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EternalCanuckFan

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Everything posted by EternalCanuckFan

  1. Solid deal for the Canucks. I presume the NMC is modified only for exposure in the expansion draft. Edler will be a Canuck for at least the next two years then and the deal works to allow the Canucks to expose him while protecting a younger player. Could mean that Edler would stay a Canuck for his entire career if Seattle passes on him.
  2. The Canucks will be an interesting team to watch over the next few weeks. Some of the story lines I'm interested in are: The draft is the most immediate story and like I assume all other fans right now, I'm curious to see if the Canucks move picks and, of course, who they end up drafting. Obviously re-signing Boeser is a top priority but it's definitely curious to consider if management sees him as a trade chip. I have a hard time believing Boeser is in play, depending on the return of course. Boeser has developed into a key piece in the Canucks future offense however so trading him would be a huge shift. Any team that acquires Boeser will also need to sign him so that may limit the likelihood of him being dealt. While Edler is a significant story, his story is a subplot in the overall need for the Canucks to revamp the D. The odds seem high that Edler will be re-signed which IMHO means that changes to the Canucks' D will require trades. Even if the Canucks dip into the UFA market or make a trade, there's only so much room in the top-6 so I presume that means that one or more of Tanev, Hutton or Stecher could be dealt. I'm not a fan of dealing Stecher unless the return is clearly superior. He has grown well with the team and it would be nice to see where he gets to next season. I'm really curious what the Canucks will do with Eriksson given all the negative publicity about their relationship. One has to think that the Canucks will move him this summer but what kind of deals are out there? The Canucks are supposed to a team that can "weaponize" its cap space and while they certainly do have cap space, what other teams with cap space would want to acquire Eriksson without the Canucks giving up something in return? The Lucic rumors are intriguing but I'm not sure if that will work. The futures of Baertschi, Pearson, Leivo and Goldobin with the Canucks are intriguing to me also. IMHO, there's a good chance that at least one of them will move on this summer given the construction of the team. Goldobin has the highest chance of being deal I think, but his value may also not be the greatest. Baertschi has developed well with the Canucks but one has to wonder what his long term future is even if his concussion issues subside. I think Pearson and Leivo are quite likely to stay with the Canucks since they both fit the team needs and expressed desire to be "bigger", but they may also be attractive trade pieces to some teams. I'm going to assume that Markstrom and Demko are going to be the tandem next season but there's always a chance something happens there this summer. I have to think that if the team looks largely the same after the next 3-weeks have passed, there's going to be a fair amount of disappointment. It'll be good to see Pettersson, Boeser and the other "young guns" grow next year, but it does feel like the roster needs more than a bit of tweaking. On the other hand, the cost of making those changes may be too high. I think we had all better get ready for a roller coaster ride.
  3. I wonder if the Flyers felt extra pressure to sign Hayes because of the sunk cost of trading a pick to negotiate with him. That's still an awful cap hit for a guy who hasn't produced that much. I wonder how much this would influence Boeser's camp?
  4. I can't see how Vegas will right its cap situation without moving some important pieces. Subject to NMCs/NTCs being waived, I assume Stone, Pacioretty, Stastny, Smith and Marchessault won't be moved. They have to re-sign William Karlsson who regressed last season but still put up 56 points. Based on how their team is designed, my guess is they would prefer to keep Karlsson and shed some other contracts since Karlsson is presumably one of their top-2 centres. Others have already suggested acquiring Colin Miller as an alternative to going after a guy like Ristolainen. He regressed last year as well, but he seems like he would be a reasonably good fit with the Canucks giving his right hand shot, age and production so far. Trading Miller alone won't free up much cap space for Vegas though. That makes me wonder if guys like Eakin or Tuch might be available. Including them in a deal would presumably make the cost very high (e.g. 1st Round plus prospects, roster players), but if Vegas needs to shed cap, perhaps a team or teams may be able to scoop some of these guys. Not sure if the Canucks would be able to make a deal for one or more of those players work, but at least one of them would and should presumably be a target. Miller is probably the highest priority as a RHD but it would be amazing if the Canucks could acquire Tuch as well.
