[Speculation] Ehrhoff would take 1-year deal, CBJ kicking tires.

[oldnews]

The Hoff reminds me of Brett Favre a few yrs ago, smelly old fart who still thinks he is worth top cheese.

Ha, nice pun. Cheese Packers know the value of cheese though.

[DeNiro]

No ones going to offer him what he thinks he deserves, otherwise he would have already signed somewhere.

So he has to weigh what he can make this season vs which team gives him the best chance to get a bigger contract after this season.

I still think the Canucks offer him the best opportunity if they're interested. Sign him for a mil, play him with the Sedins and he puts up 40 points. Then he's more likely to get one last big contract. Whereas if he goes to Columbus for 2 mil, he might only put up 25-30 points.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

He owes the Sedins a boatload of cash for his last few winfalls, that's for sure.

I'd have thought Crosby, Malkin et al would have inflated his numbers though.

I'd take a pass at this point - if he got realistic about his value and was willing to sign in the depth D price range I might think about it, but I'm not sure the present Ehrhoff's overall game is better than our young D (actually I'd take Corrado over him in a heartbeat) and I'd prefer develop them as opposed to feed the minutes to Baywatch. Corrado in particular - would hate to see him idling around due to Ehrhoff.

Ehrhoff is also another left handed guy who'd presumably be playing on the right side - which makes sense on the powerplay but otherwise he's just not worth bothering with imo.

He may makes sense in Columbus where Mike Reilly walked and they need a bridge to Werenski.

Injuries often derail a player's offensive groove esp. on a new team, the Penguins have Letang and had Despres for part of the season, and he still paced for 23 points (would 2nd amongst Canuck defenseman).

Year before that he came 4th on the Sabres in points with 33. Remember, the team's leader (Hodgson) had 44...He's not far removed from being a sought-after PMD.

I would love to see Corrado take on a larger role - but I don't understand why so many here think he should be handed a top-6 spot. Sure, he's a good skater and looks smooth and Ben Kuzma says he deserves a spot, but he's only played 28 NHL games, in which he has 2 points and is -9, and 5 giveaways in 10 GP last year while only averaging 15 minutes per. He had the lowest amount of points of any Utica player to end the year in the playoffs and had some brutal plays against GR. He has potential, and maybe by deadline he would deserve a top-6 role, but giving him no competition to earn it is silly management. Remember, Tanev played 92 games before being given a full-time spot and was a year older when it was given to him.

If Ehrhoff can bring the Canucks a 2nd and a low-level prospect by having 25-30 points by deadline and gives the blueline more competition, I think it's OK to make Corrado work for his spot. If he's crap, throw him on waivers and give Corrado a larger chance.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

No ones going to offer him what he thinks he deserves, otherwise he would have already signed somewhere.

So he has to weigh what he can make this season vs which team gives him the best chance to get a bigger contract after this season.

I still think the Canucks offer him the best opportunity if they're interested. Sign him for a mil, play him with the Sedins and he puts up 40 points. Then he's more likely to get one last big contract. Whereas if he goes to Columbus for 2 mil, he might only put up 25-30 points.

Even a slightly bigger contract would be easy cap to move at the deadline. Of course, the Canucks would need to clear it by moving someone, likely Higgins.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

Signing Ehrhoff would also raise the value of Vrbata, since he would put up more points on the PP then.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

It’s inevitable. With cap space drying up and teams switching their focus to what the kids in their organization might be able to bring to the table, unemployed veterans need to lower their expectations now or gear up for what could be a very long and very humbling wait.

That means teams could find some real bargains over the next couple of weeks. Consider a player like Brad Boyes, who had 38 points and was +11 for a very mediocre Panthers team...Christian Ehrhoff already has a lowball offer on the table from the Blue Jackets, and the fact that no one has topped it sends a clear message to the veteran about his limited options. The 32-year-old blueliner is coming off a $4 million, one-year deal with Pittsburgh, but he'll be lucky to get half that much this time around after he missed most of the second half of 2014–15 with concussions and other injuries. If healthy, Ehrhoff can be a valuable top-four defenseman, but teams aren’t going to ante up knowing the risk.

- Sports Illustrated

[Ilya Mikheyev]

Chip Alexander @ice_chip

Curran also represents UFA D-man Christian Ehrhoff. Said Canes, like other teams, have shown interest in Ehrhoff.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

Ehrhoff would probably play the 1st PP with Faulk in Carolina, so it would actually probably be a good fit for him.

[Lancaster]

It's always funny how people automatically assume that Ehrhoff just road the tailcoats of Henrik and Daniel and in reality, all players had equal positive impact on each other.

