70seven

yup... i think this is what itll likely take if he keeps up the pace. however, we might just want to see what other options are available come july, considering Bob McKenzies report of the cap being at 71M and possibly better.

He has been better than Higgins, Hansen, Burrows, Richardson, Weise, Kassian, etc. So long that the trend continues,why wouldnt you re-sign him? Sign Santorelli, package Hansen.

IMO the Canucks arent getting Kane without giving up Horvat.

sry to highjack ur thread.... But I need some counsell and noone looks in that other thread...so OK....so im in a keeper pool of 24 teams, full rosters. Im also amongst the top 4 teams in the league. Trade presented to me: I get: Claude Giroux He gets: Nathan MacKinnon Jakub Voracek I declined as I think the combo of Mac + voracek will either match or outscore G for this season, and MacK is just 18 in a good situation in Colorado, and could be at Giroux's level in the near future. We only keep 8 roster players per year, and Voracek doesnt look like he'll be making my list. Thoughts?

"Wait and see" is the right approach. It tells me that they are finally boardering on making some significant deals for the future if the current group cant pull it together. I think that what they dont want to do is make the short term tinkering type of deals, unless they see significant progress. And if youre going to pull off the big sell on a few core peices, you always get better return closer to the deadline when teams feel like they have to match up with their rivals additions. The overpay attitude for short term gain, or that last peice to push the team over the hump is all too tempting. Eg: Kesler would be a VERY sought after peice, given the role he can play for a team, his age, and the fact that hes still got two more years on his contract. On a side note: Most fans in this market undersell what Edler would fetch us, but what would they give for a player like Kulikov, whos yet to play in an all star game, an olympic game, or a stanley cup game, as Edler has? What you dont realize is that Kulikov has been every bit as inconsistent as Edler, while showing flashes of greatness only to be followed by boneheaded giveaways. Will he always be this way, or is there a chance that with a change of scenery that he could develop different qualities? When you trade for a player, you look at their skill set and potential. Alex Edler is extremely well thought of around this league, and he's not a player you give away. This fanbase is bipolar with this team and its players.... Theres always a couple whipping boys, and Edler has fallen into that category. Bieksa was there for two years, before fans started to understand his value and that he'll simply always be a high risk high reward type player whom plays with more of an edge than any other player on our roster. Players will have good seasons and poor seasons, but whats important in making deals is what you have over the long term. And with Edler, its a potential all star defensman that has the rare combination of physicallity and skill. Nicklas Kronwall for example is 5 years older than Edler, yet he's on pace for his best offensive season of his carreer, and doing it without HOF d-man Lidstrom by his side. Edler has all the tools to continue to evolve into a better player, its just that short sighted fans will NEVER understand that reality.

Well, the fact that Burr had yet to score a goal, not an overwhelmingly significant loss to the team offensively. The depth takes a hit, but I figure we'll see Hansen or Kesler with the twins, while Booth or Santorelli move up into the top 6. kassian will likely draw back into the lineup and Richardson will likely get bumped back to the 3rd line. Just not a lineup thats going to get it done imo. My hope for this season is that they fall out of the playoff race and trade a couple core peices (Edler/Hansen/Higgins/Burrows/Booth/Luongo) for some solid young talent or picks, while opening up the cap space for one or two potential UFA's Vanek/Stastny/Moulson/Cammalleri/Callahan/Girardi/Mitchell/etc.

booth looked good last night..... it was kinda weird to actually see him cut to the middle, and dumbfounding why he doesnt do it more often as it almost always creates a scoring chance. if there arent any half decent options to move booth, then i expect gillis to continue to be patient in hopes that he can find some sort of consistency. we still need a 2nd liner with 2nd line skill. hansen and higgins are 3rd liners. higgins has a limited ntc. i think hansen has to go if theres a trade there. we have enough players to fill his role. trade him and edler to fill a hole in the lineup. another guy id still love to see in a vancouver uni is brian campbell. with the cap going up and an expected couple elc's next season, campbell has the PP vision, puck moving ability, and familliarity to be garrisons d partner. he would instantly add a needed dynamic to our offence. perhaps booth + a mid round pick for campbell would be enough inscentive as Florida would save around $10 million with that deal. if done a bit closer to the deadline, the Canucks should have more than enough cap space to make it happen. all the while shopping alex edler for a top 6 forward.

I think that Erat has potential to fit in quite nicely with the Sedins. They play a posession game that is more suited to Erat, rather than generating chances off the rush like Washington. Erat would be the most skilled player to play with the twins in years, perhaps ever. There's at least some possibillities there imo. If there wer to be a swap of Booth + ? for him, and the plan was to keep Kesler on the wing, Id expect that would make one of Burrows, Higgins and Hansen available. Erat isnt a barn burner offensively, but he's been a consistent 50 point getter in a system that plays defensive hockey and without legit top players. Ovi and company just play a different style, and he doesnt fit in there. He'd get a real chance to produce here, both in the top 6 and on the PP. I think youd see results. Whether or not this would make the Canucks any better of a playoff team... not so sure bout that, but I do think he'd add some scoring depth for the regular season.

