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Canucks are victims of bad timing


Makaramel MacKhiato

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It started with the draft last year. The Canucks looked poised to have a top 3 pick, getting a foundational player that could quickly turn the tide on the direction the organization was headed. Unfortunately, the previous summer it was announced that the process of the draft lottery would change from one lottery pick, to 3. Canucks were surpassed by 2 other teams and wound up with Olli Juolevi, a defenseman with great potential and upside, but still not in the same talented boat as the other 3. The Canucks saw their best draft standing in a decade drop 2 spots, outside of the range to land a game-changing player. You could see the disappointment in ownership's faces as the order was being called out.

This season, yet again, Canucks have found themselves victim to the NHL expansion. They know they have to sell and rebuild, but are handcuffed by the cap on protected players. Teams, who may have once been willing to trade draft picks, are much less likely to do so this year because trading draft picks for a player means that said player also needs to be protected and another roster player exposed. Either way, a roster player will be lost by potential trade partners. The Canucks are also victim to handcuffed from trading their own players. Players like Luca Sbisa, who can land a decent haul right now, have to be kept playing minimal minutes in order that they could be exposed over other roster players. 

The Canucks have their feet stuck in the mud and are drastically limited by the amount of changes that the NHL is making. What could've been a franchise prospect and a season to rebuild has been manipulated into a hopeful prospect and a season of watching and waiting, as we sit motionless until next season, watching out tradable assets lose their value as their production dwindles and their age increases. 

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It sucks, but it is what it is. With the Oilers taking so many #1's in such a short period of time it was inevitable something was going to give. Sadly they also benefited from the change and wound up with McJesus. We got burnt by it last draft though, definitely. And with Vegas coming in we're likely to be burnt by it again if we finish bottom three.

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The Canucks have never had good luck, that's just the way it is. You make do with what you have and try your best. We don't have a cup contending team, but we also don't have a bottom feeder team. The fact that we are where we are points to one guy and his name rhymes with chili and he should be freed very soon.

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Yes. Also remember how expensive TDL aquisitions used to be? 3rd line players, bottom pairing dmen , and backup goalies would go for a 2nd. We paid a 2nd for Noronen who was a 3rd string goalie with only 4 games that year and got only a  3rd for Lack who was a starter on a playoff team with really solid numbers.

 

Garbage players like Bartkowski and Weber would have easily fetched us a 3rd or 4th back in the mid-early 2000s. Hamhuis would have gone for a small randsom. We couldn't get a single pick back!

 

In the old days we would have went into the draft with an extra 1st, 2nd, and probably 3 4th round picks (given deadline activity) plus we would have drafted 3rd overall. 

 

I agree - new times are far less friendly to teams trying to rebuild. We suck at the worst time !

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Gotta d.i.y. in the end in life if you want to be successful anyhow.

 

This franchise isn't cut out to be spoon fed anything.

 

But before we feel too sorry for ourselves over draft position last year, let's wait and see what Juolevi becomes.

 

I for one won't be lamenting that pick anytime soon.

 

If I were going to cry about something, it would be for the Leafs - that they're stuck with Matthews when they could have had the best player in the draft lol.

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42 minutes ago, MJDDawg said:

Victims?

 

You're obviously too young to remember the roulette wheel in the teams' very first draft.

 

Nope. The Canucks are not victims. They're actually cursed.

 

What about when we were gonna draft Coffey at 7 but Edmonton took him instead at 6 so we drafted Rick Lanz. :o

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59 minutes ago, shattenkirk8 said:

It started with the draft last year. The Canucks looked poised to have a top 3 pick, getting a foundational player that could quickly turn the tide on the direction the organization was headed. Unfortunately, the previous summer it was announced that the process of the draft lottery would change from one lottery pick, to 3. Canucks were surpassed by 2 other teams and wound up with Olli Juolevi, a defenseman with great potential and upside, but still not in the same talented boat as the other 3. The Canucks saw their best draft standing in a decade drop 2 spots, outside of the range to land a game-changing player. You could see the disappointment in ownership's faces as the order was being called out.