  5. Well, clearly the deal would be based on whether the Canucks know they can sign him. Based on Trouba's play however, the Jets would understandably command a strong return when they trade him.
  6. Based on the UFA market for D, I have to imagine the Canucks are looking even harder at the trade market right now being so far apart with Edler. Even if they re-signed Edler, the D still needed a makeover. I'm very curious if the Canucks' 1st Rd pick is in play for Trouba. I don't think that will be enough and I suspect other teams will be able to put together better packages for Trouba, but he's one of the few RHD available that I think could legitimately be worth a big package in a trade (he's only 25).
  7. Perhaps part of it is having the right D partner for Juolevi or having him in the right role. I don't want to write him off yet when he hasn't even played a NHL game but it's probably fair at this point not to expect him to be a top-2 D who can do it all. Juolevi strikes me as a guy who could grow into that role but might not be there yet. Even Hughes should be given some space to grow into that kind of role too and might be closer to getting there. A lot of people are pulling for the Canucks to acquire Ristolainen who has a strong history of putting up big numbers but he's another guy who has been struggling at even strength. Still, maybe some guys just work better on different rosters or in better defined roles (e.g. Justin Schultz).
  8. I wonder if Edler would accept a lower but reasonable $ for a 3-year term with NTC. At the very least, it gives Edler 2-years to prepare for a possible move to Seattle (protects him from being traded in the first 2-years) and allows Vancouver the flexibility to expose him and save on $.
  9. While Berglund is by no means the calibre of player ROR is, I think the unexpected derailment of his career made trade worse for Buffalo. Berglund was generally been a decent middle 6 center and player over his career, but he unfortunately couldn't make a go of it in Buffalo. It's too bad. Having Berglund might have helped shore up the middle 6 for Buffalo and also reduced center ice responsibilities for Mittelstadt. I agree that I can't see the Canucks being deep in the running for Gostisbehere but who knows.
  10. I could see something like this happening except for the fact that Eriksson still has a NTC. I don't see him waiving it for Ottawa.
  11. I would not entirely be against this. Despite Ristolainen's poor reputation as a defensive player (ironic given his position), he's been consistently productive from the blueline and would presumably have that impact right away. I agree that 10th overall is not a great price but it's also not entirely out of the real of possibility.
  12. Heart goes out to Botch's family. Botch was so young and he clearly worked very hard to become a fixture in Vancouver sports media. I appreciated Botch's ability to speak to both sides of a story, even if he generally tended towards a cynical approach to the narrative. Botch also simply had an entertaining way of writing which, sadly, will no longer be available. Classy of Torts to note Botch's passing in his presser. I might be in the minority but I liked Torts and felt he didn't get a fair shot from management. Torts does have a tendency to go off the deep end from time to time, but it's always out of his zeal for the game and passion to protect his players.
  13. I think this is a fair take on the deal. Lindholm and Hanifin look to be key contributors to the Flames and are both very young still. A huge part of Calgary's success this year was Giordano's play however. He's still a good player but he's turning 36 this fall. Maybe having Hanifin helps take some pressure off of Giordano, but it'll be interesting to see how their team adjusts as Giordano declines. Overall I still like the trade more from Calgary's standpoint but it's hard to tell. With the Cane's, I think their win in the deal is that they pretty much got what they expected (except for Fox). Hamilton took awhile to get going but he seems to have made the adjustment and is playing well. Ferland has shown that he is a productive middle 6 winger apart from Monahan and Gaudreau. If they make a deep run and can continued success, then the trade will be more even. The Canes have a solid young roster.
  14. Despite Tampa's record setting season, they have a roster that one would expect to be able to pull that off. Berube is an interesting choice as he started on an interim basis in November after the Blues' slow start. Obviously the Blues' run has been quite spectacular, but the team was still pretty terrible into the early part of 2019. Berube might deserve credit for running with Binnington and maybe even a bit of credit for spurring on the Blues' star players, but again, that team was supposed to be good which is what made their start so hard to take. It's got to be Trotz for me. NYI was not expected to do much this season after losing Tavares. Aside from Barzal, they don't really have any stars on their team and even then, Barzal was a sophomore this season. Their goaltending consists of two goaltenders who have struggled to make their mark in the NHL. Their D is a collection of decent but unspectacular D. They have vastly surpassed expectations. Considering that Trotz has a history of squeezing out the best from his rosters, whether that was in Nashville or with the Caps (notwithstanding their stars), I have to give the credit for a lot of NYI's success to Trotz.
