Tribute Alexander Edler
- Thread starter Eye of Ra
- Start date
One of my fav canucks.
Too bad Benning did him dirty and let him walk.
Too bad Benning did him dirty and let him walk.
Could play any role on defense, was the No. 1 guy under four Canucks coaches, never in any of their doghouses, nor had drama in the media.
I remember going to a Rockets game in 05/06 and being blown away by how dominant Edler was. He was manhandling everyone, scored a big goal, and tilted the ice when he was on. To this day, when somebody mentions the phrase "man among boys", that particular game always pops into my head.
Just a great player. Would have been our top pairing with Luc Bourdon (rest in peace). Was my favourite Canuck behind the Sedins.
Benning saw/wanted Edler back in a reduced role. Edler didn't agree and left. Tough situation for Edler though. His friends were gone and the team kept losing.
rypper
21-12-05 it's finally over.
- Dec 22, 2006
- 16,873
- 21,305
Edler was a guy who refused trades forever, never taking a chance to go for a cup and then ended up signing in LA when they were still a bottom feeder.
I think that says everything about how the team was run at the time and how bad he wanted out.
I think that says everything about how the team was run at the time and how bad he wanted out.
lawrence
Registered User
- May 19, 2012
- 16,378
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vadim sharifijanov
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2007
- 29,383
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probably a top twenty all time canucks moment for me
I think he did that to Duncunt Keith once.
Hit the post
I have your gold medal Zippy!
Didn't Thomas Gradin "find" him from following the Detroit Swedish amateur scout around? 
An argument could be made for him to be 3rd best d-man the Canucks have ever had. Certainly top 5. The only two I would clearly place above him are Hughes and Ohlund.
PuckMunchkin
Very Nice, Very Evil!
I think he just could not deal with the Benning era dysfunction anymore.
Him leaving is one of the most glaring pieces of evidence how bad things were.
I hear this a lot and that could well be. We can believe what we want. I don't take much stock in Edler refusing to waive his NTC previously. I believe the last reported instance was in 2019 and that was at a time when the Canucks may or may not have had an offer of extension on the table.
I think the combination of COVID (which Edler did have it rough with his daughters getting sick), the losing, and the lukewarm offer and fit that Edler got sealed it for him. A lot of people don't think of it but Covid did change things. Edler talked a lot about Covid and not playing in front of fans. It's not dissimilar to the number of people who realized they could move away.
Eye of Ra
Grandmaster General of the International boards
Certainly better than Jovo. Salo may have had higher peaks but durability is a skillset, too. Edler had everything to be a good no.1 d/great no.2 for well over a decade.
PavelBure10
The Russian Rocket
Edler was so positionally sound he was rarely caught out of place. The 6'3 Swede was solid all around. Crunching oncoming forwards with ease. I remember a young Edler putting a very large Georges Laraque on his ass, in which I found extremely impressive. The quiet Swede was a physical presence. Had a very good slapshot which he kept low and hard. Very underrated Canuck defenseman who will go among one of the best in franchise history.
vadim sharifijanov
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2007
- 29,383
- 17,407
objectively, edler was a very good dman. probably the third best we’ve ever had. definitely top five, depending on how you weigh hamhuis and snepsts’ impacts vs their shorter tenures.
but it’s hard for me to appreciate what he was vs what we thought he could be when he first arrived. i was fully expecting from the first few edler years for him to develop into a poor man’s shea weber, a true all-situations number one who would be a fringe top ten dman for a long time. he was big, loved to hit, could skate, and the thought was he was on his way learning to manage the breakout and would develop into a real PP QB. and then after the suspensions he kind of eased up and became our new doug lidster instead.
so i tend to look back less fondly on him than, say, a salo or jovo or bieksa or tanev or diduck.
but it’s hard for me to appreciate what he was vs what we thought he could be when he first arrived. i was fully expecting from the first few edler years for him to develop into a poor man’s shea weber, a true all-situations number one who would be a fringe top ten dman for a long time. he was big, loved to hit, could skate, and the thought was he was on his way learning to manage the breakout and would develop into a real PP QB. and then after the suspensions he kind of eased up and became our new doug lidster instead.
so i tend to look back less fondly on him than, say, a salo or jovo or bieksa or tanev or diduck.
Shareefruck
Registered User
I still remember how he showed slight flashes of Lidstrom-esque hockey sense when he was first starting to wow everyone as a rookie. Kept making the right decisions and making these smart subtle plays. Didn't really turn out to be how he actually was as a player (it was only for a handful of games), but still one of our best.
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ChilliBilly
Registered User
Other than Hughes, he pretty much measured up with anyone else we have ever had. Nothing outstanding but very reliable.
Bojack Horvatman
IAMGROOT
- Jun 15, 2016
- 4,413
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If I had to guess how Tanev was treated the previous offseason was probably a big part of that. 10 y ear Canuck getting ghosted like that did probably not sit well with him.
Always loved Edler. It’s amazing how many good defenders we had in the 00s and early 2010s. Never a Norris calibre guy, but we always seemed to have 3-5 #2 and #3d
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