Jalen Chatfield | #63 | D

[Noble 6]

I indirectly watched him play a couple of weeks ago when the Spitfires played against Juolevi and the Knights. He looked pretty good out there and scored a goal. He rushed the puck through the neutral zone and found some space on the right side before hammering a clapper to the far side. He was moving the puck well and playing some good minutes (although Stanley is injured). The commentators were raving about his leadership along with Windsor's other co-captain. 

 

Overall, he looks like a good player to have. He should grow in Utica and could surprise us in a couple of years. I see that potential. Given that he is a character guy, he might have a higher chance of reaching that potential than someone else. 

 

This leads to a couple of questions regarding our contract situation though. How many contracts do we have for next year? I know that Chatfield and MacEwan's contracts kick in next year, but how does this affect us possibly giving contracts to Jasek, Neill, Boeser, Olsen, etc? 

 

If someone could clear this up it would be much appreciated. 

[Rick Blight]

33 minutes ago, Horvat is a Boss said:

I indirectly watched him play a couple of weeks ago when the Spitfires played against Juolevi and the Knights. He looked pretty good out there and scored a goal. He rushed the puck through the neutral zone and found some space on the right side before hammering a clapper to the far side. He was moving the puck well and playing some good minutes (although Stanley is injured). The commentators were raving about his leadership along with Windsor's other co-captain. 

 

Overall, he looks like a good player to have. He should grow in Utica and could surprise us in a couple of years. I see that potential. Given that he is a character guy, he might have a higher chance of reaching that potential than someone else. 

 

This leads to a couple of questions regarding our contract situation though. How many contracts do we have for next year? I know that Chatfield and MacEwan's contracts kick in next year, but how does this affect us possibly giving contracts to Jasek, Neill, Boeser, Olsen, etc? 

 

If someone could clear this up it would be much appreciated. 

As noted above we are at 47 of 50 and one of those will likely be going to Vegas in the expansion draft.

In addition, we have 15 UFA's/RFA's coming due this summer and I would expect a number of those won't be re-signed. Plus there are currently 7 players in Utica that will be UFA/RFA..

https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/canucks

Then there will likely be movement/trades during the summer which may increase/decrease that number.

I think it would be fair to say that we have lots of contract room to sign the players we really want for next season.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Rick Blight

[Beary Sweet]

I'm looking forward to seeing him suit up for Utica next year. If he is everything that's descripted in the scouting report (good skater, puck skills, join the rush, etc), we will have a good depth defenceman in our hands. Hope he makes his case next training camp!

[RetroCanuck]

7 minutes ago, Beary Sweet said:

I'm looking forward to seeing him suit up for Utica next year. If he is everything that's descripted in the scouting report (good skater, puck skills, join the rush, etc), we will have a good depth defenceman in our hands. Hope he makes his case next training camp!

Im pretty sure Benning said he's going back to windsor.

[stonecoldstevebernier]

57 minutes ago, RetroCanuck said:

Im pretty sure Benning said he's going back to windsor.

He can't go back to Windsor because he'll be 21 by the time next season starts, so it looks like he'll be in a fight to make Utica in the fall.

[morrissex95]

16 hours ago, DeNiro said:

Comes from a very good team that features Vilardi, Brown, Sergachev, Bracco, Day, and Stanley. Lots of highly drafted talent on that team.

 

Interesting that we've signed Vilardi and Petterson's teammates within a matter of weeks. Benning targeting these two?

If we're picking top 5, Vilardi's our guy.

 

if we pick between 6 and 11, then Pettersson's our guy. 

 

We need a first line centre and both these guys are skilled enough for the job. Pettersson has more talent IMO, but Vilardi is more NHL ready. One those two should fill in as our 2C behind Horvat once the Sedins retire after next season. 

[Alflives]

Just now, morrissex95 said:

If we're picking top 5, Vilardi's our guy.

 

if we pick between 6 and 11, then Pettersson's our guy. 

 

We need a first line centre and both these guys are skilled enough for the job. Pettersson has more talent IMO, but Vilardi is more NHL ready. One those two should fill in as our 2C behind Horvat once the Sedins retire after next season. 

Middlestadt?

[morrissex95]

1 minute ago, Alflives said:

Middlestadt?

I like Vilardi and Pettersson better than Middlestadt.

[Noble 6]

3 hours ago, Rick Blight said:

As noted above we are at 47 of 50 and one of those will likely be going to Vegas in the expansion draft.

