Pickly

Yeah so Bennings Achilles heel has been handing out poor deals on the first couple days of Free Agency and I for one am glad he hasn’t thrown the chequebook at anybody this year. There’s a long ways to go between now and puck drop on game one of the regular season so I’m not all that worried about it. Have patience.

Yeah that’s a deal I can get on board with.

His contract is questionable but he’s a hell of a skater and can move the puck much better than Tanev.

Maybe Vegas gets rid of Nate Schmidt to land AP. I‘d take Schmidt in a heartbeat. Amazing skater with a great first pass.

Barrie and Stecher aren’t what the Canucks need back there though. The Canucks need big defenceman that win puck battles and can clear the crease. The Canucks were hemmed in their own zone way too much last season

Good 4th liner. Played well for Vegas vs the Canucks in the playoffs.

K so IMO if you bring back the exact same top 4 as the year before, a top 4 that wasn’t all that good, without at least making one change, you are going to have a similar if not worse result the next year. I know Tanev is a warrior and all that rah rah but he’s 30, his body has had a lot of mileage, he’s typically only good for 50-60 games, and chances are his best days are behind him. That being said, I’m not opposed to bringing him back for a couple years on a team friendly deal if the Canucks can’t find a suitable replacement. Fact remains Benning has to improve this defense before the team takes another step forwards.

Oh man you got me howling out loud with that comment hahaha

His health is a question mark but yes you are right he's exactly the type of 3rd pairing defender the Canucks could use.

This is a guy I would have loved the Canucks to have replaced Stecher with.

Yeah, fair enough point, but the Canucks defense sucked for the better part of the year so by continually bringing back the same players it's not going to change that. I know you are sentimental to long served Canucks but sometimes you gotta move on.

Word is Benning wants to overhaul the blue line. Bringing these two back totally contradicts this.

Looking forward to seeing Petey snipe many, many goals high blocker side on Marky for years to come.

Beginning to feel more and more like this deal isn't gonna happen.

Thanks bud I know its not but Jake rarely engages in anything that requires sticking up for teammates.

Whatever you say. Keep drinking that Jake flavored kool aid.

JFC man Jake has had 4 fights in 5 years two of which aren't exactly anything to be proud of (Filip Forsberg and Jason Zucker.) He rarely sticks up for teammates and he's not a 4th liner either. Sure, he fought Hartman which was a pleasant surprise and he scored a GWG in the playoffs but that doesn't cancel out his lazy play and inconsistencies as a player.

LOL I really hope you are kidding when you lump Virtanen in with heart and passion. Guy makes Kyle Wellwood look like Rod Brinda’mour when it comes to taking fitness and staying in game shape seriously. Guys been given every chance under the sun to succeed and was physically outplayed by Tyler Motte all playoffs.

Man you have to realize that a UFA actually has to want to sign with a club and all signs point towards Pietrangelo staying south. Also, he’s gonna get more that 7.5 considering he’s the top UFA this year.

Lol Hughes was a steal. Considering Rasmus Dahlin was considered to be all world and a Lidstrom like defender when he was drafted and now Hughes is arguably a better, more effective player night in and night out screams steal considering he was picked 6 spots later. Nobody expected Hughes to have the impact he has had thus far. His style of play, along with Cale Makar, is transforming the way GM’s draft defenceman. I mean seriously, nobody here though Hughes would come into this league and establish himself as a top 10-15 defenceman in his first full year in the league.

I’m not denying that the Canucks don’t have 30 million tied up in forwards. What I am saying is the Leafs emphasized putting money in the top six rather than bolstering the back end. Hughes has been a godsend and an absolute steal however he cannot do it alone. Outside of him and Myers the Canucks have zero long term commitment to defenceman which I believe is crucial to winning.

I laugh at comments like this. Same things were said about “Crysby.” Guy is an all world talent who was loyal enough to sign a decade long contract to stay with a struggling team in a bad city. Mcdavid is a class act. There is no denying this.

We have Hughes and Edler who has one year left. Tanev is a UFA who might be gone. Myers looks like a top 3 one night and a bottom pairing the next. Reilly is a damn good player who has defensive flaws ala Hughes. Muzzin is a sound top 4 on any team. So no, I’m not far off.

The oilers have struggled to win a cup because they cannot draft worth a damn given every opportunity in the world. They were gifted with the two best offensive players in the league and have failed to support them with a competent supporting case to help them succeed.

Sounds like Arizona is trying to play hardball when the ball isn’t even in their court. Fact remains Ekman-Larsson steers the ship considering his NMC. If he really only wants to go to two teams, the ball remains in Jims court. Currently the Canucks have two legitimate top 4 defenceman and a fringe top four in Myers. Top pairing defenceman are like gold in today’s NHL and are extremely hard to come by. Hughes himself cannot guide this team to a championship and the likes of Juolevi, Rathbone, and Rafferty are complete unknowns. Sometimes rolling the dice pays off. Sometimes it doesn’t. However, Hughes is not ready to be a stalwart back there to eat minutes and be that guy to be a horse. He’s a beautiful player who plays a sexy game but can he be that minute muncher like a Doughty, Pietrangelo, or Carlson? Given his style of play and physical makeup I doubt it. He needs help. Benning wants to win and wants to win sooner than later. Defence is this teams Achilles heal and it needs to be addressed ASAP or else this team could very well end up like Toronto. It could backfire I know, but IMO it’s a risk worth taking.