EternalCanuckFan

I'm pretty sure it's true that there's a minimum increase in salary that is due under the RFA regime if Pouliot is qualified. Still, a little strange that they're signalling that they're content to let him go. Pouliot had his struggles but he also holds quite a bit of potential. At the same time, I can see them signalling to Pouliot that he really needs to be ready to compete for a spot this season and that they are serious in giving Juolevi and even Hughes a chance at camp. This is the easiest way to open up a spot for one of those two (assuming that Hughes actually ends up signing a contract). Between losing Pouliot and Hutton, it makes more sense to lose Pouliot IMHO. I'm wondering if they tried shopping Pouliot at all.

Canes paid for Hamilton. Ferland gives them better depth. Fox is a solid prospect especially with their D core changing substantially since my understanding is that Faulk is on his way out. Their own D looks decent with Hamilton joining Slavvin and Pesce in the top-4. Hard to read the Canes heading into next season but they might show better in the next couple of seasons. Pretty amazing that they'll have Svechnikov and Aho in their top-6. For the Flames, Hanifin could exceed Hamilton but he may also top out at Hamilton (including d-zone problems) or be less effective. Considering that the Canes seem to have been fairly aggressive about shopping him, they must be convinced that he will not make the jump. Hanifin's worth a gamble at his age but the Canes giving up on him this early has to be a concern. Hanifin might be a better fit into the group of D that the Flames have though I'm still unsure what the problem was with Hamilton. To me, Lindholm is the big win for Calgary. I think there were some criticisms about him being a soft player, but there is no doubt that he has a lot of talent. He's a potent addition to the Flames top-6. My guess is that the Flames feel like their window is within the next 2-4 years with Gaudreau and Monahan in their primes. Giordano is already starting to get up there in years. Their Achilles heel will remain goaltending however. Smith is an improvement over Johnson as a starter but he's still inconsistent.

Madden seems like a solid 3rd round pick. Has quite a bit of development to do. One thing the Canucks are showing is that they're not afraid about the NCAA developmental route. It might help that they have guys like Boeser and Gaudette.

Excellent, excellent, excellent!

Interesting. Leipsic seemed fine in games where there was more flow but it's not surprising that in a tight checking game, he would be far less noticeable. Question is whether Leipsic can still do the things he needs to without the puck to help the team. Never heard Hirsch's comments but it would seem that he doesn't think so.

If Gaudette makes the team next season, I see ice time breaking down as follows (based on centers): Horvat (16-18 minutes most nights) Sutter (16-18 minutes most nights in a shutdown role) Gagner or Granlund (14-16 minutes most nights in a secondary scoring role, provided that Granlund is re-signed) Gaudette (12-14 minutes most nights in a tertiary scoring role) I'm pretty sure that it's a foregone conclusion that Horvat's line will be the primary offensive threat on the roster next season. Presumably this means that Boeser will play with him. If Baertschi is re-signed and not traded, then he'll probably round out the top offensive line. I see Green rolling Sutter out to shut down other teams' top lines which means that he's going to get top minutes most nights. Although Archibald (if he's re-signed) played admirably with Sutter down the stretch, it's premature to expect him to handle those minutes in an 82 game season. My guess is that everyone's favorite whipping boy Eriksson will ride shotgun with Sutter for most of the season (if everyone stays healthy) and that this will help to shelter the young guys. Unless the Canucks sign a FA center or trade for another one, I presume either Gagner or Granlund will center a secondary scoring line (maybe with Goldobin, Virtanen or whoever is not playing center). For Granlund, this would mean that he's both re-signed and taken away from a shutdown role with Sutter (which he might end up back in next season on the wing). I'm not convinced that Gagner can carry a line at center but the Canucks don't have too many options. Unless Pettersson blows away the competition in training camp, I can't see them putting both Pettersson and Gaudette in the line-up next season. I think this is why there's likely smoke to the rumors about Tyler Bozak being a target this summer as he is a way better faceoff man than either Gagner or Granlund (which frankly makes him a better center IMHO). Problem is with dollars and term for Bozak. A less notable option may be a guy like Derek Ryan who is a UFA from Carolina but he's maybe a 35-40 point guy at best but he's a solid faceoff man and is a veteran pro (kind of like Richardson was). Riley Nash may also be an OK fit but he's less able on the dot. That leaves Gaudette and his line (maybe a combination of Leipsic, Virtanen and/or Gaunce) to play against lesser competition in an offensive role and to build confidence. That would give the Canucks four lines that won't necessarily get steamrolled when everyone's healthy. The challenge for management is going to be bringing in enough depth to deal with the inevitable slew of injuries that the Canucks get every season. They got burned this year with Burmistrov (who I think would have received a lot of opportunity to get the playing time he was looking for with all of the injuries the Canucks suffered had he toughed it out) Gaunce could be the depth forward or be a call up option as I'm not expecting him to get claimed if waived. The fact that Gaunce is a natural center also makes him more valuable as a depth forward. He hasn't lit the world on fire during his tenure with the Canucks but there have been flashes of skill, especially later on in the season, that make it seem like Gaunce might have a bit more to show. Hopefully he has a good summer of training! All in all, I think it's feasible for Gaudette to be on the team next season but I'm not against him spending the year in Utica either (even if it burns another year of his ELC), particularly if it means that Utica really becomes a development team with Pettersson, Dahlen, Lind, Gadjovich and Gaudette. That would be amazing and would make seeing anyone of them on a call up all the more exciting.

