The Erik "Gudzilla" Gudbranson Thread

[Empoleon8771]

If that's REALLY what this management team thought Oleksiak was/is... then goddamned we truly are ****ed.

I just always assumed it was GM lip service when it came to the "stands up for our guys" bullcrap. I figured that was just a nice little thing to fatten up the guy's resume and you actually bring him on for his ability to (sometimes) move the puck up the ice, use his big frame to lean on people in the corners and occasionally use his big clapper. But clearly I was giving these morons too much credit.

I think this is something every fan does about every GM. Remember, these GMs aren't mathematical or analytical geniuses that fans could never dream of being. Most of them are just former players without any education outside of what they learned as players, or former scouts who had careers of just watching players and basing their opinions on what they saw.

 

[pistolpete11]

To be fair, if Oleksiak's purpose was being an enforcer and he got KTFO by Wilson, I don't exactly blame JR for trading him after. He didn't do his 1 job, I don't blame JR for dumping him after

So obviously, everyone should hope Gudbranson gets knocked out by Wilson, because that would definitely make JR want to move him then.

As much as I want to get rid of Gudbranson, I want to see Wilson get knocked out more.

 

[UnrealMachine]

He doesn't have the frame or pounds-per-inch punching power to wrassle the Penguins to victory. So **** that guy.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I think this is something every fan does about every GM. Remember, these GMs aren't mathematical or analytical geniuses that fans could never dream of being. Most of them are just former players without any education outside of what they learned as players.

Oh believe me, I know. I've seen probably far too much NHL hockey. Hahaha... shit I've watched 3 GMs come and go just here. Well... the 3rd I suppose hasn't gone YET. And countless coaches. These guys are hired to be fired. They are, at best, lightning in a bottle. Ironically things usually tend to start getting bad the more they exert control, particularly coaches. In the end my personal opinion is that hockey is a absolutely gorgeous, beautiful chaotic sport that chafes, if anything, under the weight of over-organization. So it's no surprise that coaches start to lose the plot the smarter they THINK they are.

In any case it's why these appeals to authority do very little to nothing for me. "lol -- you buncha dumbass fans don't know nothin! This guys is a GM making millions and you think you know better?!?"

Well... yes. Oftentimes people do know better. Largely because oh, I dunno... those guys are people too and make the same stupid goddamned mistakes. If I had a buck for every time this board called something well in advance of the flippin' team finally figuring it out I sure wouldn't be hanging out here right now. Uh, no... I'd be spending my few hundred bucks on a guitar pedal or something. THEN I'd come hang out here.

 

[Jacob]

Oleksiak seemed to win every other fight he was involved in. Wilson jumped him. I don't see why you'd trade someone after losing 1 fight.

Unless maybe after the concussion Oleksiak specifically told the team he wasn't going to fight anymore.

 

[Gurglesons]

Imagine if somehow Gudbrandson becomes a net even on the ice and JJ is still terrible.

 

[Nucker42]

Canucks fan here scouting report:
-great top end speed
-slow to react to quick bounces and rebounds
-loses his check regularly and gets lost
-unable to make quality first pass out of the zone
-very tough and not afraid of anyone
-has been playing on a bad team with a bad defense

Overall, can’t really sugarcoat it. The Canucks defense was the best I’ve seen last night and much of it was because Guddy was gone.

Here’s the one thing, early in the year he had a great run of 10 games. He was using his skating to get himself of out trouble. Instead of bombing the puck out every time he would just skate with it.

He looked great and was putting up points.

If there is someway he can get back to that then you might have something.

I also think that him being insulated behind better players will help him a lot.

He’s not as bad as all of the hate on these boards... he certainly has the ability to turn it around it’s more of a mental thing with him.

Good luck.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Imagine if somehow Gudbrandson becomes a net even on the ice and JJ is still terrible.

Honestly that would be hilarious. I kinda hope it happens. I'm just looking for entertainment at this point.

