Have you changed your mind on this season? (Discussion)

[NHL97OneTimer]

1 hour ago, appleboy said:

I am still all in on a late season slide. Dump anyone who doesn't fit into the long term plans. I think it is imperative that we continue to build up our prospect depth. It is the reason the team is seeing improvements  now. It is the youth who are leading us now. 

Vanek , Gagner , Guddy , Edler , Dorsett and a Goal tender could all be moved.

We need space for Gaudett ,  Goldobin , Juolevi , Petersson and Dahlen as soon as next year.

 

With that said, how many wins would the Canucks have this season without Vanek and Dorsett's contributions (I'm still in disbelief that I typed Dorsett in this sentence)?!!!  Successful teams have a mixture of youth and veteran leadership and players that seem to have the knack of finding the right time to contribute.  We wouldn't be as excited about the team without the wins this year.  I think the key is to not rush a transition......sell off the veteran players slowly and not all at once.  With that said, Vanek and Guddy will be interesting decisions for the latter part of the season this year given their expiring contracts.  I think Edler has JB by the wedding bells though.

[appleboy]

1 hour ago, NHL97OneTimer said:

With that said, how many wins would the Canucks have this season without Vanek and Dorsett's contributions (I'm still in disbelief that I typed Dorsett in this sentence)?!!!  Successful teams have a mixture of youth and veteran leadership and players that seem to have the knack of finding the right time to contribute.  We wouldn't be as excited about the team without the wins this year.  I think the key is to not rush a transition......sell off the veteran players slowly and not all at once.  With that said, Vanek and Guddy will be interesting decisions for the latter part of the season this year given their expiring contracts.  I think Edler has JB by the wedding bells though.

Trade around deadline. You can pick up some more depth veterans in the off season. Unless the club has a serious chance at making and going somewhere in the playoffs.

[DownUndaCanuck]

Teams declare themselves after the Christmas break. All of this nonesense early-season foreplay will end and the men will be separated from the boys up until the trade deadline. Until then it's far too soon to tell. Vegas could drop right off, Edmonton could win the division, anything could happen with a few hot or cold streaks.

 

I still expect the Canucks to miss the playoffs but only ever so slightly, and to be honest even playing important games down the stretch will be important for the young guys so I wouldn't want to sell like crazy if we're still competitive. Making the playoffs would be invaluable for the kids, similar to how important the last year's Leaf's series was for Matthews and co.

 

Horvat, Boeser, Hutton, Stecher, Baertschi and Granlund need to taste some playoff hockey if they want to take the next steps in their careers.

[JM_]

10 hours ago, gameburn said:

I have lost faith in what Edler can do now.  But if he has value somewhere else... that would be great.  Do you think he is worth more than a 2nd round pick?

I haven't, he gets a very hight level of criticism here but he's a solid top 4 D, 20+ minutes, and his last international performance was really good. 

 

I'd prefer a prospect to a pick for him tho, something along the lines of another Goldy would be great. 

[aGENT]

1 hour ago, Jimmy McGill said:

I haven't, he gets a very hight level of criticism here but he's a solid top 4 D, 20+ minutes, and his last international performance was really good. 

 

I'd prefer a prospect to a pick for him tho, something along the lines of another Goldy would be great. 

People on this board and Edler 

 

Edler, perhaps with 50% retained even, should be able to fetch a pretty nice return. I'd love to try and get Foote out of TBL....

[Rollieo Del Fuego]

In the pre-season I said this team looks like a playoff contender ...I still think that but now I think we may actually get in the playoffs ....not just contend.

[JM_]

12 minutes ago, aGENT said:

People on this board and Edler 

 

Edler, perhaps with 50% retained even, should be able to fetch a pretty nice return. I'd love to try and get Foote out of TBL....

I've seen that deal suggested a lot, I don't think Stevie Y parts with Foote but you never know, maybe that retained deal is too hard to pass up? 

 

 

[aGENT]

Just now, Jimmy McGill said:

I've seen that deal suggested a lot, I don't think Stevie Y parts with Foote but you never know, maybe that retained deal is too hard to pass up? 

 

 

Edler with 50% retained the rest of this year and next, should get a good portion of the way  to Foote. Probably need to add something small (Wiercioch?) to get it done but I don't think it's far off at all.

