Canucks & NHL News, Rumours, and & Fantasy GM | Playing out the stretch.

[JanBulisPiggyBack]

Cole Sillinger - What would be the ask I wonder? It's the kind of bet that we should make but would 1st + Hogz or something be enough? Probably not.

Didn’t Cole Sillinger date Tate McCrae and drop the ball, cheat on her

Not sure if this guy makes smart decisions and can not be trusted

 

[arttk]

The lack of centers around the league is pretty insane. Was planning to list some names between 21-26 but just gave up after looking at the list. I hope whoever is the pro scout on this don't f*** it up .

 

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

Didn’t Cole Sillinger date Tate McCrae and drop the ball, cheat on her

Not sure if this guy makes smart decisions and can not be trusted

Yes because that was super hockey related.

 

[Diversification]

Didn’t Cole Sillinger date Tate McCrae and drop the ball, cheat on her

Not sure if this guy makes smart decisions and can not be trusted

A bigger concern is that his offensive progression appears to have stalled. Also mediocre faceoff numbers. But, yeah... Tate McCrae, I guess.

 

[DFAC]

I think we're undeniably set at D going into next season. And frighteningly lacking in depth and talent in the forward positions. The reverse of last year. I don't think it'll take a miracle for this team to make the playoffs, but there's not a lot of options out there and the cap space disappears quickly. As much as I like Boeser I'm not sure he's the answer for us - I have no idea of who to replace him with though.

I'm pissed at the way things have gone this season. I'm pissed at Miller for being a man child (he has set us back hugely with it), I'm pissed at Petey for letting it get into his head to the point at which he was invisible for so many stretches (even considering injury), and I'm pissed at management for letting it get to the stage it did.

Next season can't be worse.

There’s absolutely a timeline where the team flounders and misses the playoffs again next year. Hughes decides he doesn’t want to stick around for a middling team and wants to leave. Things can absolutely get worse.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

W

Didn’t Cole Sillinger date Tate McCrae and drop the ball, cheat on her

Not sure if this guy makes smart decisions and can not be trusted

Was it with Bush Mackracken?

I'm not fully up-to-date on my pop culture.

 

[arttk]

There’s absolutely a timeline where the team flounders and misses the playoffs again next year. Hughes decides he doesn’t want to stick around for a middling team and wants to leave. Things can absolutely get worse.

having a full year of healthy Demko and Lankinen would basically set our floor pretty damn high.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

Drance mentions him in today's mailbag but Pavel Zacha is someone to take not of. There's not a high ceiling on him but he's pretty much a prototypical second line centre. Big factor is which direction Boston is going in this summer. You'd think he'd be slated for 3rd line centre duty with the acquisition of Mittelstadt.

Zacha is signed for 2 more seasons at 4.75m with a 8-NTC.

---

In the same mailbag Drance has this to say about their 1st round draft pick.

Given these dynamics, I’d actually be somewhat less surprised to see the Canucks deal their 2026 first-round pick (lottery protected, rolling over to 2027 unprotected) as part of a larger deal this summer as opposed to trading their 2025 first-round pick.

I generally agree to this. I wouldn't be shocked to see them trade their 2026 pick and use the 2025.

Zacha strike me as a 3C more than a 2C. Even when he plays with Pasta at EV and gets PP1 time, he doesn't generate much offense. If we sign Ehlers this summer and pair them together, that could work. But if we trade for Zacha and expect him to drive offense on L2 with the wingers we have, I don't think we'll have too much success.

I would take Suter over Zacha in a vacuum. But Suter's contract will be much longer than Zacha's so that gives Zacha the advantage.

As to the pick, I don't understand why keeping the 2025 1st rounder is that important? By all accounts, the prospects in our range (in the teens) aren't that great this season. The 2026 pick could be more valuable. Even if you put protection on the 2026 pick, you risk losing the 2027 1st rounder, in a year where we might lose Hughes and we might struggle, why take a chance of losing out a high 1st rounder in 2027 just to keep the mid-first in a weak-ish 2025 draft? Neither prospect drafted in 2025 nor 2027 will be a major contributor any time soon anyways.

 

[Kryten]

having a full year of healthy Demko and Lankinen would basically set our floor pretty damn high.

At this point Id be surprised if our 1st and Lankinen isnt packaged for a RHCP. No not a red hot chili pepper, a right hand center player

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

I haven't looked in earnest but I think Cole Sillinger would be someone who could shake loose this summer.

He's not a sexy addition but J.G. Pageau would fit as a reliably productive right-handed centre.

The health of Pettersson of Chytil really complicates things.

Another option would be to re-sign Suter and go after a play driving winger.

