EternalCanuckFan

Hope Jake can keep producing like this into the season. It's early in pre-season obviously but nice to see Jake rewarded for good play, and this was against the more veteran NHL squad. Was also nice to see Jake run Giordano over on a reverse hit when Giordano tried to hit him. Hard to know how far Jake will take his game this year but if the Canucks can see him take a big step forward this season, then the depth on the team will improve that much further than it already has with the changes made over the summer. Looking forward to the unfolding of the season.

My guess is not too different from the rest but here it goes: Ferland-Pettersson-Goldobin/Boeser (when Boeser returns) Baertschi-Horvat-Miller Pearson-Sutter-Leivo Motte-Beagle-Virtanen Schaller (until Boeser gets back) IR: Roussel Edler-Myers Hughes-Tanev Benn-Stecher Fantenberg, Biega Markstrom, Demko Obviously this assumes Eriksson gets demoted though I have a feeling that if that happens, then the Canucks will try to get him as close to Dallas as possible like they did with Gagner. Gaudette will obviously start the year with Utica in this situation which, even if he has a great camp, seems like the right plan unless there's a good trade on the table that would open up a spot for him. Same with Juolevi though I think it makes even more sense for him to start in Utica. The above roster buys the Canucks time for what to do with Goldobin because even if Boeser signs before the season begins, my understanding is they could theoretically make everything fit on paper with Roussel on LTIR and demoting Schaller even if Boeser signs for around $7M per year. If Boeser delays, then the Canucks may get to show case Goldobin and have more time to make a deal to make room for whomever they decide to keep. The pressure will ramp up as Roussel gets closer to his return, but that's just how it is for the Canucks this season. For once, the D seems pretty solid and I'm looking forward to seeing how they all gel.

Fair enough. I guess with Jake the assumption is it's conditioning but his absence yesterday was definitely noted. End of the day, looking forward to seeing how Jake (and the rest of the players of course) performs in camp and at pre-season.

No way to know how far off Jake was from his goals over the summer so all we can do is wait and see how he otherwise performs at camp and pre-season. If Jake is noticeably and continually gassed at the end of shifts like he was in previous seasons (but improved on last season), then there may be some cause for concern. The improvement in that side of Jake's conditioning seemed to help him take positive steps forward last season. Jake seems to be a guy who may always struggle a bit with some physical conditioning so I would be more curious about how far off he might be from where he needs to be and whether he can get there by the end of camp or early in the season. I get concerns that Jake might not be preparing enough in pre-season but, I don't know, I just don't get the sense that Jake is not putting in work. If Jake is in fact off on some targets, then it could be that he still hasn't found a good system to help him maintain his conditioning and that's something both Jake, the training staff and any personal consultants Jake may have will need to work on for his long term success. Again though, without any information about what the issues may be, I'm just interested to see how he does over the rest of training camp and into pre-season.

I agree, though the two-way contract would still presumably require a lower salary NHL contract. I can't see too many teams wanting to commit over $1.085M at the NHL-level to a bottom-6 D on a two-way contract. At or below that amount, then they can bury all of the cap hit in the minors. Hard pill to swallow but it looks like the lower tier of players in this year's UFA crop ran into bad timing with the cap crunch. Everyone's expectations have had to be altered and, at the end of the day, it's the teams who have to meet the cap and want to pay for their services. It's amazing how many high-end RFAs are still un-signed. There are also more teams that don't want to spend to the limit and more teams that are more cap conscious when looking a few years ahead so it looks like there will be a bunch of players who will be "casualties". It was nice to see Ben's game grow to the NHL level with the Canucks. Will be too bad if he is unable to stick in the league.

I wonder if Ben is making a decision about a PTO. At this stage, I would think it would be better for him to at least train with a team than to sit out training camp and pre-season. For his sake, hopefully there's a deal on the table, even if it might not be at the term or $ that he wants. Unfortunately, I could see Ben being one of those guys who ends up playing in Europe and then has a hard time breaking back into the NHL even if he otherwise plays well. I have to imagine that every year there are new, undrafted guys in college, the KHL, Euro Leagues, etc. who catch the eye of scouts. Having an NHL resume should help him a bit but there seem to be lots of guys who never come back.

I have to give Goldy credit for continuing to tough it out for a career in the NHL when it seems like there are more players who are willing to play in the KHL instead. I guess there is a chance Goldy could refuse to report to Utica if he gets cut (assuming he doesn't get picked up on waivers) but I don't really see that happening (I'm pretty sure he'd would get picked up off waivers). There's a glut of wingers at camp so I hope Goldy can rise to the challenge but I'm not sure how high the odds are stacked against him. Unless Goldy really turns heads at camp, then I can see him being kept as an extra forward (perhaps the only extra forward), but even then he's in tough.

Can't hurt to give him a PTO. I don't see a spot for him on the Canucks or with Utica but I guess that also depends on how confident management is with the prospects in Utica taking on larger roles this season.

