Confirmed with Link: Canucks sign RW Loui Eriksson to 6-year, $36m deal ($6m AAV w/ NMC)

[SillyRabbit]

You know its kind of a conceited to classify fans on their dedication based on what they like. There's no tiered systems to fans, it's not a hierarchy about what level of diehard you are.

I personally just can't understand why any Canucks fan would not have their ultimate goal for this team to be winning the Cup. That means sacrificing a semi competitive product on the ice in the short term. If someone isn't willing to put up with a losing team in order to stock up on future assets then I question whether they ever want to see the Canucks become a contender or "just want to be entertained" as the poster I quoted said.

 

[VanillaCoke]

I seriously do not understand this "ownership wants playoffs" argument.

Why is that used as this some sort of excuse for Benning? Shouldn't it be crystal clear to everyone already that Benning is in for the exact same thing as the ownership? That is literally the reason why he HAS the job, to want the same thing. That was his pitch, to get the ****ing job.

I don't get it either. I don't buy it as any real sort of excuse.

 

[opendoor]

On long-term high salary 31 year old free agents?

Don't confuse bidding on free agents generally with bidding to give guys in their 30's long term contracts with high or fairly high values. It misses the point of my earlier post completely.

So far today we've seen one contract to a 30+ year old longer than Eriksson's. That was Ladd, 7 yrs @ $5.5 million to the Islanders. That by the way is the only contract so far this free agent season to a 30+ year old with more total money and longer term than the Canucks gave Eriksson.

We have precisely two contracts to 30+ year olds that are six years. One is Eriksson to the Canucks, the other is Frans Nielsen to Detroit for 6 years at $5.25 million per. There is precisely one contract at 5 years, to David Backes by the Bruins.

So, since you asked the question your way (when I was clearly posting about the total and term and age) tell me what teams
are bidding on signing guys in their 30's to 6 year deals at medium-high salaries?

So far we've seen only the Canucks, Wings and Isles. There are no doubt a few others-as well as a number that realize that Free Agent Frenzy results in bad contracts.

Yeah, people really need to consider the players' ages when comparing contract lengths. Even though Lucic's 7 year deal looks ugly, he'll only be 34 in its final season. When Eriksson is 34 he'll still have 2 more years left on his deal. One would think Eriksson will age better than most other guys but you never really know.

 

[Samzilla]

****in' Gillis handing out NTCs like candy!!!!!!!!

hahahahahahahaha. this site needs a like button so bad!

 

[Samzilla]

Yeah, people really need to consider the players' ages when comparing contract lengths. Even though Lucic's 7 year deal looks ugly, he'll only be 34 in its final season. When Eriksson is 34 he'll still have 2 more years left on his deal. One would think Eriksson will age better than most other guys but you never really know.

34 in power forward years is different than 34 in finesse player years

 

[BloatedGuppy]

If someone isn't willing to put up with a losing team...

How do you demonstrate this? Denigrating other fans for "not being fan enough" while following the team's doings and posting on message boards about them is very much "putting up with a losing team".

Put Aquilini in front of me and I will calmly tell him what direction I would prefer for the franchise and why. Aside from that, I'm unclear as to what you think fans on a message board should be doing, exactly. Oh no, fans of an entertainment product want to be entertained by it.

How scandalous. It's like they're not even people.

34 in power forward years is different than 34 in finesse player years

I can't recall who, but someone rooted up a stat showing player decline as correlated to hit frequency. It was pretty eye opening.

Or, you can just quote Indiana Jones with "It's not the years, it's the miles".

 

[Rotting Corpse*]

34 in power forward years is different than 34 in finesse player years

This is a common belief but the evidence is questionable.

 

[opendoor]

I seriously do not understand this "ownership wants playoffs" argument.

Why is that used as this some sort of excuse for Benning? Shouldn't it be crystal clear to everyone already that Benning is in for the exact same thing as the ownership? That is literally the reason why he HAS the job, to want the same thing. That was his pitch, to get the ****ing job.

And even if he was being forced to try for the playoffs against his will it doesn't excuse or explain his awful moves that are counterproductive to that goal. Paying more money for Sbisa than Hamhuis over the next 2 years isn't explained by ownership demanding playoffs.

 

[KeninsFan]

Yeah, people really need to consider the players' ages when comparing contract lengths. Even though Lucic's 7 year deal looks ugly, he'll only be 34 in its final season. When Eriksson is 34 he'll still have 2 more years left on his deal. One would think Eriksson will age better than most other guys but you never really know.

Even with his injury history?

 

[absolute garbage]

I don't get it either. I don't buy it as any real sort of excuse.

I'm not even commenting about the Eriksson signing here. Or any other specific move, or where they finished last year or anything like that.

Just so ****ing sick and tired of reading this "of well it's the ownership that wants the playoffs so I guess Benning is forced to do this stuff" BS.

Drop it already. It's so god damn annoying.

And even if he was being forced to try for the playoffs against his will it doesn't excuse or explain his awful moves that are counterproductive to that goal. Paying more money for Sbisa than Hamhuis over the next 2 years isn't explained by ownership demanding playoffs.

Yep, but that's a whole another discussion and the reason why this team that was making playoff acquisitions last summer finished in 28th place. The fact that he sucks at the plan he made/was hired to do.

 

[Rotting Corpse*]

And even if he was being forced to try for the playoffs against his will it doesn't excuse or explain his awful moves that are counterproductive to that goal. Paying more money for Sbisa than Hamhuis over the next 2 years isn't explained by ownership demanding playoffs.

