[Speculation] Kesler to remain a Canuck

[TOMapleLaughs]

Umm no, they're not even in the same league. Ryan and and Kesler are comparable that's why I bring it up. If you get a return like that for Bobby ryan then it's not all doom and gloom.

Ryan's a winger, so no. Not comparable.

A closer one might be Mike Richards. But Philly had Giroux waiting in the wings, ready to take over. We have prospects who are years away.

[CrazyAL]

I think he gets traded, and it's the best move for the team if he does. People need to stop holding on here, if they don't bring in some younger guys they'll be bottom feeders for a long time. Even without Kesler they still have a chance at grabbing some wildcards over the next couple years before youth movement starts to kick in and if not missing the playoffs for a season or two isn't the worse thing that could happen anyway.

[missioncanucksfan]

Players that I think have some questions marks regarding character and locker room issues

Kes

Burr

Bieksa

I think those three might have a bit of a clique going, and I think Luongo was probably part of that group. They are the most likely, in my opinion, to be vets most likely to be moved.

BINGO!!!

Add Edler to that list as well

They are ALL a part of an aging nucleus whos best before dates are coming up if not already up.

Of the 4, I would only rethink Bieksa but Im sure we could package him to a few places out east and get decent return.

Burrows can go to Rangers as Im sure AV would welcome him with open arms. He too could get something fair in return. Also $4.5mil can be spent elsewhere.

Back to Kesler.... Im certain he is saying all of the right things. Once a player demands a trade, I find their value plummets coz rival GMs know they already want out and what it means to a team when they have a player that doesnt want to be there

[Legend Killer]

Moving Kesler is short sighted, in my opinion. You don't just trade a way a sure fire, hard working player for prospects who might end up being good. If Kesler wants to stay, let him stay.

[Angry Goose]

After Torts interview, no doubt Kesler, Sedins and Bieksa are the heartbeat of the team. Hard to say what to do with him, extension or trade?

[Rypien37]

Exactly. I think the orgainization wants tkeep this core for at least one more season

And that would accomplish what?

[Warhippy]

Here are our options.

Keep Kesler and

A: let him play with the twins. now we need a 2nd line LW and Center.

B: Find him a non expensive playmaking top 6 center or winger, now we still need a genuine top 6 RW for him or the twins

C: Trade him and start bringing in youth and use his return of picks/prospects to get morecompetitve while using his cap hit to stop gap the bleeding, potential top 10 pick in 2015 for the trouble and come back ready in 2015/2016 with AHL tested youth

These are the options. Keeping him means we need to bring in more and it will NOT be cheap. Trading him means we accept the rebuild, and anyone who hasn't yet is kinda blind

[JiffyPB]

Moving Kesler is short sighted, in my opinion. You don't just trade a way a sure fire, hard working player for prospects who might end up being good. If Kesler wants to stay, let him stay.

It's actually short-sighted to keep him. Calgary traded Nieuwendyk for "prospects who might end up being good" and their consolation prize was Iginla. Following that logic, why trade ANY proven player for a prospect. Why bother trading Bobby Ryan to Ottawa because I guess Silfverberg could bust and the pick may not be good. Why trade Schneider for Horvat? You don't keep players just because they wanna stay (because Cory also wanted to stay), you make decisions based on what's best for your team and the best thing for this aging team is to infuse younger players with more potential rather than hold on to a veteran who has plateaued that you already have a succession plan for.

[missioncanucksfan]

Here are our options.

Keep Kesler and

A: let him play with the twins. now we need a 2nd line LW and Center.

B: Find him a non expensive playmaking top 6 center or winger, now we still need a genuine top 6 RW for him or the twins

C: Trade him and start bringing in youth and use his return of picks/prospects to get morecompetitve while using his cap hit to stop gap the bleeding, potential top 10 pick in 2015 for the trouble and come back ready in 2015/2016 with AHL tested youth

These are the options. Keeping him means we need to bring in more and it will NOT be cheap. Trading him means we accept the rebuild, and anyone who hasn't yet is kinda blind

C

his answer at the presser spoke volumes...in my eyes he is already gone

I AM sad tho coz he definately was one of my faves for years since he punched out Iginla.

Get the draft picks, if Pouliot comes then we have a great young pmd to grow with our young prospects

[NucksCup2015]

I don't buy this at all.

But it's going to probably take a fairly long post to explain why. Here goes:

I see Kesler as a very sensitive player. He needs to feel like he's wanted. If the team comes to him and asks him to potentially waive for a trade, he's going to take that personally and feel like they don't want him and they think they can be better without him.

You can't overstate how something like that would play on a guy like Kesler.

He's not going to block a trade and stay where he feels he's not wanted.

I think that the whole trade thing came directly from management and Kesler was probably upset that he was approached. Whatever relationship he had with MG and the former regime was likely damaged irreparably (and this is one of the few reasons why Gillis truly needed to go).

You have to consider how Kesler has consistently responded to suggestions that he was the one who started the process of him being shopped. He gets visibly angry and bristles at the idea that he asked for a trade. His denials are extremely strong.

It's clear that the deadline period was very difficult for Kesler and the experience weighed heavily on him emotionally. He's repeatedly talked about needing to lean on him teammates to get through it. How it's something he's never experienced before, never expected to happen, was never part of his life/family plans, and was never something he envisioned for his career with Vancouver.

I do think that his comments today make it pretty clear that he did agree to provide a list and accept a trade (if MG could work one out). I don't believe he ever wanted to leave but I think he also didn't want to stay if it meant that he was forcing management to keep him.

Kesler's a very proud guy and, like I said before, he's extremely sensitive.

