(Rumour) Eklund says Canucks interested in Lars Eller

[Alflives]

The only scenario that makes sense for me is if we're giving up a vet straight up for Eller because Montreal is going for it.

Any scenario where we're giving up a young player or a prospect for a player who would be redundant on the team IMO, doesn't make sense.

That makes sense, so would Eller be worth Burrows or Higgins?

[bloodycanuckleheads]

Benning's the greatest thing that ever happened to Eklund - now it doesn't matter how crazy his made-up rumours are, they'll all sound perfectly reasonable compared to the real thing...

[Ilya Mikheyev]

So we give up Higgins and Vey for Eller?

We gave up a 2nd for Vey, and could likely fetch a 2nd for Higgins at the deadline. So that's essentially two 2nd round picks traded for Eller.

Add to that we would be giving up 60 points from our roster in exchange for 27 at the same cost.

Not really good asset management IMO.

Not necessarily what I said, just that there could be some sense to this "Eklund rumour." The package could look a lot different. What about Vey and Higgins for Eller and Lernout? Lernout solves the Canucks lacking waiver ineligible defenseman on Utica issue, fills the role of big depth defenseman, is right-handed and only 19.

Canucks took a risk by giving up a 2nd for Vey, his value certainly didn't go up last season, and they wouldn't get a 2nd for him in the current market. Higgins might get the Canucks anywhere between a 2nd and a 4th depending on the market at deadline, and providing he doesn't get injured.

That's not really how it works either, and you know that, trading Higgins gives an extra LW a spot on the line up, probably Kenins would be the most direct replacement (or Baertschi). Kenins can probably put up 23-26 points over a full season, and Eller will put up 25-30. So, the Canucks lose maybe 4-6 points if Eller doesn't benefit from a change of scenery.

I think you're also underestimating how big of an upgrade Eller is at C than Linden Vey, unless Vey does a complete 180 from last year, which is very high risk asset management. Eller is way stronger on the puck, is a bigger body on the ice, just as quick and wayyyy more responsible defensively.

In my own opinion, there would be just as much of a chance of Eller breaking out in a Canucks uniform as there Linden Vey, but if neither do, Eller still has a NHL-level skillset as a non top-6 center.

Eller threw over 75 hits last year, Vey had 14. Vey got in the way of 9 shots, Eller, 37. Vey was 42 percent in the circle, Eller was 51. 7/15 of Eller's goals last year were GWG, Vey had 2/10. Eller PKed for about 1.5 minutes per game, even though Willie Desjardins had a past relation with Vey, he PKed about 1.5 minutes the entire season.

There's also a pretty good blog here: http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/analysis/2015/3/30/8311149/lars-eller-canadiens-tomas-plekanec-david-desharnais-analysis, showing Eller providing good, reliable 2-way play while having very inconsistent linemates under Therrien.

Remember, Eller is like 2 years older than Vey, and since coming to the NHL has 34 points in 39 international/SM-Liiga games. He has all the tools, and has ALREADY proven he can be a valuable role player if not a top-6 forward, unlike Vey.

[Pears]

Why do we need Eller and where does he fit in the line up? Just eklund throwing crap at the wall hoping it sticks.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

Why do we need Eller and where does he fit in the line up? Just eklund throwing crap at the wall hoping it sticks.

'Cuz the Canucks have 3 3rd lines instead of a 2nd, 3rd and 4th line under Wille Desjardins and Linden Vey is most likely not going to be a factor in a playoff round.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

To Montreal: Chris Higgins, Linden Vey, a 4th round pick.

To Vancouver: Lars Eller, Brett Lernout, Canucks' 5th back.

[Alflives]

Why do we need Eller and where does he fit in the line up? Just eklund throwing crap at the wall hoping it sticks.

Eller fits the age gap left by Gillis. Plus, he's a two way physical guy with character. He could play wing, or Sutter could. Or he could centre the fourth line. If we traded Burrows and Vey for him, the money works out fine.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

I have liked Eller for a while. Offensively, he hasn't gotten a far shake in Montreal. Which is nutso because those guys need goals. But they also need a proper C vacancy for Galchenyuk. Reason he wasn't playing there already was their desperate need for wingers.

We would absolutely need to make a roster spot available for him. Montreal needs wingers.