I think it's a fair criticism of Hutton that though his underlying analytics were strong, his production was way off where anyone would have hoped for it to be. In Hutton's first year, his skating and stick handling seemed decent but for whatever reason, he seemed to have trouble with coordination this year. I didn't watch every game that he played but whenever I did, Hutton would have some solid plays but he would also seem to regularly misplay the puck and skate himself into odd ice positions without the ability to recover. I'm sure it didn't help coming in and out of the line-up and playing with a variety of D partners but I presume all young defencemen need to be able to play effectively through those challenges. It seems likely that Hutton will be on the trading block this summer and maybe a fresh start will help to rejuvenate him. I would be content with him being kept on next season though the Canucks still need to bring in more depth at D anyway. There's a lot to like about Hutton's game but it needs to come together (which there is precedent for in his rookie season) and, unfortunately, this season it looked like his game took a step back.

Leipsic seems like one of those bottom-to-middle-six wingers that is not a bad liability in the D-zone and adds enough offensive skill to make a line more dangerous. I'm not expecting him to turn into a first liner for the Canucks but he does look like he could be a player who can help to eat minutes to help bridge our younger prospects in. Leipsic's still quite young himself so he could very well be around when the younger prospects begin to enter their prime.

Pretty neat to see Jasek finally in NA. Hope this performance doesn't raise expectations too high but this is definitely promising! The Comets might have way more internal depth next year without needing as many FAs. Jasek coming over is a potential game changer as he seems like a super versatile player. Anyone know what position he played in his debut?

I don't mean to slag on Motte but my understanding is that he was on a stacked team (Kyle Connor, JT Compher, and Zach Werenski) so his NCAA numbers might be a bit deceiving. His points weren't tops on that team either. Gaudette plays with Sikura and is tops on his team with only Sikura being a close 2nd. He also surpassed Sikura this year after finishing 3rd in scoring on his team last year behind Aston-Reese and Sikura. Again, not to slag on Motte, but Gaudette's trajectory shows more potential IMHO. I haven't disliked Motte from his play thus far but he looks like a depth forward at this point in time. Can't doubt that he has skill but so far it hasn't quite translated to pro hockey.

I don't know Leipsic well but from what I can tell, his "protection" value for teammates is less in the form of fighting as it is taking the focus on himself by mouthing off the other team. Will be interesting to see how Leipsic plays with Bo and Boeser tonight.

Thanks for the insight! Nice to see the confidence but yeah, hopefully he will continue that aggressiveness while developing good habits to protect himself.

Nice to see Jasek produce. For the first goal, can't help but think that he would have been destroyed cutting in like that if he was in North America.

Great to see Sami Salo's comments about Juolevi. I think Salo's assessment goes a long way towards affirming Juolevi's qualities. It's awesome that Juolevi can develop under Salo's tutelage.

Guddy's been good so far this season. If he's willing to sign an extension now, that's great, but at his age, my guess is he's going to want a long-term deal and a relatively high $ as possible so I have a feeling that he will test the market. Guddy could re-sign in Vancouver of course, but my guess is that he'll test the market. If rumors are true, Florida could be quite interested in bringing him back. It doesn't seem like he ever really intended to leave there so that could be a pull factor especially if he had already begun to set down roots there. Having Guddy there might also help to take some pressure off of Ekblad if they are confident about giving Guddy the tougher defensive assignments (or at least sharing them with Ekblad). At this point, would love to see Guddy back in the fold here as the Canucks do not have anyone who plays the same type of game and who has the physical tools. If he's going to ask for the moon however, then that might not work out. If Guddy stays healthy and continues his play, I can see the Canucks being more willing to offer a reasonably high dollar value and long term contract though, particularly as they start trying to bring in more young players (and especially Juolevi).

Gaunce will have to clear waivers, no? There is probably a very small chance that he gets claimed, but I would be a bit sad if that happens (though the claiming team would have to want him on the NHL roster). If Gaunce spends time with the Comets, that will only make them even more stacked. Is he considered a Vet yet? If so, that could make for more line-up issues.