I think he's 100% sincere when he says that he loves this city, loves the team, sees himself retiring here, doesn't know any other home (other than where he grew up), doesn't want to leave Vancouver, et cetera.

I just think that being shopped (and asked to waive) was something that probably wounded him deeply and created a situation where he would accept a trade. But he was never going to be happy leaving Vancouver.

I think that firing MG has probably done as much as is currently possible to repair the situation. Where things go in the future will largely depend on how Linden (and the next management team) approaches future dealings with Kesler.

And I think that Torts, if he stays in Vancouver, will very likely ask management to build this team around a core that includes Ryan Kesler. I do not get the sense that Torts sees Kesler as one of the core players that needs to be moved. If anything, I've consistently gotten the sense from Torts that he believes Kesler is the very last player who should be traded.

There's going to be some healing time necessary but if the Canucks decide to take the necessary steps to repair the relationship and move forward with Kesler, I can easily see him re-signing with Vancouver when his current deal expires.

That all said, if Linden decides it's in the team's best interest to try to use Kesler to acquire some of the assets needed for rebuilding the team, then Kesler will almost certainly accept the move.

Like I said before, Kesler is not the type of guy who would force a team to keep him if he feels like he's not wanted. That doesn't mean he doesn't have "his heart in Vancouver." If anything, I'd say it suggests that his feelings for this city and team run very deep.

I agree, his words today sounded very genuine, they were not 'prepared' and I too noticed his anger when Farhan Lalji asked that question, and he responded about twitter - he was annoyed

I think this guy, like Bieksa bleeds Canucks, and if you think that Trev didn't send a message today about who his "core" is by placing the Twins, Juice and Kesler at the presser to answer questions.....well i can't help ya

I don't think Kes is going anywhere and sounds to me as well as though MG probably tried to move him to save his own hide, and Acqua man probably blocked it and then said WTF - umm you're fired dufus.

[Horny Manatee]

Didn't TL say FAq had not contacted him. Next day he's president. Then TL admits he lied.

BUT this time it's for real. Right?

[Del Rio]

What are you talking about? Only real wingers he's had are Demitra, Sundin, and Samuelsson. 2/3 of those guys being old and close to washed up and yet he still had career years.

You can't demand a player to change his style of play for x players. As a GM, you should realize his weaknesses and strength and work around that. Kes has more than every right to be upset. He hasn't had a proper winger for years now and it's wasting years on his career and the Canucks.

Kesler is not a good PLAYMAKING center period.

[Tre Mac]

Linden must see so much of himself in the way Kesler plays that, unless Kes flat out demands to be traded, I can't fathom seeing him in another jersey ever.

[CanucksSayEh]

Kesler is not a good PLAYMAKING center period.

He's not great, but certainly good. Man is more than a capable set-up artist, has hit 50 assist before, not because he was a better passer, but because his wingers scored goals. Only Kesler has kept up his goal scoring, so obviously his assists are gonna take a hit.

While he is a shoot 1st player, that is by no means a bad thing. We want our best scorer to shoot. It also creates rebound chances = playmaking. It's not Henrik pretty with no look passes and such, but it works. Kassian should be ready to fill that winger void next season. Maybe an FA too.

Henrik is one of the best playmakers in the game, but no matter how good he is, take away the goalscoring beside him, and he can't even break 50 points.

[-DLC-]

Players that I think have some questions marks regarding character and locker room issues

Kes

Burr

Bieksa

I think those three might have a bit of a clique going, and I think Luongo was probably part of that group. They are the most likely, in my opinion, to be vets most likely to be moved.

Why on EARTH would you speculate on something like this?

It isn't high school....there is NO indication of this stuff at all. Other than they've played together for a very long time so it's only natural to have a bond in that. Doesn't mean it's a negative...I'd say more so a positive thing.

I often attend training camp and open practices and there is not a hint of this. It would likely be apparent, but not a trace. I don't buy it, at all and at least if you throw something like this out there, give supporting argument/evidence. Because without it, it's meaningless.

Why do people dig for dirt that isn't there?

Character?

[Merci]

Why keep Kesler? He's just gonna walk in 2 years

This

Get him out

[TheRussianRocket.]

Sid Is user - nailed it dead on. Just perfectly put.

You are absolutely correct and that is exactly how I feel the situation was and is and right now, Kes is here to stay unless a sudden, dramatic turn of events occur overnight.

[Westcoasting]

As much as I like Kesler I think he is done here and will ask for a tase this offseason.

[shiznak]

Keeping Kesler would only hurt this team in the long run.

Similar situation with Linden in 98. If we didn't trade Trevor, there would be no McCabe, which means no Sedins.

Linden and the new GM need to seriously sit down with these players with NTCs (mainly Kesler, Edler, Higgins, Garrison, and Burrows) and tell them that we're going in a different direction with the club. We need to get younger, and might not contend for the Cup for another 3-4 years. You can either stay and honour your contract, even though we might not win many games or you can submit a list of teams and we'll try to trade you to a Cup contender.

[Bure to Mogilny]

Holmgren: I will not buyout Bryzgalov. I gave Carter and Richards NTC's and I plan to honour them

Yzerman: St Louis is a Bolt for life. I have no plans to exercise a buyout on Lecavelier

Gillis: Schneider is our #1

Sundin: I will retire a Leaf

See the pattern. People say things ALL the time in this league

Exactly they say what they gotto and things change or the right trade proposal comes around. Teams want kessler and im sure therell be some gms making offers and if one is sweet enough linden has to take it. Might as well we are oficially in rebuild mode