[Trade] Senators trade Marian Gaborik, Anders Nilsson to Lightning for Braydon Coburn, Cedric Paquette, 2022 2nd-round pick

[NewbieCanuckFan]

I doubt Markstrom is suddenly going to forget how to play hockey just because his coach isn’t Ian Clark anymore.   Dude isn’t 18 years old.  He’ll be hurt more by the aging D in front of him (specifically talking about Giordano (sp?).

Edited December 28, 2020 by NewbieCanuckFan

[ilduce39]

2 hours ago, ruilin96 said:

 

I have also been a big Benning supporter ever since he arrived and I have never wanted him fired (and I still don't). I am just frustrated with his lack of cap-management which led us into this situation this season. Seeing every other team able to pick up useful depth acquisition to improve their team while the Canucks lose more players than they gain is just furstrating.

 

Also, I gave Benning benefit of the doubt when he signed Beagle and Roussel contracts that he would have a way out of them when we need to get out of those contracts. Unfortunately, this just isn't the case. It is what it is. I am just frustrated that after a great year, we likely won't be able to follow it up with another one. With the new aligned division, I am not optimistic that we can make the playoffs.

I hear you, but JB is a pretty straightforward guy and as he put all his resources into getting the team into the playoffs - now the parameters changed and his focus has to be on their cap management.  (Some his own doing, some like the recapture and flat cap beyond his control.) 

 

I think we’re still in a great place as an organization - as some of those old contracts age out we can bring in what we need to complement the core (and at lower prices assuming guys want to play with Petey and Hughes). 
 

Short term I’m extremely excited to see what Schmidt can do for our roster.  Now our top 2 pairings each have a serious play driver.  I think that alone should let us take a step forward offensively.   
 

Internally, I think Gaudette and Virtanen still have a lot of room to grow and seeing what Juolevi/Rathbone/Rafferty can do is intriguing (if not reassuring that they’ll help us push for the playoffs.). 
 

Benning paid a premium but I think his insistence on leadership and character paid off - and I think he’s added enough toughness that we can stand up for ourselves.  The team should compete hard this season and the pressure cooker of an all Canadian schedule after last playoffs will really bring this group together.  
 

There’s some question marks (goaltending in particular) and yeah we can focus on some bad contracts and what we missed out on (Toffoli) but it’s still going to be a super fun year to watch and the future has never looked brighter IMO. 

[Silky mitts]

11 minutes ago, NewbieCanuckFan said:

I doubt Markstrom is suddenly going to forget how to play hockey just because his coach isn’t Ian Clark anymore.   Dude isn’t 18 years old.  He’ll be hurt more by the aging D in front of him (specifically talking about Giordano (sp?).

Calgary has a good d core, The condensed schedule could do damage though as he had trouble with back to backs

[PistolPete13]

5 hours ago, I.Am.Ironman said:

You are blinded by hate for Toronto. Are they cup contenders? No, they need D. But no one from the Canadian division is a contender. Toronto is the best of the lot.

So you're just going to ignore the fact that Toronto and Edmonton both have multiple top 10 forwards in the league? Also, why would McDavid, Draisatl, Matthews and Marner follow the same growth trajectory that you have laid out for Pettersson?

Overpaid or not, Markstrom and Tanev improve Calgary. I'm hopeful Schmidt makes up for that loss.

All I'm saying is that let's not pretend our d corps is some world beater when our bottom pair is going to be made up some sort of combination of Rafferty, Benn and Juolevi. Edmonton, Toronto, and imo the Canucks have a similar weakness with defence. Toronto and Vancouver at least have decent goaltending. But both Toronto and Edmonton have higher power offences. 

No one has taken my bet yet.

I think that Canucks will finish third. Since you named four of the other six teams in the division, it is highly likely that two of those four could finish ahead of the Canucks.  Your bet is very heavily skewed in your favour, so don’t hold your breath waiting for takers. 
 

[JM_]

3 hours ago, mll said:

Ottawa are looking to compete this season and were not looking to take cap dumps.  

yeah you did nail that one. I thought for sure that weirdo owner was going to try to be a floor team 

[PistolPete13]

3 hours ago, ruilin96 said:

What was frustrating with all this was this management as a whole show very little creativity with the cap. They could've atleast explore options like LTIR loopholes to get under the cap. Watching everyone else found a way to do it is even more frustrating. If Stepan could be moved off with 1 year remaining, there is no way Sutter or Beagle couldn't be (granted Beagle has 2 years left).