In addition, we have 15 UFA's/RFA's coming due this summer and I would expect a number of those won't be re-signed. Plus there are currently 7 players in Utica that will be UFA/RFA..

https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/canucks

Then there will likely be movement/trades during the summer which may increase/decrease that number.

I think it would be fair to say that we have lots of contract room to sign the players we really want for next season.

 

By my count, it lines up like this:

 

3 open slots to start

1 gained from expansion

15 gained due to RFA/UFAs

7 gained from Utica RFA/UFAs

 

That adds up to 26 open slots for next year. Now here is where we lose spots:

 

4 lost from resigning Horvat, Gaunce, Tryamkin and Gudbranson

2 lost from MacEwan and Chatfield's contracts kicking in

3 lost from resigning 3 of Boucher, Cramarossa, Skille, Rodin, Megna or Chaput

5 lost from resigning Garteig, Pedan, LaBate, Grenier and McEneny

1 lost for Boeser

8 lost for Jasek, Neill, McKenzie, Zhukenov, Olsen, Stukel, Abols and Dahlen to play in Utica

2 lost for a backup goalie and depth defenseman in Free Agency

 

That adds up to 25 contracts. I'm not sure what the rules are on Brisebois' contract and how the sliding works, but that might count too, which means we'd be at the limit. It's never good to be at the contract limit as it limits your flexibility throughout the season greatly. 

 

Unless I made a mistake or I'm missing something, it's not looking great. We would either have to lose some guys or force other to stay in Junior. 

 

Am I missing something?

 

[Rick Blight]

4 minutes ago, Horvat is a Boss said:

 

By my count, it lines up like this:

 

3 open slots to start

1 gained from expansion

15 gained due to RFA/UFAs

7 gained from Utica RFA/UFAs

 

That adds up to 26 open slots for next year. Now here is where we lose spots:

 

4 lost from resigning Horvat, Gaunce, Tryamkin and Gudbranson

2 lost from MacEwan and Chatfield's contracts kicking in

3 lost from resigning 3 of Boucher, Cramarossa, Skille, Rodin, Megna or Chaput

5 lost from resigning Garteig, Pedan, LaBate, Grenier and McEneny

1 lost for Boeser

8 lost for Jasek, Neill, McKenzie, Zhukenov, Olsen, Stukel, Abols and Dahlen to play in Utica

2 lost for a backup goalie and depth defenseman in Free Agency

 

That adds up to 25 contracts. I'm not sure what the rules are on Brisebois' contract and how the sliding works, but that might count too, which means we'd be at the limit. It's never good to be at the contract limit as it limits your flexibility throughout the season greatly. 

 

Unless I made a mistake or I'm missing something, it's not looking great. We would either have to lose some guys or force other to stay in Junior. 

 

Am I missing something?

 

I think you did a good job of doing a recap. Trades and potentially not signing/re-signing some might still happen as well. The sliding contract rule is as follows:

If a player who is signed to an entry-level contract and is 18 or 19 years of age (as of September 15 of the signing year), does not play in a minimum of 10 NHL games (including both regular season and playoffs; AHL games do not count), their contract is considered to 'slide', or extend, by one year.

[cripplereh]

awesome to get more depth at D as we have one to many right now, but after the Vegas draft we might still have an extra to trade, if not well we have two or three that might make the team next year so we will see what happens this off season!!

[stonecoldstevebernier]

25 minutes ago, Horvat is a Boss said:

 

By my count, it lines up like this:

 

3 open slots to start

1 gained from expansion

15 gained due to RFA/UFAs

7 gained from Utica RFA/UFAs

 

That adds up to 26 open slots for next year. Now here is where we lose spots:

 

4 lost from resigning Horvat, Gaunce, Tryamkin and Gudbranson

2 lost from MacEwan and Chatfield's contracts kicking in

3 lost from resigning 3 of Boucher, Cramarossa, Skille, Rodin, Megna or Chaput

5 lost from resigning Garteig, Pedan, LaBate, Grenier and McEneny

1 lost for Boeser

8 lost for Jasek, Neill, McKenzie, Zhukenov, Olsen, Stukel, Abols and Dahlen to play in Utica

2 lost for a backup goalie and depth defenseman in Free Agency

 

That adds up to 25 contracts. I'm not sure what the rules are on Brisebois' contract and how the sliding works, but that might count too, which means we'd be at the limit. It's never good to be at the contract limit as it limits your flexibility throughout the season greatly. 

 

Unless I made a mistake or I'm missing something, it's not looking great. We would either have to lose some guys or force other to stay in Junior. 

 

Am I missing something?

