them. Any player with a NMC is also exempt and can't be included in the unprotected list. Needless to say, Seattle will be picking some good players and they will likely have a competitive team that, hopefully, won't be as strong as our Canucks. As we saw during the Vegas expansion draft, some teams will also be giving up draft picks to Seattle to discourage them from picking specific players on their teams. It will be interesting and I hope that we will have fans in the arenas when next season starts.
  22. Great game tonight. Best game of the year and great defensive game. I didn't expect the Canucks to be a playoff team this season but if they keep playing like they did tonight, you never know. They've actually played very well the last 3 games and especially, the last two games and they got rewarded tonight. Everybody played good: Hoglander, Boeser, Hughes, Petterson, etc. All D played very well, especially Myers. Juolevi probably played his best game as a Canuck. Beagle played a solid game. Anyway, it was an impressive win and they finally were able to get a few pucks past Markstrom who was amazing.
  23. So you really think Virtanen's and Gaudette's price is high right now. Really?? C'mon
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