Grub's Canucks & NHL News, Rumours, and & Fantasy GM | The Boys of Summer

[arttk]

We’re talking about defenceman Elias Pettersson.

Raty man, that kid.

 

[ziploc]

It's a 'make or break' camp for Podkolzin.....he's in tough after all the wingers the Canucks brought in as UFA's. And he's out of options on the waiver wire. If the Canucks want to send him out, he'd have to clear waivers. And there's zero chance he wouldn't be claimed. Former top-10 draft picks seem to always get chance after chance in the NHL, with the club that claims him hoping they an unlock his potential.

You can't help pulling for this kid, who's struggled for two years to find his place in the NHL roster, and has endured a couple of frightening injuries playing in the AHL. If he can use his speed and physicality on the forecheck, there's probably a place for him in the NHL..

But if things don't work out, then it's almost a guarantee that he'll be playing for a different NHL organization come October.

There will be a really interesting competition in training camp. Injuries aside, we have 15 NHL-ready forwards.

Miller, Boeser, DeBrusk, EP, Joshua, Suter, Garland, Heinen, Sherwood, and Blueger seem like locks to me. That's 10 of 12 spots.

Sprong and Hoglander seem likely.

That leaves Podz, PDG, and Aman fighting for the 13th F spot. Likely that two of these three are claimed or traded or sent down, or maybe Hoglander is traded.

Guys like Karlsson, Raty, Bains, Sasson and Lekkermaki are all AHL bound.

 

[David71]

my 2024/25 pacific division prediction:

1. Edmonton Oilers
2. Vancouver Canucks
3. Kings
4. Seattle kraken
5. Vegas golden knights
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. San Jose Sharks
8. Calgary Flames

it can all change depending on what kind of moves the canucks make during the season/trade deadline 2025.

There will be a really interesting competition in training camp. Injuries aside, we have 15 NHL-ready forwards.

Miller, Boeser, DeBrusk, EP, Joshua, Suter, Garland, Heinen, Sherwood, and Blueger seem like locks to me. That's 10 of 12 spots.

Sprong and Hoglander seem likely.

That leaves Podz, PDG, and Aman fighting for the 13th F spot. Likely that two of these three are claimed or traded or sent down, or maybe Hoglander is traded.

Guys like Karlsson, Raty, Bains, Sasson and Lekkermaki are all AHL bound.

 

[LordBacon]

My prediction is Edmonton remains a POS team.

 

[Josepho]

I think LA is by far the most likely playoff team to completely implode and I would be quite surprised if they finished above Vegas.

Still heavily reliant on Kopitar/Doughty in their mid 30s, made an uninspiring coach hire after one of their best offensive players said that he was tired of that defensive style, bad offseason. I can't imagine player morale is great there after getting steamrolled in the playoffs.

 

[ziploc]

my 2024/25 pacific division prediction:

1. Edmonton Oilers
2. Vancouver Canucks
3. Kings
4. Seattle kraken
5. Vegas golden knights
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. San Jose Sharks
8. Calgary Flames

it can all change depending on what kind of moves the canucks make during the season/trade deadline 2025.

Kings getting the Prince/Pele treatment on your list.

 

[TruGr1t]

Pre-season NFL is on, not long now.

 

[arttk]

my 2024/25 pacific division prediction:

1. Edmonton Oilers
2. Vancouver Canucks
3. Kings
4. Seattle kraken
5. Vegas golden knights
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. San Jose Sharks
8. Calgary Flames

it can all change depending on what kind of moves the canucks make during the season/trade deadline 2025.

VGK is way better than that.

 

[krutovsdonut]

the canucks have really infilled the roster to be competitive regardless of whether any of their prospects can stick. for the bottom 3 forward roster positions and one or two bench spots i see 11 players, sherwood, hoglander, pdg, podz, sprong, aman, bains, raty, karlsson, lekkermaki, and sasson fighting. anyone on that list could have plausibly been hoping to made the roster of three years ago. now i think the perceived need for reliable depth is going to make it very hard for the ahl guys to bump the recent depth signings based on a strong camp. in particular, anyone with waiver exemption is in tough to make the squad needing not only to outplay their competition but to do enough to make it worth exposing another player.

interesting times.

