STH Letter by Jim Rutherford

[iceman64]

25 minutes ago, EastCoastNucks said:

I dont understand why you think Boeser is not worth his contract. Sure, you have been spoiled watching Kuz, Petty, Hughes. But for every Petterson club record I see Boeser is still on the list, top ten or five or whatever. Sometimes Team is more important than points. I dont care if Brock is lights out rest of the year cause I know he will be next year.

Not at all..  Boes has a serious wrist issue and still is awful defensively, he couldn't even pick the right guy to cover the other night and it cost us a goal and it was a easy play, why couldn't he do it? Simply because he doesn't read very well unless it's on scoring and that's not enough.

Edited March 31, 2023 by iceman64

[iceman64]

19 minutes ago, EastCoastNucks said:

When Demko started this year with crap, no one was saying trade that... Boeser was playing with similar issues, physically, mentally. He is finally back and he is killing it. Demko is back and healthy, Brock is back and healthy and finally playing more ice times, everyone should be patient and not lose a guy on the upswing. I am also complaining about cap, but Boeser is worth the hit when you compare to OEL or even Millar next year hit.

Sorry east but I disagree, Boes's game has a glaring issue, he's just not there defensively and never has been. We need guys who can do things to prevent goals too, this has been our issue for years. 

Edited March 31, 2023 by iceman64

[Devron]

I mean would have anyone expected anything different. I am personally excited about the team going forward but I don’t think there’s much to b!tch about here. Pretty standard letter. 

[D-Money]

17 hours ago, IBatch said:

CAR missed 9 in a row in the end ... Raleigh fanbase needed gimmicks to bring fans back.     No our core is not as elite, but do think we might end up as good as CAR.    All those things he mentioned take time.   A lot to unpack from the JB era, that said QHs, EP, Demko and Miller are all core players he brought in.    Let's hope JR/Allvin are good finishers.     Funny how he only mentions the next group as guys they brought in.   Garland, OEL, Brock and Myers don't seem to be long term guys in Vancouver.     One more season of unpacking, then we likely see the team he's trying to assemble.    The bones are good.   Glad he mentioned cap.   And curious to what these free agent market adds will be.    One already.   And confirmed, he's not trading this years draft pick. 

Pettersson and Hughes are better now than any players on the team that won for Carolina. But they were deep, and caught goaltending lightning in a bottle (similar to St. Louis).

 

This team has some fantastic top-end talent, but the supporting cast has been awful. That seems to be changing for the better - hope they can keep it going with limited cap and prospects though.

[DownUndaCanuck]

6 hours ago, Crabcakes said:

I wonder how they see Bear fitting in?  I mean, I like him as a player but only see him as a bottom pair guy who could play up the line up if there are injuries.  If you look at the way Allvin appears to have structured the salaries on D, all of the bottom pair players come in at less than $1M.  If I am right, this means that Dermott is on his way out.

 

Bigger picture, I think for sure they try to move Myers after paying his bonus.  If they're getting rid of Myers, they'll need a RHD like Bear at a minimum and had better sign him before pulling the trigger on Myers.  But they have to have a plan for a bona fide top 4 RHD for the future.  Is this what they draft with their 1st rounder this year?  I doubt they win a cup without one.

If they think Bear is our 4th best guy, or long term partner for Hughes, this team is finished. He is not top 4 material. He was Edmonton's 7th guy, Carolina's 7th or 8th guy, then while we were in the trenches he was our 2nd best defenceman at a time, right now he's our 4th best (behind Hughes, Myers, Hronek), but if we want to have a respectable defence next year, he can't be in our top 4. I will take him at 1M, maybe 1.5M at a stretch, to play as our 6th guy but nothing more. We have Burroughs, Dermott (if he comes back), Rathbone, Hirose, Brisebois, Wolanin all sitting in the wings. I know they're mostly LDs but I'd prefer Burroughs on a cheap salary as our 6th guy than Bear at 1.5M.

 

Bottom line is we need one more top 4 defenceman to push Bear down.

[IBatch]

1 hour ago, D-Money said:

Pettersson and Hughes are better now than any players on the team that won for Carolina. But they were deep, and caught goaltending lightning in a bottle (similar to St. Louis).

 

This team has some fantastic top-end talent, but the supporting cast has been awful. That seems to be changing for the better - hope they can keep it going with limited cap and prospects though.

