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I’m not surprised on Boeser. Management needs to hit a home run and they only have a couple of swings.
I will argue, and did throughout the offseason, that it wasn't incompetence but a calculated risk that they'll be able to acquire the defencemen they need in-season and the offense and goaltending will be able to hold the fort until then. However, both their offensive centres showed up to training camp injured and determined to ruin the season, and then Demko and Joshua also came in to camp unable to play. It was a risk that backfired in the absolutely worst way possible.

And now the defence looks like a strength; personnel, structure, and cap hit-wise.

I think you’re right on their thinking, but it was an incredibly risky approach when they were banking on three defenders in their thirties who are probably bottom pairing guys on a good team to maintain their level of play and the fourth guy was a 28 year old with one NHL season. And there was absolutely no depth behind them if anything went wrong, as it inevitably did. If not for Brannstrom clearing waivers it would have been even more ugly.

They also take the blame for not stopping the bleeding when it was clear from the get go things weren’t working as they hoped.
 
If Boeser walks this management group will be responsible for getting rid of Miller Boeser Horvat Lindholm Kuzmenko a 8yr albatross in OEL and now we're looking for a C and scoring help without much cap space?

For strange and poor handling of Pearson Mikhayev Demko and Pettersson injuries.
- I know they are not the doctor's but the messaging has been horrendous and this play at all costs regular season BS has to stop for a longer view. It's not game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals where "you know he will play"

For throwing Boudreau and Pettersson under the bus and the very strange handling of the Miller vs Pettersson situation. Including the whole contract situation.
- Will be interesting of more comes out about the Friedman comments about internal toughening up of Pettersson and how that effected the relationships. Why they thought they could tend the situation to begin with and then what they did after to try and keep it tenable?

Blowing the defence situation in the off season.
- We all saw it from day1. I believe my comments were.. "horrifying if we get so much as 1 key injury." Hronek out...horror ensues. Why the F it was so important to get Heinen and Desharnais at 5 million vs someone who could actually play 18-22minutes of solid D is beyond me. The chiselling of Zadorov made little sense if that was the back up plan.

It's also incredible to me how much this franchise has constantly charged through strong headwinds.

From 2023 when things were a mess trading Horvat falling towards 2 first rounders in a deep draft with a hometown superstar at the top of it to playing the shit out of Demko to resurrect the season.

Then after that pivot looked to have merits and resulted in a set up for the wildly successful 23/24 season we blew a bunch of assets to end up with Demko worn out injured 2 players still going at each other in the room a messed up core and again we trade another 1st rounder and play injured players all season to end up with a worse draft position and 2 of our best players (Boeser Suter) possibly walking for nothing with our stupid money hungry loser of an owner raising ticket prices 12-20%

I'm not advocating for firing the Baldersons. They have done a lot of good things and i get that they have a strange relationship with our rather off putting scheming media and a shitty owner to deal with which has probably led to some of the above.
- But if EP40 doesn't come back a star and start proving that contract isn't a joke and they can fix some of the scoring issues plus take a step in the standing it's probably time to start thinking about pivoting and retooling/rebuilding

Trading any of our top prospects for any older players than Hughes would be a huge mistake.
 
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The issue is really twofold ... outside of raw goal totals he's not even a very good fit for the forward group, second, he's never been a burner to begin with and if his speed declines he could become relatively useless pretty fast heading into the upcoming years of that contract.

Not trading him at the deadline under the pretense of some phantom playoff chase that was never going to happen was monumentally dumb when I don't think they had any intention of signing him.


You were not the only one to say, but the decision to not trade Boeser, was just as much if not more based on the Canucks not getting their asking price.

This can be still debated if it was the correct choice, but still slightly different and should be mentioned.
 
I’m not surprised on Boeser. Management needs to hit a home run and they only have a couple of swings.


I think you’re right on their thinking, but it was an incredibly risky approach when they were banking on three defenders in their thirties who are probably bottom pairing guys on a good team to maintain their level of play and the fourth guy was a 28 year old with one NHL season. And there was absolutely no depth behind them if anything went wrong, as it inevitably did. If not for Brannstrom clearing waivers it would have been even more ugly.

They also take the blame for not stopping the bleeding when it was clear from the get go things weren’t working as they hoped.

Or not even giving Wolanin a chance and instead burying him or moving Hronek to his own pairing.
 
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Well Suter is not going to cost your 7 years X 8-8.5M, that's a giant difference, you can live with limitation when you pay a guy like 3.5-4.5.

Not 8M, but feel like Suter may be able to get 5 from someone. Still better than 8 of course, but Brock also has higher upside. Both may be too rich for me.
 
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Mancini is older and a righty. Most often asking D-Petey to play his off side or Forbort. Mancini last few games been tested out with Hughes as well.

Having strong defence is a good thing, ignoring offence to play defence only turns you into Nashville of a decade ago haha
I see them playing Mancini with Hughes as a sign that they are experimenting to see if that works and also as a showcase.

Right now we have 2 guys in Hughes and Hronek that can generate offense from the back. Dpetey has potential as well so I don't think trading away Willander as giving up on offense from the back. Ideally more puckmovers from the back the better but it goes back to, if they do make a trade, it's trading off on that for a better center.
 