 

[vancityluongo]

i think we win the division tbh. the canucks have the depth to have a very successful regular season - the biggest question is whether we have enough top end talent to get through the grind of the playoffs. the oilers also just played a lot of hockey after ending their last offseason like two weeks early. plus it's very funny that edmonton hasn't won a division title in decades.

canucks
oilers
vegas
_____
seattle
kings
ducks
flames
sharks

 

[brock hughes007]

Anything is possible. Teams tend to take a step back from Stanley cup runs so I think Edmonton takes a step back.Vegas looks really good.Canucks need to get that penalty killing better and the pp.Im not that impressed with our defense to be honest. Still think the team is good but to many question marks for me.But lots of time still.

 

[John Garretts KD]

The Pacific division will be the most entertaining it’s been in a long time. I think Vancouver/Edmonton/Vegas are pretty much locks for the top 3, with the rest being pretty much interchangeable. I low key think the Flames could have a surprising season, similar to what Seattle did last year. Expectations are low, they have some decent vets with a mix of youth, and the top 9, while lacking elite talent, is decently rounded.

San Jose is potentially adding like 60-100 goals to their roster with the additions of Toffoli, Celebrini, Smith, and Wennberg. While their defence is absolute dog shit (only adding Walman, assuming Dickinson doesn’t surprise and crack the opening day roster), they will be a really fun team to watch.

 

[credulous]

i think seattle will be very good next year too. stephenson and montour got gross contracts but they're both good players who will help that team a lot. they also have like a million forward prospects pushing to make the nhl

 

[F A N]

If D Petey grew, good for him. I don't think the extra 2 inches will impact or change his game much. He's not a bruiser and he was already at a good height of 6'2. If someone like Bieksa who was 6'1 and 200-205 lbs, was 2 inches taller at 6'3, he'd probably weigh 215 to 220 lbs which would have allowed him to play the game the way he truly would have liked to.

I don't think I can agree and I haven't watched D-Petey play in the NHL to have a strong opinion one way or another. On the subject of Bieksa though, I don't think he's a true 6'1". I believe he was listed as 6'0" when he was in college. Certainly, in the era that Bieksa played, he was considered below average to average sized and he made up for it with his aggressiveness and physicality. So in that aspect, I agree with you that if he was 6'3" he probably would be a whole lot better defensively in the moments where he's not moving his feet. And all else being equal, Bieksa at 6'3" would also be one of the more mobile 6"3"+ RHD.

D-Petey, I believe is geared more towards being a defensive Dman who does play with physicality. I'm not sure that I can agree that being 2 inches taller woudn't help his game. There's no one size fits all of course. Would an extra 2 inches help a player like Juulsen more? Maybe. But I could make the argument that a "non bruiser" stands to gain from being 2 inches taller as it could allow him to carry more mass, have a longer reach, and just have more surface area to get in the way etc. A two inches shorter Marek Malik would likey have a greater impact on his game than if Ohlund was 2 inches shorter.

 

[wonton15]

There will be a really interesting competition in training camp. Injuries aside, we have 15 NHL-ready forwards.

Miller, Boeser, DeBrusk, EP, Joshua, Suter, Garland, Heinen, Sherwood, and Blueger seem like locks to me. That's 10 of 12 spots.

Sprong and Hoglander seem likely.

That leaves Podz, PDG, and Aman fighting for the 13th F spot. Likely that two of these three are claimed or traded or sent down, or maybe Hoglander is traded.

Guys like Karlsson, Raty, Bains, Sasson and Lekkermaki are all AHL bound.

Hoglander is a lock lets be real. There’s realistically one spot available and I’d give it to Podkolzin easily based on potential alone. PDG and Aman provide 4th line filler and won’t hurt you utility but not enough to move up and down the lineup and I wouldn’t be mad at all if they’re claimed.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Wennberg flamed out and Voracek developed in Philadelphia. Johansen wasn’t ever actually that good.

I’ll give you Atkinson, Methot, and Savard.

