Canucks & NHL News, Rumours, and & Fantasy GM | You incurred Vector's wrath and broke the site.

[ManVanFan]

I’m bored ASF rn so I’m gonna do some armchair GMING.

If we want to seriously improve this roster, we need some major turnover. Joshua, Chytil, Blueger, and Hoglander should all be moved to help with this.

Dream scenario is we sign Marner and solve 3-4 problems on offense at once.

Trade Hoggy to CAL for our 3rd back and then offer sheet Cuylle around 7x7M. Rangers will be in the tough having to match the OS with all their RFA’s and raises to Shesterkin + Lafreniere as well as tons of NTC’s/unmoveable contracts with their older players.

The other need is a 2C. The idea should be to target someone who isn’t quite a 2C yet but with potential to grow into one. Sillinger, Geekie, and Pinto types.

Chytil + Joshua + Blueger and a 2025 2nd/3rd for Sillinger could be something Columbus entertains with their endless cap space and need for quality veterans. Chytil, Blueger, and Joshua would be an upgrade over some of the guys they have in their bottom 6.

My ideal scenario:

Cuylle-Pettersson-Marner??
Debrusk-Sillinger-Lekkerimaki
O’Connor-Raty-Garland
________-_______-Sherwood

Getting two U24 core players would be huge for this team on top of Marner. Ideally, you’d want to push Debrusk/O’Connor down a line and get another top 6 player but that can always be done later.

If you can’t get Marner or Ehlers then I guess you might as well just try and figure out a way to re sign Boeser to something appropriate otherwise we’re losing 25-30 goals.

Do I think it will work out as you plan, hell nah but I do like it.

 

[Goatlender]

If the team doesn’t go big game hunting and sign someone like Marner, I’m hoping for Ehlers and Tavares. Tavares as a 2 year stop gap 2C, although I’m sure someone will at least give him a contract similar to Stamkos.

I could see this management group breaking the bank on someone like Nelson, Bennett, or even Donato, who keeps us competitive but wouldn’t move the needle into becoming a contender.

As a side note, I have a stupid intuition based on absolutely nothing that we see a trade that comes out of nowhere. Something like dealing a RD like Hronek or Myers (to shore up cap for signing forwards, if they can replace these guys with cheaper options), or maybe even Demko. The UFA class for defence includes players like Pionk, Gavrikov, Provorov, etc

 

[Hughes Clues]

If the team doesn’t go big game hunting and sign someone like Marner, I’m hoping for Ehlers and Tavares. Tavares as a 2 year stop gap 2C, although I’m sure someone will at least give him a contract similar to Stamkos.

I could see this management group breaking the bank on someone like Nelson, Bennett, or even Donato, who keeps us competitive but wouldn’t move the needle into becoming a contender.

As a side note, I have a stupid intuition based on absolutely nothing that we see a trade that comes out of nowhere. Something like dealing a RD like Hronek or Myers (to shore up cap for signing forwards, if they can replace these guys with cheaper options), or maybe even Demko. The UFA class for defence includes players like Pionk, Gavrikov, Provorov, etc

I'd consider going after Ehlers "big game hunting"

 

[Goatlender]

I'd consider going after Ehlers "big game hunting"

I agree, my bad. I keep thinking guys like Rantanen and Chychrun are available. I would have put them, along with Marner and Ekblad, as the “big game hunting” players. I am going more based on reputation than what they will ultimately receive for a new contract.

 

[sting101]

Your comment isn’t directed at me and I didn’t make the comments you disagree with but I do feel Domi and Laughton have better “reputations” than Suter based on the more physical game they play rather than based on effectiveness. Domi to me is just an inconsistent player. He is productive as a top 2C but isn’t the same offensively anywhere else. Leafs fans think he is fine as a 3C but I don’t think so. I think a Domi is propped up by the fact that come playoff time Domi looks like the is trying hard and playoff a more physical game than other Leafs.

Laughton I think is simply inconsistent. His counting stats look fine but his advanced stats suggest he isn’t very good. But he has a reputation for being a good locker room guy etc. Personally I think he is overrated and I think Suter is the better player.

But is Suter "leagues better"

 

[arttk]

I strongly disagree. Contracts are negotiated based on future cap projections all the time and often discussed here like it's fact. There is clearly a difference in how contract negotiations are approached in a flat cap environment vs a rising cap environment. To be clear we are obviously talking about long term contracts here. It's the same in real life. Certainly you know that you have more leverage to negotiate your compensation if business is expected to grow vs slowing down.


Again you're ignoring the goals he scores. But even if we go by points, he's scoring at a 54 point pace this year, had 41 last season, 56 point pace the year before. So over his last 3 seasons he's had two seasons where he was putting up points at a mid-50 point seasons and 14+ goals the past three seasons. You can criticize him for not being being able to stay healthy (I would be concerned) or even inconsistent but saying he's a 40ish point guy is disingenuous.


