Keep Edler

[wallstreetamigo]

I want a top 6 forward as much as the next guy. I was actually against the Roy trade because I would rather have gotten a skilled winger. But you take what you can get. But the thing is, theres no need to ruin that defensive group and punch such a big whole to get a top 6 forward when you can still use other assets to do it. For example, I think a simmonds for Luo deal is a fair deal. Maybe add small adjustments here or there. Some may disagree, but I think that would be a much more effective route.

[Canuck Surfer]

Our D, hands down, has no one who has proven capable of putting the puck on their stick and lugging it up ice against pressure! Teams laugh at us trying to gain the zone on our PP. They send in fore-checkers and sit in passing lanes looking to pick off the breakout pass. Then hem us in. It leaves teams taking the pressure game to us. That is our problem not physical defensive play; we don't have a guy who can move the puck!

It is also why I posted we were not elite when we landed Garrison. I believe I was proven right? Garrison and Hamhuis are still more than capable one on one defenders.

We are an incomplete crew with massive payroll, $23.7 million in cap space tied up in 5 D. This more than any other area needs re-structuring. But we should be targetting an elite puck moving D prospect, or a Keith Yandle / Mike Green type guy for asset's like Edler and Lou before we worry about the 4th all star forward that some are calling for.

The only problem I have with trading Edler is that he's the only one on our backend who brings the size and the potential for bone crushing hits. Garrison, Hamhuis, Tanev, and Corrado aren't really known for their hitting. That leaves us with Bieksa, (who seems like he's sort of lost his edge lately),Ballard(who will most likely be traded or bought out), and Alberts (who brings size but is prone to taking penalties sometimes). Our blueline lacks a hard hitting presence as well as someone who can rush the puck.

I'd trade Edler if he can fetch us a legit top 6 winger but I think his game can make good improvements under a new coach.

[Butters Stoch]

I think Edler would benefit from a new coach who knows how to manage his minutes since he was overplayed imo. AV just kept on rewarding him with more ice time after brutal plays while Ballard was benched and perfectly capable of logging in more minutes if needed.

[D-Money]

I am firmly in the "trade Edler" crowd, for the following reasons:

1) He has been our 3rd best left-side D-man, but is set to become the highest paid.

2) We DESPERATELY need a YOUNG stud forward who can provide offense now and develop into a top-line player. Sedins and Kesler aren't getting any younger. Nobody is going to trade us one without a substantial piece going the other way.

3) Edler is one of the only "substantial pieces" on the team who doesn't have a NTC (yet).

4) Edler is one of the only "substantial pieces" on the team who has two guys on here who already play his position as well or better.

5) We are set to be spending 18.3 million on only left-side D-men next season. Shedding his and Ballard's salary and adding a cheaper option for the 3rd pair will do wonders for our cap problems.

[Tangerines]

I say keep Ballard and trade Edler. Edler would get a very good return. Instead of buying Ballard out and losing him for nothing why not try him out in a role that he is comfortable in and more suited for under a new coach. He may turn out to be the guy he was supposed to be for this team. I realize that there are many intangibles when it comes to the game, but just based on points IMO if we lose Edler's 40-50 points and replace that with 65-75 from a top winger and maybe get a pick out of it to it's worth it. Ballard can easily get 30-40 if he is used on the PP. Pair him up with Tanev, and with Garrison on the PP. I would also try Corrado with Garrison. Yes I know he is young, and he will make mistakes, but he will gain a lot of experience, and Garrison can also mentor him.

Hamhuis-Bieksa

Garrison-Corrado

Ballard-Tanev

[ccc44]

I personally don't understand why everyone wants Edler gone so badly. I understand he did disappoint this year, but so did nearly everyone else. Sedins, Higgins, Lappy, KASSIAN, etc. I actually don't think he was as awful as everyone thinks. Besides, next year Edler will bounce back and be a huge asset. He also already took a paycut because he wants to be here, and next year he's going to be hungry to prove himself. We've seen Edler when he's on his game and he is a monster. 6'3, 215 pounds, he can put up 40 points a season if not more and we have him locked in for 6 years. He will be a huge asset. I also think our d group is pretty solid.