Actually Johansen with the Predators was very good, once he learned to play a heavier game. There was a reason he was an assistant captain for Nashville.

Whether his health allows him to get back to that player remains to be seen.

 

[ziploc]

Hoglander is a lock lets be real. There’s realistically one spot available and I’d give it to Podkolzin easily based on potential alone. PDG and Aman provide 4th line filler and won’t hurt you utility but not enough to move up and down the lineup and I wouldn’t be mad at all if they’re claimed.

PDG is pure energy and little else. Aman is solid defensively and on the PK. Podz has more potential but hasn't really shown it. Still, he is the most likely of the three to get claimed so unless he totally craps the bed I'm guessing he gets that spot.

I still think it is possible Hoglander gets traded though. And while I like the SPROINNNNG pick up and am curious to see what he brings to the table. More than likely he is at least pencilled in as well.

 

[F A N]

PDG is pure energy and little else. Aman is solid defensively and on the PK. Podz has more potential but hasn't really shown it. Still, he is the most likely of the three to get claimed so unless he totally craps the bed I'm guessing he gets that spot.

This. "May the best man win" a spot should be balanced with asset management and who is going to be the better player at the end of the season. Are we worse off having Pods instead of PDG? Is Pods not capable of filling a 4th line role? I don't think so. PDG is what he is. He should not be given any significant minutes in the Top 6. It's not like he's some elite 4th line player either. Meanwhile, regardless of what he has shown or not shown, Pods does have some potential and we've obviously invested a lot into him. Like Aman, you give him a shot and if he doesn't run with the opportunity then you cut him loose.

 

[LandfiII]

VGK is way better than that.

vagine gun kelly ?

 

[ziploc]

vagine gun kelly ?

 

[Baby Pettersson]

Feels like a dream when I think about our Vancouver Canucks.

Season can't come soon enough!

 

[TruGr1t]

Hoglander is a lock lets be real. There’s realistically one spot available and I’d give it to Podkolzin easily based on potential alone. PDG and Aman provide 4th line filler and won’t hurt you utility but not enough to move up and down the lineup and I wouldn’t be mad at all if they’re claimed.

Hoglander is probably a lock to start, but he’s high on Tocchet’s scratch list, as we saw in the playoffs. He could see the press box more than expected unless the competition (ie. Podz and Sprong mostly) completely blows it. He could easily become the guy who rotates with the 13F depending on how it goes. The centres are locked, I think Heinen is locked (probably Sherwood as well since he profiles as a proto 4th liner) ... so there aren't that many other options.

 

[strattonius]

23 year old Hoglander has apparently peaked, is now our 13th fwd, and will be a healthy scratch. Thanks for the laugh guys!

 

[John Garretts KD]

23 year old Hoglander has apparently peaked, is now our 13th fwd, and will be a healthy scratch. Thanks for the laugh guys!

I mean, he was healthy scratched in some of the most recent and meaningful games the team played, so it’s not as crazy as you make it sound.

 

[VanJack]

There will be a really interesting competition in training camp. Injuries aside, we have 15 NHL-ready forwards.

Miller, Boeser, DeBrusk, EP, Joshua, Suter, Garland, Heinen, Sherwood, and Blueger seem like locks to me. That's 10 of 12 spots.

Sprong and Hoglander seem likely.

That leaves Podz, PDG, and Aman fighting for the 13th F spot. Likely that two of these three are claimed or traded or sent down, or maybe Hoglander is traded.

Guys like Karlsson, Raty, Bains, Sasson and Lekkermaki are all AHL bound.

Could be the most boring camp in recent Canuck history. Unless someone comes in and blows the doors off the competition, most of the lineup is basically set. As soon as they brought in seven UFA's, including four forwards, there just doesn't appear to be any openings other than for the 13th forward.

Barring some sore of miracle, a lot of the guys you thought would be given every opportunity to crack the lineup--Raty, Sasson Bains, Karlsson and McWard/Woo on the blueline--are heading back to Abbotsford for sure. It'll be interesting to see how much time in the exhibition schedule they give to Lekkerimaki.

But the opening night lineup is basically cast in stone.