I certainly would agree that Chychrun's contract is pretty rich and M-Petey's is a steal. Given what Hanifin signed for, the only justification for Chychrun's AAV being higher is better offensive production, more certainty in how the cap will rise, state income tax, and Hanifin has greater movement/trade protection.

There is a big difference between M-Petey at $6M and $7M. Give us a more narrow range here. if Chychrun signed for $8M AAV the discussions would also be different.

We are just coming out of a flat cap era that GMs and agents did not see coming at all. I think that most likely change agents and GMs thinking until Bettman announced what the cap will be like for the next 3 years at once which is something he has not done before i think. So I don't think when Hronek signed his deal, anyone really expected the cap to go up this much this fast. I think even now, Bettman is already pumping the breaks by saying hey, recession and trade war might actually change the outlook.

He played 82 games last season and put up 41 points and that's like the only season where he has been healthy. Sure he has scored at a higher pace but we are going back to similar debates where "oh he's a 30 goal scorer that has never actually scored 30". Yeah he's on pace to break 50 points this season, but until he actually does it, is he really a 50point defender? No. I want to be clear though, for his next contract, he is paid like a 50 point guy and I've already said, yeah that's the new rate.

I think the Hanafin contract proves that GMs and agents truly had no idea that the cap was going to go up so high so fast and were more conservative.

I imagine if MP asked for 6.5 we would've given it to him but now that Chychrun has reset the market, all similar D from now on will definitely be asking for 6.5M min. The weird part is as I type this, I think Gavikrov will ask for 7.5M and will probably get it even though he has a similar profile to MP.

 

[andora]

But is Suter "leagues better"

Just to add my spin on it as I think that he is much much more stable than those other two

When you take the scoring away from Domi which he hasn't done much of this year anyway he doesn't really do anything else

And laughton if you take away his inconsistent scoring he's inconsistently performing defensively or physically

I do also think there is a factor of boring players getting overlooked for noisier players and a lot of that has to do with physical stuff

I mean at the end of the day I don't think anybody can argue that every game Suitor just shows up plays 200 ft plays smart and doesn't cost you

When you talk of offense provided amongst all middling players middle of the lineup or lower what's the cost benefit to a guy that produces a little bit more but gives up far less versus a guy that produces more but Nets out as neutral

 

[sting101]

Just to add my spin on it as I think that he is much much more stable than those other two

When you take the scoring away from Domi which he hasn't done much of this year anyway he doesn't really do anything else

And laughton if you take away his inconsistent scoring he's inconsistently performing defensively or physically

I do also think there is a factor of boring players getting overlooked for noisier players and a lot of that has to do with physical stuff

I mean at the end of the day I don't think anybody can argue that every game Suitor just shows up plays 200 ft plays smart and doesn't cost you

When you talk of offense provided amongst all middling players middle of the lineup or lower what's the cost benefit to a guy that produces a little bit more but gives up far less versus a guy that produces more but Nets out as neutral

That's fine i can appreciate what you are saying and agree somewhat stand alone or during a 82 game regular season but we are talking about a small slow 32pts per 82games producer who is riding a 5% spike in shooting percentage.

Contenders that have 2 offensive Cs that produce at way better rates are looking to complement them with physicality size and face offs to be able to wear down their opponents and win defensive zone draws.

Nobody was banging down the door looking to add Pius Suter this deadline to their top3 lines.

He's a good player. i get that people love the guy. Would even be fine bringing him back at the right term and price as i've said especially with Chytil and EP40 looking like fine China in durability. He could continue to provide the versatility that brings value to the Canucks by being able to step into a top6 role when injuries occur.

At the end of the day looking at what contenders run down the middle we're gonna need at least 1 much better player than both Chytil and Suter if we want to stack up down the middle with these teams. This is my point

Considering Chytil is now another depressed asset and the contracts committed already what is the best way to go about improving down the middle when your best goal scorer is on the verge of leaving and you have 12-13million to spend on hopefully 2 top6 players?

 

[StreetHawk]

The Chrychrun deal does hi-lite the basis that GMs don't get this large amount of extra cap to work with, in that prices are not remaining what they were. Hanifin/Hronek, similar 2D caliber Dmen got $7.3 mill or so and now Chrychrun gets 22% more on the cap as the projections of the cap have gone higher than expected.
Gavrikov took a bridge and now looks to cash in vs sign for 7-8 years with LA a couple of seasons ago.

 

[andora]

That's fine i can appreciate what you are saying and agree somewhat stand alone or during a 82 game regular season but we are talking about a small slow 32pts per 82games producer who is riding a 5% spike in shooting percentage.

Contenders that have 2 offensive Cs that produce at way better rates are looking to complement them with physicality size and face offs to be able to wear down their opponents and win defensive zone draws.