I wouldnt overly mind the addition of Erat, just to see if we could gererate some moe secondary scoring. It just seems odd to me that a consistent 20 goal, 50 point offensive threat falls so far off the map once joining a new team. Im not so sure that hes any more effective than a Higgins or Hansen offensively, therefore Ill take a pass, since I think that we could use more players who react like we did last night. Higgins, Hansen, Burrows, Booth and Santorelli. We need to replace two of these players with two attributes: the ability two create more scoring chances, and the ability to respond physically. Most of the forementioned can buzz around and throw a few body checks, but theyre anything but intimidating physically nor are they seen as a offensive threat to the opposititon. A Kyle Clifford, Evander Kane, Marcus Foligno, Troy Brouwer, Steve Ott, David Clarkson, ect. type player. Thats the addition Id like to see. Im aware that offensive is of the most pressing concern, but I think that a physical presence in the form of a solid top 9 player is of even better gain if they are to compete with this division. I know that Zack Kassian was the addition they wanted to play that role, but clearly he's still very early in his development and he wont be doing anything consistently for the forseeable future. Currently I can see him anywhere but playing on the 4th line utill he starts to use his body while not nullifing every good play with a bone head turnover.

Considering the lack of production from Edler so far, specifically on the PP, I think you could replace the guy with more of a Matt Greene type defender wholl make a big difference come playoff time. Not that those guys grow on trees. Edler may have a NTC, but he's young and isnt tied down. I think that if the situations decent, that he'd waive the NTC.

^^ I agree... I think that if the plan is to compete to win right now, you dont trade away a guy like Ryan Kesler, especially with the lack of difference making forwards. This move would be lateral at best for at least this season.

Thered be a long lineup for Evander... The cost would be extremely significant. Edler + Jensen for Kane.... Im sure someone out there would be able to top that offer tho.

I wouldnt have any problem letting Gaunce play 4th line mitnutes. I think that people will be quite suprised with what Richardson brings, and with how similar a player he is to Higgins and Hansen. Gaunce is pretty much projected to be a bottom 6 center, so he can learn to be a pro and slowly earn his way up the roster. He wont be "ruined" by playing limited minutes in a role that he is being groomed for. I think the biggest wild card going into training camp will be the absence of Booth, and whether the coaching staff will take a page out of team canadas book and give Horvat a look on the wing. Jensen is a strong possibillity, but by the sounds of things, Horvats all around game is more polished. Almost September kids...

I'm not too worried. I think that Tanev needs the Canucks more than the Canucks need Tanev. Im glad theyre being patient with this and standing on their offer. Theyre are plenty of UFA/RFA players still out there, and there will be teams looking to drop salary before the season gets under way. The Canucks are keeping their options open to see what comes around. There could be another Raffi Torres type signing or Chrisitian Ehrhoff type trade found in the late offseason again. Its happened before and it could very well happen again.

If Gaunce continues development at his current pace, I think he could live up to expectations of a Ryan OReilly/Jordan Staal type center. Heres hoping he can make the jump sooner than expected.

I like the way he's playing. He's not physical in the sense of making hits, but he uses his stregnth, grinds the boards, and defends the goal mount pretty well. 3 goals, 4 points, +3, with 19 shots on goal over his last 10, which for his skill set is about as much as you can ask. Also, he seems to be looking fairly consistent from game to game. Solid #4 D-Man.

hes been playing on the left all season

seeing the healthy lineup predicitions... ill give er a go... sedin - sedin - burrows higgins - kesler - kassian booth - schroeder - raymond lapierre - malhotra - hansen let raymond score up his value... then off to washington for brouwer..... mmmmm, thats tasty.

He's not playing on either of the PP as of last game which is a dissapointment for everyone, but reguardless of his salary, if he can play a solid defensive role beside Bieksa, and be strong on the PK, Im happy with the contribution. Also somewhat concerning, he has but 1 hit over his last 4 games... The biggest concern for me are his hands. Not the best outlet pass either... But as others have suggested, he will get some time to earn his keep, and hopefully some offence will come.... Also to mention that he and Bieksa have just started to look comfortable playing with eachother, and Bieksa is begining to join and even lead the play while Garrison is playing stay at home and cover. And while he doesnt hit or block shots that much, he's fairly mobile for his size and doesnt take many penalties. I guess all in all, he's really just a guy who might stay invisible while making the smart safe plays and cleaning up for his partner. As long as it's consistent, it's a very valuable kind of d-man to have. The Nucks seem to have one of these on each pair, while given that Edler, Bieksa and Ballard are the other half of the pair, someone steady and low-key to even them out is the best thing for team success.

The Edmonton Oilers: Building a contender through failure... This is why I hate them. Good signing, but I hope it goes horribly wrong.

hmmmm... tomorrow should be interesting...

hope he enjoys missing the playoffs...