 

Yeah, that is starting to look more likely. Stukel and Abols don't need to be signed until next year for the Canucks to retain their rights; Stukel can go back for an overage year and Abols could sign an AHL only deal or play in the KHL for a season. I believe we hold Jasek's rights for longer too, since he was drafted from Europe. And of course its no guarantee that we sign all those players anyway... the addition of Chatfield makes me wonder if management doesn't plan on signing a guy like Neill because it seems unwise to have that many contract spots taken up by fringe d-man prospects. Utica next year could have: McEneny, Pedan, Subban, Sautner, Cederholm, Brisebois, Chatfield, Olson, Neill, plus a couple of Robak/Billins/Shields types to provide a stable veteran presence. If Olson and Neill are signed its inevitable that a couple will end up in the ECHL, so how many contracts does management want to dole out to guys who will be in the ECHL? There will be a few spending time there from the forwards as well.

 

I also think its a real possibility that management could let go of either Pedan or Grenier. Neither seems to really figure into the team's plans going forward. However, the team will need to sign some AHL vets to support Utica's young guys next season anyway so their spots will need to be factored in regardless. Playing a bunch of kids down there with no veteran support is a recipe for failure, so it does look like next year's contract puzzle could be a tough one to put together.

[Rick Blight]

7 minutes ago, stonecoldstevebernier said:

Yeah, that is starting to look more likely. Stukel and Abols don't need to be signed until next year for the Canucks to retain their rights; Stukel can go back for an overage year and Abols could sign an AHL only deal or play in the KHL for a season. I believe we hold Jasek's rights for longer too, since he was drafted from Europe. And of course its no guarantee that we sign all those players anyway... the addition of Chatfield makes me wonder if management doesn't plan on signing a guy like Neill because it seems unwise to have that many contract spots taken up by fringe d-man prospects. Utica next year could have: McEneny, Pedan, Subban, Sautner, Cederholm, Brisebois, Chatfield, Olson, Neill, plus a couple of Robak/Billins/Shields types to provide a stable veteran presence. If Olson and Neill are signed its inevitable that a couple will end up in the ECHL, so how many contracts does management want to dole out to guys who will be in the ECHL? There will be a few spending time there from the forwards as well.

 

I also think its a real possibility that management could let go of either Pedan or Grenier. Neither seems to really figure into the team's plans going forward. However, the team will need to sign some AHL vets to support Utica's young guys next season anyway so their spots will need to be factored in regardless. Playing a bunch of kids down there with no veteran support is a recipe for failure, so it does look like next year's contract puzzle could be a tough one to put together.

I highly doubt Grenier gets re-signed to an NHL contract and Pedan is probably no better than 50/50.

I also think there will only be two of Chaput, Megna, etc re-signed if Dorsett is able to play again next year so that could free up another two or three spots as well.

[Noble 6]

58 minutes ago, Rick Blight said:

I think you did a good job of doing a recap. Trades and potentially not signing/re-signing some might still happen as well. The sliding contract rule is as follows:

If a player who is signed to an entry-level contract and is 18 or 19 years of age (as of September 15 of the signing year), does not play in a minimum of 10 NHL games (including both regular season and playoffs; AHL games do not count), their contract is considered to 'slide', or extend, by one year.

 

Thank you for the information. 

 

That's good news as it means that Brisebois can play in the AHL next year without it counting towards our contract count, if I'm not mistaken. 

 

I'm not sure if there are many players we can afford to lose out of the ones I listed earlier. The only ones that are questions for me are some of the Utica resignings as we have a strong wave of youth moving in and possibly replacing them. That list also doesn't include our 2017 1st rounder who could very well be a European who is eligible for the AHL. 

 

Chatfield is a solid addition and could very well turn into something good. His contract spot is likely more valuable than anyone similar we could've had. To say that I'm not concerned would be a lie, but on the flip side it's always good to land free young players. 

 

20 minutes ago, stonecoldstevebernier said:

Yeah, that is starting to look more likely. Stukel and Abols don't need to be signed until next year for the Canucks to retain their rights; Stukel can go back for an overage year and Abols could sign an AHL only deal or play in the KHL for a season. I believe we hold Jasek's rights for longer too, since he was drafted from Europe. And of course its no guarantee that we sign all those players anyway... the addition of Chatfield makes me wonder if management doesn't plan on signing a guy like Neill because it seems unwise to have that many contract spots taken up by fringe d-man prospects. Utica next year could have: McEneny, Pedan, Subban, Sautner, Cederholm, Brisebois, Chatfield, Olson, Neill, plus a couple of Robak/Billins/Shields types to provide a stable veteran presence. If Olson and Neill are signed its inevitable that a couple will end up in the ECHL, so how many contracts does management want to dole out to guys who will be in the ECHL? There will be a few spending time there from the forwards as well.