Nobody was banging down the door looking to add Pius Suter this deadline to their top3 lines.

He's a good player. i get that people love the guy. Would even be fine bringing him back at the right term and price as i've said especially with Chytil and EP40 looking like fine China in durability. He could continue to provide the versatility that brings value to the Canucks by being able to step into a top6 role when injuries occur.

At the end of the day looking at what contenders run down the middle we're gonna need at least 1 much better player than both Chytil and Suter if we want to stack up down the middle with these teams. This is my point

Considering Chytil is now another depressed asset and the contracts committed already what is the best way to go about improving down the middle when your best goal scorer is on the verge of leaving and you have 12-13million to spend on hopefully 2 top6 players?

I appreciate what you're saying as well 100% And I do agree we need another Center that can dictate the game specifically on the physical side

I think my angle in this is simply that guys like Suitor get overlooked

 

[Nick Lang]

You guys don't see Suter as a 5C?

Canucks' Tocchet 'emptying the tank' amidst season of upheaval
Iain MacIntyre @imacSportsnet

March 25, 2025​

NEW YORK – The Vancouver Canucks’ current first-line centre was the fifth-line centre when the season began. Pius Suter is another major plot twist, one of the positive ones, in this unscripted and probably unscriptable season for the National Hockey League team.​

With centres Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil injured, Suter logged a career-high 23:02 of ice time in Monday’s 4-3 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils. The Canuck scored once and assisted on Conor Garland’s dramatic game-tying goal, registered five shots, two hits, two blocks, took 21 faceoffs and won his matchup against the Devils’ far more renowned two-way Swiss centre, captain Nico Hischier.

Suter has scored a career-high 21 goals and 36 points in 70 games for the Canucks. The only game he missed was the season-opening 6-5 loss to the Calgary Flames on Oct. 9.

“I want to share a story,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said Tuesday during a day off for the team. “Pius, obviously, he's played really well for us. But at the start of the year, he was kind of hurt and I didn't play him in the first game. He probably could have played. He came in the next day and he wanted to talk. And he's not really a guy that comes to your office a lot. He's not a complainer, not one of those guys. He comes in and says. . . ‘I just want to know: Where do I stand? What do I have to do to improve?’ And we had a really good talk.

“I said, ‘Pius, I really think you've got a ton of potential. For me, your fitness level, if you raise that... just really take over at practice and be a better practice player.’ He looked at me, like: ‘Yeah, OK, thank you.’ He wasn't complaining, just asking. I don't know, man, I just have a lot of respect for that guy because he's been one of our best practice players this year. We land on a road trip somewhere at 7 o’clock (in the evening), a lot of guys probably go for dinner. He's in the hotel gym. Sometimes, I'll go to the gym at 11 o'clock at night, 12 o'clock, and he'll be in there. I just really respect that he took the information and he applied it, and he's having a really good year for us. I guess those are the guys that I root for.”

When asked a few minutes later about the unconventional decision to start Monday’s overtime with Suter and two defencemen, Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek, Tocchet had another story.

“This is how awesome and open Quinn is,” he began. “He comes to the bench (before OT), and goes: 'Toc, do you want me to go on the ice with Hronek? If we win the draw, I'll stay. If we lose it, I'll try to get off and then get back on again.’ And I said, 'Yeah, good idea.' So I've got to give Quinn the credit on that. Obviously, you know, it's my job to make the decisions. But for me, I love when players come with an idea. That means the guys are dialed in.”

About 20 seconds after Suter won the draw from Hischier, Hughes skated himself into a semi-breakaway and nearly scored.

Those two stories say a lot about Suter and Hughes. But they also say something about Tocchet, who has had to adapt and improvise as much as anyone on the Canucks during this season of upheaval which, stunningly, can still end with a playoff spot.

Given their injuries, schedule, the Western Conference standings and the St. Louis Blues presently channelling the 135-point Boston Bruins from a couple of years ago, it’s quite unlikely with 11 games to go that the Canucks can come back from a wild-card race deficit that was at five points before Monday’s clutch comeback.

Just back from his own six-week injury layoff, goalie Thatcher Demko is expected to make a second straight start Wednesday against the New York Islanders while Kevin Lankinen works his way back from a minor injury.

In the last seven games, the Canucks are 4-2-1 and, generally, have played with the most engagement and consistency of their uneven season.

As we’ve said before, the work by Tocchet and his staff has been at least as important this season as when the Canucks sailed along to 109 points last year and their coach won the Jack Adams Award.

“Coaching is hard sometimes, right?” Tocchet said when asked about the strain on him. “You've got to deal with a lot of stuff. But this year? Yeah, this has been really a test of adversity for myself dealing with certain stuff. But I'm not a quitter, I'm not a guy that complains. I've got to look at myself for certain things. But, yes, it has been a draining year.