It's not too surprising that Boucher has been waived given the signings this summer and the performance of Boeser and Virtanen this preseason. It's too bad that Boucher wasn't able to come to camp and demonstrate improvement in his game. I enjoyed his little run near the end of last year and I was hoping to see him improve this preseason. Except for Boucher's shot, he just doesn't fit the team very well: he doesn't place pressure on opposing D with his speed, he's not a physical player, and he has not shown an ability to consistently create chances for himself and his linemates at the NHL level. I think the Canucks have treated Boucher fairly with his 1-way contract. Waivers guarantee that he gets a chance at another NHL team. If Boucher gets passed over in the waivers process, he will have to work hard in Utica to be a call-up option but he will get paid an NHL salary. I think Boucher has shown enough at the AHL level to be an important player for the Comets so hopefully he will have a good impact on our prospects and will also perform well to either earn a call up or a trade to another team.

Boeser is showing well this preseason and had a good debut last season but I'm holding back my excitement for now. It's hard not to be excited to see his talent on display so far though. I think my main concern with Boeser is his health and durability over the long term. He's not a small player by any means but things will pick up physically in the regular season and when he begins to be targeted by other teams. Boeser's and Virtanen's performances this preseason have provided some hope for what will hopefully at least be entertaining hockey for the Canucks organization this year. I still think that for waiver and asset reasons, management might send down at least one of them to start the season unless one of the fringe veterans has a terrible preseason (though I'm not including Boucher as a fringe veteran). The expectation would be that they would be called back up for good once space is made for them however.

Is Stecher waiver exempt for the 2017/2018 season? The Canucks seem to be linked to some RHD options in the FA and trade markets which doesn't make too much sense unless: 1. they intend to send those guys to Utica if they can't make the Canucks; 2. they intend to send someone that we currently expect to make the team to be cut; or 3. if someone is getting traded (e.g. Tanev). I know RH vs LH D gets overly debated but it is curious. If the Canucks do acquire a guy like Demers or Stone, my guess is that both Stecher and Subban might be expected to start the season in the Utica but this could also be related to a possible separate Tanev trade. If they sign Postma then I think it's likely at least one of Stecher or Subban would be expected to go the AHL (though I'm pretty sure Subban is waiver eligible next season).

Definitely want to see Gaunce succeed and looking forward to seeing what he can do this year!

Wow, never knew those guys were that light on their draft days!

I would have liked Vilardi also but at least the Canucks would not be the only team to have allowed Vilardi to drop to 11.

While Pettersson's slight frame is a bit concerning, the fact that he was able to play so well among men has to be a huge plus for him. I personally preferred either Glass or Vilardi for 5th overall but I like the Pettersson pick too, in the long run. The scouting report indicates that Pettersson is NOT soft, which is great, but it remains to be seen if he can remain aggressive and tenacious on NHL ice. Since Pettersson played in Sweden last year, I presume he's eligible to play with the Comets in the AHL this year? Not sure if that's the best for him but it's a good option at least so that he can transition to the North American game. If it works out, it could accelerate his development. It might also make it more appealing for Dahlen to spend time developing with the Comets. Other posters have pointed out that drafting Pettersson points to a line of Virtanen-Pettersson-Dahlen in the future. It makes great sense and I think Jake has shown that he can play well with talented players. It would also take the pressure off of Jake to drive play and produce. He can focus on what he still excels at - applying pressure on the forecheck, hitting and using his great shot. He would be able to do this on his off-wing too (which I believe is his strong side) since Dahlen prefers to play RW. Only time will tell if this will be a first line in the future, but it has promise.

Like the deal. If the Canucks really do lose Sbisa to Vegas, then Guddy's deal is a wash (and is actually savings from last season since it's a modest raise, by NHL standards anyway. I would love a $1.2M raise). Guddy's received a fair bit of criticism, and not entirely undeserved, but I want to see more of Guddy's play before judging the trade as a fail. Guddy's not going to be a guy that out skates his opponents but he's a decent skater and he seems to be respected in the locker room (including in Florida). I'm also wary of all the talk about going the Nashville route of super mobile D (and not because they ultimately lost in the Final). I think big, physical D still have a place in the NHL provided they can skate (see Marc Methot). It's up to management and coaching to build in the other pieces and systems to make it work. Not sure if Hutton-Gudbranson will be the way to go next year but I guess we will all have to wait until training camp to see how the roster rounds out (including whether Juolevi makes the team). On a side note, Tryamkin's departure also sucks since there will no longer be the possibility of the Gud-Try or Try-Gud D-pairing :P.

Curious about your thoughts about new builds (including those that are still in development). The entry level costs of new builds has risen so high that I can't see how there is any room for growth in value in them in the long term. As you mentioned, new build1 BRs from Coquitlam Centre to Brentwood seem to be at least $400k. My own sense is that contracting for a new build right now is particularly risky if it's not expected to be completed for another 1-3 years since that extends the window in which a correction could take place (as remote of a possibility as that may seem). While there is always risk in owning property, those that will not be completed in 1-3 years extends a person's risk of the property not even being completely built. Now, I'm sure there is a sense that the risk of a development defaulting and not completing is very low, but in a particularly severe correction, it would still be a super uncomfortable situation if people had to close on a unit that is worth a great deal less than what they contracted for (not to mention my understanding is that they would need the banks to be willing to finance on the contracted amount).