Truthfully I think Gudbranson stands a better chance of coming in and being an impact player here than JJ has of turning things around, at this point.

 

[pistolpete11]

Canucks fan here scouting report:
-great top end speed
-slow to react to quick bounces and rebounds
-loses his check regularly and gets lost
-unable to make quality first pass out of the zone
-very tough and not afraid of anyone
-has been playing on a bad team with a bad defense

Overall, can’t really sugarcoat it. The Canucks defense was the best I’ve seen last night and much of it was because Guddy was gone.

Here’s the one thing, early in the year he had a great run of 10 games. He was using his skating to get himself of out trouble. Instead of bombing the puck out every time he would just skate with it.

He looked great and was putting up points.

If there is someway he can get back to that then you might have something.

I also think that him being insulated behind better players will help him a lot.

He’s not as bad as all of the hate on these boards... he certainly has the ability to turn it around it’s more of a mental thing with him.

Good luck.

This sounds like the scouting report on Jack Johnson, too. Except for the 10 game stretch part. In Johnson's case, it was one game and it was on Saturday.

 

[vodeni]

Canucks fan here scouting report:
-great top end speed
-slow to react to quick bounces and rebounds
-loses his check regularly and gets lost
-unable to make quality first pass out of the zone
-very tough and not afraid of anyone
-has been playing on a bad team with a bad defense

Overall, can’t really sugarcoat it. The Canucks defense was the best I’ve seen last night and much of it was because Guddy was gone.

Here’s the one thing, early in the year he had a great run of 10 games. He was using his skating to get himself of out trouble. Instead of bombing the puck out every time he would just skate with it.

He looked great and was putting up points.

If there is someway he can get back to that then you might have something.

I also think that him being insulated behind better players will help him a lot.

He’s not as bad as all of the hate on these boards... he certainly has the ability to turn it around it’s more of a mental thing with him.

Good luck.

this is what I saw in some highlights, and thats Pens biggest problem to begin with...

 

[AverageJoeFan]

Imagine if somehow Gudbrandson becomes a net even on the ice and JJ is still terrible.

Hey if somehow he reverted and played well I would be stoked..

 

[Riptide]

He's 27 years old. He's slow as molasses. He can't move the puck. He doesn't get assists. He doesn't score. He has horrible possession numbers. What are you expecting?

I mean it wouldn't surprise me if he played better here then in Vancouver... But then that is a very low bar to set ones sights on...

 

[DesertPenguin]

My guess is Maatta is in one of those grey areas where they're not sure if he'll require surgery or not so they're trying the rehabilitation approach first.

Shoulder separations generally don't require surgery, but their recovery period is highly variable. I know this from the unfortunate personal experience of going over my handle bars onto a rock while mountain biking in Arizona.

I had a grade 3 shoulder separation, which is as bad as it generally gets unless you're in a car accident. Grades 4-6 are extreme cases where the collarbone is almost completely dislodged and is pointing, up, down, out etc. He doesnt' have that.

If it's Grade 1, then its a stretched or partially torn ligament that connects the end of the collar bone to the back of the shoulder blade. That one you can come back from pretty much as soon as the pain is manageable, within a week or two. It's likely worse than that or he would be designated day to day and close to returning.

Grade 2 means that ligament is completely torn. Extremely painful when it happens but not actually the end of the world. Your collar bone will move a bit and you'll have a bump on the shoulder for the rest of your life, but it generally heals on its own with scar tissue filling in the gap. This one is probably a month to heal, plus however long it takes to no longer feel pain with contact. Think badly sprained ankle.

Grade 3 means you've also torn one or more of the ligaments that connect the front of the shoulder blade to the middle of the collar bone. This one, for me, was 2+ months before I could fully use my arm, and longer before it was pain free. The extreme pain dies down pretty fast but if you disturb the healing ligaments they start screaming at you again. If it's grade 3 he's likely done till the 2nd or 3rd round.