“I can only tell you, like, for me right now and the little over two years or whatever I've been here... I really feel like we're emptying the tank as a staff. That's the one thing I'm most proud about. We might not make the right decisions. Hey, there might be some flaws. But I will tell you, for me, we've emptied the tank. Whatever's come our way, you know, we're in the offices and we're grinding. So that's what I’m proud of.”

General manager Patrik Allvin and hockey-operations president Jim Rutherford have both talked about culture and the need for leadership on the Canucks to be stronger.

Tocchet describes culture as a team’s “armour,” the shield that protects it and prevents adversity from penetrating.

“We've had some parts of this year where that (adversity) stuck in us and affected us,” Tocchet said. “It hurt us, whether a little bit of chemistry or injuries or just little things. I think what we're trying to do is just build that armour.

“It's everything. I was telling the players this a month ago: ‘We've got to build armour around here. Whether it's noise or whether it's in-house, injuries, whatever it is, you can still survive.’ I know everybody in the media and the fans want to find a guy to blame (for this season). Is it this guy? Was it that guy? Is it the group? The coach? I don't know. I don't know if there's just one person or one thing you can just blame. I just think sometimes everything hits at once, and you try to deal with the cards in front of you.”

Tocchet credits a group of veteran players who are trying to lead by example and re-elevate standards. He named Hughes, Hronek and Suter, Demko, Tyler Myers and Marcus Pettersson, but then stopped and said there were others.

But it’s clear that Hughes, the captain, is the leader. Playing through his third injury this season, he has dominated the Canucks first two games in the New York area, which included an unfathomable 5-3 loss to the Rangers on Saturday when Vancouver outshot the home team 39-12. Hughes played 32:13 in New Jersey, including 9½ of the final 15 minutes.

“One thing I love about him — obviously, he's a world-class player — but for me, he's such a sincere kid,” Tocchet said. “I'll grab him the next day after a game... and I'll say: 'Hey, how you doing, buddy?’ And he'll go, 'No, how are you doing?’ He's done that to me two or three times, maybe four times. And it's kind of a joke now... but he's such a sincere kid. How do you not love a kid like that? I mean, he's worried about me. He's worried about his coach.”



YES lol

 

[sting101]

Canucks' Tocchet 'emptying the tank' amidst season of upheaval
Iain MacIntyre @imacSportsnet

March 25, 2025​

NEW YORK – The Vancouver Canucks’ current first-line centre was the fifth-line centre when the season began. Pius Suter is another major plot twist, one of the positive ones, in this unscripted and probably unscriptable season for the National Hockey League team.​

With centres Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil injured, Suter logged a career-high 23:02 of ice time in Monday’s 4-3 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils. The Canuck scored once and assisted on Conor Garland’s dramatic game-tying goal, registered five shots, two hits, two blocks, took 21 faceoffs and won his matchup against the Devils’ far more renowned two-way Swiss centre, captain Nico Hischier.

Suter has scored a career-high 21 goals and 36 points in 70 games for the Canucks. The only game he missed was the season-opening 6-5 loss to the Calgary Flames on Oct. 9.

“I want to share a story,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said Tuesday during a day off for the team. “Pius, obviously, he's played really well for us. But at the start of the year, he was kind of hurt and I didn't play him in the first game. He probably could have played. He came in the next day and he wanted to talk. And he's not really a guy that comes to your office a lot. He's not a complainer, not one of those guys. He comes in and says. . . ‘I just want to know: Where do I stand? What do I have to do to improve?’ And we had a really good talk.

“I said, ‘Pius, I really think you've got a ton of potential. For me, your fitness level, if you raise that... just really take over at practice and be a better practice player.’ He looked at me, like: ‘Yeah, OK, thank you.’ He wasn't complaining, just asking. I don't know, man, I just have a lot of respect for that guy because he's been one of our best practice players this year. We land on a road trip somewhere at 7 o’clock (in the evening), a lot of guys probably go for dinner. He's in the hotel gym. Sometimes, I'll go to the gym at 11 o'clock at night, 12 o'clock, and he'll be in there. I just really respect that he took the information and he applied it, and he's having a really good year for us. I guess those are the guys that I root for.”

When asked a few minutes later about the unconventional decision to start Monday’s overtime with Suter and two defencemen, Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek, Tocchet had another story.

“This is how awesome and open Quinn is,” he began. “He comes to the bench (before OT), and goes: 'Toc, do you want me to go on the ice with Hronek? If we win the draw, I'll stay. If we lose it, I'll try to get off and then get back on again.’ And I said, 'Yeah, good idea.' So I've got to give Quinn the credit on that. Obviously, you know, it's my job to make the decisions. But for me, I love when players come with an idea. That means the guys are dialed in.”

