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Canuck Surfer

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Everything posted by Canuck Surfer

  1. This is a pretty fair post Ice. Fans were a bit heartbroken when Salo went to Tampa? But it did not work out for Tampa. Gardiner is good, and true, he does not deserve to be a whipping boy. Key with Gardiner though, like, say, Keith Yandle? Is that Gardiner is a different kind of D. Edler, in his prime, scored 50 points. With a big shot PP & 5 on 5, and passing the puck to skilled forwards. Not a play driver, per se. But a great complimentary offensive player. Gardiner on the other hand has an ok shot, a better wrister. Key is how he contributes to the offense. When a D has the puck at the blue line, defensive forwards come out to pressure the D in many or most systems not run by Tortorella. Edler pivots and rotates the puck or shoots. Gardiner beats those forwards and jumps into lanes, heads towards the net. He's not just fast, he's quick. Gardiners strength is his offense, like Yandle. Gardiners main problem? Well, he had two or three in Toronto. Even if he was good. Morgan Reilly was better. More important, they had no great RHD. Related, they also did not really have any great defensive D. Gardiner included. Hainsey? Polak a few years ago?? Great would be pushing it. So TO, also having those forwards, played an up tempo, high risk game style. In a game where there are 60 extra possessions. A few mistakes, Gardiners included, would get made up for by the opportunities Marner & crew would create? But inclusive, having no RHD or true pairing for Reilly, Gardiner often played on his wrong side. Try clearing the puck under pressure with a forward cruising in on the fore check. On your backhand, with your head turned away from all the passing lanes. Gardiner was going to make more mistakes, so did Edler (and Hamhuis) when they played their offside under Tortorella. With us, I'm not particularly interested in Gardiner. Hughes is going to be the key guy handling the puck, jumping into lanes at the blue line. And Gardiner is not as suited to playing defensive minutes. As Edler in a secondary role. And a year from now, we hope to have Juolevi & Hughes to handle the puck as LHD. Me, I'm after a defensive defenceman if we sign a LHD. Here is the thing? Next two best on the market are Methot. He played 9 games last year. Or Coburn. Functional, but a step slower than Edler. Gardiner is fine, if you want a Keith Yandle, effective at one end D. Edler is the best LHD, for what we want, among UFA's. On the right side, usually more sparse, there is Karlsson as elite, Myers as quality, Strallman plus Girardi in a mid tier level, both have age and injury questions to a higher degree than Edler, and McQuaid or Lovejoy a veteran options. Gardiner is better than a lot of them. But I don't see why he is afit, considering the term and cost he will command. Or that we don't have a role suited for him? There is room to create the right role for any of these RHD IMO. So we could play that market, find someone who takes an offer like Beagle to be great depth & a leader? Use the extra money not spent on Duchesne, Eberle, Panarin? Or just pay Karlsson the big bucks, Myer's similar money as Edler, but with term because he is younger.
  2. Edler is a top pairing D man on 60 or 65 % of teams. Top 4 on all but 3 or 5 teams. And those teams, Tampa, would love to have him if they could afford it. Kills, penalties, can play PP, can play against teams top match ups, can handle the puck with top players, play 23 or 25 minutes, contribute offensively. He's a very serviceable, quality D man even if he's not all star calibre. For example; I could see him on a top pair in Pitt with Letang next year. And he would approach 50 points. On a huge top pair in Florida with Ekblad. Trade pucks with Barkov, Panarin & Huberdeau. Yandle skates better, but not much else. You might think not. You're welcome to your opinion.
  3. Edler will command more than $5 or $6 mill for 2 years. We have to be realistic. My suggestion is to overpay him for 2 years. Which might look like $7.5 million. Even $8. We wont have to protect him. It coincides expiring with having to re sign Petey. If he wants to stay longer? Repay us with cheaper short term deals then on...
  4. Currently, who do we have to protect; Juolevi, Stecher and presumably our potential Eriksson UFA signing? Hughes is exempt.