Probably more info than anyone wanted, but I figured I'd share my painfully gained knowledge on the topic.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Hey if somehow he reverted and played well I would be stoked..

Yeah I mean... to be totally clear about all this I would be extremely pleased if dude somehow panned out here. Shocked but pleased. I'm not one of these assholes who would rather be right than successful.

 

[DesertPenguin]

Kinda my theory on Oleksiak being traded.

He got KTFO and JR was like, trade that wussie boy...

Apparently we needed to move Oleksiak to make room for Bjugstad and McCann. I have to check the cap numbers to know if that's actually true.

Meanwhile the only way we were able to add Gudbranson is that Pearson went out, so the change in cap number was minimal. It doesn't hurt us for this year, but next year and going forward we have an albatross of a contract to deal with.

 

[Riptide]

The best case scenario is Dale Tallon trading actual value for Gudbranson, which is certainly a realistic scenario. The second best case scenario is that he returns to Florida form, which was a serviceable #4/5 according to Panthers fans, and the Penguins trade Johnson. I think you're way too low on the "best case" scenario here.

Who are we going to pair him with to get Florida form out of him? Realsitically (when Dumoulin and Letang come back) we'll see something like the below. And I struggle to see MP being that "fast guy who can skate who can also be the PMD" that Gudbranson will need on his pairing. Riikola would probably be a better fit if he could take another step or two with his development, but will probably see him in for tonight's game.

Dumoulin - Letang
Johnson - Schultz
Pettersson - Gudbranson

For tonight:

Johnson - Schultz
Pettersson - Ruhwedel
Riikola - Gudbranson

The sad thing is that Rutherford (in addition to acquiring some really shitty player's for our blueline) just rendered JJ completely useless on this blueline with EG who plays a style that cover's the very few positive things JJ can do. There's obviously no place for all 3 of Maatta, JJ and EG when healthy. My fear however is that it would be Maatta moved for roster/cap reasons instead of JJ.

 

[Peat]

Apparently we needed to move Oleksiak to make room for Bjugstad and McCann. I have to check the cap numbers to know if that's actually true.

Meanwhile the only way we were able to add Gudbranson is that Pearson went out, so the change in cap number was minimal. It doesn't hurt us for this year, but next year and going forward we have an albatross of a contract to deal with.

Brassard and Sheahan were 5.1m, Bjugstad and McCann I think 5.35m... maybe Oleskiak was the difference, but I'm a wee bit skeptical that was the only way to do it.

 

[AverageJoeFan]

My fear however is that it would be Maatta moved for roster/cap reasons instead of JJ.

Perhaps..we might be able to move all 3 this summer? It would be a tall task for sure but maybe...IDK. I get your point and you very well could be right.

 

[Dominance]

Dumoulin-Letang
Pettersson-Schultz
Gudbranson-Johnson

It’s not worth dying over, at least until we see it. Once Maatta comes back, stick him with Riikola who’s been good when given a decent stretch on the third pair, and just scratch the 7.25M of trash.

What we need to do is force GMJR out. The Johnson signing put him on the edge; this trade sealed the deal. He’s looking at those two and seeing “skilled puck moving defensemen.” He’s blind or senile. Either way, he’s done. I just worry that too much pressure from the fans might result in pushback from management/ownership. But he needs to go. Right after we miss the playoffs/lose in the first round.

The new guy should come in with one job in mind: get rid of those contracts. So, we’ll need to fork over all our valuable picks for the next three years, I don’t care. The time to win is now and we can’t be dragged down any longer by JR’s idiocy.

1st 2019 + 2nd 2020 (potentially + 2nd 2021) + Johnson for AHL fodder/FC.

1st 2020 + 2nd 2019 (potentially + 1st 2021) + Gudbranson for AHL fodder/FC.

It sucks losing the picks for no f***ing reason at all, but they won’t help us and our window is closing in 3-4 years no matter what. Hold tightly onto the guys who can make an impact in year 3 and 4 of that window: Bellerive, Addison, Hallander, our promising AHL guys fermenting.