Thinking Higgins + Jensen for Eller + pick.

Baertschi - Sutter - Vrbata

Dorsett - Eller - Hansen

Prust - Horvat - Vey

Kenins, Virtanen

I don't like how far down Horvat would drop. But he could use another year in a low pressure situation to continue his development.

With Vey officially moving to wing we were needing a C. Unfortunately with Kenins on a one-way and Virtanen with a foot in, we were stuck.

If this move goes through it tells me that not only McCaan not make the team this year, but he'd spend next in the AHL - right where he should be.

Good point about Galy, with the signing of Torrey Mitchell Montreal now has 5-6 centres (Plekanec, Galchenyuk, Desharnias, Eller, Mitchell, De La Rose), while the Canucks have 5-7 LWs (Higgins, Sedin, Burrows, Kenins, Baertschi, Prust, Jensen (plus, Gaunce and Shink as depth)).

[Ilya Mikheyev]

Plus, have you all seen Eller's sick wrist shot?

[canuktravella]

I think I would do something like:

To MTL

Vrabata

Vey

Jensen

To VAN

Eller

2016 first

barf id slit my wrists thats a shear rip off for vey will get us a second at draft andvrbata coukd get us a first and second at deadline

[Ilya Mikheyev]

Linden Vey's current trade value is at most a 4th round pick.

In that trade the Canucks get a 1st for Vrbata, and Eller for Vey + Jensen, it's actually not the worst trade ever suggested. But at this point, I don't think it's a good idea for the Canucks to trade Vrbata until the deadline (after what we've seen with contenders being slow to sign players...at the end of the season I thought differently).

[DeNiro]

Linden Vey's current trade value is at most a 4th round pick.

In that trade the Canucks get a 1st for Vrbata, and Eller for Vey + Jensen, it's actually not the worst trade ever suggested. But at this point, I don't think it's a good idea for the Canucks to trade Vrbata until the deadline (after what we've seen with contenders being slow to sign players...at the end of the season I thought differently).

I think we could fetch a 3rd for Vey if we really wanted to trade him. He's still young, has put up good points at every level, and had 24 points in his first season. Dorsett went for a 3rd after all.

Regardless, why do we wanna keep falling into the same trap of trading young players before we know what we really have? The new focus should be on patience, because the worst thing we could do right now is trade away a young asset that goes on to become a star.

[JeremyCuddles]

In what way do we need Eller? Bo is ready for the 3rd line. Not picking up Eller to stick him on the 4th line.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

I think we could fetch a 3rd for Vey if we really wanted to trade him. He's still young, has put up good points at every level, and had 24 points in his first season. Dorsett went for a 3rd after all.

Regardless, why do we wanna keep falling into the same trap of trading young players before we know what we really have? The new focus should be on patience, because the worst thing we could do right now is trade away a young asset that goes on to become a star.

Dorsett brings a ton of other things to the table though. He brings as many points as Linden, plus a whole ton of grit and physical play. If both players were getting 0 points, who would you rather have on the ice? Same deal if they're both getting 25.

Do you really think Vey is going to become a star? At the most, he might put up 45-55 points if everything goes right. Eller is only 26, while Vey is 24, and has already paced at a 53 point pace (lockout year). It's not like Eller is an old man, and it's not like Vey looks like he's about to explode into a 55 point player.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one DeNiro, everytime I've watched Eller I've been extremely impressed and think he could easily become a higher offensive producer in a different environment, and brings way more to the table than Vey.

[DeNiro]

Dorsett brings a ton of other things to the table though. He brings as many points as Linden, plus a whole ton of grit and physical play. If both players were getting 0 points, who would you rather have on the ice? Same deal if they're both getting 25.

Do you really think Vey is going to become a star? At the most, he might put up 45-55 points if everything goes right. Eller is only 26, while Vey is 24, and has already paced at a 53 point pace (lockout year). It's not like Eller is an old man, and it's not like Vey looks like he's about to explode into a 55 point player.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one DeNiro, everytime I've watched Eller I've been extremely impressed and think he could easily become a higher offensive producer in a different environment, and brings way more to the table than Vey.

It's not simply about who you would rather have. Even though the direct comparison of the two is pointless because they fill different needs. Age, salary, contract status, and potential factor in too, so yes he would be worth a 3rd IMO.