 

I also think its a real possibility that management could let go of either Pedan or Grenier. Neither seems to really figure into the team's plans going forward. However, the team will need to sign some AHL vets to support Utica's young guys next season anyway so their spots will need to be factored in regardless. Playing a bunch of kids down there with no veteran support is a recipe for failure, so it does look like next year's contract puzzle could be a tough one to put together.

 

It is definitely looking like a more complex situation than initially thought.

 

It looks like Stukel could stay in Junior. He does play for the Hitmen, who were previously deemed to have a bad environment, but that could've been specific to Virtanen. 

 

I think it would be ideal for Abols to get a contract. He has spent a good amount of time in Junior as has to take the next step. I guess the KHL wouldn't be terrible, but I would prefer him in Utica. 

 

Jasek is someone who I think must be brought over. His Czech team hasn't been willing to loan him in the past and he seems to be stuck in a bubble between the top men's league and the 2nd tier. Apparently he was playing well in the top tier before his team got eliminated, but I think he should be our priority this offseason. If we don't do it now, it will just result in more wrestling matches to bring him over in the future. 

 

I think Zhukenov would also potentially benefit the most from making the jump to Utica. The focus for him would be adding strength and other physical tools and figuring out how to adapt his game to the next level. 

 

We should be looking to bring in as many prospects as possible, but they need a solid foundation to step into, similar to what we're working towards/already established on the Canucks. Finding that balance between bringing back guys like Grenier, Pedan, LaBate, etc. versus injecting young players like Jasek, Brisebois, Neill, Zhukenov, etc. will be tough to do. I'm not sure there is a right or wrong answer to it. 

 

I think my priority list would look like this:

 

1) Jasek

2) Brisebois (contract doesn't count)

3) Zhukenov

4) Abols

 

It's not that I don't care about the rest, but I think those guys will benefit the most from making the jump. If we had more contract slots, we could bring more people up. 

 

Thank you both for the information. 

 

Edited March 15, 2017 by Horvat is a Boss

[UticaHockey]

Don't forget that entry level contracts can be mutually agreed to be terminated which is done with players buried in the ECHL. Jeremie Blain is the most recent example of this with the Canucks.  Mackenzie Stewart is a waste of a NHL contract right now and Vancouver should find the right dollar amount to make him go away.

[Noble 6]

16 minutes ago, UticaHockey said:

Don't forget that entry level contracts can be mutually agreed to be terminated which is done with players buried in the ECHL. Jeremie Blain is the most recent example of this with the Canucks.  Mackenzie Stewart is a waste of a NHL contract right now and Vancouver should find the right dollar amount to make him go away.

 

Could slightly ease the situation. Every spot helps. 

[stonecoldstevebernier]

54 minutes ago, UticaHockey said:

Don't forget that entry level contracts can be mutually agreed to be terminated which is done with players buried in the ECHL. Jeremie Blain is the most recent example of this with the Canucks.  Mackenzie Stewart is a waste of a NHL contract right now and Vancouver should find the right dollar amount to make him go away.

Signing Stewart was such a bad idea and they should absolutely explore that option. I also wonder if maybe the Canucks would consider terminating Anton Cederholm's deal, if they don't plan on bringing him back to play in Utica next season. I'm pretty sure Cederholm would agree to it if it becomes clear he won't get the opportunity to advance here, similar to Tommernes and Polasek from a couple years back. Personally, I'd like to see what he can do at the AHL level though.

[RetroCanuck]

4 hours ago, stonecoldstevebernier said:

He can't go back to Windsor because he'll be 21 by the time next season starts, so it looks like he'll be in a fight to make Utica in the fall.

Im just going by this tweet

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

Craig Button was on tsn 1040 and said he likes Chatfield for his willingness to engage in battles.  Despite slight size, he really likes to engage physically in the defensive zone, and thinks he could develop nicely. 

[Western Red]

5 hours ago, RetroCanuck said:

Im pretty sure Benning said he's going back to windsor.

I believe the line was "continued development in Windsor" it wasn't the best quote. Meaning they're excited to watch him in the memorial cup, but JBs quote doesn't go past 2 months apparently.

 

EDIT: I see we've both went by the same quote, I didn't know.

Edited March 15, 2017 by Western Red