About 20 seconds after Suter won the draw from Hischier, Hughes skated himself into a semi-breakaway and nearly scored.

Those two stories say a lot about Suter and Hughes. But they also say something about Tocchet, who has had to adapt and improvise as much as anyone on the Canucks during this season of upheaval which, stunningly, can still end with a playoff spot.

Given their injuries, schedule, the Western Conference standings and the St. Louis Blues presently channelling the 135-point Boston Bruins from a couple of years ago, it’s quite unlikely with 11 games to go that the Canucks can come back from a wild-card race deficit that was at five points before Monday’s clutch comeback.

Just back from his own six-week injury layoff, goalie Thatcher Demko is expected to make a second straight start Wednesday against the New York Islanders while Kevin Lankinen works his way back from a minor injury.

In the last seven games, the Canucks are 4-2-1 and, generally, have played with the most engagement and consistency of their uneven season.

As we’ve said before, the work by Tocchet and his staff has been at least as important this season as when the Canucks sailed along to 109 points last year and their coach won the Jack Adams Award.

“Coaching is hard sometimes, right?” Tocchet said when asked about the strain on him. “You've got to deal with a lot of stuff. But this year? Yeah, this has been really a test of adversity for myself dealing with certain stuff. But I'm not a quitter, I'm not a guy that complains. I've got to look at myself for certain things. But, yes, it has been a draining year.

“I can only tell you, like, for me right now and the little over two years or whatever I've been here... I really feel like we're emptying the tank as a staff. That's the one thing I'm most proud about. We might not make the right decisions. Hey, there might be some flaws. But I will tell you, for me, we've emptied the tank. Whatever's come our way, you know, we're in the offices and we're grinding. So that's what I’m proud of.”

General manager Patrik Allvin and hockey-operations president Jim Rutherford have both talked about culture and the need for leadership on the Canucks to be stronger.

Tocchet describes culture as a team’s “armour,” the shield that protects it and prevents adversity from penetrating.

“We've had some parts of this year where that (adversity) stuck in us and affected us,” Tocchet said. “It hurt us, whether a little bit of chemistry or injuries or just little things. I think what we're trying to do is just build that armour.

“It's everything. I was telling the players this a month ago: ‘We've got to build armour around here. Whether it's noise or whether it's in-house, injuries, whatever it is, you can still survive.’ I know everybody in the media and the fans want to find a guy to blame (for this season). Is it this guy? Was it that guy? Is it the group? The coach? I don't know. I don't know if there's just one person or one thing you can just blame. I just think sometimes everything hits at once, and you try to deal with the cards in front of you.”

Tocchet credits a group of veteran players who are trying to lead by example and re-elevate standards. He named Hughes, Hronek and Suter, Demko, Tyler Myers and Marcus Pettersson, but then stopped and said there were others.

But it’s clear that Hughes, the captain, is the leader. Playing through his third injury this season, he has dominated the Canucks first two games in the New York area, which included an unfathomable 5-3 loss to the Rangers on Saturday when Vancouver outshot the home team 39-12. Hughes played 32:13 in New Jersey, including 9½ of the final 15 minutes.

“One thing I love about him — obviously, he's a world-class player — but for me, he's such a sincere kid,” Tocchet said. “I'll grab him the next day after a game... and I'll say: 'Hey, how you doing, buddy?’ And he'll go, 'No, how are you doing?’ He's done that to me two or three times, maybe four times. And it's kind of a joke now... but he's such a sincere kid. How do you not love a kid like that? I mean, he's worried about me. He's worried about his coach.”



YES lol

oh man this just made my day...thanks for posting Nicky

 

[bossram]

Maybe you can explain why Laughton got a 1st round pick returned while Suter wasn't even highly sought after as a UFA rental this year. And how we even got Suter for the contract we did when we did?

I guess Suter being "leagues better" must have meant that Allvin was turning down Brock Nelson level returns then?

Or you are just wrong and are using the common tactic of i'm right because i said so LMAO.

What does "leagues better" "horrific defensively" and "not great offensively" actually even mean?

Laughton is faster way more physical is better at face-offs. Has scored as many points at ES as Suter over the last 3yrs while playing on a tire fire team with less offensive zone starts and was more productive in playoffs even if it was awhile ago. The fact that Suter has better possession numbers doesn't mean a lot without the further context of who he's played with and what goalie has been able to support his GF%.

Top linemates in TOI last 3yrs
Suter = Hughes Garland Hronek Joshua Boeser Miller - Demko
Laughton = Sanheim York Farabee Hathaway Konecny Tippett - Ersson

Way better line mates with better goaltending.

