Confirmed with Link: Canucks sign F Danton Heinen to 2-Year, $2.25M AAV Contract

[Rowlet]

So defensively strong? More fitting/better on a shutdown line than Suter is?

He's an elite PKer but has been average defensively 5v5

 

[Shareefruck]

He's an elite PKer but has been average defensively 5v5

Interesting, thanks.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

I get that he was on a PTO recently but I have a hard time believing that. There wasn't one other team offering him a 1 year $1Mish contract? I suppose teams could have inquired about Heinen and not have made a contract while Canucks were in on him early.

Yeah. it may have just been widely known and/or advertised by his agent he was signing in vancouver. not great as a negotiation tactic, but would make sense

 

[credulous]

i think heinen was a good signing but there's obviously something teams don't like about his game

boston took forever to actually offer him an nhl deal, ditched him to anaheim where he wasn't qualified and then was a late signing for pittsburgh who again let him walk as an rfa. then he had to sign a pto with boston before getting a contract in camp

it's not like all these teams regarded him as a depth signing either. they all talked about how he could potentially play in their top six

 

[Jerry the great]

i think heinen was a good signing but there's obviously something teams don't like about his game

boston took forever to actually offer him an nhl deal, ditched him to anaheim where he wasn't qualified and then was a late signing for pittsburgh who again let him walk as an rfa. then he had to sign a pto with boston before getting a contract in camp

it's not like all these teams regarded him as a depth signing either. they all talked about how he could potentially play in their top six

maybe he's weird.

 

[Hit the post]

maybe he's weird.

 

[Bleach Clean]

i think heinen was a good signing but there's obviously something teams don't like about his game

boston took forever to actually offer him an nhl deal, ditched him to anaheim where he wasn't qualified and then was a late signing for pittsburgh who again let him walk as an rfa. then he had to sign a pto with boston before getting a contract in camp

it's not like all these teams regarded him as a depth signing either. they all talked about how he could potentially play in their top six

I figure it to be that he is a tweener, much like Suter.

Heinen doesn't really fit in a traditional line-up. He's too soft/skilled for a 3LW role, and he's not skilled enough to hold down a top6 role. So where does he fit? The answer is, everywhere. He can moonlight as a bottom6er or top6er. He's a band-aid.

Subtly, this is the guy you can use as a complement to Miller/Pettersson, while Mikheyev is just a skater with each. Heinen can make plays and score.

 

[RobertKron]

i think heinen was a good signing but there's obviously something teams don't like about his game

boston took forever to actually offer him an nhl deal, ditched him to anaheim where he wasn't qualified and then was a late signing for pittsburgh who again let him walk as an rfa. then he had to sign a pto with boston before getting a contract in camp

it's not like all these teams regarded him as a depth signing either. they all talked about how he could potentially play in their top six

They probably also get him mixed up with Mike Danton.

 

[TruGr1t]

This guy is great because he is like a slightly-less-good wing Suter, and thus allows you to move Suter back to centre.

 

[Shareefruck]

This guy is great because he is like a slightly-less-good wing Suter, and thus allows you to move Suter back to centre.

You think Suter is a better player than Heinen? I would have assumed the opposite.

 

[kanucks25]

This guy is great because he is like a slightly-less-good wing Suter, and thus allows you to move Suter back to centre.

We think Suter is a better player than Heinen? I would have assumed the opposite.

I think he's better than Suter, or at least I hope he will be, offensively anyway.

Suter is probably ahead when it comes to defense and details but just doesn't have the skill or talent to be more than a 35 point guy.

Heinen ought to be able to hit 45 if he gets regular even-strength time in the top-6.

 

[biturbo19]

Seems like a solid move to bump Suter down the lineup. If Pettersson can be himself and find chemistry with DeBrusk, the forward depth should look pretty good

Yeah. I'm pretty ambivalent toward this deal. I think a lot of people are a little over-excited about what i view as basically another, slightly more expensive, winger version of Suter.

It's not a bad player to have, but it's also not a difference-maker. I figure like Suter, he'll probably slide around the lineup. Whether that's bumping Suter down and taking his spot with JT-Boeser. Or honestly...i hate the way Hoglander plays with Pettersson, so i'm hoping his wingers end up being DeBrusk and some sort of open audition with Suter/Heinen/Podkolzin and obviously Hoggy is going to get his shot there.

That versatility is nice...but it's also indicative of a player who is just another utility "filler" jack of all trades type. They did well enough with Suter though, so i guess we'll see.

For 2.25M, I wonder why we didn’t add a bit more term? This seems like a bit of a bargain deal that might be hard to repeat if Heinen gets top six usage and puts up 50 points a season.
Guess we deal with that if it happens.

