[Friedman] Canucks looking to “overhaul blue line” ...Ekblad & Cernak could be available

[EP40.]

4 minutes ago, John_Guest said:

 

I'm thinking more the "trade Boeser' insanity in general. Check out the proposals in the Proposal forum, here, for example. Try the Boeser for Jack Eichel one, for example, if you think nobody would suggest adding Podkolzin.

Hypebole here maybe, but there's a point to be made.

Sorry but I don’t get any connection you’re trying to make here as it does not apply whatsoever in Boeser+ for Ekblad.

[mll]

8 minutes ago, Teemu Selänne said:

- Harman Dayal

 

That's Dayal being a blogger and not thinking straight.  He lists Stralman, Yandle and Matheson as unmovable and concludes that they are going to move their best D in Ekblad to get better.  I don't really get how that's logical.

 

It's really too bad that George Richards was among the recent layoffs at The Athletic.  They are still in the red since being launched and are now being hit by the pandemic and the lack of subscriptions.  Richards is pretty much the only reliable source for Florida news as no one else covers the team.

[Phil_314]

When Toffoli re-signs with us and we get the figured out for the rest of the roster, I'd be down for Boeser+ for Ekblad.

Just wouldn't want to have a bare bones RW behind Toffoli (e.g. Jake/ Loui dealt, Ferland poss. retirement; MacEwen or Leivo are fine for 3rd line but not higher).

Edler - Myers, Hughes - Ekblad does look good though for a top-4, just gotta see what top-6 looks like behind Miller - Pete - Toffoli.  
  

Edited September 19, 2020 by Phil_314

[John_Guest]

2 minutes ago, EP40. said:

Sorry but I don’t get any connection you’re trying to make here as it does not apply whatsoever in Boeser+ for Ekblad.

Do you remember when all those great players came over from St. Louis for Garth Butcher and Dan Quin?

Quote

Had the Blues not decimated their team scoring with the trade (Canucks fans still say thank you, BTW), they easily could’ve advanced past the North Stars in the 1991 playoffs. They also easily could’ve had future successes. Geoff Courtnall was the big blow, having 27 goals and 30 assists to the day of the trade with Vancouver. Trading Cliff Ronning wasn’t much better - he had 14 goals and 18 assists. Even Sergio Momesso, a former top liner from the previous year who finished 1989-1990 with 24 goals and 32 assists for 56 points, was a loss. Essentially, the Blues dealt away their entire second line right before the Stanley Cup playoffs for a defensive defenseman and a guy who never fit in.

https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2020/5/14/21259186/what-if-week-what-if-ron-caron-garth-butcher-cliff-ronning-geoff-courtnall

What I'm cautioning against is 'let's not be St Louis' this time.

[oldnews]

9 minutes ago, Teemu Selänne said:

- Harman Dayal

Yandle is "unmoveable"?

That's curious.  If he referenced his NMC - it might make more sense than suggesting a D that just scored 45 pts in 69 games - is 'unmoveable'.

 

Yandle was tied for 11th in NHL D scoring this year.  Letang, Burns, Theodore - these are the other D with comparable production.

Is Letang - also rumoured available = unmoveable?

 

I'm not sure why anyone would conclude that Florida intending to move a big ticket would indicate that Ekblad is available.

That sounds like wishful thinking wadr.

Ekblad has no NMC - so they could deal him without him havng to waive...

 

But my guess would be that what they're actually scheming - might be to move Yandle to a team like Toronto instead - and get a good young player like Johnsson in the process

 

The other question would be whether Florida is healthy, financially?

[Nigerian]

Boeser + Gaud + Sutter + Rathbone and 2021 3rd + 2022 2nd for Ekblad

[Mike Vanderhoek]

3 minutes ago, mll said:

 

That's Dayal being a blogger and not thinking straight.  He lists Stralman, Yandle and Matheson as unmovable and concludes that they are going to move their best D in Ekblad to get better.  I don't really get how that's logical.

 

It's really too bad that George Richards was among the recent layoffs at The Athletic.  They are still in the red since being launched and are now being hit by the pandemic and the lack of subscriptions.  Richards is pretty much the only reliable source for Florida news as no one else covers the team.