  5. While I'm being a sour puss? Can we have a tanking or turtle rule? There were teams that intentionally rotated players out of the line up on game days down the stretch. We could make the punishment fun? Banish them to Winnipeg...
  6. A GM can move to a vacant team, fine IMO. A team which moves and brings its players shifts the balance of power & rivalries. That's less cool. I objected last time it happened as well. Its a keeper league.
  7. Did LA & Wpg switch teams? Ottawa?? WTF... Not a fan of shuffling the decks.
  8. Mini state of union / draft recap for your Minnesota Wild (I know we're all secret fans, right?) On the back of missing the play off's, we were more fundamental at the deadline onwards this year. And maybe a second straight play off was not in the cards anyway? We iced as many as 6 rookie forwards, two rookie D and at one moment had ten rookies in the line up. All too new? A key hole, was also filled by Mackenzie Blackwood 2G. So investing one of our rookies (Kapanen) & futures for Thomas Chabot seemed something we could afford. It sets us with this as our starting five / core; Matthew Tkachuk - Elias Pettersson - Brayden Schenn Darnell Nurse - Thomas Chabot John Gibson - Mackenzie Blackwood We have only 3 forwards, 2 D over 25. 4 rookie forwards still remaining in our line up, its also obvious Chabot, Petettersson & Gibson, while good to spectacular, are two to three years from play off magic. Our future is still ahead of us! Our prospect pool was / is still deep, maybe lacking in top end talent? Kale Clague the top guy. With a good draft we can now grow organically, let those forwards, Chabot get even better? We went forward heavy, and picked a goalie BPA. Vasili Podkolzin at 14 was a coup, regarded as the 3rd best forward in the draft. They say he is two years away. Which fits our time line anyway. Him & Brayden Tracey both bring fantasy upside to our forward prospects. As does Alexander Daryin. Who scored more per game in the MHL than Podkolzin. Our draft was rounded out by 3rd round pick , already signed by Philly, Goalie Kiril Ustimenko, and 5th round very fundamentally sound 2 way C Hennri Nikkanen. Who has already made his debut in Finlands top pro circuit. 4 forwards and a goalie, with our pre-draft prospect strength being D prospects (Kale Clague, Wash 2knd rounder Martin Ferhervary, AHL rookie D top goal scorer Dylan Coghlan, and Jet prospect NCAA champ Dylan Samberg, top Czech D prospect Jakub Galvas). We feel we have upside, depth, guys pressing at every position in our pool. We'll clear some cap; to make room for Chabot & Nurse next off season. Make the play off regardless on the back of so many youth. With a large pool of near NHL ready prospects looming. And look to be a powerhouse with this above core from 2020 / 21 onwards. The end of the long game strategy!
  9. Wicked trade. Congrats to both. Particularly Cunninglus, who's too new to know he's good at it.
  10. I'm not an expert. Just a fan. I try to pay attention? You watched exactly the same play. It had subtle details to note. He whistled it the only place it would get thru. Dead on point, with zip. After a subtle drag to get it past where it would clear the screens. Reach, balance, his head up, edging backwards, a slight pivot, hit his target with pin point accuracy & a wicked release. Great execution. Its an athletes shot. A skilled players shot & a mature play. Nothing more. Broberg is not known for such ''hockey IQ?'' The smarts to know how to get a shot thru. Knowing how to create angles, make space. A hockey play. But there he was. A lot of young athletes with his athleticism. Their coordination catches up when they stop growing. Get man strength, maturity in their game Seider already has. I see untapped potential. That he can make the plays detractors say he is too simple to pull off. That he'll be fantastic when more hockey catches up to his physical skills.
  11. I have Byram, Broberg, Soderstrom, Seider in order of BPA. I would agree Seider has a more mature game. A safer pick? And, from a need standpoint a righty. I think he'll be a right handed Edler in this draft. And there is nothing wrong with that. All good picks. I am sure guys on Jim's draft team have been doing interviews, projections and beating the night owl on Broberg. Broberg simply has more physical tools. Seider's size, who is mobile in his own right. But not Broberg's ability to explode away from some of the fastest players, which is insane. And enough puck skill to lug it with him, plus the best shot of the three guys after Byram. Soderstrom is a better defender? I know coaches fully believe they can teach defence to a guy who has balance, reach, explosive power, agility. They would be lining up to get him on the practice rink to coach & teach him things.
