Confirmed with Link: [CHI/VAN] Gustav Forsling traded for Adam Clendening

[Lemmiwinks]

If Forsling ever comes to the AHL and puts up the kind of numbers Clendening has put up I'll be damn surprised. Loved Forsling as a prospect, but his value was sky high at the moment. Thanks wjc!

 

[carolinacanuck]

love this move

 

[canucks10]

Kinda like another Very trade I guess

 

[Bures Elbow]

Really not happy to give up Forsling.

Chicago were happy to give this guy up, and he hasn't cracked their blueline and is already behind 2/3 of their other defensive prospects, he cant be that great lets be honest here.

Atleast this free's up a defensemen like Weber/Sbisa/Stanton/(cringe, Corrado too maybe) that can be packaged with Lack and Kassian etc to get some other piece.

 

[Reckage]

I would assume Clendening is coming to play now. Given that he is waiver eligible next year, not sure I see the point in this trade if he doesn't get into the lineup right away.

Assuming that Tanev and Corrado are fixtures on the right side, next year could be interesting. Does Clendening play well enough to lock down that third right-side spot? Does somebody shift to the left to get Bieksa back in the lineup? Is Bieksa done?

One way to stabilize a team as it transitions to younger forwards is to make sure the defence/goaltending is solid. With the addition of Miller, Clendening, Pedan, Sbisa and others on the defensive side of the team, it would appear Benning is looking for the right mix back there before adding more youth up front.

 

[Tiranis]

I really didn't like Clendening in the AHL whenever I saw him. Great offensive talent but abysmal defensively. Not sure if that changed this season. Feels like a deal that could come back to bite us big time if Forsling keeps progressing at the rate that he has so far. That said, curious to see where this one goes (it's a slightly better deal than his other trades).

(Said this much in 2012 before someone accuses me of being a Benning-hater. Feel free to look it up.)

 

[Vankiller Whale]

a basically unknown 5th rounder with a good wjc just got him. what do you think he was worth?

I think he was worth keeping to see what we had in him.

 

[ARSix]

Edler - Tanev
Hamhuis - Corrado
Stanton - Clendenning
Sbisa

Curious to see how that works with the 3rd pairing sheltered.

Also interested to see if they put him on the PP right away.

 

[tantalum]

Benning is very high on Subban for the future and I think that plays into things a bit. But he also wanted some help that isn't 3-4 years away. It's always nice to watch prospects develop but if you deem an asset somewhat redundant in the future I can see moving that asset for a guy further along.

Forsling had a great WJHC but Clendening fits the more immediate need and fits the same need moving forward for a couple of years.

Of course this is dependent on them making the right appraisal on Clendening. That he is a guy that can play on the third pairing and first unit PP moving forward. Time will tell if that is the case.

I'm not angry about this trade. If Glendening can do those things then it doesn't matter too much what Forsling does (unless he turns into Lidstrom!). IF Glendening doesn't there is time to recover from the move. The good thing is this isn't a trade for a 27 year old "prospect" but rather an honest to goodness actual prospect for prospect trade.

I think Benning made a good deal on this one (unlike others I'm not sold on the Vey trade). SOOOOOOO glad it wasn't a Kassian for Bartkowski deal (and hopefully that will remain the case). It also means that he wasn't able to pry Krug out of Boston.

 

[Reign Nateo]

Clendening is not terrible defensively at all. He's a 2-way player. Interesting and bold trade. Doubt the Hawks take a 5th round pick for him, Canucks cashing in on Forsling's hype. Problem is the hype may be justified. Clendening is an NHLer though. Right away too.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Clendening is not terrible defensively at all. He's a 2-way player. Interesting and bold trade. Doubt the Hawks take a 5th round pick for him, Canucks cashing in on Forsling's hype. Problem is the hype may be justified. Clendening is an NHLer though. Right away too.

Interesting. One says "2way", another "abysmal defensively". Curious where he lies.

He must show bottom6 level defense for him to have a career. Can he do it?

 

[Reign Nateo]

Interesting. One says "2way", another "abysmal defensively". Curious where he lies.

He must show bottom6 level defense for him to have a career. Can he do it?

Kept my eye on him this year as I figured he'd be moved if he didn't crack the Hawks, he seemed to skate just fine and didn't do anything dumb or shy away from contact. HF themselves calls him an "excellent skater" he's not real fast, but he's a good skater. He's a long way from M-A Gragnani and as recently as the summer was ranked by most as the Hawks number 2 prospect behind Teravainen. He's slipped up a bit this year, I think he believes he should be in the NHL, and so do I. Didn't see enought to say he's great defensively, but it never stood out as a problem when I saw him.

I'll never understand why people go and get scouting reports from the team board that dealt him immediately after a trade. Of course they're going to slag any questionable part of his game. Especially when the majority of those fans had likely even seen much of him.

Tough to give up Forsling, but there's no doubt in my mind Clendening has an NHL future.

 

[Wilch]

Interesting. One says "2way", another "abysmal defensively". Curious where he lies.

He must show bottom6 level defense for him to have a career. Can he do it?

I think he's closer to abysmal considering the lack of NHL ice time he's logged with the Hawks.

 

[Tiranis]

He's a 2-way player.

Nope. I hope he becomes one for the sake of this team.

(Even if one never watched him, the notion that a team would keep down a close to PPG defenseman who had a solid defensive game is quite ridiculous.)

 

[Uhmkay]

I really didn't like Clendening in the AHL whenever I saw him. Great offensive talent but abysmal defensively. Not sure if that changed this season. Feels like a deal that could come back to bite us big time if Forsling keeps progressing at the rate that he has so far. That said, curious to see where this one goes (it's a slightly better deal than his other trades).