They went to the finals with a slightly different team before they won a cup.   So wouldn't really say they caught anything.   Staal was an animal that year. 6'4" and tough to handle, talk about a career year as a sophomore though.    Nothing like QHs though.    Veteran team, loaded with very good players.  A few fringe HHOFers plus aging Recchi.   We'd be over the moon to have that roster, five guys that's scored over 1000 points in their career a couple scored more than the Sedins and all those guys played the entire dead puck era (started in 1995).  

 

Still doing their thing, vet roster for sure.    Then a second tier.    Their D was solid but yes no QHs, still better then ours overall as of right now of course.     Ward was a lock for close to 40 wins when doing hockey pools back then lol, everyone wanted him.   After their cup...Maybe Demko gets there too.   In short CAR was a force in the East for awhile.    They petered out given the age of those guys.    A lot moved on too, but hung in there with they youth movement for awhile.    It was definitely a compliment saying one day, we could have assemble a core that matched CAR cup/final team(s).  

 

 

Edti:  Rutherford brought Cullen back, winning back to back cups in PIT and then retiring.   Captain game 7, Brind'Amour was critical in those deep PHI teams in the 90's one that went to the final, Recchi for PIT and then PHI, and his first five seasons or 415 games,  Recchi scored 509 points, on 3 separate teams to boot ... an average of 101.8 points.    Recchi his first five years anyways > then EPs.    Loads of guys who were leaders on other teams - and younger guys who would become leaders later like Staal and Williams (Mr Game 7). 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by IBatch

[Devron]

1 hour ago, DownUndaCanuck said:

If they think Bear is our 4th best guy, or long term partner for Hughes, this team is finished. He is not top 4 material. He was Edmonton's 7th guy, Carolina's 7th or 8th guy, then while we were in the trenches he was our 2nd best defenceman at a time, right now he's our 4th best (behind Hughes, Myers, Hronek), but if we want to have a respectable defence next year, he can't be in our top 4. I will take him at 1M, maybe 1.5M at a stretch, to play as our 6th guy but nothing more. We have Burroughs, Dermott (if he comes back), Rathbone, Hirose, Brisebois, Wolanin all sitting in the wings. I know they're mostly LDs but I'd prefer Burroughs on a cheap salary as our 6th guy than Bear at 1.5M.

 

Bottom line is we need one more top 4 defenceman to push Bear down.

Bear is 25 years old now and played 22 minutes a night in his first full season with the Oilers. He’s had a decent season this year after sitting in Carolina for awhile. I wouldn’t write him off just like that! 

[Kevin Biestra]

48 minutes ago, IBatch said:

They went to the finals with a slightly different team before they won a cup.   So wouldn't really say they caught anything.   Staal was an animal that year. 6'4" and tough to handle, talk about a career year as a sophomore though.    Nothing like QHs though.    Veteran team, loaded with very good players.  A few fringe HHOFers plus aging Recchi.   We'd be over the moon to have that roster, five guys that's scored over 1000 points in their career a couple scored more than the Sedins and all those guys played the entire dead puck era (started in 1995).  

 

Still doing their thing, vet roster for sure.    Then a second tier.    Their D was solid but yes no QHs, still better then ours overall as of right now of course.     Ward was a lock for close to 40 wins when doing hockey pools back then lol, everyone wanted him.   After their cup...Maybe Demko gets there too.   In short CAR was a force in the East for awhile.    They petered out given the age of those guys.    A lot moved on too, but hung in there with they youth movement for awhile.    It was definitely a compliment saying one day, we could have assemble a core that matched CAR cup/final team(s).  

 

Edti:  Rutherford brought Cullen back, winning back to back cups in PIT and then retiring.   Captain game 7, Brind'Amour was critical in those deep PHI teams in the 90's one that went to the final, Recchi for PIT and then PHI, and his first five seasons or 415 games,  Recchi scored 509 points, on 3 separate teams to boot ... an average of 101.8 points.    Recchi his first five years anyways > then EPs.    Loads of guys who were leaders on other teams - and younger guys who would become leaders later like Staal and Williams (Mr Game 7).

 

And 2006 Eric Staal is better than anything Pettersson has done including probably this year.  Pettersson will get some votes but will he be the 2nd team All Star Center and 4th for the Hart Trophy?  Probably not even if he wasn't hurt in voting for the Hart by the Canucks missing the playoffs.

[IBatch]

1 hour ago, Kevin Biestra said:

 

And 2006 Eric Staal is better than anything Pettersson has done including probably this year.  Pettersson will get some votes but will he be the 2nd team All Star Center and 4th for the Hart Trophy?  Probably not even if he wasn't hurt in voting for the Hart by the Canucks missing the playoffs.