This season, yet again, Canucks have found themselves victim to the NHL expansion. They know they have to sell and rebuild, but are handcuffed by the cap on protected players. Teams, who may have once been willing to trade draft picks, are much less likely to do so this year because trading draft picks for a player means that said player also needs to be protected and another roster player exposed. Either way, a roster player will be lost by potential trade partners. The Canucks are also victim to handcuffed from trading their own players. Players like Luca Sbisa, who can land a decent haul right now, have to be kept playing minimal minutes in order that they could be exposed over other roster players. 

The Canucks have their feet stuck in the mud and are drastically limited by the amount of changes that the NHL is making. What could've been a franchise prospect and a season to rebuild has been manipulated into a hopeful prospect and a season of watching and waiting, as we sit motionless until next season, watching out tradable assets lose their value as their production dwindles and their age increases. 

 

Juolevi could become better than PLD or Pool Party. So we don't know yet whether we were cursed or not. Dropping to 5 could actually turn out to be a blessing if Juolevi turns out to be OEL. 

 

As for the expansion draft we can easily trade Sbisa if we want to and get Biega to play his 19 games. Teams trying to win the Cup are not gonna worry about that one player they are gonna lose at the expansion draft.  Their plans will not change. If we decide to be a seller at the deadline guys like Sbisa, Hansen and others can easily be traded to a Cup contender. We will have the cap space to take expiring contracts. As for players that need to be exposed the Canucks are one of the best teams right now in terms of being able to protect their top players. Only guys like Gaunce and Dorsett and Rodin would have to be exposed on the forward side and Sbisa, Biega and Pedan on defence. 

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36 minutes ago, smokes said:

If you look at the history of the Canucks, you will see that they have been jinxed since the first draft when they had to draft Dave Tallon.

well we could have taken Leach, McLeish or Darryl Sittler

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35 minutes ago, shattenkirk8 said:

It started with the draft last year. The Canucks looked poised to have a top 3 pick, getting a foundational player that could quickly turn the tide on the direction the organization was headed. Unfortunately, the previous summer it was announced that the process of the draft lottery would change from one lottery pick, to 3. Canucks were surpassed by 2 other teams and wound up with Olli Juolevi, a defenseman with great potential and upside, but still not in the same talented boat as the other 3. The Canucks saw their best draft standing in a decade drop 2 spots, outside of the range to land a game-changing player. You could see the disappointment in ownership's faces as the order was being called out.

This season, yet again, Canucks have found themselves victim to the NHL expansion. They know they have to sell and rebuild, but are handcuffed by the cap on protected players. Teams, who may have once been willing to trade draft picks, are much less likely to do so this year because trading draft picks for a player means that said player also needs to be protected and another roster player exposed. Either way, a roster player will be lost by potential trade partners. The Canucks are also victim to handcuffed from trading their own players. Players like Luca Sbisa, who can land a decent haul right now, have to be kept playing minimal minutes in order that they could be exposed over other roster players. 

The Canucks have their feet stuck in the mud and are drastically limited by the amount of changes that the NHL is making. What could've been a franchise prospect and a season to rebuild has been manipulated into a hopeful prospect and a season of watching and waiting, as we sit motionless until next season, watching out tradable assets lose their value as their production dwindles and their age increases. 

Conspiracy?  No, I don't think you're suggesting that anyways.

 

The Canucks will draft the player who they think that will benefit the team the most over the expected career of that player.  The player who most fit the need was Juolevi.  The defenseman with the most upside at the time.   5 months after the draft Matthews, Laine and Pulijarvi.  The 3rd pick, DuBois and the 5th pick Juolevi have returned to their junior teams.  The 6th pick, Tkachuk is playing for the Flames.  Chychrun who was taken 16th by Arizona is playing.  The rest are not.  Should we be crying because Juolevi is in junior?  No.  Gimme a break.

 

They draft for the player who they think will have the best career.  Not who they think will make the NHL as a teenager.  In fact, sometimes 1st OA picks don't turn out to be what was expected.  We saw the Oilers trade 2 such players, Hall and Yakupov last summer.

 

Please don't tell me that the Canucks are a special case.  Every team must tailor their plans to whatever is going on with the league be it expansion, or lockouts, or compressed schedules or whatever.  It goes with the territory.  Every team has equal warning of what may be coming.  

 

It's all good.  The Canucks will be fine.  Give them time.

 

 

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