[JM_]

Just now, aGENT said:

Edler with 50% retained the rest of this year and next, should get a good portion of the way  to Foote. Probably need to add something small (Wiercioch?) to get it done but I don't think it's far off at all.

Subban? 

[aGENT]

Just now, Jimmy McGill said:

Subban? 

 

I suggested Wiercioch as it would give them a legit NHL D option who's already cleared waivers and is on a cheap contract for nice playoff injury depth.

[canucksnihilist]

I love the fact that the team is competing and seems to be turning a corner.

 

I just wish we had a true #1 star.  Like if we had gotten Mathews.  Maybe Boeser is that star, sure... I hope so.  However the team just needed another real true #1 center and a #1 defenseman...   I guess we had our chances in the draft but didn't win the lotteries.  so what can you do?

 

I fear we will be good enough to make the playoffs, but never good enough to win it all - in typical Canucks fashion.  I'm almost hoping to tank so we can win the lottery (fat chance anyways eh?) but that is probably unrealistic.   I blame management.  I think that JB and Linden have done a terrible job in not embracing a rebuild earlier - especially as they are so talented at actually rebuilding!  if only they would have played to their strengths...  So the rebuild is over - kind of - but we don't have the pieces that we could have.   The community kind of knows this, and thats why attendance at games still sucks.  there is no obvious McDavid or Mathews or Laine that is the core of a rebuilding team... so it seems half-done.  Which means the team won't be as good as it could have been when they are in a position to really compete.

 

anyways, I'm just voicing what a lot of people who buy tickets must be thinking.  Not saying it can't change, or that we can't grab the required players later in the draft if we get lucky... just saying I'm dissapointed in where the team is - I wanted to see a more youthful team making the same progress instead of a bunch of late 20s players in the mix.   I know, I know... hard to do when you don't have the players.  I mean... the team plays a really boring style - cause it doesn't have the players.  if this is the vision the tickets will never sell... and that's what I'm worried about.

 

anyways, I know there are a lot of peeps drinking the team kool-aid, and I like the team's direction too... but just wish we were at this point with another 5 really good prospects in the lineup instead of signing older free agents who enable us to play a boring style...  I'd rather see more young players playing a balls to the wall offensive risky style with a great goaltender (haha who wouldn't want that?)

 

anyways, no hate please - I can see this team competing and being really fun to watch eventually, but never winning the cup...

 

 

[NexusRift]

I pretty much figured their performance thus far is completely what I expected it would be before the season's start. The acquisition of the free agents was a move to make us more competitive and to push the prospects to perform. It's working and TG's work ethic coaching style changes the look from the WD dog days of play. 

 

It's my opinion, if any trades are to happen, they'll be the type that gets us prospects or draft picks. To acquire any name player in trade is not in the plans unless he's twenty something and established. But we all know that ain't happening.

 

Our goaltending is pretty good thus far. IMO still not set in stone. Yeah, Marky's playing well and Andy's had good games thus far. Seeing as neither of them has been a #1 and there's plenty of games in an NHL season well..........we'll see. They're young and that's a good thing.

 

I'm a big 'Nucks fan and it pains me to say this, but I'm sure we all feel the same way. The Sedins will never reach the holy grail with the Canucks. They're done. I've said awhile ago that I hoped the Canucks don't get into the same situation as the Flames did with Iginla. That is, keeping their beloved icons for too long and building around them for too long. They have fleeting moments of brilliance and have looked good on occasion on the PP, but it's evident that their best days are behind them. I love the Sedins and what they did for our team. The glory days of 2011 are history and so are the Sedins for us. There's no doubt they can still play. Just not at the same brilliance as they did back then.

 

I'm looking towards the future. I like what I see in Jake and Brock. Also with our prospects in the fold. Wishful thinking, but a stud d-man and centre would be awesome. May the management draft well in the next few drafts and get lucky in trades.

[alfstonker]

We are still in a good position. 

One more win and we are 4th equal in the league. Some of the players are having a bit of a dip and that's to be expected I suppose. I have faith in Green getting them going again.

[bloodycanuckleheads]

The NHL schedule-maker always gives the worst teams the easiest starts (just look at what they did for Vegas).  That's the reason we're doing well right now, because we've had an extremely easy schedule.  This won't hold.  When you get an easy schedule to start the year, that means you get an absolutely terrible schedule to end it.  So, we're going to look like a playoff team at Christmas - yet be out of the running by spring.