Guys like Heinen, Pius Suter et al are not the sort of guys you want to lock in with term. You do 1-2 year deals, hope to harvest that surplus value for a year or two, and then move on. They're not difference-makers and they don't have an important, defined role. They're pure "filler". I actually really like the way this regime has managed to stay so "agile" when it comes to these types of utility/filler players. You don't want them potentially blocking the way for impact players, dedicated role players, or young players pushing their way up. You want to be able to ditch them or watch away at any point in the deal very easily.

Like the versatility within the forward ranks now.

Overstating it a little bit, but Allvin has ditched the top 6/ bottom 6 model for a top 12 model. Should be able to roll 4 lines no matter who we're playing.

Yeah. A lot of teams, i don't think this is a good signing. But the way Tocchet runs his bench and the way Ruthervin seem to be building the team to suit that...it's just quite the hodgepodge. It does create some addition potential spots in the lineup for utility/filler guys like Heinen, Suter, etc.

I think they've sort of embraced the fact that we've got some weird misfit pieces, and are just rolling with it. Garland being able to anchor a "3rd line" that produces more or less like a 2b line at even strength opens the doors for a lot of things. As does a guy like Hoglander being able to cash in an unusual amount of goals from the bottom-6.

It lets them sort of start to build the team around all these "duos" rather than real "lines" per se.

Miller+Boeser.
Petey+DeBrusk (hopefully).
Garland+Dakota.

That lets you just sort of slide the other pieces around depending on whose healthy and who is going at the moment, or slumping.

It's where i don't mind adding another guy like Heinen who skews a little more toward the offensive/skill player end of the "utility" spectrum, like Suter. Specifically because of our roster makeup and the fact we've got guys like Bluegers/Podkolzin/PDG/Hoglander/Sherwood/Aman who all skew more toward the "grinder role" end of that spectrum.

Heinen-Miller-Boeser
Podkolzin-Pete-DeBrusk
Joshua-Bluegers-Garland
Hoggy-Suter-Sherwood

looks nice to me...but there's eleventy thousand permutations and combinations that can work there. Which seems to be the concept this team is built around and Heinen just adds a factor to that.

Upgrade over Lafferty for not a bit more. Also local boy.

Hrmmm...i tend to look at Sherwood as more the Lafferty replacement. Heinen seems more like...just adding a second Pius Suter to me. Or even maybe a PDG replacement if anything.

I figure it to be that he is a tweener, much like Suter.

Heinen doesn't really fit in a traditional line-up. He's too soft/skilled for a 3LW role, and he's not skilled enough to hold down a top6 role. So where does he fit? The answer is, everywhere. He can moonlight as a bottom6er or top6er. He's a band-aid.

Subtly, this is the guy you can use as a complement to Miller/Pettersson, while Mikheyev is just a skater with each. Heinen can make plays and score.

Yeah. It's absolutely this. Most teams just really don't have a place for guys like Suter or Heinen. It's interesting the way this team seems to have embraced it and is making homes for them in unconventional roles.

It's a very non-traditional roster construction...but they've been insightful to realize that some of the rather...oddball, "unique" players we've accumulated, somehow make this weird "which line is which" configuration viable.

 

[TruGr1t]

You think Suter is a better player than Heinen? I would have assumed the opposite.

Better all-around player, yes, especially defensively. Offensively I’d give Heinan an edge in even-strength goal generation over the past season. Suter extra points because he’s a natural centre.

 

[VanJack]

Heinen might be a 'late bloomer' in terms of his scoring touch. Two seasons ago he tallied 18 goals for the Pens; but slumped a year later with only eight goals and 14 assists. And he picked a bad time to have a down year, since was an impending UFA.

This past season he got a PTO from the Bruins and made the team out of training camp; and finished the year with 17 goals and 19 assists, including his first career hat-trick.

Hard to project what he'll do in Vancouver. But seems to me he's classic 'value signing' much like Suter was a year ago. They kill penalties; can move up and down the roster; and chip in with a few timely goals. And at their contract price-point, they're valuable guys to have on a team.

 

[F A N]

I figure it to be that he is a tweener, much like Suter.

Heinen doesn't really fit in a traditional line-up. He's too soft/skilled for a 3LW role, and he's not skilled enough to hold down a top6 role. So where does he fit? The answer is, everywhere. He can moonlight as a bottom6er or top6er. He's a band-aid.

Subtly, this is the guy you can use as a complement to Miller/Pettersson, while Mikheyev is just a skater with each. Heinen can make plays and score.

I am under the impression that Heinen is not as "soft" as before. I think he is now in his prime and a good middle 6 player who can play up and down the lineup.

Better all-around player, yes, especially defensively. Offensively I’d give Heinan an edge in even-strength goal generation over the past season. Suter extra points because he’s a natural centre.

