Darius

Who is Torts going to ride like a horse if Kesler gets traded? What im afraid of is that this down turn is largely related to Torts' system and coaching style. Ride three guys for 25+ minutes per game for weeks on end, 2 of those guys (Sedins) hit a wall in January and get injured because their style of play takes up vastly more energy than a rushing forward like Kesler, meanwhile get your D to dive in front of pucks and get beat up and battered.....the 2011 team would be out of gas by now too.... Whoever they bring here better be young and fit because they will be driven like a rented mule.....

Would anyone here take Lucic + prospect(S) for Kesler if Boston offered?

I think that Gillis needs to play NYR, Philly, Pitts against one another. I see NYR as the dark horse... On a different note the Canucks currently sit in 20th place in the NHL and have played 2 or more games than many of the teams trailing them by a small margin. If they carry on with their 2014 pace it is quite conceivable that the Canucks could get a top 5 pick. If Gillis is smart he will unload luongo, Kesler, Edler for prospects and young roster players, plus he will potentially get a high top 10 pick as the result of this year's regular season - this boat can be turned around in a hurry if Gillis has some competence.

This all reminds me of when I was 10 years old and I thought that big box under the Christmas tree was the Millennium Falcon and it turned out to be a set of 5 frisbees each of a different color.. This is Gillis we are talking about, either the return will underwhelm us or nothing is going to happen.

If Gillis trades his best tradable asset for Sutter + a late first round pick in a weak draft + a 5th or 6th dman (he already has plenty) not only should he be fired, he should be shipped out of the province.

I agree... I meant first round pick....in pittsburgh's case it will certainly be in the 20+ overall range....a player that may pan out in about 5 years...

Luongo's comment about Kesler certainly doesnt help his situation - the fact that he is not playing in the third game in a row shows that he is done here. Lack is the supposed backup and he is playing in a high profile game today, Luongo must be on his way out. Either next week or at the end of the season. Would anyone trade bad contract for bad contract? I betcha Torts still fancies Lecavalier from his Tampa stanley cup. Maybe a Kesler deal that includes Luongo would involve multiple players coming back including Vinny and his contract. It might be a win win because Philly would get a proven starting goalie and one of the premiere 2 way players in the game. I hope that the pittsburgh rumours arent true = Brandon Sutter + 2014 first overall + a dman ...that would bury this team Alberta style for years. Gillis should be fired on the spot if he does that - not only that he should be forced to move out of the province.

Can we trade Kesler for Pittsburgh's coaches, management and owner?

Good post. Imagine if their PP was in the top 10..they would be in a solid playoff spot right now ...the forwards are the same, difference is the Sedins are very average and Garrison is no Erhoff or Salo on the point.

I think that he had to resign them - who else would he get to replace them. Even if he let them walk and it freed up 14 million in salary which UFAs could he sign to make up a legit first line? This hasnt exactly been a hotbed for elite first line UFAs - I cant think of many top tier forwards that have signed here in the whole history of the club... I think that nobody expected that the Sedins would be this average. Gillis' only logical move was to sign them again ...the mistake was 4 years....and he could have probably played hardball for the 7million knowing that other clubs would have to take them both for them to be effective (he could have probably used this as leverage to sign them for less)

If the Sedins were in the top 15 in points would we even be having this conversation? 4 years at 14 million per year, while playing like this, will mangle this team until their contracts are up....unless the Canucks can pick up some prospects that start scoring 20+ goals a year for cheap.... How much of the blame for this can we put on Gillis? How can he not re-sign the Sedins in light of their past 5 years...but how can he give up so much for so long to sign them? Its a tough spot to be in I suppose...

I think that Kesler has a solid 5 years left if he is utilized correctly. He is one of the premiere shutdown centers in the league, can play practically any role you want him to, can pop 25+ goals per year and is an ex Selke trophy winner. How often have you seen a guy like Kesler on the Canucks in their 40+ years? He is a legit difference maker on a team with a legit elite first line. There is nobody else on this team I would rather build around. I can also see your position - trade him now while his value is high. I would agree with a trade if it brings back something spectacular...but do you trust Gillis to make such a trade? And...if the Sedins continue to be mediocre for the next 3 years does it really matter what young player(s) they bring in to replace Kesler?

Its sad that things have declined to this point. Kesler is a guy they should be building around. If he goes to a team that knows how to properly utilize him he will be dynamite. Picture him on Pittsburgh on the third line as their primary shutdown center. He would not be expected to carry the team in terms of goal scoring and he wont be expected to play insane minutes every night. They would use him on the PK, throw him out against the likes of Krejci, Kessel, you name it...and he could pop in a goal every now in then while facing the bottom pairing D-men and weaker forwards on the opposing team.... We know what he can do here when he isnt expected to play like a horse and score every night. The decline of this team is directly proportional to the decline of the Sedins. The Canucks have no top line and now they are going to dismantle by moving guys like Kesler. They better get top line material in return because nothing will change.

If Gillis manages to get the moon for Kesler Ill buy you that album too....

