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[Vector]

Chalk me up as not really being in on Matheson. Defensively he is pretty suspect. Questionable decision-making and zone entry defending.

I also kinda take issue with the "puck-mover" descriptor. I think he's less of a puck mover than a puck-rusher. He likes to carry it. A lot of the talk about his offensive game and "puck-moving" have come from people looking at the points column, where he is mostly getting points on the PP1 - which he would not be doing in VAN.

His production would certainly dip due to almost no powerplay time and just decreased ice time in general. He played 500 more minutes than any other defender on the Canadiens last season. However, I do think he'd be an effective, but flawed, middle-pairing if played with the right partner. He alone wouldn't fix a lot of the team's problems.

 

[MS]

Matheson is a good player who would help here but you'd be paying a premium for his PP production and 62 points last year.

The reason for Montreal to sell now is that Hutson is going to take over PP1 and those minutes/points and value premium are going to disappear.

 

[HairyKneel]

in a dream world, we somehow swap one or both of desharnais and myers for luke schenn and add from there

hughes - hronek
soucy - xxx/schenn
brannstrom - schenn/xxx

feels a lot more balanced and a reasonable spot to build the defense up from. myers, soucy, and desharnais are not bad players / non-nhlers in isolation, but they don't all fit together in the same group.

Schenn is a 14/15 min a night guy nowadays. He's worse than Myers. That said I wish they'd have thrown 6 or 7 million over three years in 2023. He probably would have bit. I miss the Sheriff.

Myers has not been as bad as some folks claim. That said, that pairing isn't working even though it did last year. One of them needs to drop to the third pairing and a legit 20 min guy brought in that can kill penalties and eat hard minutes. Cole and Big Z insulated them a lot last year. A damn sight more than Brannstrom and Desharnais/Juulsen.

Nobody is cutting Vancouver a deal right now. They are going to need to be patient unless a team really gets desperate to move a player.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

If you want Dumoulin just wait for Forbort to get healthy, they're basically the same player at this point.

 

[JT Milker]

You’re joking tho right.

50/50.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

is old.

He's only 33.

 

[ManVanFan]

Erik Karlsson and Marcus Pettersson pairing are giving up almost 1.5 even strength goals per game.

Nick Seeler would be a cheap 3rd pair option.

Mason Lohrei if they want a bit more of a project. Size and speed though.

 

[ManVanFan]

He's only 33.

I'm actually a bit surprised by that because Rutherford drafted him in Carolina. Seems longer than that when Rutherford was in Carolina.

 

[ManVanFan]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1859343861715509515

 

[MS]

Dumoulin is slow but he's still effective and pulling positive goal differentials from top-pairing high-leverage minutes with a terrible Anaheim team. He'd be a big upgrade here.

 

[Vector]

Dumoulin is slow but he's still effective and pulling positive goal differentials from top-pairing high-leverage minutes with a terrible Anaheim team. He'd be a big upgrade here.

That’s interesting because he was not good with the Kraken last season. At least from what I recall.

 

[ManVanFan]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1859251897921585239

There has got to be a chart somewhere but I strongly believe that the Canucks have to be bottom 5 in the league in passes to a teammate.

 

[MS]

That’s interesting because he was not good with the Kraken last season. At least from what I recall.

I think there was some dissonance between the HE SLOW eye test and the actual numbers which look pretty good - a plus player on a bad team, positive advanced stats.

He's playing more and in higher leverage this year for Anaheim and continuing to do well.

 

[Quinning]

The player this team truly needs is Rasmus Andersson, but Calgary will likely hang onto him now. And he would cost an outrageous amount...think Willander, Lekk and a 1st.

 

[bossram]

His production would certainly dip due to almost no powerplay time and just decreased ice time in general. He played 500 more minutes than any other defender on the Canadiens last season. However, I do think he'd be an effective, but flawed, middle-pairing if played with the right partner. He alone wouldn't fix a lot of the team's problems.

That's what I'm getting at. His best attributes are leveraged due to getting a lot of deployment in offensive situations, which isn't what will happen in VAN.

He's also like Myers in that he's chaotic. A lot of tools (physical, good size, great skater, big shot) but no toolbox and prone to braincramps.

You can't put him with Myers, and putting him with Hronek would be a pretty defensively frustrating pair.

They need a guy who raises the floor of their non-Hughes minutes, not a high-variance guy on both sides of the puck.

 

[bossram]

Dumoulin is slow but he's still effective and pulling positive goal differentials from top-pairing high-leverage minutes with a terrible Anaheim team. He'd be a big upgrade here.

I would toss a depth pick for Dumoulin right now.

 

[wonton15]

I’d trade for Dumoulin. He reminds me a bit of Ian Cole.

 

[bossram]

Also throwing this out there...Ethan Bear is with Washington's AHL club right now.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

is old.

He's 33.

 

[Phrasing]

I’m not sure Matheson is the right target as his value has baked-in PP offense from last year which he won’t receive here. Dumoulin I’m not a fan of because he had really slow moments in Seattle and I watched him a lot there. Pettersson would be an ok grab. Maybe Carrier if Nashville sinks more or Fowler if dirt cheap and retained.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Also throwing this out there...Ethan Bear is with Washington's AHL club right now.

and he's playing really well! 10 points and +14 (leads the team) in 15 games.

 

[bossram]

and he's playing really well! 10 points and +14 (leads the team) in 15 games.

We know he has some chemistry with Quinn.

 

[Bojack Horvatman]

and he's playing really well! 10 points and +14 (leads the team) in 15 games.

Wouldn't mind bringing him back if he was making ~1m. At over 2m that's gonna be a no from me. Would consider it though if Wash took Deharnais back to get out of that 2nd year.

 

[pitseleh]

Matheson’s got strong zone exit/entry numbers but his defensive results have never been great, and they’ve fallen off since he joined Montreal. Some of that is probably him playing higher leverage minutes, but at even strength you may be getting more of a Brannstrom-level impact rather than a defender that this team needs to carry a pairing defensively.

With his production you have to assume some team that needs a PP QB will pay more for him than the Canucks will.

 

[Curm]

I'd be real careful trading any more high picks or prospects, they already need to do a far better job at augmenting their lineup with quality players on entry level contracts.

If they had Willander and maybe another solid youngish entry level LHD, instead of paying Forbort and Desharnais a combined $3.5 million, and up front, had a top player on an ELC instead of DeBrusk at $5.5 million, they'd be in a much better position to trade picks and accommodate the salary of a difference maker right now.

And if at least one of the D was far enough along, they wouldn't be faced with overplaying guys like Soucy and Myers.

They'd even be better off today if they had started the year with Willander and Lekkerimaki on ELCs, and Zadorov, instead of Debrusk, Desharnais, and Forbort and have a bit more cap room to add.