I'm 100% on board with bringing in JGP if the price is reasonable and especially if Suter walks.

Suter is going to be getting close to what JGP currently makes now.

 

[thecupismine]

Zacha strike me as a 3C more than a 2C. Even when he plays with Pasta at EV and gets PP1 time, he doesn't generate much offense. If we sign Ehlers this summer and pair them together, that could work. But if we trade for Zacha and expect him to drive offense on L2 with the wingers we have, I don't think we'll have too much success.

I would take Suter over Zacha in a vacuum. But Suter's contract will be much longer than Zacha's so that gives Zacha the advantage.

As to the pick, I don't understand why keeping the 2025 1st rounder is that important? By all accounts, the prospects in our range (in the teens) aren't that great this season. The 2026 pick could be more valuable. Even if you put protection on the 2026 pick, you risk losing the 2027 1st rounder, in a year where we might lose Hughes and we might struggle, why take a chance of losing out a high 1st rounder in 2027 just to keep the mid-first in a weak-ish 2025 draft? Neither prospect drafted in 2025 nor 2027 will be a major contributor any time soon anyways.

I think the point Drance was also making in his article was that it’s going to be very difficult to find a 2C in free agency or on the trade market this summer. He suggested Zacha as a lower tier target for that reason, and said it’d be more likely the Canucks go big game hunting for a winger.

Given the relative cost of each and the number of holes the Canucks have up front, I think he might be right, especially when you look at the historical cost of acquiring legitimate 1st line winger talent vs finding high end centers.

 

[Vector]

At this point Id be surprised if our 1st and Lankinen isnt packaged for a RHCP. No not a red hot chili pepper, a right hand center player

People aren't just going to give it away.

 

[arttk]

At this point Id be surprised if our 1st and Lankinen isnt packaged for a RHCP. No not a red hot chili pepper, a right hand center player

don't think they will trade Lank. I think Garland, Joshua are higher on the to trade list. I honestly think they should trade Garland.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

don't think they will trade Lank. I think Garland, Joshua are higher on the to trade list. I honestly think they should trade Garland.

Would you not want to maybe reunite the Joshua-Blueger-Garland line next year and hope they rekindle their magic from last season? Since we lack a clearcut L2 and it is unlikely we are able to acquire a 2C, it might be a viable option to build two quasi-L2/L3?

Trading Garland opens up $5m, but then you need to find a play driving player for the middle 6 and that will easily cost you $5m+ anyways. Unless you are able to parlay the $5m saving PLUS something else for an upgrade?

 

[Canucks LB]

Would you not want to maybe reunite the Joshua-Blueger-Garland line next year and hope they rekindle their magic from last season? Since we lack a clearcut L2 and it is unlikely we are able to acquire a 2C, it might be a viable option to build two quasi-L2/L3?

Trading Garland opens up $5m, but then you need to find a play driving player for the middle 6 and that will easily cost you $5m+ anyways. Unless you are able to parlay the $5m saving PLUS something else for an upgrade?

Honestly, i want our lines to look like this next year.

xxx Petey xxx
Debrusk xxx Garland

3rd Line - Sherwood Chytil Hoglander
( speed, scoring, Tenacity)
4th Line - Joshua - Bleuger or Raty - O,Connor

Gives us 19ish million to find 2 Wingers and a 2C.

And we have some pretty significant D and pick trade assets to get this done also.

 

[Diversification]

People aren't just going to give it away.

They might if the RHCP is currently under the bridge (contract) and extension talks haven't gone well.

 

[Vector]

Honestly, i want our lines to look like this next year.

xxx Petey xxx
Debrusk xxx Garland

3rd Line - Sherwood Chytil Hoglander
( speed, scoring, Tenacity)
4th Line - Joshua - Bleuger or Raty - O,Connor

Gives us 14m million to find 2 Wingers and a 2C.

And we have some pretty significant D and pick trade assets to get this done also.

That line-up (and assuming Junior and Mancini are on the team) has the team at 16.675m in cap space on a 17/23 roster. If they roll with Forbort or an equivalent at 1m, Linus Karlsson as the 13th forward, and near-league minimum player for the final roster spot, that puts the them closer to 14m for 2 wingers and a 2C.

 

[Jerry the great]

The lack of centers around the league is pretty insane. Was planning to list some names between 21-26 but just gave up after looking at the list. I hope whoever is the pro scout on this don't f*** it up .

when you actually consider whether they're realistically available, that list gets real short, real quick.

The only name i found semi interesting was Mavrik Bourque. Dallas has like $5MM cap space next year and only 16 players signed. pretty good chance you could get him for a 2nd round pick + a meh prospect. Alternatively, I doubt they'd match an offer sheet at the higher end of that 2nd round comp band.