  15. Any interest in Schultz? He didn't do too great with the Oilers but he really turned things around with the Penguins. I'm not entirely sure if Schultz meets the Canucks needs, but he is a productive RHD and seems to have improved defensively. He's got a relatively large cap hit at $5.5M so moving that contract could be helpful for the Penguins.
  16. Hard to say. I think the Lightning learned a hard lesson this playoffs. They're a very good team but I get the sense that they didn't really have to try hard for most of the season. I imagine that makes it really hard to ramp up intensity once the puck drops in the playoffs. Additionally, losing Hedman would have been a big blow. In contrast, CBJ had to fight super hard down the stretch just to make the playoffs (they only clinched in game 81 if I'm not mistaken) so they were presumably amped up to even be playing the Lightning. The fact that the Lightning had such a great season probably ramped up their intensity even more. There's a lot greater parity in the league now notwithstanding the Lightning's great regular season and CBJ actually has a really good roster. Parity becomes more apparent in the playoffs and, unfortunately for the Lightning, they got burned. Same with the Penguins. Through the regular season, their relative star power and relative depth was able to get them into the playoffs. The Islanders had a good season for sure and while they don't have the star power, their depth proved to be sufficient to overcome the Penguins whose depth has dropped in quality in the last few years. It's actually nice to see more competition rather than the same old teams making it through.
  17. Depends. They might still want some serviceable players but at lesser cap hits. Another team that can offer prospects and picks might have a better package but I could see them still having interest in receiving some players with an NHL track record at lower cap hits. It depends on how they see their cup window with their current core. My guess is most teams offering picks and prospects might be more interested in offering that for Trouba than Byfuglien based on Buf's age and cap hit. Just spitballing. Whatever it is though, those are the D I would target.
  18. It took awhile to get over Byfuglien after those few years that he and the Blackhawks ran roughshod over the Canucks but even then, there's no denying how effective a player he is. He's a lot older now but he's still able to play at a high level and he also still provides a huge physical deterrent. I personally think the Canucks should target him above Myers and Trouba just because I think he provides the most value for potential cost. The Jets presumably would prefer to keep Trouba but they're up against the cap, even with a few contracts coming off the books this summer, which might make a guy like Byfuglien available. I've posted about this before but I think Byfuglien could potentially be a good D partner for Hughes. His contract isn't great but if I'm not mistaken, the Canucks could expose him in the Seattle expansion draft, so it might not be as big of a deal. I'm not sure if the Jets would have any interest in reuniting the Tanev brothers but that seems to me like it could be a fit. The Jets could exchange Byfuglien (and possibly another contract) for several players from the Canucks to help clear cap space and fill roster spots. Granlund seems to me like he could be a worthwhile bottom 6 player with his versatility. This kind of deal would hopefully not cost the Canucks too much while allowing them to get a big RHD who is a cagey veteran and who can still play.
  19. EK had a great run but yeah, I'm not a fan of signing him. EK will command huge $ based on his past history and while he's still a valuable D, I don't think he's what the Canucks need. I am personally all for relieving the Jets of at least one of their big RHD. If that means signing Myers, then that's fine with me. If it means trading for Byfuglien, then I'm happy with that too. If that means somehow netting Trouba, then that would be amazing but the cost would probably be astronomical. Whatever it is, that's the team and crop of RHD that I think the Canucks should be targetting. This series is a reminder to me that it's hard to see the Canucks pushing back against these big, fast teams. It's also a reminder of how big a target guys like Pettersson and Hughes will be with very little deterrence in the line-up (seeing as the rules change for the playoffs...). The Canucks have improved with the addition of Pearson and Leivo (assuming they stick around) but those guys are more middle-6 players than high end players and they're not physical deterrents - they're just better able to handle the heavy game. Jake will either need to make the next step into a top 6 forward or be relegated to a bottom 6 role. I think (or is it hope...) Jake can make the jump but even if he does, his personality doesn't seem to be the type to consistently impose his will with his physical tools.