  12. If you were picking for need, he might be the best player on the board. A RHD, good defensive defender as well, who can absolutely fly and handle the puck... Its that puck skill & speed that are intriguing if you can inject into a line up with Petey. Like Seider, very fundamentally sound, but even more so.
  13. ^ I did so want Lundmark! But onwards & upwards, from Tryamkin's neighborhood, an overager & a bit off the board, Minnesota is pleased to select; From Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the MHL, 5'10'' C Alexander Daryin . @Dion Phaneuf I think?
  14. OK, I'm up, its Sun morning. Have coffee, Cpl minutes, PS @BM24
  15. Booth was among the last of an old era. Training wise... Players who missed a memo about being professional athletes 365 days a year. Went bear hunting. Never started doing aerobic, anaerobic, core and progressive training. A great natural athlete, he could arrive a week before camp and fly around the ice at age 21? The same training program as Jake started with; a crash course in the weight room a few weeks before camp. Develop some power, but overtrain. Try to catch up with some of the very fit & dedicated athletes like Kesler, Bieksa, and the Twins. He had training related injuries to start each of his years here. Overbuild on squats then do suicide drills skating the next day? A recipe for torn muscles which he experienced. I recall pulled groins, back and abdominal injuries, a ripped muscle too I think? And never enough puff for the increasingly fast NHL. He was always frackin hurt. That knee, I remember it. Brutal. But it was far from his only problem.
  16. Gaudreau was coming off a 78 point season when he signed his pact. One problem is Canadian media and fans whip everything out of proportion. Create pressure that helps inflate markets for free agents. Laine also might have been worth $10 mill had he not appeared to lose interest this year? He was looking a 1st ballot hall of famer. Chevy has also worked hardest of Canadian GM's to control salary. Look what Ehlers & Scheifele are getting paid. Albeit not without collateral damage, see Trouba. Look at what American markets paid premium RFA's over the years; Stamkos, MacKinnon, Ekman Larsson, Dylan Larkin, Kucherov bridge, Barkov, Huberdeau approaching premium, Reilly Smith, Alex Tuch, Rakell, watch what Clayton Keller gets paid next year, Landeskog, Tyson Barrie, Klingburgh, Couturiere, Ghostisbehere, I could go on? Anaheim has paid a few of their guys too much, Bobby Ryan. Florida Ekblad. CBJ Rick Nash. There are exceptions. Everyone has paid their UFA's too much. By and large? The lower level of furore has seen US teams routinely sign guys at values CDC, Leaf Nation, Oiler Pride laude their GM's for. I don't envy Calgary with Tkachuk. His dad was synonymous for breaking teams with his salary demands. Putting himself before all others!
  17. I gave my projection for a target salary for Boeser; aprox $7 mill x 6. No I don't think anything will come to him walking. My impression is Brock likes it here, will work with us.
  18. 3rd round, I have a thing for lil speedball Kark Henriksson? Only 5'9'', and I;m not convinced he's all out fast. Thing is? I dont think he ever stops skating, or tires out. He definitely out skates guys, pops up with the puck & pulls away from players late in shifts. Relentless! Crazy athletecism in some of the combine events. I suppose we have to consider the junior system is designed for the vast majority of players. There is only 1 or 3 ''elite'' top 15 picks in any one CHL league among hundreds of players. In any one year, if? The athlete too big and strong for the competition. For now its what we have, but could improve, no doubt. But its not as out of whack s the Nathan Mackinnon's of the world make it seem. The CHL could benefit from a 2 tier, by age, leagues. Go one year younger, a 15 to 18 year old division (plus a smaller set # of over agers) for each of WHL, OHL & the Q current teams. And an 18 to 21 year old league, an extra year at the top as well. The top 18's move up, or play in both depending on school requirements. The 18 to 21 year old division true semi pro, like Europe. A team per Western province, or maybe a 5t including US teams. Six for the Eastern provinces roughly equating population. Each CHL team getting to nominate 2 to 5 players for the senior team, get revenue from its gates? And like the USNTDP, also play against college teams or even the NTDP? Even a Euro tour per team, like champions league. This whole concept, fundamentally becomes an Allsvenskan 2knd tier to the SHL, except for the AHL. The teams are already fighting ''amateur status?'' And going to lose. It also would bring more hockey back home. Why send players ''to the American'' league anyway? That kids could make some money. I believe it would help develop a wider playing base, and more interest in the game. Bridge the gap for the majority of players not ready for the AHL, but too big at 20 as over agers to play against 16 year olds in the CHL. A new league!