Its the same nonsense we hear in Vancouver " Vancouver is in Cap trouble " by some members of the media. You don't trade your top defenseman when 3 others make a large salary who are nowhere near him in terms of importance.

 

This is where we hype on Ekblad then start screaming when Vancouver trades Gaudette, Eriksson, Chatfield for Matheson and Colorado's 2020 3rd.........

[BoKnows]

3 minutes ago, Nigerian said:

Boeser + Gaud + Sutter + Rathbone and 2021 3rd + 2022 2nd for Ekblad

This trade makes no sense for either team

[rekker]

9 minutes ago, Nigerian said:

Boeser + Gaud + Sutter + Rathbone and 2021 3rd + 2022 2nd for Ekblad

May as well throw in David goddam Putney as well. 

[shazzam]

Well if I'm FLA and I want to trade Ekblad to shed salary. I want at least Pods and 1st rounder.

None of this Boeser, Sutter bs

[EP40.]

4 minutes ago, Mike Vanderhoek said:

Its the same nonsense we hear in Vancouver " Vancouver is in Cap trouble " by some members of the media. You don't trade your top defenseman when 3 others make a large salary who are nowhere near him in terms of importance.

It’s not that easy tho. If it was, the Canucks could move out Eriksson’s contract and/or Baertschi’s, Sutter’s, etc...so they could comfortably retain each one of Marky Toffoli Tanev Stecher and not have to let any of them walk.
 

But as we know that’s just not how things work for us. And other teams such as Florida in this instance. 

[rekker]

5 minutes ago, shazzam said:

Well if I'm FLA and I want to trade Ekblad to shed salary. I want at least Pods and 1st rounder.

None of this Boeser, Sutter bs

They need scoring though, so Boeser would be a good start. 

[komodo0921]

Cernak is a player I've discussed in Armchair GMing. Would love to get this guy.

Ekblad would be tremendous too.

Getting both would be beyond anything I could've hoped for.

Go get em JB.

[BarnBurner]

1 hour ago, EP40. said:

How would getting Ekblad be a quick fix if he’s the same age as Boeser?

He was referring to the proposal of trading for Eichel, while giving up the farm. 

 

Personally, I think that we should lay low, figure out the current contracts, free agents, cap space, first ... THEN take it from there. 

[IBatch]

1 hour ago, EP40. said:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/31-thoughts-matt-dumba-next-wild-trade-block/

 

 

> Harman mentions Florida is depleted of a 2nd line with Hoffman & Dadonov heading to free agency which is where a possible Boeser move would make sense...according to Friedman, Panthers new GM will look to move out a “big ticket” blue line contract to which Harman says Ekblad is the only one with positive trade value. (other dmen/contracts are essentially unmovable)

 

> A speculative deal would have to be Boeser+ simply due to the fact top dmen are valued more than top forwards. Maybe the only hockey deal I can remember in recent memory happening regarding a top D for top F was the Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen trade. Arguable no plus was needed with the forward because Johansen is a centre. (bit more valuable)

 

> Harman says the Canucks can look to target Erik Cernak from Tampa like we did with JT Miller. He’s 23, Tampa is in a cap crunch and won’t be able to afford him. If offer-sheeted at ~$4M, compensation would be a 2nd rounder. Cernak is a big body and already a better rated dman than Tanev whose declined has begun. Canucks can look to offersheet or go down the trade route and pay similar/possible even slightly less value to acquire him.

 

 

...what I’m getting from this is JB wants to better equip the Canucks backend and rightfully so. They were bombarded in the playoffs and held hostage in many sequences. 
 

There’s a few scenarios I see:

 

A.) Canucks simply re-sign both Tanev & Stecher keeping them for the right side (but that doesn’t change anything or improve the blueline if it’s looking to be “overhauled”) 

B.) Canucks keep one of Tanev/Stech and bring in a Cernak type dman 

C.) Canucks keep one of Tanev/Stech and bring in an Ekblad (who JB has historically been looking to add, a true top pair RHDman, as he’s been reported attempting to trade for dmen like Subban and Karlsson in the past)

D.) Canucks keep none of Tanev/Stech and bring in both an Ekblad and Cernak replacing the would be ex-Canucks.