Agreed. I think Suter is the smarter player at both ends. I think Suter is a bit limited by his lack of size and finish. Like in the playoffs, how many golden opportunities did he miss? But the fact that the got those opportunities is a testament to Suter's ability to get to that position in the first place. Heinen's offensive ceiling might be a bit better than Suter.

 

[F A N]

Yeah. I'm pretty ambivalent toward this deal. I think a lot of people are a little over-excited about what i view as basically another, slightly more expensive, winger version of Suter.

It's not a bad player to have, but it's also not a difference-maker. I figure like Suter, he'll probably slide around the lineup. Whether that's bumping Suter down and taking his spot with JT-Boeser. Or honestly...i hate the way Hoglander plays with Pettersson, so i'm hoping his wingers end up being DeBrusk and some sort of open audition with Suter/Heinen/Podkolzin and obviously Hoggy is going to get his shot there.

That versatility is nice...but it's also indicative of a player who is just another utility "filler" jack of all trades type. They did well enough with Suter though, so i guess we'll see.
...

Yeah. It's absolutely this. Most teams just really don't have a place for guys like Suter or Heinen. It's interesting the way this team seems to have embraced it and is making homes for them in unconventional roles.

It's a very non-traditional roster construction...but they've been insightful to realize that some of the rather...oddball, "unique" players we've accumulated, somehow make this weird "which line is which" configuration viable.

You've made fair points. I think during the flat cap area, a lot of these players were squeezed so they've kind of gone underappreciated. Heinen is getting 3rd line/Middle 6 winger money. Expectation is that he's going to end up with 17-18 goals and 30ish points while playing up and down the lineup.

One thing I would disagree is the notion that most teams don't ahv ea place for guys like Suter or Heinen. I think most teams do.

 

[MS]

I am under the impression that Heinen is not as "soft" as before. I think he is now in his prime and a good middle 6 player who can play up and down the lineup.

Yeah, he came into the NHL as a soft NCAA skill guy who was a borderline 2nd liner who didn't seem like he had much bottom-6 utility but has reprofiled considerably to stay in the NHL and be an effective contributor on an elite, systems-based team like Boston was last year - played mid-leverage minutes there (only 45% zone starts), hit totals are basically double what they were earlier in his career, now is a pretty regular PK contributor.

 

[1440]

Yeah. I'm pretty ambivalent toward this deal. I think a lot of people are a little over-excited about what i view as basically another, slightly more expensive, winger version of Suter.

It's not a bad player to have, but it's also not a difference-maker. I figure like Suter, he'll probably slide around the lineup. Whether that's bumping Suter down and taking his spot with JT-Boeser. Or honestly...i hate the way Hoglander plays with Pettersson, so i'm hoping his wingers end up being DeBrusk and some sort of open audition with Suter/Heinen/Podkolzin and obviously Hoggy is going to get his shot there.

That versatility is nice...but it's also indicative of a player who is just another utility "filler" jack of all trades type. They did well enough with Suter though, so i guess we'll see.

Guys like Heinen, Pius Suter et al are not the sort of guys you want to lock in with term. You do 1-2 year deals, hope to harvest that surplus value for a year or two, and then move on. They're not difference-makers and they don't have an important, defined role. They're pure "filler". I actually really like the way this regime has managed to stay so "agile" when it comes to these types of utility/filler players. You don't want them potentially blocking the way for impact players, dedicated role players, or young players pushing their way up. You want to be able to ditch them or watch away at any point in the deal very easily.

Yeah. A lot of teams, i don't think this is a good signing. But the way Tocchet runs his bench and the way Ruthervin seem to be building the team to suit that...it's just quite the hodgepodge. It does create some addition potential spots in the lineup for utility/filler guys like Heinen, Suter, etc.

I disagree with this post on so many levels:

1. Guys like Suter and Heinen are better than average NHLers, and therefore are by definition difference makers when they are filling out your lineup.

2. Versatility is more important than being able to fill a specific role.

3. Players who succeed without a standout physical trait like Suter are exactly the type you want on long term deals because they are less likely to fall off when they age.

4. Allvin's roster construction is the complete opposite of hodgepodge. Every signing has been specifically targeted to fill a role within the system that he and Tocchet want to play.

How Suter is still so underrated around here I have no idea. The man put up a 60% xGF in the playoffs (best of any western conference player >100 minutes) while playing fully a third of his minutes hard matched against McDavid, Hyman, Draisaitl, Ekholm, and Bouchard. He is a f'ing incredibly good player and the fact that he does it while being relatively slow, undersized and with a weak shot is all the more impressive.