Bingo.

Benning was hired because he said he could execute on ownership's goal.

As flawed as ownership's goals may be, Benning's execution has been terrible.

 

[VanillaCoke]

I'd bet money Eriksson doesn't play 70+ games next season

 

[BloatedGuppy]

And even if he was being forced to try for the playoffs against his will it doesn't excuse or explain his awful moves that are counterproductive to that goal. Paying more money for Sbisa than Hamhuis over the next 2 years isn't explained by ownership demanding playoffs.

Acknowledging ownership is the primary source of "Playoffs or bust" is not an exoneration of Benning's performance as GM. The two have nothing to do with one another, really, save as to illustrate an obvious chain of cause and effect when it comes to certain patterns of decision making.

Realistically, if you think Benning is the wrong man for the job, as many do, then it's STILL ownership that should draw your ire. They hired him.

 

[opendoor]

34 in power forward years is different than 34 in finesse player years

Doesn't mean non-physical players can't decline steeply in those years. Would anyone have predicted that Vrbata would fail to hit 30 points at age 34 after putting up 35 goals and 62 points at age 30? A guy like Hejduk was a 35 goal/70 point guy at age 30 and was basically done by 35. Brad Richards scored at an 88 point pace at age 30 and was a 35 point player by age 34.

 

[Snatcher Demko]

And even if he was being forced to try for the playoffs against his will it doesn't excuse or explain his awful moves that are counterproductive to that goal. Paying more money for Sbisa than Hamhuis over the next 2 years isn't explained by ownership demanding playoffs.

You're forgetting that Sbisa is a big beefy italian boy.

Sadly, that may actually have been a factor here.

 

[Jabba The Hutton]

You'd think 60+ points would be automatic 1st line point production.... this guy doesn't think so

 

[Karl Hungus]

Canucks have turned into the Leafs under JFJ.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Doesn't mean non-physical players can't decline steeply in those years. Would anyone have predicted that Vrbata would fail to hit 30 points at age 34 after putting up 35 goals and 62 points at age 30? A guy like Hejduk was a 35 goal/70 point guy at age 30 and was basically done by 35. Brad Richards scored at an 88 point pace at age 30 and was a 35 point player by age 34.

A lot of it depends on how they generate their offense. "Toolsy" guys who generate offense through speed or strength will be more likely to experience an age-based decline then cerebral players with high hockey IQ/good instincts. Look at a guy like Grabner, whose game was predicated almost entirely on speed. A few surgeries and a lost step or two and he's a replacement level player. Then you take a guy like Datsyuk, who was all about fast mind, fast hands and shiftiness...he probably could have played until he was 45.

You're forgetting that Sbisa is a big beefy italian boy.

Sadly, that may actually have been a factor here.

Luca Sbisa is not Italian.

Oh wait, he was born in Italy.

Luca Sbisa is part Italian.

 

[GetFocht]

I think Eriksson will hit a career high playing with Sedins

 

[vancityluongo]

Acknowledging ownership is the primary source of "Playoffs or bust" is not an exoneration of Benning's performance as GM. The two have nothing to do with one another, really, save as to illustrate an obvious chain of cause and effect when it comes to certain patterns of decision making.

Realistically, if you think Benning is the wrong man for the job, as many do, then it's STILL ownership that should draw your ire. They hired him.

What an obscene argument.

If ownership hired a GM to rebuild the team and then said GM flubbed on every draft pick he makes, is that the owner's fault?

The ire is not necessarily drawn from the direction of the team (ie. pushing for the playoffs over a rebuild). That's all the owner is in control of. There are some who are pissed about it and would rather see a rebuild, yes. But as many said when Gillis was fired and Benning was hired, there are merits to not going for a scorched earth approach and instead looking towards the Detroit/SJ model of creating a competitive playoff roster every year. If that's what Benning was executing, there wouldn't be nearly this much anger, even if the result was the Minnesota Wild rather than a Detroit or San Jose.

Problem is, the execution by Benning has been so bloody awful that the Canucks are nowhere near being the Minnesota Wild, let alone the cup finalist Sharks. That's where Benning's performance as a GM has been such a bloody tire fire, especially given the team he inherited which was much, much better than the current rendition of the Minnesota Wild.

 

[canucksfan]

Good signing but wrong direction in my opinion.

 

[opendoor]

You'd think 60+ points would be automatic 1st line point production.... this guy doesn't think so

I assume that's based on the last few years. In the couple of seasons prior to this one his ES production was actually pretty bad. He put up fewer pts/60 in 14-15 than Burrows did for instance, and the year before it was similar to Higgins'.

 

[Win One Before I Die]

I remember when signing a 30 goal scorer got Canucks fans excited. We got spoiled and now we are spoiled brats.

Swedes seem to age better, hopefully the term doesn't come back to haunt us.

Lol at Lucic to Edmonton, this guy definitely wants to be a hometown villain.

 

[KeninsFan]

I think Eriksson will hit a career high playing with Sedins

That's an extremely bold prediction.

The last time the Sedins had a linemate close to producing 70 points both Sedins were scoring at a 110 pt pace/82 games.

 

[Jabba The Hutton]

I assume that's based on the last few years. In the couple of seasons prior to this one his ES production was actually pretty bad. He put up fewer pts/60 in 14-15 than Burrows did for instance, and the year before it was similar to Higgins'.

Yeah you are right it takes into account stats from 2013-15