canucklehead44

I think it is absurd Hoglander didn't play any games in the AHL his first two years. The new management team is using the AHL for development now. Under Benning it was like a prison - once you get sent down that is it. Guys should get sent down to improve their play and earn their spot back up. Jake got sent down, and was 12th in team scoring and still got a one way ticket back up to the NHL. And it isn't like Jake was good defensively - the guy was a disaster when you look at the analytics. I'd like to see a rotating 4th line - young guys struggle they get sent down and the guys playing well in the AHL get rewarded. That is very much how it used to be.

He was 7th amongst right handed defensemen in even strength ice time in 19-20. Not sure where “7th/8th” defenseman comes from other than his start in Carolina last season where he was coming off of being quite sick, Carolina was stacked on the right side, and they needed a pure DFD. Also felt he was paid too much for the 3rd pairing and should be in the 2nd pairing which is what he is.

Forgot about this guy. Had a 20 goal rookie season then fell off

Penguins paid a 1st, Gustavsson, Cole for Derrik Brassard only half a season prior, plus Sheahan was a former first round pick who had also come off of a pretty solid 32 point campaign. So the Panthers got Brassard (who recently was traded for a lot) Sheahan, a 2nd, and two fourths for McCann and Bjugstad - it isn't like McCann was tossed he was still only 22 and had some injuries that year. McCann actually blossomed in Pittsburgh and scored at a 27 goal 61 point over 82 game pace as a 24/25 year old but fell victim to the lottery. So maybe the Panthers gave up on him but at the time they got a great return, and the Penguins were pretty unlucky with the lottery. I think once a player hits about 25 is when you can determine what you have in that player although there are late bloomers (Dakota Joshua for example).

McCann was compared a lot to Ryan Kesler. I was actually very impressed with McCann's skill set (I liked him a lot more than Virtanen) but it was obvious he wasn't physically mature. What is also crazy is McCann and Kesler both hit their 40 goal seasons at almost identical times. When Kesler first came up to the NHL it was the same thing - he was so skinny and while he could skate he lacked physical size to be effective. The following year was the lockout and Kesler focused on adding size and he went from 3 goals in 33 games in the AHL to 30 in 78. The next season he was physically ready to compete in the NHL - that is the point of a farm team. Let guys get a taste of the NHL, see where their weaknesses are, improve them on the farm, and make them hungry to climb back. Throwing Jake and McCann in was so stupid. I don't think another year in junior would have killed them. McCann needed to add size and Virtanen wasn't even that good - as an overager he had only 26 goals in 64 games. If he wasn't drafted the year before with numbers like that he probably would have been a 6th round pick. Also when Virtanen played in the AHL he had just 19 points in 65 games with a -11. He was nowhere near ready. In fact when I watched the games he didn't even really stand out. Nylander on the other hand was like holyyy how did we pass up on this guy. But look at his development - he played in the SHL, then the AHL his D1, and then his D2 he dominated the AHL (45 points in 38 games +7) before getting called up. He was also a skinny guy who added a tonne of muscle - I've seen a lot of NHL players walking around (I used to live in Yaletown) and only Mattias Ohlund and Willie Nylander really surprised me with their physical size. The entire Benning regime had no concept of player development. I watched Nicklas Jensen and he was miles ahead of Virtanen but after a slow start offensively was tossed away. Brendan Gaunce was given tough minutes in the NHL and did quite well, and even after a callup where he had 3 points in 3 games with 6 hits, +3, 60% faceoffs he never saw another game with us. Jordan Schroeder put up some very solid two way numbers in the bottom 6 and was tossed away. Yet McCann and Virtanen were thrown into the NHL when not ready (and Virtanen's underlying numbers were horrific his entire time), and they made the same mistake with Hoglander and Podkolzin. Under the Benning regime it was like "lets throw guys into the NHL - if they don't succeed right away lets move on to the next one". This new management group seems to know what they are doing. Here are a few things that I love to see: 1. Major focus on player development. Samuelsson, Komisarek, the Sedins, Higgins all putting major work in Abbotsford and with our prospects 2. Signing college & European free agents. These are mature prospects who don't cost any assets. They can fill out the pipeline and some many be ready to jump in, others could take time, but you aren't ruining a guy bringing him in to soon. 3. CHL signings - there has also been a focus on bringing guys over from the CHL to develop in Abbotsford, whether they are on an AHL or two-way contract. The only skaters we developed to become NHL players were Zack MacEwen and Jonah Gadjovich (and gave up on them anyway). After 8 years of being in a "rebuild", having one of the worst records over that stretch, and multiple top 10 picks, the only drafted/prospect signed skaters we have locked in are Boeser, EP, and Hughes with Hoglander and Podkolzin being two NHL ready prospects. I think what Allvin and Rutherford have done in a little over a year is already miles ahead of the entire Benning era.

This is it. Bear isn't a core player but he was fantastic in a secondary role for the price. He doesn't excel in any one area and nothing jumps out (isn't a special teams guy, small, not very physical) but he is a solid, steady dman that is easy to play with. I am comfortable with Bear on the right side with any left hand dman. Myers has some flashes of being ok - whether it is offensively or defensively - but can't seem to put it all together nor play with consistency and is prone to penalties. I don't mind the idea of putting Myers on the bottom pair next season as he can jump up and play big minutes if needed - he is worth nowhere near his price but I'd rather keep him than trade for a 4.5M 30 point winger.