And, I mean, it’s the NHL. Maybe we won’t need to add all those picks, or maybe we get a decent return. There are other dumb GMs out there. It doesn’t matter. It. Doesn’t. Matter. We need a new GM, and we need our anchors gone. We’re not knocked out yet, just taking the 8 count.

 

[ILikeTurtles]

Even if Gudbranson manages to play at his ceiling, he still isn't worth 4 million per season.

 

[AverageJoeFan]

Brassard and Sheahan were 5.1m, Bjugstad and McCann I think 5.35m... maybe Oleskiak was the difference, but I'm a wee bit skeptical that was the only way to do it.

Well, that's an interesting thought given we had 2 mil of space before the additions and subtractions. Although, I am thinking that Peat is right there was more than likely another way to go...

 

[SouthGeorge]

Will the new toy be playing tonight?

 

[Riptide]

The new guy should come in with one job in mind: get rid of those contracts. So, we’ll need to fork over all our valuable picks for the next three years, I don’t care. The time to win is now and we can’t be dragged down any longer by JR’s idiocy.

1st 2019 + 2nd 2020 (potentially + 2nd 2021) + Johnson for AHL fodder/FC.

1st 2020 + 2nd 2019 (potentially + 1st 2021) + Gudbranson for AHL fodder/FC.

There were 5/6 teams that were interested in JJ at the money he was offered this summer. Apparently some (Detroit I believe?) offered him the same money on a shorter deal (not sure if that's AAV or total salary). Either way I think with the trade we saw yesterday that it should be very obvious that even bad player's on shitty contracts are tradeable without tossing away high picks.

IF you can dump JJ this summer and likely Maatta or Bjugstad (hopefully OM if that's our options) to get under the cap, then you can suck up EG for another year. Then he'd have 1 yr left on his contract and would only be earning 3m in salary. That should be pretty tradeable without us having to add a 1st/2nd to get him gone.

Dumoulin - Letang
Pettersson - Schultz
Riikola - Gudbranson
Ruhwedel

 

[Corvidae]

As much as I want to get rid of Gudbranson, I want to see Wilson get knocked out more.

Well, Gudbranson could probably fight him to a draw / slight victory, will you settle for that?

I guess this is as good a time as any to point out (not to you specifically) that having your main tough guy be a defenseman is a terrible idea because then you're down to 5 D for 5 minutes or longer. Brawlers should always be wingers. But this is a terrible idea for a bunch of other reasons, we all know that.

 

[Dominance]

There were 5/6 teams that were interested in JJ at the money he was offered this summer. Apparently some (Detroit I believe?) offered him the same money on a shorter deal. Either way I think with the trade we saw yesterday that it should be very obvious that even bad player's on ****ty contracts are tradeable without tossing away high picks.

IF you can dump JJ this summer and likely Maatta or Bjugstad (hopefully OM if that's our options) to get under the cap, then you can suck up EG for another year. Then he'd have 1 yr left on his contract and would only be earning 3m in salary. That should be pretty tradeable without us having to add a 1st/2nd to get him gone.

Dumoulin - Letang
Pettersson - Schultz
Riikola - Gudbranson
Ruhwedel

Yeah, I know I was being extreme with the trade offers. But I want them gone, and besides this year - it’s already too late, and our first is likely to be decently high to get a guy who can help inside 2 years, definitely 3 - I don’t want our team to make a single selection within the first two rounds for the next four years. They just won’t help us until it’s too late. If we can keep the picks, as you say, I want them to be used for immediate value. Not for rentals, either, but as part of big packages to stay the top dog for as long as we can. Let other teams roll the dice on 17 year olds. We should be looking to dominate as long as we can, and then suck HARD for a couple years to restart the long process. This middle of the road stuff is bull, and there are loads of teams (Carolina, Minnesota) who are perfect case studies in how ineffective it is.