You bet.   Staal had a terrific playoff too, believe he led teams in scoring, worthy candidate for the Conn Smythe.    Kind of feel for players like him and Theo Fluery who win a cup their first year or two, and then never get back.   Staal was close though. 

[Kevin Biestra]

1 minute ago, IBatch said:

You bet.   Staal had a terrific playoff too, believe he led teams in scoring, worthy candidate for the Conn Smythe.    Kind of feel for players like him and Theo Fluery who win a cup their first year or two, and then never get back.   Staal was close though. 

 

Heh, yeah but better a Cup right off the bat than no Cup at all.

 

I remember Cory Schneider when Bieksa scored to get them to the final and he seemed like a junior high kid who just won a ticket to the Playboy Mansion.

[IBatch]

11 minutes ago, Kevin Biestra said:

 

Heh, yeah but better a Cup right off the bat than no Cup at all.

 

I remember Cory Schneider when Bieksa scored to get them to the final and he seemed like a junior high kid who just won a ticket to the Playboy Mansion.

Was really rooting for Weber and Price/Habs to win a cup too.   31-32 teams ... a lot of very good players won't win cups now.     What used to almost be a requirement to get into the HHOF, has eased off, and rightly so.   Staal had a resurgence which for sure prolonged his career.    I was actually hoping we'd pick him up,  played great and a big part of that run.   Also during his mid 30's resurgence,  garnered a Hart vote.   Lots of Byng and Selke votes too over the years.    Making  a pretty decent statement to get into the HHOF.     

Edited March 31, 2023 by IBatch

[Kevin Biestra]

4 minutes ago, IBatch said:

Was really rooting for Weber and Price/Habs to win a cup too.   31-32 teams ... a lot of very good players won't win cups now.     What used to almost be a requirement to get into the HHOF, has eased off, and rightly so.   Staal had a resurgence which for sure prolonged his career.    I was actually hoping we'd pick him up,  played great and a big part of that run.   Also during his mid 30's resurgence,  garnered a Hart vote.   Lots of Byng and Selke votes too over the years.    Making  a pretty decent statement to get into the HHOF.     

 

Yeah I figure Staal is going to the Alfredsson / Federko for his half a generation of players.  Or he'll be the Bernie Nicholls / Pierre Turgeon or his own teammate Rod Brind'Amour.

 

Who knows...maybe this whole Pride jersey thing will end up being a big deal with the voters.  I mean...it seems possible Don Cherry might not get in now.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by Kevin Biestra

[Ballisticsports.]

5 hours ago, IBatch said:

Was really rooting for Weber and Price/Habs to win a cup too.   31-32 teams ... a lot of very good players won't win cups now.     What used to almost be a requirement to get into the HHOF, has eased off, and rightly so.   Staal had a resurgence which for sure prolonged his career.    I was actually hoping we'd pick him up,  played great and a big part of that run.   Also during his mid 30's resurgence,  garnered a Hart vote.   Lots of Byng and Selke votes too over the years.    Making  a pretty decent statement to get into the HHOF.     

Yeah McDavid if always an Oiler may never see a cup, unless he goes to a cup contender near the end of his career

[danjr]

On 3/29/2023 at 9:27 PM, Rocket-68 said:

Feel free to reach out to Aquaman with your resume inquiring about replacing JR.

Wow you must be a telepath and a psychologist with a masters to garner that out of my statement.

 

Glad you spent all those years in school to delve into the depths of my psyche and filter my deepest seeded desires to replace JR.
Since you are such a genius why don't you give us your analysis for Trudeau.

Oh now for the real reason for my statement......years of being a fan, seeing the same regurgitated statements slightly reworded.

Thanks though, don't quit your part time job. 

[Rocket-68]

7 minutes ago, danjr said:

Wow you must be a telepath and a psychologist with a masters to garner that out of my statement.

 

Glad you spent all those years in school to delve into the depths of my psyche and filter my deepest seeded desires to replace JR.
Since you are such a genius why don't you give us your analysis for Trudeau.

Oh now for the real reason for my statement......years of being a fan, seeing the same regurgitated statements slightly reworded.

Thanks though, don't quit your part time job. 

https://jobs.canucks.com/ ... In case you need to be pointed in the right direction on where to send your resume.

[Kevin Biestra]

20 hours ago, Ballisticsports. said:

Yeah McDavid if always an Oiler may never see a cup, unless he goes to a cup contender near the end of his career

 

That would be something if he doesn't.  There has never been a player this dominant that didn't win a Cup.  He is already past the category of Yzerman and Crosby and into the tier of Gretzky / Lemieux / Orr / Coffey / Phil Esposito when it comes to putting up numbers his peers can't keep up with.