 

I am most disappointed this off-season with how both Stecher and Toffoli signed very capfriendly deals elsewhere while this management team have very little to no creativity in getting under the cap.

 

I am more frustrated seeing that we wasted a year where we could really take a run at the cup and have to settle with mediocrity. 

I agree with your comments aboutToff. I understand why he was signed, but losing him to The Habs was a major fail. There’s no sugar coating the pill.  
Loved Stecher but I’m not disappointed that we lost him. He’s not built for the heavy game in the playoffs. 

[I.Am.Ironman]

2 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

I think that Canucks will finish third. Since you named four of the other six teams in the division, it is highly likely that two of those four could finish ahead of the Canucks.  Your bet is very heavily skewed in your favour, so don’t hold your breath waiting for takers. 
 

That's curious to me because it seems that many people in here are thinking the Canucks are winning the division. Judging by the reactions to my comments it should be an easy bet for me to lose. I didn't think it would be so controversial to admit that they Leafs are a better team.

[Junkyard Dog]

1 minute ago, I.Am.Ironman said:

That's curious to me because it seems that many people in here are thinking the Canucks are winning the division. Judging by the reactions to my comments it should be an easy bet for me to lose. I didn't think it would be so controversial to admit that they Leafs are a better team.

Our team D and the Leafs aren’t too far out. They have a better offense and we had better goaltending until Marky left. 
 

Now our goaltending is a huge question mark and our D could look worse since Marky made up for a lot of mistakes. 
 

Overall we just have more uncertainty/question marks than most teams hence the skepticism. 
 

Fortunately most Canadian teams, including us, have fragile rosters that can’t really handle the handicap of an injury/loss to any significant player. So anything could happen. 
 

Either way I feel everybody will like the infusion of youth this season will bring. 

[Sean Monahan]

3 minutes ago, I.Am.Ironman said:

That's curious to me because it seems that many people in here are thinking the Canucks are winning the division. Judging by the reactions to my comments it should be an easy bet for me to lose. I didn't think it would be so controversial to admit that they Leafs are a better team.

I’d just point out that the Leafs definitely do not have two top-10 forwards. Whether it’s Marner or Tavares, you’re seriously overrating somebody. (IMO) Mathews, McDavid, Draisatl, Scheifele, Kopitar, Bergeron, Pastrnak, Kucherov, Pointe, Crosby, Ovechkin, ROR, Panarin, Zibanejad, Mackinnon, Rantanen, Aho, Kane, Barkov, Eichel, Barzal, and Malkin are all better players. Probably Petey too. 
 

They also lost some key scoring depth in Kapanen and Johnsson which most definitely is not replaced by Jumbo and Simmonds. They’re not a deep team up front, their blue line sucks, and their goaltending is inconsistent. 

[PistolPete13]

20 minutes ago, Silky mitts said:

Calgary has a good d core, The condensed schedule could do damage though as he had trouble with back to backs

Teams that ride one goalie will have difficulty with the condensed schedule. I wish Marky well, but he may suffer injuries if he has to play the majority of the games. 
 

Canucks are gambling that Demko and Holtby can split the games. Time will tell.

[ruilin96]

Just now, PistolPete13 said:

Teams that ride one goalie will have difficulty with the condensed schedule. I wish Marky well, but he may suffer injuries if he has to play the majority of the games. 
 

Canucks are gambling that Demko and Holtby can split the games. Time will tell.

Rittich can split games with Marky in Calgary. I can see Marky playing 60-65% while Rittich plays 35-40%. However, let's say Rittich has a bad start and he lost like his first 5 start or only win 2 out of his first 7 starts, we could see the Flames ride Marky until he is burned out. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do.

[PistolPete13]

24 minutes ago, I.Am.Ironman said:

That's curious to me because it seems that many people in here are thinking the Canucks are winning the division. Judging by the reactions to my comments it should be an easy bet for me to lose. I didn't think it would be so controversial to admit that they Leafs are a better team.

I haven’t seen any predictions that the Canucks are winning the division. Many seem to be saying that the Canucks have a chance to make the playoffs, if........

 

Since you have now zeroed in on the Leafs. Why not make your bet about who will finish higher, the Canucks or the Leafs? 
 

[NewbieCanuckFan]

43 minutes ago, Silky mitts said:

Calgary has a good d core, The condensed schedule could do damage though as he had trouble with back to backs

I didn’t mean to imply they weren’t good...only getting up there in age (Gio, Tanev).  

[ruilin96]

23 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

Teams that ride one goalie will have difficulty with the condensed schedule. I wish Marky well, but he may suffer injuries if he has to play the majority of the games. 
 