(Said this much in 2012 before someone accuses me of being a Benning-hater. Feel free to look it up.)

Nope.

You're not watching enough of his games then. Although not a top defensive defender, he's not terrible either. And he's miles ahead of Forsling.

He's not just better defensively than Forsling, but besides the PP, he's got better offensive instincts than Forsling as well. His hockey IQ is much better....

This was an easy win for the Canucks. They targeted a player on a team that they knew was an upgrade on who they had now and that the other team was going to be forced to get rid of. The only real benefit for Chicago is they were able to trade their prospect for another one, not of equal talent, but at least they'd be able to hold onto him for a few more years. That is really the ONLY benefit Chicago sees in this deal.

The Canucks got the better player, and it's not even close really.

 

[Tiranis]

You're not watching enough of his games then. Although not a top defensive defender, he's not terrible either. And he's miles ahead of Forsling.

I've seen Clendening upwards of 10 times across 3 seasons between the AHL and the NHL.

I even posted my opinion on him back at the end of 2012.

You're not watching enough of his games then. Although not a top defensive defender, he's not terrible either. And he's miles ahead of Forsling.

He's not just better defensively than Forsling, but besides the PP, he's got better offensive instincts than Forsling as well. His hockey IQ is much better....

This description makes me think of Karlsson. Maybe a bit of objectivity doesn't hurt?

---

Anyway, Benning did well to identify the team's weakness and find a player who can potentially fill that hole. I think there's some hope for Clendening to become a useful player and it's a better move than his previous trades. But it would be ridiculous of me to change my opinion of this player just because the team I cheer for acquires him.

 

[Proto]

Love the trade. Clendening looks like what you'd hope Forsling would turn into in four years -- turning that pick into an NHL ready (ish?) 22-year-old defender is a big win for Benning. Chicago's hand was obviously forced by their deep blueline and his upcoming waiver eligibility: Chicago isn't a team that needs risky offense-first defenseman at the present time.

Never know how these things will turn out, but I'm on board with this in a big way.

 

[Nuckles]

One good thing about this trade is that if we "lost" the trade then we won't know for a few years, gives us time to stock up on klenex and pitchforks.

 

[DCantheDDad]

Im good with this deal. Forsling might become a serviceable defenceman, but Clendening is way closer to that goal and can start doing that now, as opposed to 3-4 years from now.

I am sad to see Forsling go, because it is always exciting to see a Canucks prospect do well in international tournaments. Certainly not the end of the world, though.

 

[unbridledid]

It's a trade for time, and the fact that the Hawks have a number of "better" prospects playing the right side already: pokka, Johns, Brennan (who is plays the same style as Clendening), and we have Pailotta who is coming in after his college season ends. Up on the big club we still have to sort out where we see Rundblad and Erixson fitting in.

Forsling plays the left side from what I have read and we need depth there. Bowman LOVES his Swedish d-men. Time will tell, but clendening wasn't going to crack the line-up, had to be moved, and I am not at all surprised.

Hope he does well...but not that well for the Nucks. Looking back on what we have from the Ladd and Buff trades makes me ill, but that is how trades end up sometimes.

 

[Uhmkay]

I've seen Clendening upwards of 10 times across 3 seasons between the AHL and the NHL.

I even posted my opinion on him back at the end of 2012. Neither you nor Reign Nateo had ever mentioned him on these boards previously.

Meh.



This description makes me think of Karlsson. Maybe a bit of objectivity doesn't hurt?

Your analysis of Clendening's play is simply extremely exaggerated. Abysmal is not how you'd describe his play. Is he the most sound defender... no. But for a 22 year old, he's certainly not Abysmal.

I'm not sure why people who like to preach that they've "Watched 10 games over the last three years" want to completely over-exaggerate one side of his play.

Simply state what he is. He's a very good offensive defenseman who is ok in his own end. He's not Hamhuis, but he's not terrible either. He's a smart guy, and should fit our system very well. He's going to have his moments where he pinches and it doesn't work out, but he'll be pinching like he'll be TOLD to do. He'll have his moments where he makes a mistake, but all defenseman in the NHL do.

In literally every aspect offensively, he's better than Forsling, just without the shot. If you want to talk about an abysmal defender.... Talk about Forsling.

 

[Proto]

a basically unknown 5th rounder with a good wjc just got him. what do you think he was worth?

Chicago doesn't need young players approaching waiver eligibility. That's why they moved Clendening. I don't think they'd be interested in Jensen at all, whereas Forsling is basically an attempt to roll back the clock on their prospects.

It makes sense to me. Chicago isn't a team that needs to take chances with offense-first defensemen: they have a loaded roster. The Canucks, alternatively, just got an AHL defenseman that had a better offensive 21-year-old season than any Canucks forward prospect in recent memory. Hell, Clendening would probably put up more offense at F in the AHL than Jensen...

 

[Barney Gumble]

In literally every aspect offensively, he's better than Forsling, just without the shot. If you want to talk about an abysmal defender.... Talk about Forsling.

How was Clendening offensively/defensively four years ago? (not this isn't a snide remark but just a question from somebody who knows little about either player).

 

[Tobi Wan Kenobi]

You can tell Benning saw a glaring hole in age 22-27 players here. He's trying to make the transition of losing the Sedins, Hamhuis and Bieksa smoother.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Hard to judge this so soon.
But, as a rule of thumb, I like trades for players from teams with lots of depth. Beng unable to get ice time on Chicago with their depth on defence is a lot more understandable than being let go by a team with poor defensive depth.
That's why, in principle, I liked the Vey trade with LA and this one with Chicago.
We've already seen how even a waiver pick up from Chicago in Stanton could become a useful player.