 

 

Edited April 1, 2023 by Kevin Biestra

[IBatch]

3 hours ago, Kevin Biestra said:

 

That would be something if he doesn't.  There has never been a player this dominant that didn't win a Cup.  He is already past the category of Yzerman and Crosby and into the tier of Gretzky / Lemieux / Orr / Coffey / Phil Esposito when it comes to putting up numbers his peers can't keep up with.

 

 

Glad you mentioned Espo.   Lafluer and Dionne eventually caught up.   Like to see McDavid follow it up next season ... but it doesn't appear to be a one off like Kucherov or Thornton in the dead puck era, Yzerman.    Jagr probably should be added in the Crosby, Yzerman tier too.  Same with Bossy, Lafleur and Dionne and maybe Sakic. 

Edited April 1, 2023 by IBatch

[Kevin Biestra]

10 hours ago, IBatch said:

Glad you mentioned Espo.   Lafluer and Dionne eventually caught up.   Like to see McDavid follow it up next season ... but it doesn't appear to be a one off like Kucherov or Thornton in the dead puck era, Yzerman.    Jagr probably should be added in the Crosby, Yzerman tier too.  Same with Bossy, Lafleur and Dionne and maybe Sakic. 

 

It's crazy to think about but McDavid's next Art Ross Trophy after this year ties him with Mario and Gordie Howe for 2nd all time with 6.  And after that it's just him chasing Gretzky.

 

He has five now, is still quite early in his career, and is actually speeding up.  Who is going to compete with him for the Art Ross for the next six years or so?  The only other player really speeding up the same way is Elias Pettersson.  The greats like Crosby and Ovechkin are slowing down and their Art Ross days are over.  His biggest threat is if the prophecies were true with someone like Bedard and that becomes the seven years younger Lemieux to McDavid's Gretzky.  Otherwise for the foreseeable future it's Kucherov, Tkachuk, MacKinnon, Pastrnak, Matthews, etc. and they are all a tier down.

 

As for Phil Esposito...he is quite overlooked due to Gretzky coming along shortly after his greatest records and also because he played with Orr (same way Coffey gets devalued for playing with Gretzky).  But he was the first player ever to get 100 points...with a season where he scored 126 points.  He didn't just break that barrier that players like Howe and Mikita had been inching their way toward, he blew it into smithereens...then shortly after becoming the first player to ever score 100 points he becomes the first to score 150.  First to score 60 goals then first to score 70.  He had four 60 goal seasons before anyone else (Reggie Leach) managed to do it once.  Led the league in goals six years in a row, mostly with seasons that would have been the new NHL record but for his own new records.  It just all kind of slipped under the waves because a handful of years later Gretzky came along.

 

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by Kevin Biestra

[EastCoastNucks]

On 3/31/2023 at 3:40 AM, DownUndaCanuck said:

If they think Bear is our 4th best guy, or long term partner for Hughes, this team is finished. He is not top 4 material. He was Edmonton's 7th guy, Carolina's 7th or 8th guy, then while we were in the trenches he was our 2nd best defenceman at a time, right now he's our 4th best (behind Hughes, Myers, Hronek), but if we want to have a respectable defence next year, he can't be in our top 4. I will take him at 1M, maybe 1.5M at a stretch, to play as our 6th guy but nothing more. We have Burroughs, Dermott (if he comes back), Rathbone, Hirose, Brisebois, Wolanin all sitting in the wings. I know they're mostly LDs but I'd prefer Burroughs on a cheap salary as our 6th guy than Bear at 1.5M.

 

Bottom line is we need one more top 4 defenceman to push Bear down.

Um due to the time change maybe you dont get to see all the games while sober?

But Bear plays better than he did on all the other teams with Canucks. Its like he found HOME and he plays better than both OEL and MYERS so thats what, over $10 mill worth of contracts for under 1.5? yeah. He can move up to Hughes pair. As long as OEL stays injured and Myers is getting more desperate to earn his wages.

 

[RU SERIOUS]

On 3/29/2023 at 8:24 PM, Dr. Crossbar said:

JR says ... F*** the fanbase, we're building a winner whether you like it or not! 

 

EDIT: That's exactly what we've needed. 

 

Evidence? No cup.

 

 

The letter should have stopped at end of the first paragraph where he said  "We had expectations going into this season that were not met" !   Really???

 

One more year and if no further progress (playoffs) - FIRE HIM and sell the team Frankie...... to responsible adults !

 

Same B.S. letter every year for the last 52 years!

Edited April 8, 2023 by RU SERIOUS
typo