Maybe the Jets instead of TO? Hard to see the Jets trading Laine or Connor but perhaps Ehlers may be on the move? Hard to see the Canes having much interest in him given his $, term and their current forward group. The Jets' loss of Trouba and Myers does significantly reduce their D depth so adding a Canes D should help that out.

The likely make-up of the Canucks D this season will hopefully allow Stecher to continue to grow his game and produce more. He has played well enough over the last few seasons to justify being at least in the top-6 and, as guys like Edler and Tanev get further up in age or continue to deal with injuries, he'll get chances to prove that he can be a top-4 D.

Trotz often seems to get the most of out his roster so hopefully this is a mutually beneficial move for Brassard and the Islanders.

A little surprised Brassard couldn't find a spot but it looks like this year's cap crunch has been particularly tough. Brassard should be a decent fit for the Oilers. At the very least, he's probably a much better depth player than many of the guys they currently have under contract. I have liked Brassard's game over the years but his play definitely fell off last season (but then again, he was traded a couple times). At best, Brassard gives the Oilers a versatile forward who should compliment the top-9 well and could be very productive. At worst, they have a depth player who could still be dangerous in that role.

Don't Horton and Clarkson have to be included in the cap for opening night? If so, being able to place them on LTIR is great, but the Leafs have to first be cap compliant. It's not like they have a lot of high $ contracts for players who are waiver exempt (e.g. the Canucks could theoretically paper down Boeser to the AHL to start the season if they need to move around some contracts for opening night and then bring him back up once they start using LTIR). I'm probably missing something but seems odd.

I think the biggest difference for Markstrom last season was that, at least based on an eye test, his performance was significantly more consistent than it had ever been before. Markstrom has always had moments of brilliance but, as we can probably all remember, he has also frequently let in goals that really made you question whether he had the focus to be a #1 goalie. It was one of those things where one was always wondering which Markstrom would show up on any given night. That kind of question isn't generally asked of goalies like Luongo, Price, Hasek, Brodeur, Roy, etc, even if they have off nights every now and then. Last year Markstrom was steadily good and rose to brilliance when needed. His stats ultimately weren't really that different from the previous year, but I suppose that may be what the numbers don't always show. The frustrating thing about Markstrom in previous years was that it always seemed to be a mental thing for him. It was clear that Markstrom had the physical ability to be a very good NHL goalie, but he was never able to do it consistently. He seemed to "figure it out" last season however, so for his and the Canucks' sake, I hope that continues into this season. Bobrovsky has been a solidly good goalie for a long stretch of time. It's therefore hard to compare Markstrom's "value" to him at this point. Bobrovsky's resume is a lot stronger. Is $8M per year too much for a goalie? Probably in today's cap constrained NHL, but maybe not for a goalie who has shown the ability to very good consistently. It also depends on the term. In addition to cap problems, Luongo's long term deal was also a gamble about how healthy he could stay and it's clear that didn't work out either. Personally, if Markstrom can maintain at least last year's level of consistency for the next major stretch of his career, I can see him having a Dwayne Roloson like career. Roloson didn't really solidify himself as a starting goalie in the NHL until his 30s but once he got going, he had a long stretch where he was a genuinely good starting goalie, even if he wasn't quite at the top tier. I think Markstrom will net himself a decent contract after next season but I don't think he should get anywhere near Bobrovsky money. If Markstrom does want Bobrovsky money, I could see a team offering it but shortening the term significantly, and that's only if Markstrom has himself a second consecutive good season.

Strange trade (IMHO). Neal might not be a bad fit with the Oilers if he can regain his form. Still, I can't imagine they achieved much in the way of cap savings? I don't see where Lucic fits into the Flames line-up. Maybe Frolik is being dealt?

Fair points. I agree that Raanta is one of the best when he plays. Raanta has been terribly injury prone though. Kuemper has been good but I guess I still don't find their goaltending to be that impressive. If Raanta can stay healthy though, I would agree with ranking Arizona's goaltending higher. For San Jose, the loss of Pavelski and possible loss of Thornton are tough but I guess I'm factoring in the growth of Meier and Hertl last season. Kane seems like he has found a good home there as well. Not the biggest fan of Couture but he is a good top-6 center. The Sharks also seem to generally have a good depth (though the loss of Donskoi hurts that depth). Combined with their D, they're a tough team to play. I agree that Jones was not very good last year but I guess I'm giving him a pass for last season. Still, it's a fair point to rank their goaltending lower. Overall we agree that the Canucks are improved and are at least around the middle of the pack for each category. I am looking forward to seeing how it all comes together this season!

This deal seems to provide minimal cap relief to either team.