His QO was over 2 million though. I was thinking either they sign him for less or sign him later

He turns 28 this summer and had only 5 NHL games under his belt before coming to Vancouver - he got a good opportunity here glad to see him get paid but won't lose sleep over it.

Benning finally built a decentish team then let three core pieces walk away in favour of two buy outs and a guy who was traded for a 3rd and eventually backfilled by another buyout

Keep Myers for now. Can we sign Bear and have him go on LTIR? I thought maybe we were looking to move Myers to fit Bear in. Ideally I'd like to see Bear re-signed, placed on LTIR, and then when he returns if the lineup is healthy move Myers or trade him at the deadline.

He showed some skill early with the 52 points in 69 games followed by 5 goals in 17 nhl games but his offense dropped off a cliff after that. Solid physical guy, hard worker. Probably the most successful guy we developed in the minors during the Benning era

Jim Benning is somewhere sweating, fighting off the urge of trading a second round pick for him.

Max Namestikov was at the 2022 camp. He finished the season with 35 goals in 47 games after getting traded. The year before he had just 16 in 68 so a massive improvement

Two interesting invites are Lynden Breen and Christian Fitzgerald. Breen espcially caught my eye: Lynden Breen (5'9, 22 year old centre) scored 21 goals in 36 for the University of Maine last season. The second highest scoring player had just 9. He was ranked #183 in his 2019 draft year (37 points in 61 games USHL) and has progressed exceptionally well. He was in fact the highest scoring player in Hockey East last year - number 2 was Aiden McDonough. He also lead hockey east in short handed goals (4) and was 6th in faceoffs won with a 49.3% average. Here is a scouting report from his draft year: Lynden the New Brunswick born forward can be spotted on the ice rather easily due to his very small frame. Don’t let it fool you though because he plays like he is six foot or taller and can be compared to a wrecking ball on the ice. He is extremely fast and after a few explosive and choppy steps the speedy forward is at top speed and leaving defenders behind. Lynden will be the first guy in corner to retrieve a puck and will gladly take a player into the boards despite being out matched in weight and size. Strong on his skates and with his smaller frame and strong core he is usually the player to emerge with the puck and stay on his feet. Breen will beat you in a variety of ways, whether it is his blazing speed or his gifted stick handling skills, there are very few players who will stop him one on one. He can shoot the puck very well and knows where to be on the ice to give him the best opportunity to get a chance on net. The five foot nine forward can take face offs and can get under the majority of opponents thankfully in part to his low sense of gravity. Lynden Breen can move the puck with his head up and maneuver through congested ice with the puck under control, seemingly like it’s on a string. Great vision and a strong hockey IQ make him a great play maker and an all-around offensive threat. A dynamic player that reads and reacts and will make up for any disadvantage it may seem he has, the University of Maine commit will be a welcomed addition to his NCAA team. I watch Lynden play and all I can think is NHL great Martin St. Louis who it would seem Breen emulates on a nightly basis. They’re small in stature but hard on their sticks, strong on their skates and smart enough to elude you. A gritty style game from both players however don’t sleep on their skill set as they will make you a member of the highlight reel, because they likely have just left you in their wake on route to making a spectacular play. I would say his only down side to his game is his height at this point, however I don’t see that being an issue as he has found ways to be successful and I am not a fan of a guy not being a higher pick due to his lack of height. The future U of Maine Black Bears forward will excel wherever he lands and no matter what role he is placed in. He was exceptional on the Flying Aces power play and out worked every player for the duration of his shifts in the game. He was a crucial part of the successful fore check for the Aces and was the first guy back in the corners. Lynden Breen is a hard working player that will impress tons of coaches and GM’s along the way.

I was at a bar in Boston and a small TV in the corner had college hockey playing. A few quick glances and I noticed a player with skating like I had never seen. I got out of my seat and started watching the game closer up, pulled out my phone and googled who this player was. It was Quinn Hughes - eligible for the next draft. I thought “wow if this guy is available the Canucks have to take him he is a special player”. When he fell to us it was the most excited I had ever been for a draft pick since the Sedins. It is crazy he didn’t go third overall !

Crazy! Wild how this happens. Perlini and Henrik Samuelsson are a couple other guys who were tending well then just went to complete garbage haha. Virtanen as well but it is overshadowed by the allegations. He had 4 points in 16 games in the DEL on a team with Alex Friesen as the leading scorer. He also played on the Alps league which is lower than the ECHL and got kicked off the team

Where is Joshua? That guy is awesome

He was almost a point per game as a rookie yet we didn’t give him a single game. Only played one game during the Covid year - I wonder if he got injured or just shuffled out

Yea it’s not like his fights were traditional drop the gloves and skate around each other and start chucking. Mostly it was him throwing a big hit and getting jumped by a guy wearing a visor haha

Great to see our AHL team start to fill up with prospects Vs vets, building up a pipeline

Irwin won’t eat big minutes or put up points but he is a very good penalty killer. We are bringing in four new dmen and a forward who are good to great penalty killers. Irwin as depth if any of those other guys go down is excellent as it’s our PK which has been our biggest issue the past two years

Martin to start the year as backup. Silovs starts if Demko injury and we bring up Silovs around game 50 like what we did with Demko

Haha he like the Mason Raymond of Toronto

Woohoo dreams can come true

McLeod Geekie Jost Asplund Foote L Andersson In that order