Hamhuis Bieksa

Edler Tanev

Garrison Corrado

I think this is a pretty good defensive lineup. Each line has at least one impactful shooter but is still reliable defensively. With Tanev Edler should do pretty well. He can also be good on the pp if we pair him up with Garrison. There is really no need to trade him and poke a pretty significant hole in our d when we still have pretty non-useful players who should go. Such as ballard, schroeder, luongo, etc. I say unless we are getting HUGE return with Edler, trading him will be a catastrophic mistake.

[Burnsey]

I don't want him moved. He did have a rough season but like the OP said most players did. He is however probably the best player that we can trade that would get us the best return. That reason alone I think makes him 'vulnerable' to rumours. Hopefully he'll be like Bieksa, by that I mean come out playing great next season. Bieksa had rumours of trades including him around for about 2 years and in that 3rd year he made sure that was history

[73 Percent]

When does edlers ntc kick in so I dont have to read these stupid trade proposals anymore?

[Mr.53]

When does edlers ntc kick in so I dont have to read these stupid trade proposals anymore?

[KING ALBERTS]

Edler may be the only guy that can check 6'3 players... the problem is he chooses not to more often than not - and his defensive play sure hasn't been making up for it

[King Heffy]

Edler's an allstar from the neck down. The only way we should even consider bringing him back is if we get a coach like Torts who won't let him on the ice unless he learns how to play D.

[BedBeats™2.0]

When does edlers ntc kick in so I dont have to read these stupid trade proposals anymore?

[King Heffy]

July 1st, and im with you on that.

The kid has back surgery after taking Erhoff;s place, posts career points the season before, has everything a team could want. But can be wildly inconsistent. But he is not bad as everyone wants him to be.

It would be a mistake moving him. Im open to moving pieces...but the return has to be a slam dunk to help flesh out the roster to support the top-6.

Kinda silly how the trade Edler train of thought has gained so much unecessary traction.

[Sugar baby watermelon]

I don't want him traded at all, but it's not surprising to see the Canucks fan base turn on him.

1) Fans are desperate for change

2) He struggled this year

3) He's the only contract people think that can be moved

4) He has value, a whole lot of it.

5) He has a fairly big contract.

I only don't understand why people think, he's going to be a throw in or traded away for nothing. He gets a lot of undeserved heat, but what do you expect. We are known as a terrible fan base for a reason.

Who gives up on a 27 year defense man, with his skill set. He's still better than most of the guys in the league despite his struggles last year. If the Canucks don't want him, teams will be lining up and if he falls into a team that deals with Edler properly, unlike the Canucks. Then, it's going to bite us in the ass.

I've been saying forever. Get a true puck moving defense man, and not only does it fix the Twins ability to move quicker up the ice. Edler gets back to playing his game. Stupid team has him playing as a puck moving for the past few years because they were too cheap to re-sign Ehrhoff and expected Edler to replace Ehrhoff's point production. The new coach will probably help Edler's game unless it's the management being dumb and telling the coaching staff to use Edler as a puck mover defense man, like they have.

Edler is better off going to Detroit, where he can developed properly and turn into the defense man everyone thought he'd be. This allows the Bieksa fan boys to have a reason to keep Bieksa. Aside from Beiksa, the Defense on the team is soft like butter. Teams love playing against the Canucks cause it doesn't hurt to fore check or go into the zone. One of the many reasons, team has failed to have playoff success. Edler's the only one that can throw a hit to someone that is 6'3+

[BedBeats™2.0]

In his "career year" he still managed to only break even on +/- despite all those points. Guy has been nothing but a total liability in his own end for his time here in Vancouver and he hasn't shown signs of improvement. As for the injury, unless Edler is the only member of our species whose brain is located in his back, he can't use it as an excuse for his numerous turnovers.

[DownUndaCanuck]

If you have an asset, you don't just trade it away. A season ago, there was some serious Norris talk concerning Edler. He and Peitrangelo were both up there in terms of new, up and coming defencemen. Then he has a real rough playoffs against L.A, a pretty average half-season and another bad playoffs and he's tradeable?

Look at the Cup winners of the last decade. Pretty much all of them had a Norris-winner or Norris-nominee on their blueline. You win in this league nowadays with depth down the middle, good goaltending and 1 star defenceman.

Quite frankly, the Canucks haven't had a top-5 NHL defenceman as far back as I can remember. Ehrhoff finished 9th in Norris trophy voting and of course, going head to head against Chara, guess who came out on top. Guys like Bieksa, Hamhuis, Garrison and Tanev are all great top-4 defencemen, but they aren't the best in the league, and that's what it takes to win a Cup.

