Canucks News, Rumours, & Fantasy GM | Part 2

[vancityluongo]

With Livingstone headed to Nashville - you wonder if Woo has a spot lining up for him once Myers is up. He's taken a big step this year, and with early returns on guys like Juulsen, Wolanin, and Rathbone showing well in the NHL, would likely be more than serviceable after one more year playing as the #1 in Abbotsford.

Hughes-Bear
Wolanin-Hronek
OEL-Woo
Rathbone

All of a sudden, this lineup of 50% AHL fodder that would have been pukeworthy at the start of the year looks somehow strangely adequate. Save for OEL, every pairing can skate, pass, and defend reasonably well. That top 4 is, in particular, in the exact mould of what management wants on the blueline. Bear has been, if slightly inconsistent, Hughes' best partner, and Wolanin has been simply excellent. Woo's physicality and low-mistake game would be a welcome addition as a #5-6, and if Rathbone comes into the lineup, he'll have his partner in Abbotsford back.

don't hate that, but think we need to move rathbone while we can. there's no role for him here and a guy like wolanin has passed him on the depth chart while we just added another similar style and age player in hirose. same applies for dermott - get a pick for his rights at the draft if we can.

not sold on gavrikov, but it would be nice to push OEL out of the lineup and to have wolanin on the third pair. from there, if you can just find a better partner for hughes (super easy of course) and have bear slide down to the third pair, that's a solid defense.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Has anyone heard of the Canucks are interested in any other NCAA guys or European players?

Was hoping for Cole McWard RHD.

No real buzz around it for the Canucks, but Hardy Haman Aktell seems to be the most coveted European free agent. With how thin our defensive prospect pool is, it would be great for the Canucks to take a run at signing him.

 

[Tact]

13-4-2 without OEL so far. Get rid of that loser

They have also played a lot of backup goalies, pressure free hockey, Demko is back and a coaching bump.

I don’t think that record truly speaks truth. We’ve seen this story too many times, we’ll see how it goes next season.

 

[Svencouver]

don't hate that, but think we need to move rathbone while we can. there's no role for him here and a guy like wolanin has passed him on the depth chart while we just added another similar style and age player in hirose. same applies for dermott - get a pick for his rights at the draft if we can.

not sold on gavrikov, but it would be nice to push OEL out of the lineup and to have wolanin on the third pair. from there, if you can just find a better partner for hughes (super easy of course) and have bear slide down to the third pair, that's a solid defense.

See, I agree with you (and Kryten and others) that a lineup without OEL completely would be ideal. But unless he gets bought out, I have a hard time seeing it happening. He's going to play next year for some amount of time, at least.

I agreed on Rathbone earlier in the year, but he's looked serviceable in his few games since the call-up. I doubt he has much value right now, so he's either going to be a #7 with us or on the first pairing with Woo in the A next year, which is fine. I think the similar style stuff is a bit of a red herring - management has indicated that mobile, puck-moving defenseman are something they think you cant have too many of, and are key to their vision of this teams system. See: Hronek acquisition, Hirose signing, etc. If they think they can make Rathbone that guy on the 2nd or 3rd pair, they'll hang onto him. No issue with having all of Wolanin, Rathbone, and Hirose competing for that spot and supplementing organizational depth in Abbotsford.

Im willing to re-evaluate this defense and our minor league assets now that the coaching paradigm has changed so significantly. As was mentioned in the Around the League thread - a lot of the strongest D programs in the league are more the result of internal development more than anything else; with Carolina atm being the strongest example of that in the league currently. Sure, getting a "bona fide" #2 or #3 would be great - but it'd be just as good if we could promote from within.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Given the teams play since he's been out, there is just no way you can bring back OEL next year.

Addition by subtraction.

Trade, buy-out, send him to Abby, mutual termination. Don't care.

The team is better off without him.

 

[racerjoe]

I think people are thinking of the teams record too much when thinking about the teams play. Yes it has been good, and get the backups talk and all that. However the team has also played much better as a team and defensively. Demko while being better has not been the Demko we know he can be, and we are doing this with a mostly AHL deffense.

 

[kylek023]

Given the teams play since he's been out, there is just no way you can bring back OEL next year.

Addition by subtraction.

Trade, buy-out, send him to Abby, mutual termination. Don't care.

The team is better off without him.

OEL has nmc (thank you Benning) so we can't trade him or send him to Abbotsford unless he allows it

 

[ziploc]

OEL has nmc (thank you Benning) so we can't trade him or send him to Abbotsford unless he allows it

Just another giant kick to the nuts from Benning.

 

[Peter Griffin]

If Aqua truly wants to compete now, paying for OEL to go away is his best option.

 

[Horvat1C]

I think that this year the Canucks have been playing in "garbage time" even more so than last year. Playoff races are mostly over and everyone around the league seems to be exhausted after a long regular season this year for some reason. The Canucks are operating as a team ramping up for a push to get in the Playoffs (spiking ice time for Pettersson/Hughes/Miller, riding Demko hard, etc.) against backup goalies and teams less interested in working hard since again, its "garbage time."

Our players are playing to earn a spot/role in the organization with new management and coaches. No other team has that as a motivating factor for the entire team right now. Pettersson and Hughes are also hitting new levels while the opposition is putting in 80% effort.

Last year we were closer to the Playoffs and there were some games with significant Playoff implications. This year there's not.

All that to say that I don't think the roster and level of play we are seeing right now will necessarily be indicative of what we see next year.

 

[MS]

I think that this year the Canucks have been playing in "garbage time" even more so than last year. Playoff races are mostly over and everyone around the league seems to be exhausted after a long regular season this year for some reason. The Canucks are operating as a team ramping up for a push to get in the Playoffs (spiking ice time for Pettersson/Hughes/Miller, riding Demko hard, etc.) against backup goalies and teams less interested in working hard since again, its "garbage time."