  19. 2knd round; Forwards; > Poulin might still be available? Big man with hands, even some wheels. > Nikolayev is way up some charts, Button top 20? 3rd round on others. MHL fundamental 2 way centre, with some skills too. > Grewe has a huge buzz about him. > Afanasyev in the USHL? > Medicine Hat team mate of Jett Woo, rookie phenom Brayden Tracey. Tracey had 10 WHL points more as a rookie than Jake in his draft year, a solid 36 goals as well! D > Bjornfot! Pre season top 10? I find his speed intoxicating! > Ryan Johnson, Univ of Minnesota recruit > From my old home Shewood Park, fundamentally excellent but unspectacular Matthew Robertson. My cousin has Oil Kings seats, raves about Robertson. LOL, wants him for the Oilers...
  20. Krebs is different. Displays, as much as anyone in the draft, the willingness to battle through checks, get his nose dirty doing it. Defensively as well. He does not undress guys in the same manor, shaking guys at will? But still manages to make plays with guys hanging on him. Matthew Tkachuk does that. O'Reilly does that. He's smaller, but faster than both of them. I am starting to take that more seriously? I was not high on Tkachuk and O Reilly when they were drafted. The ability to make plays in tight spaces. Trying to learn from my mistakes. Newhook and Zegras do break ankles, create open ice for themselves. Constantly moving, creating. Zegras at a more advanced level. I think the fastest of the three? I have Zegras, Krebs, then Newhook placement wise. But all excite me!
  21. Not that it is not a factor? I agree the NCAA is more mature competition. But I don't believe junior in Europe, the Super Elit for example, is better than the CHL? Its not. They don't automatically go pro. And the Allsvenskan has talent like the CHL. But is largely 18 to 22, with the odd 17 year old. So yes, also more advanced. Where junior is 17 to 20 with the odd 16 year old. I haven't looked in a Cpl years, but the CHL was until recently producing 50%of the NHL's players. The CHL is probably the worlds best league generally available to an elite 16 year old? So its overstated. Horvat played a year in the CHL after being drafted. Allowed him to play in a WJC, a 2knd memorial cup. It did not hurt him a stitch. Scheifele, IMO as close a comparable as you could find to Dach? Played two years post draft for Barrie before getting his shot. They were criticized because he was ''too good for junior!'' Their reward was still a top line centre. Sanheim, drafted 17th by memory, but an ''NHL body'' at draft age? Played 2 more years for the Hitmen. Then 2 years in the AHL. His draft plus 5 year he got his shot. Philly was rewarded with a top pairing defender for letting his hockey catch up with the athlete.. But admittedly 1 level below the above mentioned players. Glass played the last 2 years in the WHL. I think he'll jump seamlessly onto Vegas. At worst, by mid next season? In many, in fact most cases, the AHL is actually too advanced in the years directly after the draft. See Dahlen, a league MVP in a 2knd division European league who struggled in Utica. I'm not passing on Dach, because Boldy can play in the NCAA. He's faster, he's bigger, he has more upside IMO. Junior is just fine thanks!
  22. Yes & No. Nylander got $7 mill x what 6? He had to hold out to get it. And he was coming off back to back 60 point years. We think Boeser is better? But he also has not done that yet. Nylander got what Pastrnak got. Pasta's been better than either. I think Brock will land just above that, simply due to inflation.
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