The Sedins had their best years when Ehrhoff was playing with them. Neither players are in the upper echelons of players in the NHL the years before Christian arrived nor the years after his departure.

Ehrhoff haven't reached his ceilings outside those years as well.

Daniel, Henrik and Christian all COMPLEMENT each other, the same way Burrows does, something many on CDC can't seem to comprehend.

[DeNiro]

The Sedins had their best years when Ehrhoff was playing with them. Neither players are in the upper echelons of players in the NHL the years before Christian arrived nor the years after his departure.

Daniel and Henrik were top 10 in scoring last season.

Ehrhoff was 116th in points for defenseman last season.

I would say the Hoff needs them more than they need him.

[Crabcakes]

Daniel and Henrik were top 10 in scoring last season.

Ehrhoff was 116th in points for defenseman last season.

I would say the Hoff needs them more than they need him.

lets put the Hoff speculation to bed. he's not the same guy any more

[DeNiro]

lets put the Hoff speculation to bed. he's not the same guy any more

He's not in his prime anymore that's pretty obvious. But injuries played a role last season. He did put up 33 points the season before that on a terrible Buffalo team.

I think if he stays healthy he could still put up close to 40 points here. If we could get him here for 1-1.5 mil it's a no brainer.

[Lancaster]

Daniel and Henrik were top 10 in scoring last season.

Ehrhoff was 116th in points for defenseman last season.

I would say the Hoff needs them more than they need him.

Umm.... he was still almost 0.3 PPG.... that's very good for a player that's injured for a vast amount of time during the season and in a supporting/secondary role.

The production levels of the Sedins and Ehrhoff are positively correlated. Both benefited each other greatly. The Sedins are very good players without Ehrhoff.... but they're elite players with him. Ehrhoff is a good offensive defenseman without the Sedins, but he's like a near-elite offensive defenseman with the Sedins.

If you simply dismiss Ehrhoff's own personal abilities, it'll be the same as casting aside Burrows and treating him like some AHL plug who's only propped up by the twins.

[DeNiro]

Umm.... he was still almost 0.3 PPG.... that's very good for a player that's injured for a vast amount of time during the season and in a supporting/secondary role.

The production levels of the Sedins and Ehrhoff are positively correlated. Both benefited each other greatly. The Sedins are very good players without Ehrhoff.... but they're elite players with him. Ehrhoff is a good offensive defenseman without the Sedins, but he's like a near-elite offensive defenseman with the Sedins.

If you simply dismiss Ehrhoff's own personal abilities, it'll be the same as casting aside Burrows and treating him like some AHL plug who's only propped up by the twins.

0.3 PPG playing on one of the best powerplays in the league. Those are average numbers for a player of his caliber.

I agree that the Hoff made the Sedins better, which is why I want us to sign him for cheap. But I don't think he's the only D-man out there that would have an impact. I think if we had any legitimate powerplay QB over the last few years, their numbers would have been higher.

And top ten in scoring in the league does make them elite. Sure it's likely unsustainable next season, but the numbers speak for themselves.

[Lancaster]

0.3 PPG playing on one of the best powerplays in the league. Those are average numbers for a player of his caliber.

I agree that the Hoff made the Sedins better, which is why I want us to sign him for cheap. But I don't think he's the only D-man out there that would have an impact. I think if we had any legitimate powerplay QB over the last few years, their numbers would have been higher.

And top ten in scoring in the league does make them elite. Sure it's likely unsustainable next season, but the numbers speak for themselves.

I believe it's just synergy. Sometimes some players works better with certain other players. Much like how Burrows and Samuelsson is able to work so well with the twins even though you'd think that players like Pyatt and Bernier should theoretically be the better fit.

Malkin and Crosby are the "stand alone" type players. They can shoot, pass, carry the puck and do pretty much everything very proficiently. Henrik doesn't really shoot.... Daniel would rather pass.... and both aren't great at carrying the puck with speed. Ehrhoff is more than willing to blast the puck and he's pretty good at gaining entrance into the offensive zone, so he does what the Sedins don't do, thus he makes up for their weaknesses. On the other hand, Ehrhoff needs elite playmakers who think on the same wavelengths as him, which Daniel and Henrik does.

It's one of the reason why guys like Garrison is unable to contribute offensively when playing with the leading Canucks or anyone else, save Salo and Edler on the PP.