Arguing Domi who is a 50pt per 82 career with 26pts in 50 playoff games is "leagues worse" is just wrong also. Toronto and no other team would take Suter over either going into a playoff drive for a Cup

Why did Steve Yzerman trade a 2nd to get rid of Walman when EDM was willing to pay him a 1st? Why did Treliving sign Ryan Reaves for three years? Why did Benning trade for OEL? I dunno. GMs do dumb stuff pretty often. Or is your argument that every GM is infallible and every decision they make is optimal and should be unquestioned? Is Toronto the paragon of playoff success here? LMAO.

But yes. Suter is clearly better than both Laughton and Domi. Defensively, it's not close. In the time Suter has been a Canuck, he's put up elite defensive impacts by RAPM xG, HockeyViz's Isolated Impact heat maps, and xG against relative to teammates. Domi is one of the leagues worst defensive players (corroborated by these metrics) and is not trusted at all by his coaches in defensive situations. Laughton also looks pretty bad by these metrics in the past two seasons. If he's "way faster and more physical", why is his team giving up more chances with him? Suter just runs the right routes on the backcheck, and breaks up plays with good stick check timing and defensive coverage. That's why his defensive metrics are elite.

Laughton and Domi also aren't trusted to even play center. TOR has constantly been trying to find ways to shift Domi out of the 3C spot. And Laughton hasn't even been primarily a center in Philly the last two seasons, and is already demoted to bottom-six wing in TOR.

Now on the PK, Suter (along with Blueger) have transformed the Canucks into an Actually Good PK unit - astonishing given where they used to be. And he's doing it on the first PK unit against the other team's best, while starting in the DZ (vs PKing OTF shifts which is much easier). Domi doesn't PK at all. Laughton's chance prevention metrics on the PK are pretty neutral relative to team, while the actual goals against results have been quite bad.

Now offensively, at 5v5, Pius Suter has a higher points/60 than Laughton the past two seasons. And visually watching these players, I am very confident saying that the current versions of these players, Suter is a better offensive player. Domi does have a substantially higher points/60, but that is with the benefit of playing a very sheltered scoring role.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

Speculation is starting to trickle in about Bedard's upcoming contract extension. No credible rumors at this point, however...

He has never seemed overly thrilled with the prospect of playing for the Blackhawks, especially given the SA coverup and historical rivalry with the Canucks. And then you have the whole Corey Perry fiasco.

He seems frustrated with management/coaching staff and how his career has gone so far. I have zero doubt that he would sign an offer sheet from the Canucks, or welcome a trade. The hard part becomes paying 4 first rounders if they don't match. I wouldn't want to give an 8 year deal either, 1 or 2 years max. $10-11 million per would likely be enough to knock him loose...but it's hard to say. I can't think of another time other than Fedorov (Carolina) that a player of this calibre was offer sheeted.

It could also mean they make him quietly available for a trade to get ahead of it as well.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

If mgmt doesn’t think Raty can keep up to the pace of play, I could see him getting dealt in a package.

I like him; one of the few who can win FOs and still quite young.

But if they want to play fast and he can’t keep up with the faster teams, might want to deal him before he becomes a declining asset.

Team is in a tough spot because they could be really grasping at straws this summer.

I don’t see any reason why a impact FA signs here so mgmt is going to need to be creative.

 

[Rick Rocket]

I'd be pretty darn happy to sign Suter to a 3.5-3.75 x 4.

Maybe it's silly to say but if he had a more interesting name/number/face I feel like he'd be viewed differently.

He's just a coachable player who gets it done.

 

[sting101]

The Chrychrun deal does hi-lite the basis that GMs don't get this large amount of extra cap to work with, in that prices are not remaining what they were. Hanifin/Hronek, similar 2D caliber Dmen got $7.3 mill or so and now Chrychrun gets 22% more on the cap as the projections of the cap have gone higher than expected.
Gavrikov took a bridge and now looks to cash in vs sign for 7-8 years with LA a couple of seasons ago.

Chychrun was the best defenceman on the market and the youngest.

Defensive defenceman dont get paid nearly what a pt producer does but...

Hanifin is a good comp. 8yrs 58 million

29.4 signing bonus if he resides in Vegas which has no state tax attached (37% federal) = 18.52 net
27.6 which 50% will be in LV = (37% federal) = 8.69 net
plus 13.8m (at whatever he pays on the road lets say 45%) = 7.59m

TOTAL NET = 34.8m

Chychrun 8yrs 72million

41 million in signing bonus. i imagine he resides in Florida = 25.83 net
15.5 m in DC = 8.94m net
15.5 (on road @45% for an avg) = 8.52m

TOTAL NET = 43.29m

So yes Chychrun got a whale of a contract

To add some context about why the best Canadian players are leaving Canada for the US this is why and will continue to haunt our franchises.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5647166/2024/07/23/nhl-canada-tax-dispute/

 

[Attack Vector]

Need to offersheet McLeod or McTavish. Canucks don't have their own third rounder to make it happen but they do have SJ 3rd rounder which I'm sure Montreal has no problem swapping with Canucks.