 

We're not going to be the worst team in the league, when all's said and done - but we sure as hell aren't going to be particularly good either.

[Alflives]

How many times can we “change our minds”?  After that last game in Anaheim, I’ve changed mine again.  

[thrago]

Well this team lacks talent so it has to win games by out working the other team which it has been doing. However it's hard to do that over an 82 game season so there is going to be games they run out of gas.

 

It's going to be a rollercoaster of a season which is better then I expected. Injuries as always will play a key roll with this team. If Tanev gets hurt for any length of time this season it could make for a bumpy ride.

[Salacious Crumb]

1 hour ago, Alflives said:

How many times can we “change our minds”?  After that last game in Anaheim, I’ve changed mine again.  

You must give your financial advisor fits.

[Bo fan]

On 11/9/2017 at 9:50 AM, aGENT said:

Edler with 50% retained the rest of this year and next, should get a good portion of the way  to Foote. Probably need to add something small (Wiercioch?) to get it done but I don't think it's far off at all.

and a 2 year supply of flippin sticks

[NexusRift]

5 hours ago, thrago said:

Well this team lacks talent so it has to win games by out working the other team which it has been doing. However it's hard to do that over an 82 game season so there is going to be games they run out of gas.

 

It's going to be a rollercoaster of a season which is better then I expected. Injuries as always will play a key roll with this team. If Tanev gets hurt for any length of time this season it could make for a bumpy ride.

I believe you've pretty much nailed it. There will be injuries and there will be ups and downs. At the end of it all, we wont get to the show at season's end.

 

There's a good possibility that we'll finish higher than the last couple of seasons. Maybe even be a bubble team that almost gets in. That being said, wherever we end up in the standings, I hope we get lucky in the lottery like Jersey, Dallas and Philly did last draft lottery. 

[EdgarM]

On ‎2017‎-‎11‎-‎08 at 8:47 AM, janisahockeynut said:

With 18 teams being within 2 points of the Canucks as we speak, it underlines exactly, how the new NHL's parity has changed the dynamics and power structure of the NHL.

 

There is now a far greater chance that the addition of a top end player or that an injury to a top line player can elevate or derail a playoff team, and how hard it is to recover or make up a lost 2 points in the standings, with that said how does Benning proceed through this year?

 

At the beginning of the season, I was pushing a full on tank for one more season, but having enjoyed the first quarter of the season so much, I admit, I am a little iffy on  moving a ton of veterans.........

 

This leads me to my poll and asking my fellow CDCers, for your opinions and comments........

 

My efforts are truly not intended to be on one side of the "Tank" discussion or not, but to see if you are still committed to change, or have swayed a little.

 

Personally, I am a little confused, as to how much, Benning should toil with his current lineup, as it seems to be somewhat resilient. I would suppose, we should wait a while, as there is time, before making any rash decisions........but I am curious of your opinions............

 

The poll reflects some of my confusion............

I have stated before that because of the Cap Era, the teams are very closely matched , generally, and there are only the few teams at the bottom and the top of the standings who stand out. A lot of guys were saying we were going to be bad because we have no "elite" talent.

I have also stated before that it takes 23 players ,give or take, who make a winning team who must also gel together to become successful. I hear "trade this guy" or "get rid of this guy" when these were the exact players we were looking for. It did not make sense at all.

I feel the team must ALWAYS be trying to improve and there should not be an all of a sudden "rebuild" stage of a teams cycle. You need a goalie,? Then acquire a goalie how ever you can. Trade, UFA or whatever. Not break down the entire team because you don't have a good goalie.

I say if we can get a couple of good years out of a player then he is worth keeping(Gudbranson, Sutter, Tanev) and if he is nearing the usefulness of his tenure(Sedins,Vanek and Edler) then we must acquire assets which can help the team improve.

I think every year, the management make every attempt to make the team stronger what ever way they can. They assess the needs and address it. We may not win a cup this year but we definitely have added very good pieces to the puzzle which we didn't have last year(TG Yay!!). Next year, a few high salary contracts come off the books. This will give the team the freedom to add even more key pieces to the puzzle. This is very exiting, especially because this management seems to know what the right kind of players are needed to win. We have some good character players already but have the luxury of adding more with a large amount of the CAP at their disposal next year.