My divisional rankings for Forwards, Defense and Goaltending. I'll be honest, it's pretty much all eyeball test and based on perceived depth (e.g. the Oilers obviously have big point producing forwards in McDavid and Draisaitl. Even RNH had a good year. Their depth drops off significantly after that though). There's still a lot of likely movement on the rosters (e.g. VGK only has 5 NHL D under contract, not including contracted prospects of course, but still. They're also still over the cap). ANA (F: 8; D: 8; G: 2) ARI (F: 7; D: 6; G: 7) CGY (F: 2; D: 2; G: 6) EDM (F: 6; D: 7; G: 8) LAK (F: 5; D: 5; G: 3) SJS (F: 3; D: 1; G: 4) VAN (F: 4; D: 4; G: 5) VGK (F: 1; D: 3; G: 1) Despite Vegas' cap problems, I think they're still one of the deepest teams. I'm expecting a pretty horrible year from the Ducks with the main silver lining being Gibson. None of the above numbers indicate where a team will rank in the standings but I think the Canucks look, on paper, to be one of the more balanced teams in the division this year which should translate into better competitiveness overall.

Compher plays C and both wings (maybe just RW, but I'm pretty sure both wings) and put up 32 points in 66 games. That's close to a 40-point pace if he played a full season and it was a good improvement on the previous year. $3.5M for 4-years seems a bit much but he's a decent, versatile player which, IMHO, makes the deal reasonable. It's probably not a steal unless Compher starts putting 45+ point seasons, but for the Av's, at least that seems like a possibility.

Based on the cap situations for both teams, this makes no sense unless there's a third involved and the names being mentioned are just who is in play. It otherwise seems like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.

I have generally found Biech to be reasonably balanced in his assessments and he usually outlines his reasons pretty well. Not sure if this is a Jim Benning move but if it is, then good on him. It can't hurt to add new blood and insights. As others have said, it's also good to have an environment where staff can express contrary perspectives as long as everyone believes they are working toward a common goal. It's been quite the year for Biech. I'll miss his prospect updates. Hopefully whoever fills his shoes at Canucks Army will be able to keep up the good work.

I'm a bit surprised that MDZ found a contract before Hutton. Not saying that MDZ is better than Hutton. I suppose MDZ does have his early success to get the attention of teams, but he has moved quickly into depth D territory and aside from playing with the Blues, hasn't been particularly notable. Hutton is 3-years younger and one would think could still figure into a team's 5/6 role by now. Since Hutton's a UFA, it makes me think that teams just do not want to pay what his camp might be asking for. It doesn't help Hutton's case that many teams are tight against the cap this summer. Anyhow, good for MDZ. It was always an adventure seeing MDZ play D for the Canucks but he seemed like a good teammate and he was always in good spirits even when he wasn't getting PT.

Thinking about Ferland's acquisition a bit more, it reminds me a bit of the acquisition of Raffi Torres in 2010. Now Ferland doesn't have nearly the same rep as Torres and, IMHO, is a much better player. The comparison though is that Ferland brings the Canucks a similar physical element that Torres brought when he joined the 2010-2011 team. Now I might be wrong, but I felt that Torres' addition changed the way the Canucks played and the way opposition teams played them. Ferland may have a similar effect particularly if he can keep his style of play, stay healthy and avoid suspensions. The Canucks will be even better served if Ferland's play inspires Virtanen. Overall I like the addition and it's helping to bring excitement to the upcoming season. The main wildcard right now is what the Canucks will do with the glut of forwards they have so that will be an interesting story line to follow over the summer.

I agree with Winnipeg. They're looking shaky heading into next season. They'll still be a tough team but losing Trouba, Myers and Chiarot does a number to their D depth and there are real question marks about Laine's and Connor's contracts. Dallas is so inconsistent that it's hard to say. Bishop had a really good season so we'll have to see if he can have another solid campaign. They made a few good additions to balance the team and Heiskanen could be better next season. St. Louis obviously just won the cup so maybe they'll be good again next season but it's hard to say. Their success coincided with Binnington's crazy run. Now, Binnington kept that going for long enough that it probably wasn't a fluke, but can he do that for a whole season? They haven't really made many improvements this off season and while their players who had a down year should bounce back this season, that's not a guarantee. They snuck into the playoffs and then ran the table but I think there's a chance they might miss this year. Calgary is still a dangerous team but I'm not sold on Talbot and I'm not sold on Giordano having another Norris caliber season. If they actually lose Brodie then depending on the return, their D depth will be taking a big hit. Hanifin had a decent first year for them but is he going to improve enough to off set a possible decline from Giordano?

While there's a strong possibility that the Canucks roster will still see some changes over the summer, if the Canucks add Ferland, then I have to say that I'm quite intrigued about the 2019-2020 season. Chemistry is obviously still to be determined but next year's roster should be better equipped to play a fast and physical style which should be exciting. Combine that with getting the first full season of Quinn Hughes, hopeful growth of Petterson, Horvat, Boeser, Virtanen and Gaudette, and the likely NHL debut of Juolevi, there are a good number of story lines to watch unfold next season.