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Not 8M, but feel like Suter may be able to get 5 from someone. Still better than 8 of course, but Brock also has higher upside. Both may be too rich for me.
Brock has higher upside if you have the right center but the downside of the contract is that it could get real ugly when he slows down even more. I think when you pay like 8+ x7, you NEED more certainty for the upside.
 
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i was responding to this, are you going to argue 55-60pt players are gamebreaking talent.
55-60 point players are first line NHLers, the idea that they were "depth pieces" and we were somehow going to be able to find 2-3 of them in short order is what i took issue with. the only game breaking talent available (potentially) in this years UFA crop is Marner. I kind of doubt he gets to market though. PPG players are rarely available in trade absent a contract impasse or similar.

End of the day, we're going to have a difficult time finding first line players, elite gamebreakers or guys in the next couple of tiers down.
 
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Well Suter is not going to cost your 7 years X 8-8.5M, that's a giant difference, you can live with limitation when you pay a guy like 3.5-4.5.
The value gap between the two is massive at the projected contrcts. Ignoring $$ altogether, i think there is an argument to be made, that Suter is a more versatile/useful player.
 
The value gap between the two is massive at the projected contrcts. Ignoring $$ altogether, i think there is an argument to be made, that Suter is a more versatile/useful player.
Looks like Suter could be a top 6 winger for us and if he costs like 4-4.5M x 4, we should take that over Brock at 8-8.5x7. Yeah he tops out at like 50ish points but we are talking about like a 15 point difference and we shouldn't pay like double the money and almost double in years for those 15 points.
 
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Man, I just do not want to trade Elias Pettersson ll despite him being the most obvious asset to use. He's so athletic and so good at 20. If he's going to be in any big trade, I want that trade to be for an actual star, not simply a decent fit in a position of need
 
Or not even giving Wolanin a chance and instead burying him or moving Hronek to his own pairing.

It was more than anything a bad mix of guys. Having as many guys as we did who couldn't move the puck killed us. It was painfully obvious, and in a vacuum I wasn't against any singular one of them. All together though... good god.

Its why not playing Brannstrom, who was only a 6th dman, but could actually move the puck was mind boggling.

Like Brannstrom wasn't some great savoir... but he brought a skill set we badly needed. Playing him just 10 mins a game was a better option than what we did.
 
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Centers that Canucks can acquire via free agency or trade:

Bennett
Duchene
Nelson
Zibanejad
R.Mcleod
Mctavish

I think one of those players will end up being a Canuck in the off-season.
 
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You were not the only one to say, but the decision to not trade Boeser, was just as much if not more based on the Canucks not getting their asking price.

This can be still debated if it was the correct choice, but still slightly different and should be mentioned.

I mean, that's somewhat the same thing. They were obviously not going to sign him, so they decided to lose him for nothing for a few meaningless games?
 
boeser isn't going to be worth whatever contract he signs but vancouver's forward group is one of the worst in the league without him. it's a pretty big dilemma for management imo

We’d be even worse in a couple of years after he got the bag and then began regressing.
We should have traded him at the deadline, but no team with playoff prospects would make that move.
 
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Centers that Canucks can acquire via free agency or trade:

Bennett
Duchene
Nelson
Zibanejad
R.Mcleod
Mctavish

I think one of those players will end up being a Canuck in the off-season.
I'd love McTavish, but not sure the ducks are interested in moving him.
 
We’d be even worse in a couple of years after he got the bag and then began regressing.
We should have traded him at the deadline, but no team with playoff prospects would make that move.

Knowing the Canucks luck with large contracts, it would not take a couple years for him to regress.
 
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Agree

But seeing that this team finished with 90 points. Just knowing that 5 better efforts this season or 10 games less of Juulharnais probably gets us to the playoffs man. And then maybe they're in a position to add a forward at the deadline. So weird.
Honestly, the bolded is primarily why I'm actually super optimistic about our future. Just about every f***ing thing in the world that could reasonably go wrong for a team, happened to us this year (and then some really). Yet we're right on the cusp of a playoff spot.

I agree with the sentiment a few folks have shared already-- the management team needs to be held accountable for failings, and does deserve a shot at correcting the issues, but another lost season should result in some changes to the front office/coaching staff/whatever.

I think management can do it, we'll need some luck along the way, but I think we'll bounce back pretty hard next season and beyond.
 
Agree

But seeing that this team finished with 90 points. Just knowing that 5 better efforts this season or 10 games less of Juulharnais probably gets us to the playoffs man. And then maybe they're in a position to add a forward at the deadline. So weird.

That's somewhat glossing over the fact you also had 40 games of PPG JT Miller at centre, and now you have concussed Chytil.
 
I mean, that's somewhat the same thing. They were obviously not going to sign him, so they decided to lose him for nothing for a few meaningless games?

this is where I am fine with not trading him, if all that was being offered was a second just like what was reported, I don't trade him. Especially after we took less value on a Miller trade, you can't let yourself be pushed around, you have to show a hard line, and that is worth a late second from Carolina.
 
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