  20. I haven't seen any Penguins games since Guddy was traded there but I'm wondering if part of Guddy's issue was that, for whatever reason, he couldn't simplify his game well with the Canucks. There was a short stretch earlier in the season where Hutton and Guddy was the Canucks top pair and during that stretch, Guddy actually looked really solid. He even put up a few points. Then the wheels fell off again. Since going to the Penguins, it looks like Guddy has managed to turn his game around which is great for him. He's got great tools to work with and maybe it was ultimately more a team system factor here than just Guddy himself. I think Guddy should be given respect for owning up to the fact that he just didn't play very well here and all the power to him as he improves his game in Pittsburgh. To me, Schenn seems to be a guy who has figured out his limitations (speed and agility) and come to understand how to capitalize on his strengths (hockey IQ, puck skills and, well, strength). It's unfortunate that Schenn was hyped so much when he was drafted but I can see why there was hope that he could be a high-end two-way D with solid size. Schenn's keeping the game pretty simple and he's showing that he's still a deserving NHL player, just not what he was originally hyped up to project as.
  21. Very hard to judge a guy like Teves after one game. He's a good prospect but by all accounts he's been a late bloomer. Good for him to get a taste of NHL action as he might be the kind of guy who thinks the game well after getting a chance to test himself (and fail). Encouraging to hear that his play was more solid by the end of the game. At this point of the season, I'm more interested in seeing how guys compete as they head into the off season. It could be a very interesting summer and then training camp.
  22. I am all for re-signing Schenn as well but, as others have said, for depth only. I have liked Schenn's game but it's hard to see him in the top-6 if the Canucks are truly in the market to revamp their D. Ideally, Schenn would stay with the team as a 7th or 8th D. If Schenn is kept in that role though, then I guess a question to ask Canuck fans is whether they would be fine with demoting Biega. If the Canucks carry 2 extra D all year then it might be a non-issue, but I'm not sure if they would want to carry two RHD (even if they have very different styles of game). Schenn has been able to provide some stability on D which has been really nice to see. I would say that he can probably fill-in the top-6 for spot duty throughout a season and can probably fill in during extended stretches with inevitable injuries, but there are probably better options to play in the top-6 (if the Canucks sign a UFA or two) consistently until such time that Schenn outplays them. I think Schenn has a good chance to do enough in his time with the Canucks to generate interest from other teams so, whatever the case may be, he should have NHL opportunities next season.
  23. I think Dahlen still has a chance to turn it around but it will be interesting to see what happens with the agent. From the sounds of it, there might have a significant error made on the part of the agent if he demanded a trade when Dahlen didn't really want one or did not provide clear instructions to ask for one. I'm curious if Dahlen's father Ulf might have had any part in this too (not accusing him but just noting that perhaps he set certain expectations due to his previous NHL career). If Dahlen really did ask his agent for a trade, then there's still a chance to turn it around but as many others have said, he has probably dug himself a deep hole and will need to try even harder to prove himself. Dahlen had a slow start to the year but he was starting to turn things around and, while he wasn't breaking down the doors to get NHL time this season, it wasn't unreasonable to expect that he would have a chance next season (even with the acquisitions of guys like Pearson and Spooner). I haven't been personally been through the process of trying to make the NHL but it seems to me like skilled guys who shy away from contact and/or play on the perimeter have to work harder to overcome that perception of their game. Maybe Dahlen looked at the depth chart heading into next season and just found that he didn't seem to fit into the Canucks' future (his style of play not being what they need) but my guess is that this is not an uncommon story for most NHL teams. I still do hope Dahlen can turn things around for his own sake but it also seems like all this drama could have been avoidable.
  24. I agree that Anders Lee is a strong target for the Canucks. He's a very good skater, is big and as you mentioned, has been able to play (and produce!) alongside highly skilled players. His production was expected to take a big step back this year without Tavares (though Barzal is no slouch) While Lee's points have taken a step back, he's still producing at a respectable clip. The biggest question is whether he makes it to free agency as I believe he's NYI's captain so there are strong ties to that team.
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