higgyfan
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Everything posted by higgyfan
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Yes they do. Lekker played on the team at 17yrs. Faired a lot better than Ohgren or Ohland. .
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I think the Devils re-sign Graves and let Severson walk, as they are weaker on the left side than the right. Graves Hamilton Sieganthaler Marino Hughes Bahl (Nemec) It wouldn't surprise me if Hughes is NHL ready and Nemec is getting close. I do think that Rathbone has value, but is not a very good fit for the Nuck's defence. Bahl has really stepped up in his role, so they will probably wait and see how Nemec looks in the training camp. A Rathbone for Bahl trade will require more on the Vancouver end. He sure would be an excellent addition to the Canucks though.
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Is There Anything We Can Do to Bring About a Change in Ownership?
higgyfan replied to TFerguson's topic in Canucks Talk
Is There Anything We Can Do to Bring About a Change in Ownership? Other than organizing the fans to boycott the Canucks (which would be next to impossible), because apart from CDH, most fans probably don't have the same 'hate' for the ownership. So, no. -
There is another side of the Kravs/NYR story that describes a series of events that left the young player mistrusting the management. https://www.lohud.com/story/sports/nhl/rangers/2021/10/16/how-ny-rangers-and-vitali-kravtsov-reached-their-breaking-point/8472113002/ Even if the team/player breakdown didn't happen, Kravs was facing a situation where his NHL team was loaded with young talent. The likelihood of playing in the NHL would be years away. Looking back at his stats, I see that he played 35g in the KHL in his draft year, which is remarkable for a young player. Even more amazing are his playoff stats; 16-6-5-11pts. These #s indicate why he was chosen 9oa. Like Kravs, Podz had similar stats; including the playoff #s but produced them a year after his draft. Podz is a June birth whilst Kravs is Dec, which makes Podz 6 months younger at his draft (which may be the reason that he was a season behind Kravs #s. Whatever the case, Podz ends up at 10oa. Nichushkin is another KHL pick that had similar stas in his draft year. We all know his story of struggling to make the NHL and returning to the KHL where his #s were average. He didn't break out until 26yrs. He was also a 10oa pick. Kuze wasn't even in the KHL at his draft age, but we all know his climb to the NHL. His stats were dismal for another 3yrs. At 21yrs in his breakout year, playing alongside Nichushkin (22yrs) and 1pt shy of his #s. Kuze didn't start turning heads until he was 25yrs. I suspect that Podz and Krav may be late bloomers like the other 2 Russians. Of the pair, Podz will likely become a permanent top 9 player, due to his determination and willingness to learn. Last season was a wash, due to...well, you know. I still think Krav has the skills to make the NHL, but he may have to take the Nichuskin route. I just don't see the same motivation as Podz, in his game.
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Lots of 'waiting, ifs and coulds' when talking about Brock's future. I understand that he's been through the wringer over the past couple of years and I really hope that he can get his game back. That would be great for our team. As far as the comparison of these players' defensive game; they are equally average, but Horvat's superior skating is an advantage. In today's NHL, Brock's lack of foot speed stands out. I think the Canucks have been very clear about Brock's offseason expectation. This is his opportunity to show what he's made of and reclaim his mojo.
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According to Dreger, Kravs is willing to do some AHL time. I believe is waiver eligible for '23-'24 season. I think they'll sign him to a show me 1yr ELC type contract. He has massive talent, but I'm not sure he has the work ethic to do what's needed. If he puts in the effort, he would be a huge addition to the team.
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If you simply look at pts, Bo and Brock are similar players. Throughout his career, Bo has secured himself as 52pt player that averages 23gs, which is almost identical to Brock's stats. For a scoring winger, this is not a good stat. Bo has more value as a Center, who is great at faceoffs and outstanding on the PP. Bo's stock is higher than Brock's, regardless of his struggles in NY and I have no doubt that he will return to his norm next season. Overpaid? Of course. Lou was a fool and will wear it for the next 8yrs. Nuck fans should be thrilled with the return. Meanwhile, the Canucks will support Brock in developing a better game and continuing to search for a trade with a decent return.
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$5.1m for Bo would be a low blow. His current salary is $5.5m, so one would think he would be offered a raise, not a reduction for the next one. RNH is having a career year this season, but before this year, he had less value than Bo. Never scored 30 goals in a season, doesn't play C and has the benefit of playing on a hugely offensive team with a fantastic PP. RNH is clearly performing way above his contract. I honestly think that if Lou got himself into a situation where he had to overpay for a player, it's on him.