 

Quite frankly I’d be pleased with anything other than scenario A. There’s no sense in keeping the same dcore if we’re truly looking to take the next steps to compete even more. It was evident this current d group won’t get the job done. If that means moving on from Tanev who has been so valuable for us, then so be it as long as it’s for improvement.

Thanks for making the thread and bringing the biggest challenge we face as a team into the forefront.   I 100% agree we won’t be winning anything keeping the same old D together even with QHs and maybe OJ making a splash.    When Schenn can come in and make a statement with his play it says a lot.   There’s a reason Tanev’s name doesn’t come up in the top 20 available UFAs or the top five Ds.    He’s normally not available- and wouldn’t have been this year had Covid not came in like it did.   He’s worth every cent when he plays - but add 1/3 to his contract because he only plays 2/3 of the games on average.   Is he worth 6-7?  Nope.   Ekblad is though.  I’d rather not sign JM and Tanev and go with AP and say Elliot/Griess - even Anderson from OTT. 

[Mike Vanderhoek]

1 minute ago, EP40. said:

It’s not that easy tho. If it was, the Canucks could move out Eriksson’s contract and/or Baertschi’s, Sutter’s, etc...so they could comfortably retain each one of Marky Toffoli Tanev Stecher and not have to let any of them walk.
 

But as we know that’s just not how things work for us. And other teams such as Florida in this instance. 

I think honestly its a matter of Benning being patient, real life vs fantasy or armchair GM'ing where they had a player in Eriksson under contract who is a serviceable NHLer and while the team could pay another club to move on him they have decided to utilize him in a bottom six role mainly over these past few seasons saving themselves of moving out another pick or young player in the process.

 

The Canucks over the past couple of seasons were not in a cap crunch so to speak, they have been patient as their ELC players and the Sedins moving on have allowed for it. It doesn't hurt them to have Eriksson in the bottom six, its just horrible optics seeing the $ 6 million on paper. If the team feels they need to move out money this offseason as they now truly have added quality scoring like Toffoli for example then I am 100% certain the Canucks could find a taker.

 

In regards to Sutter maybe again its the cap that causes fans to clench but in all honesty he was and can be a top nine forward who can pot 20 goals in the right situation, he has Playoff experience, plays bigger than he is and along with Beagle was paramount in playing those defensove minutes to allow Bo and the top six to play a more offensive game.

 

I think its fan and media generated that the Canucks have been stuck with Eriksson and Sutter's contracts vs having two serviceable NHLers on their squad. I bet you see the Canucks move from one or two contracts this offseason and make those targeted contracts fit in with no issue.

 

 

[IBatch]

4 minutes ago, BarnBurner said:

He was referring to the proposal of trading for Eichel, while giving up the farm. 

 

Personally, I think that we should lay low, figure out the current contracts, free agents, cap space, first ... THEN take it from there. 

Me too.  No point in rushing.   Especially with the goaltenders available this year. 

[IBatch]

6 minutes ago, rekker said:

They need scoring though, so Boeser would be a good start. 

Especially with Hoffman and Dandanov UFAs 

[mll]

Just now, rekker said:

They need scoring though, so Boeser would be a good start. 

 

They need defence far more than scoring though.  Florida was good for 6th in league scoring but tied 28th in goals against.  They are losing some people up front but it's widely agreed that it's far harder to find Ds especially top pairing RDs than it is to find wingers. Is Zito really thinking that the way to improve is to get rid of his RD1.  He'll be looking for an Ekblad the rest of his tenure.

[DrJockitch]

I think this rumour makes a lot of sense.  I think the reality is a lot harder.  I am sure the Panthers are getting calls for Ekblad, not sure they would be interested.

If I was Benning I would look at what he did with EP.  EP came in, was better than expected and said who do I need to put next to him and found JT Miller.

Quinn Hughes came in and was way better than any reasonable expectations.  The next question he should ask himself is who do I want to put next to him.  I am not saying that Ekblad is the guy, but as I said in the other thread he is a nasty SOB to play against and a right shot D.  That may be the perfect type of guy to put next to Quinn. 

Problem is you need someone who can skate and pass the puck as well as provide that nastiness or you have Gudbranson again.

Would be damn expensive but we have waited 50 years to finally get a top D so investing in a number 2 should be a reasonable priority.