Could see the player producing more in an elevated role, which he's unlikely to get in Dallas anytime soon.

not an ideal target....given his lack of size, but he's a good skater and a RHC.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

Honestly, i want our lines to look like this next year.

xxx Petey xxx
Debrusk xxx Garland

3rd Line - Sherwood Chytil Hoglander
( speed, scoring, Tenacity)
4th Line - Joshua - Bleuger or Raty - O,Connor

Gives us 19ish million to find 2 Wingers and a 2C.

And we have some pretty significant D and pick trade assets to get this done also.

What is the situation with Chytil? I'm guessing we won't know for sure until closer to the end of summer, which would mean management could be handcuffed for the 2C role. They might roll into next season with something like this:

Hog - EP40 - Sherwood
Debrusk - Chytil - Ehlers($9-9.5m)
Joshua - Blueger - Garland
DOC - Raty - Lekk
Karlsson/Sasson/etc as the 13th forward.

4th line is kind of a sheltered line. Blueger and EP40's lines does most of the heavy lifting. We should be able to bank up enough cap space to make a big addition in the next TDL.

If Chytil is going to LTIRetire, then we have an extra $4m to try to get a legit 2C.

That isn't a very good forward group, but honestly its about as good as we can realistically hope for, unless we start packaging our bluechip prospects + 1st rounders for a good 2C.

 

[vancityluongo]

Bedard, Celebrini and McKenna all grew up Canuck fans.

Where did you see this? For whatever amount it matters, idk if this is correct. Pretty sure his family were Flames fans.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

when you actually consider whether they're realistically available, that list gets real short, real quick.

The only name i found semi interesting was Mavrik Bourque. Dallas has like $5MM cap space next year and only 16 players signed. pretty good chance you could get him for a 2nd round pick + a meh prospect. Alternatively, I doubt they'd match an offer sheet at the higher end of that 2nd round comp band.

Could see the player producing more in an elevated role, which he's unlikely to get in Dallas anytime soon.

not an ideal target....given his lack of size, but he's a good skater and a RHC.

He is going to be a hot commodity as I can see other rebuilding teams gunning for him as well. They will have more picks and prospects than us to offer up to Dallas, I doubt we win any bidding war. But he is absolutely an intriguing player to target.

I just worry that Tocchet might not like the center depth of EP40-Blueger-Bourque-Raty. Not sure he trust Raty enough yet to not shelter him and give him PK minutes. If not, then that might be too much ice time for Blueger and EP40 to handle.

 

[Nick Lang]

That line-up (and assuming Junior and Mancini are on the team) has the team at 16.675m in cap space on a 17/23 roster. If they roll with Forbort or an equivalent at 1m, Linus Karlsson as the 13th forward, and near-league minimum player for the final roster spot, that puts the them closer to 14m for 2 wingers and a 2C.

I look at that roster and the first thing I think of is $3.25 and $2.5 on the fourth line is horrible asset management. We won't be able to afford to fill out the more important positions properly. Add in Hoglander at $3 and that's a waste of cap space. I would 100% be trading one of these players and Hoglander seems the most likely to me unless they would move on from Joshua ... but that I don't see. His value is low and he's coming off a major life event. Our fourth line should have league minimum guys on it. At least one of the wings should be held by prospect or journeyman type salary.

 

[VanJack]

Canucks might have some interest in Bourque.....but the Canucks and Stars don't have much of a trading history.

And I wouldn't give up too much to acquire him.....I'm getting 'Linden Vey' vibes from this player.

 

[DFAC]

having a full year of healthy Demko and Lankinen would basically set our floor pretty damn high.

Sure but how confident are you that Demko will be healthy all year cause I’m not. The guy is in Sami Salo territory of being injury prone.

Can Lankinen handle a full season as a starter? We saw his play drop this year when his workload increased.

 

[Hodgy]

Would you not want to maybe reunite the Joshua-Blueger-Garland line next year and hope they rekindle their magic from last season? Since we lack a clearcut L2 and it is unlikely we are able to acquire a 2C, it might be a viable option to build two quasi-L2/L3?

Trading Garland opens up $5m, but then you need to find a play driving player for the middle 6 and that will easily cost you $5m+ anyways. Unless you are able to parlay the $5m saving PLUS something else for an upgrade?

I could see trading a combination of Garland, Joshua, Demko, Hoglander and Debrusk if it allows the team to free up enough cap space to sign an Ehlers, Marner or Bennett type player, or acquire via trade a first line forward. Essentially, stripping us of depth at forward in favour of high end talent which I think is a trade off that makes sense for this team. Probably unlikely though.