 

[Regal]

Yeah, he came into the NHL as a soft NCAA skill guy who was a borderline 2nd liner who didn't seem like he had much bottom-6 utility but has reprofiled considerably to stay in the NHL and be an effective contributor on an elite, systems-based team like Boston was last year - played mid-leverage minutes there (only 45% zone starts), hit totals are basically double what they were earlier in his career, now is a pretty regular PK contributor.

I remember as a rookie that a lot of Bruins fans thought he was a great all around player, on the boards and with his stick, with comparisons to Eriksson, Bergeron and Axelsson. Seems like that changed a bit down the stretch, in the playoffs and continued into his sophomore year. Maybe he always had it in him to be a more rounded player but it took some adversity for him to keep the effort needed to be that guy.

https://forums.hfboards.com/threads/danton-heinen.2399407

Here’s the Bruins thread on Heinen, going back to his rookie year you can see how highly they praised him.

 

[Shareefruck]

Here's a total shot in the dark thought, but all this talk makes me wonder if guys like Heinen and Suter are who we should actually be playing Pettersson with instead of Hoglander and DeBrusk. as we've talked a lot about how big of a mismatch most players (especially straight-line players) are with Pettersson, and how he works best playing off of higher level hockey sense, deception and anticipation.

DeBrusk - Miller - Boeser line could be outright dominant, as well, and could create quite an identity with two guys bull-dozing the way DeBrusk and Miller do.

 

[TruGr1t]

Here's a total shot in the dark thought, but all this talk makes me wonder if guys like Heinen and Suter are who we should actually be playing Pettersson with instead of Hoglander and DeBrusk. as we've talked a lot about how big of a mismatch most players (especially straight-line players) are with Pettersson, and how he works best playing off of higher level hockey sense, deception and anticipation.

DeBrusk - Miller - Boeser line could be outright dominant, as well, and could create quite an identity with two guys bull-dozing the way DeBrusk and Miller do.

I've heard this a lot, but there's no way they don't try DeBrusk with Pettersson to start, in my opinion. Allvin pretty much already said that. Maybe it doesn't work and he ends up on the top line, but it will be Pettersson-DeBrusk to start.

 

[LandfiII]

I remember as a rookie that a lot of Bruins fans thought he was a great all around player, on the boards and with his stick, with comparisons to Eriksson, Bergeron and Axelsson. Seems like that changed a bit down the stretch, in the playoffs and continued into his sophomore year. Maybe he always had it in him to be a more rounded player but it took some adversity for him to keep the effort needed to be that guy.

https://forums.hfboards.com/threads/danton-heinen.2399407

Here’s the Bruins thread on Heinen, going back to his rookie year you can see how highly they praised him.




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@VanIsle puny puny puny

 

[F A N]

I've heard this a lot, but there's no way they don't try DeBrusk with Pettersson to start, in my opinion. Allvin pretty much already said that. Maybe it doesn't work and he ends up on the top line, but it will be Pettersson-DeBrusk to start.

Well Allvin talked about Lindholm with Petey and that lasted...

 

[Shareefruck]

I mean, I don't think anyone will argue against the likelihood that Pettersson will start with DeBrusk-- that much is obvious. The more interesting question is just whether or not it's likely to work.

 

[biturbo19]

Here's a total shot in the dark thought, but all this talk makes me wonder if guys like Heinen and Suter are who we should actually be playing Pettersson with instead of Hoglander and DeBrusk. as we've talked a lot about how big of a mismatch most players (especially straight-line players) are with Pettersson, and how he works best playing off of higher level hockey sense, deception and anticipation.

DeBrusk - Miller - Boeser line could be outright dominant, as well, and could create quite an identity with two guys bull-dozing the way DeBrusk and Miller do.

I think the likely outcome is that it's one of Heinen or Suter with Pettersson. But both of them wouldn't work either. Pettersson still desperately needs some element of speed, grit, and directness to make some space to operate, apply pressure, forecheck, force turnovers and draw defensive attention and rotation, etc. Even just to push the pace as Petey can become very static very quickly if he doesn't have energetic players pushing things forward. He can't do any of that himself, and neither of Heinen or Suter are really any good at that stuff either.


The sort of forgotten man in all this is Podkolzin too i think. He's got a shot at offering something to that mix as well. If he can be a forechecker, physical presence, puck possession element.

But i'd think it lands on something with one of Heinen/Suter...playing a smart, complementary role to Pettersson+DeBrusk's pace and north-south game.

Certainly always a chance the Petey+DeBrusk experiment just doesn't click. And in that case, i think the "fallback" of DeBrusk playing with JT+Boeser is still a pretty darn good option. But i'm sure they'll give it every opportunity to try to gel with Pettersson first, just as they did with Mikheyev over and over again. And as they should really.