 

[thecupismine]

Speculation is starting to trickle in about Bedard's upcoming contract extension. No credible rumors at this point, however...

He has never seemed overly thrilled with the prospect of playing for the Blackhawks, especially given the SA coverup and historical rivalry with the Canucks. And then you have the whole Corey Perry fiasco.

He seems frustrated with management/coaching staff and how his career has gone so far. I have zero doubt that he would sign an offer sheet from the Canucks, or welcome a trade. The hard part becomes paying 4 first rounders if they don't match. I wouldn't want to give an 8 year deal either, 1 or 2 years max. $10-11 million per would likely be enough to knock him loose...but it's hard to say. I can't think of another time other than Fedorov (Carolina) that a player of this calibre was offer sheeted.

It could also mean they make him quietly available for a trade to get ahead of it as well.

He might welcome a trade here, but there’s no way in hell Chicago will let him leave for an offer sheet. You’d have to go to 15 million for them to even think about letting the one thing they have that drives ticket sales leave, and even then they probably match.

 

[ManVanFan]

Need to offersheet McLeod or McTavish. Canucks don't have their own third rounder to make it happen but they do have SJ 3rd rounder which I'm sure Montreal has no problem swapping with Canucks.

If the Canucks weren't so thin on prospects, they could be making a trade that would benefit both teams instead of the Canucks.

 

[pitseleh]

He might welcome a trade here, but there’s no way in hell Chicago will let him leave for an offer sheet. You’d have to go to 15 million for them to even think about letting the one thing they have that drives ticket sales leave, and even then they probably match.

Short of a hold out, if Bedard did want to come home your best bet would be a four year deal that walks him to UFA. Chicago probably still matches at basically any price though.

 

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

I don’t see Pius Suter signing anything above $4 million there are no comparables.

Jake Evans $2.85 million x 4 years (best comparable)
Vladimir Namenstnikov $3 million x 2 years
Brett Howden $2.5 million x 5 years
Alex Kerfoot $3 million x 1 year

Vatarano and Zucker both got 4.5-4.75 million respectively on long term deals both have more impressive scoring numbers.

I think Suter gets $3.25-3.75 million on a 3-4 year deal.

 

[thecupismine]

Short of a hold out, if Bedard did want to come home your best bet would be a four year deal that walks him to UFA. Chicago probably still matches at basically any price though.

Yeah if you want to play some long-term chess and get him here as a UFA, that's exactly what you do to make sure he hits UFA as early as possible and that Chicago is forced to figure it out before then.

 

[Flik]

Canucks' Tocchet 'emptying the tank' amidst season of upheaval
Iain MacIntyre @imacSportsnet

March 25, 2025​

NEW YORK – The Vancouver Canucks’ current first-line centre was the fifth-line centre when the season began. Pius Suter is another major plot twist, one of the positive ones, in this unscripted and probably unscriptable season for the National Hockey League team.​

With centres Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil injured, Suter logged a career-high 23:02 of ice time in Monday’s 4-3 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils. The Canuck scored once and assisted on Conor Garland’s dramatic game-tying goal, registered five shots, two hits, two blocks, took 21 faceoffs and won his matchup against the Devils’ far more renowned two-way Swiss centre, captain Nico Hischier.

Suter has scored a career-high 21 goals and 36 points in 70 games for the Canucks. The only game he missed was the season-opening 6-5 loss to the Calgary Flames on Oct. 9.

“I want to share a story,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said Tuesday during a day off for the team. “Pius, obviously, he's played really well for us. But at the start of the year, he was kind of hurt and I didn't play him in the first game. He probably could have played. He came in the next day and he wanted to talk. And he's not really a guy that comes to your office a lot. He's not a complainer, not one of those guys. He comes in and says. . . ‘I just want to know: Where do I stand? What do I have to do to improve?’ And we had a really good talk.

“I said, ‘Pius, I really think you've got a ton of potential. For me, your fitness level, if you raise that... just really take over at practice and be a better practice player.’ He looked at me, like: ‘Yeah, OK, thank you.’ He wasn't complaining, just asking. I don't know, man, I just have a lot of respect for that guy because he's been one of our best practice players this year. We land on a road trip somewhere at 7 o’clock (in the evening), a lot of guys probably go for dinner. He's in the hotel gym. Sometimes, I'll go to the gym at 11 o'clock at night, 12 o'clock, and he'll be in there. I just really respect that he took the information and he applied it, and he's having a really good year for us. I guess those are the guys that I root for.”

When asked a few minutes later about the unconventional decision to start Monday’s overtime with Suter and two defencemen, Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek, Tocchet had another story.