Canucks are gambling that Demko and Holtby can split the games. Time will tell.

I think Winnipeg will be in some trouble.

[King Heffy]

2 hours ago, Junkyard Dog said:

Our team D and the Leafs aren’t too far out. They have a better offense and we had better goaltending until Marky left.

Leafs have a total of 2 defensemen (Muzzin and Brodie) who can actually play defense to an NHL standard, a soft forward group, a lazy top 6 that refuses to backcheck, no PK, and a coach that refuses to hold these floaters accountable for their inability to play like NHLers in their own end,.  We have plenty of forwards that hold our own, a defensively responsible top 6, no massive defensive liabilities on our blueline, and plenty of guys who can step up on the PK.  You don't win anything when you create a culture where playing like in your own end Nylander, Rielly, or any of their other floaters is remotely acceptable.  Now they brought in another born loser in Thornton to provide "leadership" when he's never shown an ability to conduct himself like a professional.

 

Looking forward to exposing Toronto for the joke those pylons are.

[NewbieCanuckFan]

22 minutes ago, King Heffy said:

Leafs have a total of 2 defensemen (Muzzin and Brodie) who can actually play defense to an NHL standard, a soft forward group, a lazy top 6 that refuses to backcheck, no PK, and a coach that refuses to hold these floaters accountable for their inability to play like NHLers in their own end,.  We have plenty of forwards that hold our own, a defensively responsible top 6, no massive defensive liabilities on our blueline, and plenty of guys who can step up on the PK.  You don't win anything when you create a culture where playing like in your own end Nylander, Rielly, or any of their other floaters is remotely acceptable.  Now they brought in another born loser in Thornton to provide "leadership" when he's never shown an ability to conduct himself like a professional.

 

Looking forward to exposing Toronto for the joke those pylons are.

Even during the "free wheeling/WCE days", *we* had a premier shutdown guy (Ohlund) on the blueline.  Laffs don't have *any* defenseman that remotely approaches his level at the defensive side of things.  

[Gurn]

29 minutes ago, King Heffy said:

no massive defensive liabilities on our blueline,

Depends on who ends up being our 5, 6 and 7 d, but the top 4 is very good.

[Junkyard Dog]

16 minutes ago, King Heffy said:

Leafs have a total of 2 defensemen (Muzzin and Brodie) who can actually play defense to an NHL standard, a soft forward group, a lazy top 6 that refuses to backcheck, no PK, and a coach that refuses to hold these floaters accountable for their inability to play like NHLers in their own end,.  We have plenty of forwards that hold our own, a defensively responsible top 6, no massive defensive liabilities on our blueline, and plenty of guys who can step up on the PK.  You don't win anything when you create a culture where playing like in your own end Nylander, Rielly, or any of their other floaters is remotely acceptable.  Now they brought in another born loser in Thornton to provide "leadership" when he's never shown an ability to conduct himself like a professional.

 

Looking forward to exposing Toronto for the joke those pylons are.

Yet we managed to give up more shots and only had .07 less goals against per game despite having a much better goaltending. 
 

like I said, last year we as a team weren’t as far off as them in terms of team defense. Only major differences were that they had better offence and we had better goaltending. 
 

Now we lost a top G who covered up a lot of mistakes, our best PKer/defensive defeseman, a top 6 forward and veteran depth in exchange for one really good defenseman, a goalie with question marks and inexperienced youngsters. Not really a positive gain. 
 

Not complaining though. We understandably had to make these changes but I am not gonna pretend like we’re any better. Simply put our roster is a lot more questionable than everyone else’s in Canada save for the Jets. 

[Sean Monahan]

Just now, Junkyard Dog said:

Now we lost a top G who covered up a lot of mistakes, our best PKer/defensive defeseman, a top 6 forward and veteran depth in exchange for one really good defenseman, a goalie with question marks and inexperienced youngsters. Not really a positive gain. 

I wouldn’t say we really lost Toffoli as him and Boeser were never really healthy and in the lineup at the same time anyway. 

[Junkyard Dog]

Just now, Sean Monahan said:

I wouldn’t say we really lost Toffoli as him and Boeser were never really healthy and in the lineup at the same time anyway. 

Yeah. Lost Leivo too who was a good contributor. Still though the goaltending last year covered up a lot of mishaps. It’s a little worrisome since we’re running more younger defensively and without Markstrom but we had no choice understandably. 
 

Overall we’re more questionable than we were last year.  A 56 game season isn’t favourable IMO since we can’t afford prolonged rough patches with our youngsters(Demko/OJ/etc)