I don't think it's likely Vey becomes a star, but that's just based on odds. There's alot of players I didn't think would become stars but did (Gaudreau, Johnson, Toffoli) . To pretend to know what his future holds is just guessing. Giving up on him will 100% mean he never becomes a star for us though.

Eller has had one good season to show that he could be a top 6. Every other season he has shown that he is more likely a 30-40 point player at best. A young Jannik Hansen pretty much. I'm willing to bank on Vey reaching that level for us in the next couple years at a much cheaper cost.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

From May:

Lars Eller, who faced his fair share of scrutiny this season, took an interesting approach when answering a question about how happy he was with his role on the Canadiens this year.

Here’s the video from today’s end-of-year media availability.

And here’s the transcript:

Q: Were you happy with your role this year?

A: [Eight-second pause]

[Laugh]

As a player, you always want more. You’re never satisfied. You always want to play more, you always want to take another step, and I’m still hungry to improve.

Eller (27 points) was something of a disappointment in the first of a four-year, $14 million deal signed last July. There were big things expected following the lockout-shortened ’13 campaign in which he scored 30 points in 48 games and last year’s playoffs, in which he led all Montreal forwards with 13 points in 17 games.

Instead of progressing, though, his production plateaued. Eller also sat as a healthy scratch at the beginning of the year and missed time with an upper-body injury in December, and never really seemed to find his groove. His deployment also became a topic of conversation in Montreal, as he averaged less than 16 minutes per game in both the regular season and playoffs.

Looking ahead, this could be a situation worth monitoring. Eller’s been a lineup fixture in Montreal over the last five years but it’s unclear how he’ll fit under head coach Michel Therrien moving forward. Also unclear? The status of their relationship.

- NBC Sports

[Ilya Mikheyev]

It's not simply about who you would rather have. Even though the direct comparison of the two is pointless because they fill different needs. Age, salary, contract status, and potential factor in too, so yes he would be worth a 3rd IMO.

I don't think it's likely Vey becomes a star, but that's just based on odds. There's alot of players I didn't think would become stars but did (Gaudreau, Johnson, Toffoli) . To pretend to know what his future holds is just guessing. Giving up on him will 100% mean he never becomes a star for us though.

Eller has had one good season to show that he could be a top 6. Every other season he has shown that he is more likely a 30-40 point player at best. A young Jannik Hansen pretty much. I'm willing to bank on Vey reaching that level for us in the next couple years at a much cheaper cost.

I doubt any GM right now would give up a 3rd for Vey.

Even if Vey becomes 30-40 point player, he doesn't bring much else: he's not physical, not strong on the puck, is not someone who is reliable defensively or good in the defensive zone. He doesn't block shots or PK.

It's not about pretending to know what the future holds, it's about managing risk. There's a very low chance Vey is going to carve out a NHL career as a top-6 forward, maybe somewhere between a Jason Krog and a Lee Stempniak. Eller is already a proven NHLer who might be a bit overpaid for his offensive production, but can fill a role as a 2-way player and do it well.

If GMJB got a package similar to what I'm suggesting: Linden Vey, Chris Higgins and a 4th for Lars Eller, Brett Lernout and the Canucks 5th back, I'd be stoked.

[DeNiro]

I'd love to have Eller if it was a Higgins for Eller swap.

I'm not interested in doing a youth for youth swap though. Lateral movements aren't what we need. We need youth for vets.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

I'd love to have Eller if it was a Higgins for Eller swap.

I'm not interested in doing a youth for youth swap though. Lateral movements aren't what we need. We need youth for vets.

Vey is basically a throw-in, as he'd have no place on the Canucks anyway once they got Eller, maybe at most as a 13th-14th forward. Otherwise, he'd be put on waivers or moved quickly for a low draft pick.

[DeNiro]

I doubt any GM right now would give up a 3rd for Vey.

We gave up a 2nd for Vey and a 3rd for Pedan before they even played in the NHL full time.

Since then Vey's gone on to have a respectable rookie season where he put up 3 less points than the 3.5 million dollar player you want to trade him for.

I'm not saying Vey is gonna be a 30 goal scorer, but you're undervaluing him quite a bit. You're acting like he's just going to stop developing after one season in the NHL.