“This is how awesome and open Quinn is,” he began. “He comes to the bench (before OT), and goes: 'Toc, do you want me to go on the ice with Hronek? If we win the draw, I'll stay. If we lose it, I'll try to get off and then get back on again.’ And I said, 'Yeah, good idea.' So I've got to give Quinn the credit on that. Obviously, you know, it's my job to make the decisions. But for me, I love when players come with an idea. That means the guys are dialed in.”

About 20 seconds after Suter won the draw from Hischier, Hughes skated himself into a semi-breakaway and nearly scored.

Those two stories say a lot about Suter and Hughes. But they also say something about Tocchet, who has had to adapt and improvise as much as anyone on the Canucks during this season of upheaval which, stunningly, can still end with a playoff spot.

Given their injuries, schedule, the Western Conference standings and the St. Louis Blues presently channelling the 135-point Boston Bruins from a couple of years ago, it’s quite unlikely with 11 games to go that the Canucks can come back from a wild-card race deficit that was at five points before Monday’s clutch comeback.

Just back from his own six-week injury layoff, goalie Thatcher Demko is expected to make a second straight start Wednesday against the New York Islanders while Kevin Lankinen works his way back from a minor injury.

In the last seven games, the Canucks are 4-2-1 and, generally, have played with the most engagement and consistency of their uneven season.

As we’ve said before, the work by Tocchet and his staff has been at least as important this season as when the Canucks sailed along to 109 points last year and their coach won the Jack Adams Award.

“Coaching is hard sometimes, right?” Tocchet said when asked about the strain on him. “You've got to deal with a lot of stuff. But this year? Yeah, this has been really a test of adversity for myself dealing with certain stuff. But I'm not a quitter, I'm not a guy that complains. I've got to look at myself for certain things. But, yes, it has been a draining year.

“I can only tell you, like, for me right now and the little over two years or whatever I've been here... I really feel like we're emptying the tank as a staff. That's the one thing I'm most proud about. We might not make the right decisions. Hey, there might be some flaws. But I will tell you, for me, we've emptied the tank. Whatever's come our way, you know, we're in the offices and we're grinding. So that's what I’m proud of.”

General manager Patrik Allvin and hockey-operations president Jim Rutherford have both talked about culture and the need for leadership on the Canucks to be stronger.

Tocchet describes culture as a team’s “armour,” the shield that protects it and prevents adversity from penetrating.

“We've had some parts of this year where that (adversity) stuck in us and affected us,” Tocchet said. “It hurt us, whether a little bit of chemistry or injuries or just little things. I think what we're trying to do is just build that armour.

“It's everything. I was telling the players this a month ago: ‘We've got to build armour around here. Whether it's noise or whether it's in-house, injuries, whatever it is, you can still survive.’ I know everybody in the media and the fans want to find a guy to blame (for this season). Is it this guy? Was it that guy? Is it the group? The coach? I don't know. I don't know if there's just one person or one thing you can just blame. I just think sometimes everything hits at once, and you try to deal with the cards in front of you.”

Tocchet credits a group of veteran players who are trying to lead by example and re-elevate standards. He named Hughes, Hronek and Suter, Demko, Tyler Myers and Marcus Pettersson, but then stopped and said there were others.

But it’s clear that Hughes, the captain, is the leader. Playing through his third injury this season, he has dominated the Canucks first two games in the New York area, which included an unfathomable 5-3 loss to the Rangers on Saturday when Vancouver outshot the home team 39-12. Hughes played 32:13 in New Jersey, including 9½ of the final 15 minutes.

“One thing I love about him — obviously, he's a world-class player — but for me, he's such a sincere kid,” Tocchet said. “I'll grab him the next day after a game... and I'll say: 'Hey, how you doing, buddy?’ And he'll go, 'No, how are you doing?’ He's done that to me two or three times, maybe four times. And it's kind of a joke now... but he's such a sincere kid. How do you not love a kid like that? I mean, he's worried about me. He's worried about his coach.”



YES lol

There is absolutely no f***ing way that Hughes doesn't spend his entire career as a Canuck. What a f***ing gem of a human.

He's got the game breaking, awe inspiring talent of the best players in our history (he likely IS the best player in our entire history), and has now taken complete ownership of this team.

What kind of f***ing monster can get Elias Pettersson of all players to exclaim with total sincerity "Yeah, that's MY Captain!"

I've a feeling that other players in the league are going to want to play with Hughes, just because of the kind of inspiring leader he has grown into.

I hope we can attract some high end free agents this offseason, just because of Hughes. This kid is all heart, a generational talent, and a thoughtful, kind human being that genuinely cares about his teammates and the team at large.

I know this season has been a complete f***ing circus, but seeing how the team has handled this adversity, specifically Hughes, has given me hope for the future, and frankly has inspired in ways that I never expected.

 

[rypper]

They should try Raty on the wing if his foot speed is a concern. Or do the ol Raty takes the face offs and then defers center duties a quicker player.