Our players are playing to earn a spot/role in the organization with new management and coaches. No other team has that as a motivating factor for the entire team right now. Pettersson and Hughes are also hitting new levels while the opposition is putting in 80% effort.

Last year we were closer to the Playoffs and there were some games with significant Playoff implications. This year there's not.

All that to say that I don't think the roster and level of play we are seeing right now will necessarily be indicative of what we see next year.

There's some push-pull both ways.

We're also dressing a 50% Abbotsford blueline every night and have no 3C (or 3rd line, really) and the roster we see in October will be significantly better than what we've been dressing now.

 

[Kryten]

They have also played a lot of backup goalies, pressure free hockey, Demko is back and a coaching bump.

I don’t think that record truly speaks truth. We’ve seen this story too many times, we’ll see how it goes next season.

Yes that is true, but if accountibility and team buy in is what Tocchet does then I doubt OEL has a future in it. He costs the team too much money, flexibility, and his play is atrocious. With Eriksson you atleast had a defensibly responsible winger. With OEL you have a plus/minus that would make PGA pros blush

 

[Horvat1C]

There's some push-pull both ways.

We're also dressing a 50% Abbotsford blueline every night and have no 3C (or 3rd line, really) and the roster we see in October will be significantly better than what we've been dressing now.

It wasn't very clear in my first post but that was sort of the point I was making. I don't think our blue line will be the Abbotsford defense + Hughes next year, and if it is I don't expect it to do nearly as good as its doing right now.

Mainly pushing back against the notion that playing Wolanin and Brisebois is better than playing OEL. In garbage time there's not much difference but I don't think that will be the case to start next year.

Planning around Wolanin, Brisebois, Juulsen, etc. contributing at the level they are right now next year is wishful thinking.

 

[racerjoe]

OEL has nmc (thank you Benning) so we can't trade him or send him to Abbotsford unless he allows it

Just another giant kick to the nuts from Benning.

To be fair, Benning didn't give out the NMC... he just traded assets for the privilege of having it.

 

[JanBulisPiggyBack]

If Aqua truly wants to compete now, paying for OEL to go away is his best option.

I can’t imagine OEL gets bought out, at least not for 2 more years, I think we are stuck with OEL which is almost preferred to having ownership ok a trade for OEL and our 1st round pick ++ which is my fear

 

[alternate]

Yes that is true, but if accountibility and team buy in is what Tocchet does then I doubt OEL has a future in it. He costs the team too much money, flexibility, and his play is atrocious. With Eriksson you atleast had a defensibly responsible winger. With OEL you have a plus/minus that would make PGA pros blush

Never forget "The Gleam" tho.

 

[rypper]

It's too bad they changed the MOU on NTC/NMC following players being an option... although I feel like ol' Jimbo would have kept it.

 

[Nucker42]

Faber had mentioned Andreev, looks like he signed an AHL deal

 

[dbaz]

Faber had mentioned Andreev, looks like he signed an AHL deal

im guessing they got their number 1 ncaa target at c and more than likely didnt think it was worth possibly wasting another contract spot on a prospect of that level/age or an ahl spot

 

[brock hughes007]

OEL has nmc (thank you Benning) so we can't trade him or send him to Abbotsford unless he allows it

Yeah but you don't have to play him,,press box him.

 

[credulous]

im guessing they got their number 1 ncaa target at c and more than likely didnt think it was worth possibly wasting another contract spot on a prospect of that level/age or an ahl spot

doesn't really make sense. they've got 4 open contract slots and there's 7-8 contracts that probably won't be renewed (delia, burroughs, ferland, focht, dowling, stevens, keeper, maybe kravtsov and dermott). they also don't have players on their reserve list they're likely to sign. maybe jurmo or forsell if they want to bring them over or truscott if he chooses not to go back to school?

guessing either andreev already has a handshake deal with seattle or the canucks just weren't actually interested

 

[Vector]

To be fair, Benning didn't give out the NMC... he just traded assets for the privilege of having it.

God, don’t make me say something nice about that dingus…but…he did decline to honour Miller’s NTC when acquiring him.

 

[racerjoe]

God, don’t make me say something nice about that dingus…but…he did decline to honour Miller’s NTC when acquiring him.

You don't have to say anything nice about him. This was different as it already existed. OEL could have said not going unless it is honoured. I mean I would not have done that... but I don't think it was a chose.

 

[dbaz]

doesn't really make sense. they've got 4 open contract slots and there's 7-8 contracts that probably won't be renewed (delia, burroughs, ferland, focht, dowling, stevens, keeper, maybe kravtsov and dermott). they also don't have players on their reserve list they're likely to sign. maybe jurmo or forsell if they want to bring them over or truscott if he chooses not to go back to school?

guessing either andreev already has a handshake deal with seattle or the canucks just weren't actually interested

those 7-8 contracts still need to be replaced so those wouldn't even be worth counting until ufa and ahl roster is rebuilt in offseason. good ahl depth is still better than low end ncaa players, they also arent good enough to be a backup, 7th d or 13th forward

for now, truscott likely gets a contract. i dont see him going back. hughes, mcgroarty, fantilli will be leaving this year after they lost power, johnson etc last year. no idea what his injury is though.

That leaves them 3 spots. European free agents and possibly coercing someone like gardner if they feel hes ahead of where he should be(especially after clarkson lost their best recruit to BC). dont think its worth wasting on someone like Andreev

 

[canuckking1]

Cap isn't going up again. Let's hope we sign Petey this offseason because it eventually has to start rising again.