Now Alex Edler still has plenty of potential, and unlike the others, he can still reach that potential if we mould him properly. He's a season off a 49-point, outstanding year, and while he has had 2 brutal playoffs in a row (and a bad abbreviated season), he's still young enough to turn the corner and become one of the league's best.

No disrespect to Tanev or Corrado, but they don't have the potential that Edler does. If the Canucks have a chance at a top defenceman in this league (and therefore a chance at the Cup), it's with Edler. Better to develop him and work with him than trade him away for a depth forward.

[73 Percent]

If you have an asset, you don't just trade it away. A season ago, there was some serious Norris talk concerning Edler. He and Peitrangelo were both up there in terms of new, up and coming defencemen. Then he has a real rough playoffs against L.A, a pretty average half-season and another bad playoffs and he's tradeable?

Look at the Cup winners of the last decade. Pretty much all of them had a Norris-winner or Norris-nominee on their blueline. You win in this league nowadays with depth down the middle, good goaltending and 1 star defenceman.

Quite frankly, the Canucks haven't had a top-5 NHL defenceman as far back as I can remember. Ehrhoff finished 9th in Norris trophy voting and of course, going head to head against Chara, guess who came out on top. Guys like Bieksa, Hamhuis, Garrison and Tanev are all great top-4 defencemen, but they aren't the best in the league, and that's what it takes to win a Cup.

Now Alex Edler still has plenty of potential, and unlike the others, he can still reach that potential if we mould him properly. He's a season off a 49-point, outstanding year, and while he has had 2 brutal playoffs in a row (and a bad abbreviated season), he's still young enough to turn the corner and become one of the league's best.

No disrespect to Tanev or Corrado, but they don't have the potential that Edler does. If the Canucks have a chance at a top defenceman in this league (and therefore a chance at the Cup), it's with Edler. Better to develop him and work with him than trade him away for a depth forward.

[aGENT]

If you have an asset, you don't just trade it away. A season ago, there was some serious Norris talk concerning Edler. He and Peitrangelo were both up there in terms of new, up and coming defencemen. Then he has a real rough playoffs against L.A, a pretty average half-season and another bad playoffs and he's tradeable?

Look at the Cup winners of the last decade. Pretty much all of them had a Norris-winner or Norris-nominee on their blueline. You win in this league nowadays with depth down the middle, good goaltending and 1 star defenceman.

Quite frankly, the Canucks haven't had a top-5 NHL defenceman as far back as I can remember. Ehrhoff finished 9th in Norris trophy voting and of course, going head to head against Chara, guess who came out on top. Guys like Bieksa, Hamhuis, Garrison and Tanev are all great top-4 defencemen, but they aren't the best in the league, and that's what it takes to win a Cup.

Now Alex Edler still has plenty of potential, and unlike the others, he can still reach that potential if we mould him properly. He's a season off a 49-point, outstanding year, and while he has had 2 brutal playoffs in a row (and a bad abbreviated season), he's still young enough to turn the corner and become one of the league's best.

No disrespect to Tanev or Corrado, but they don't have the potential that Edler does. If the Canucks have a chance at a top defenceman in this league (and therefore a chance at the Cup), it's with Edler. Better to develop him and work with him than trade him away for a depth forward.

[Lipschitz]

Edler can be a great defenseman when he wants to be, and he can also be incredibly lame.

His offensive production isn't the problem in my humble opinion. He is an all star because of this, most assuredly.

This issue that I have with him is his defensive play. He just isn't very good in his own end. At least not under the AV regime, which thank the stars is over!

Edler, as of July 5th, 2013, will be the highest paid defenseman on the Vancouver Canucks. He has to bring a level of consistency to his role. He has to be the best all around defenseman to justify his salary.

No more games where he disappears. No more hideous turnovers (while I understand that all players turn the puck over, some of his ...cough, Kopitar, cough...are the stuff of pee wee league). No more watching players enter the crease and doing nothing about it. And especially no stupid hits like his international snafu on Staal.

The question is whether Edler has peaked or whether he is still improving. I can't claim to know, as I merely watch the sport.

However, if this season begins and Edler still is plagued by inconsistency, the new contract should be considered another nail in Gillis' coffin. Unless whomever takes over as head coach benches his ass if he plays lazy.

Let's hope for the best though, huh? Let's hope Edler taps into his inner viking and becomes the defenseman this team desperately needs.

Lipschitz out.