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Well said, Bob. The only thing I would add, is the fact that JR/PA publicly stated that Bo's value was similar to RNH, which was a low blow considering that Nuge gave the Oil a hometown discount. I don't see any indication that Bo wanted to move on from Vancouver, but by the time he left, I would bet he was resentful of the Nucks management. For me, his comment that seems to offended so many Nuck fans, was directed at JR/PA; not the fans. Sure he got a ridiculous contract, but what was he to do? Oh not thanks, Lou...I only want what Nuge got!
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Lou and/or his management team did not thoroughly investigate Horvat's game. If anything, the Canucks are a high offence team and Bo benefitted from that style of play. He deserves credit for the work he put into improving his game last summer and clearly showed up for the season. Expecting Bo to carry the offense on the defensive Islanders is asking a lot and I highly doubt he will ever reach the numbers he had in Vancouver last season. He's not having success in NY, but hopefully, he will settle in and put up better stats next season. The Islanders need to find a way to utilize him on the PP.
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Nobody thought McCann would become the player he is now. Up until the past 2 seasons, his stats have been dismal. It's taken him 7yrs and 4 teams to get there. Two other teams besides the Nucks gave up on him before he landed in Seattle. Can't believe he'll be 27yrs in next month. Not comparable to the Neely trade, but certainly another glaring JB mistake in trading a 19yr old player after his 1st season. Just more evidence of JBs lack of interest in developing young players.
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Have a look at Perrault's stats in his 16th year. Really no match to Matthews. If people want to compare him to Matthews, that's fine by me. Hopefully he gets picked early and another good player drops down the pipeline to the Canucks.
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Actually, Perrault scored 45pts as a 17yr old, while Matthews scored 48pts as a 16yr old. Matthews played in Europe in his draft year.
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I don't even want to think about what the return on Tkachuk would be I wonder if things could have been different for Jake though. He and McCaan were rushed into the NHL. Jake in particular was too immature to play in the 'heady' NHL. Fortunately for Jared, he was traded and finally found his game a few years later. We all know the story of Jake. With the current organization, both players would have played a couple of years (or more) in Abby and then the slow process of finding a role in the NHL. With the steadfast focus on player development and expectations in both clubs, I suspect their paths would have been different.
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Van-Arz Van-Chicago (Proposals)
higgyfan replied to J.I.A.H.N's topic in Proposals and Armchair GM'ing
Hi JIAHN, Not bad overall...just a couple of suggestions. 1. Murph would be a great addition to the Canucks for sure. This is a trade that could end up being monumentally bad for the team though. I think you have to add to it to ensure that it works out if Lekker ends up being Naslund 2.0. 2. Love this one; even Crouse for Brock straight up. I think you are underestimating Soderstrom, so I'm ok with the protected 1st. I take it that Poolman going with Brock to AZ. Nice! 3. Fair trade. I don't think Myers waives his NMC to play in AZ though. I think another (low cap hit) team would do the same trade for a similar offer. -
One thing for certain in the life of a Canuck fan, is always being told to wait. After all, we have members of this forum that have been waiting over half a century to win a Stanley Cup! We've been told by the new management, that there will be 'surgery' in the offseason and that buyouts can be utilized, but recently, they are saying, no UFas and no buyouts. These are confusing statements. So, here we are once again...WAITING! I have nothing against Brock (or any other player, for that matter), but time is running out and I am limited in my amount of waiting time, to see if the team will fulfill their latest ambitions. It won't take long (preseason and first 10 games) to see if there are any worthwhile improvements. So, by November, I need to see a hardworking, competitive and consistent team that plays a solid 200' game.
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I don't care about geography, time zones, etc. I just care about good hockey and the Eastern Conference has better hockey teams right now. Also, as mentioned earlier, history does matter. The games played in the original 6 arenas are very entertaining. The fans are far more passionate and hockey Savvy.
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Injuries and illness can have a profound effect on an athlete's ability to play. Sometimes it can be long term, but in Leker's case, we can see that he has recovered his game. End of story. Although this season, other than the playoffs, has been a wash for this young player, he has clearly performed very well in previous years. Most importantly, he played exceptionally well as a 17yr old on the '21-'22 SweHL pro team; especially when compared to Ohgren and Ostlund. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0072872022.html I will wait and see how he performs next season. See how he performs when he's healthy.