Sad to say, but it is Gillis that is steering the ship - not the arm chair and keyboard GMs that are expecting the moon. I wouldnt be surprised if we wake up tomorrow and we hear Kesler has been traded to the Bruins for Chris Kelly and Jordan Caron. Gillis .... just remember its Gillis .... cringe...

Ill believe it when I see it. This team has a track record of trading MAYBE 2 or 3 significant players a decade for assets that have a proven impact in return. Canucks have some big holes up front and have no reliable PP QB - the strength is on d where they have multiple third and fourth calibre d men and maybe in Goal where Lack looks like he can be an above average goalie. If MG actually does something to address the needs of the team (and gets someone to waive a NTC) I can see one of Hamhuis, Bieksa, Edler, Tanev or Luongo being part of the trade.

Might as well bring back Sundin and Naslund, and while Gillis is at it he can order a big box of bengay ointment and a few dozen boxes of depends. Edler is one of the few assets that can get anything in return, yah sure Mike just make the team older. This is all speculation - he wouldnt be that stupid would he?

This team is not as bad as their 2014 record, but not as good as Gillis thinks. When everyone is back and healthy this team still needs a reliable offensive minded D that can get 40-50 points and QB the PP (something EDLER has failed at so far) and another top line winger. What would have Gillis done if Sharp scored that OT goal in game 7 and the team choked in the first round in 2011? There would probably be a completely different mix here right now. ON second thought it is Gillis we are talking about, probably little would have changed...

Practically every team has a couple of elite guys that can actually score. No Henrik, Daniel is awol, Burrows is done. The only guy that looks like an NHL player up front is Kesler. You know things are bad when you watch Mason Raymond and he looks like Crosby compared to anyone on your team.

Its the first time since the late 90s early 2000s I dont have the feeling that they could beat an average team. When this team was on top of its game they went into every game with the belief the could win...I think they would get hammered in an Alberta road trip right now... This team is not this bad. Half of the D core is missing plus their best forward.... Lou made one outstanding save. Most NHL calibre goalies would have stopped the two penalty shots.

the difference is our team has nobody with hands...nobody...all a bunch of third line plugs at best.

It could be worse, you could be living in Edmonton AND watch a losing team...

2 points 1. next time Canucks play Phoenix, Dallas or LA Sestito should cross check their best player in the ribs or shoulder and injure them. Pay the 5000 fine like Hanzal did and the playoff race will be greatly affected. The $hitbag Hanzal took out 2 of our top centers and all it cost that franchise was 5000. That was the turning point this season. 2. Price > Luongo. Come on Lui, shut the door on that first goal. He was average in Boston too.

As a side note: how realistic is that Safeway Score and Win? Has any canuck ever scored 5 goals in a game? Bure? Come on safeway...

Lets look at Torts' history as a coach. Tampa, New York, Vancouver Tampa Bay 2001-2002 GF 28th GA 20th Did not Qualify for playoffs Tampa Bay 2002-2003 GF 13th GA 12th Lost in the second round Tampa Bay 2003-2004 GF 3rd GA 10th (won stanley cup) Tampa Bay 2005-2006 GF 16th GA 18th Lost in the first round Tampa Bay 2006-2007 GF 11th GA 24th Lost in the first round Tampa Bay 2007-2008 GF 17th GA 29th Did not Qualify for playoffs NEW YORK 2008-2009 GF 25th GA 6th Lost in the first round NEW YORK 2009-2010 GF 19th GA 9th Did not Qualify for playoffs NEW YORK 2010-2011 GF 14th GA 5th Lost in the first round NEW YORK 2011-2012 GF 13th GA 3rd Lost in the third round NEW YORK 2012-2013 GF 13th GA 4th Lost in the second round Vancouver 2013-2014 GF 21st GA 13th ????? Summary: - In 11 years has missed the playoffs 3 times - Won one stanley cup - Made it past the first round 4 times ( > 33%). This record is nearly as good as the Vancouver record during this period (made it past the first round 5 times) and it has been probably the franchise's best decade. Some interesting things: - in his last 5 years his team has finished in the top 9 in Goals Against. His teams are solid defensively. - other than the year he won the cup his teams usually hover around mid pack in Goals For. Hence dont expect him to play a "we will outscore our problems" system. -Current Canuck team is 21st in Goals For, if they finish in this position it will only be the third time in his career his team has finished in the bottom 10 in GF. In other words this lack of production is relatively rare for one of his teams. I think that the problem here is that the two core offensive players the Canucks have suddenly dropped off of the map. If Henrik and Daniel were in the top 15 - 20 in scoring, or producing proportional to their salary, this team would be in a much better position. The question is why are 22 and 33 in the toilet, as far as production goes, right now? Did torts play them too much and under estimate the energy it takes to play their type of game in a condensed schedule with west coast travel? Or are we seeing them diminish due to age? Do they have the right personnel to play with on the PP and to feed them the puck in a transition from the D zone? Torts is a decent coach - maybe he has been dealt a hard hand to play with here. The Sedins + Kesler then thats it, the rest of them are third and fourth liners on most good teams. Maybe that is why he has played those guys to the bone this year...there is nobody else...