Then there's the Edler factor. While his most productive season was the year after Ehrhoff left, you noticed that he's just not quite "there". Perhaps it's his back injury and how he said it'll never be fully 100%, but when he was paired with Ehrhoff, you can see more confidence in him. He's the secondary offensive guy, with someone else quicker carrying the puck more confidently up the ice. Tanev is doing a good job holding Alex's hand, but he'll never be a threat offensively and to be honest, the same praises given to Tanev are nearly identical to those directed to Ehrhoff when he was in town.

It seemed that after the Boston series and when Christian decided to head to Buffalo, suddenly he's a "liability". Never mind the fact that was one of the league leaders when it comes to plus/minus... while not perfect, it does indicate you're doing something right (or wrong). Not only are his offensive stats intertwined with the Twins, his plus/minus are as well. Whenever he's -1, it's usually when the Sedins are on too. We all know they're not defensive stalwarts, but to simply use that as leverage to claim CE's defensive deficiency is disingenuous, as they're working as a group. IIRC, he was also playing the finals with a dislocated shoulder..... that should count for something.

I hope the Canucks can just sign him for cheap. With the amount of moving he's done in the last few years, perhaps offer him something a bit longer (3-4 years) and just pay him $3-4 AAV. Be a good replacement for Weber, and be a good way to fill in the void while waiting for Subban or Hutton to develop.

[aliboy]

I hope the Canucks can just sign him for cheap. With the amount of moving he's done in the last few years, perhaps offer him something a bit longer (3-4 years) and just pay him $3-4 AAV. Be a good replacement for Weber, and be a good way to fill in the void while waiting for Subban or Hutton to develop.

+1

2-3 years, $3M.

[Whatthepuck]

I was a big fan of Errorhoff while he was here, would definitely kick the tires and take him back at the right price.

what a sh*it hole buffalo is, hodgson washed our, erhoff washed out. they need some serious personnel changes in their head office.

[Goal:thecup]

You don't build a top team by treating your players like hockey cards.

Signing a guy just to flip him at the deadline is ridiculous and there is no guarantee any team will offer anything at all for him at the trade deadline.

Ehrhoff is not the player he was and even that player came with an "E" for "EEeek, it's getting rough out here!"

Imagine the howling if Benning had to add a draft pick to get rid of him!!

No to signing aging, unproductive, overpriced, difficult to move, free agents who suck the character out of a team and impede the development of our youth brigade.

Given, the defenseman brigade is short a top 4 (imo), a number of top prospects and a couple of NHL ready call-ups.

But signing players like Ehrhoff is not the way to build up the defense, he will just get in the way of development and drain enthusiasm from team morale.

In my opinion, we could really use a good old-fashioned "hockey trade" where Trev and Jim and John decide who we can move forward without and trade these players for a top 4 RD.

That would push Weber down to the third pairing and if said top 4 RD was also large and ornery, so much the better.

But don't waste cap space, roster space, team character, and prospect development over a flake like Ehrhoff.

And don't even imagine that the measly return you might get at the trade deadline will in any way compensate for these losses.

EDIT: grammar

[Lancaster]

You don't build a top team by treating your players like hockey cards.

Signing a guy just to flip him at the deadline is ridiculous and there is no guarantee any team will offer anything at all for him at the trade deadline.

Ehrhoff is not the player he was and even that player came with an "E" for "EEeek, it's getting rough out here!"

Imagine the howling if Benning had to add a draft pick to get rid of him!!

No to signing aging, unproductive, overpriced, difficult to move, free agents who suck the character out of a team and impede the development of our youth brigade.

Given, the defenseman brigade is short a top 4 (imo), a number of top prospects and a couple of NHL ready call-ups.

But signing players like Ehrhoff is not the way to build up the defense, he will just get in the way of development and drain enthusiasm from team morale.

In my opinion, we could really use a good old-fashioned "hockey trade" where Trev and Jim and John decide who we can move forward without and trade these players for a top 4 RD.

That would push Weber down to the third pairing and if said top 4 RD was also large and ornery, so much the better.

But don't waste cap space, roster space, team character, and prospect development over a flake like Ehrhoff.

And don't even imagine that the measly return you might get at the trade deadline will in any way compensate for these losses.

EDIT: grammar

When has he been unproductive? As for soft... I guess Tanev and Weber must be enforcers, eh? Lack of character.... much like Tanev....

Sometimes I wonder where people get their perceptions of players from.

[Goal:thecup]

Wonder away Clueless.

Unproductive the last few years.

What have Tanev and Weber to do with Ehrhoff's toughness?

Tanev has no character? What the ? I know he's built like a straw man, but...

Or maybe you weren't around when Ehrhoff was turtling through the playoffs?

Besides, none of our current D is tough; let's not add to that deficiency.

EDIT: Grammar