In todays NHL,just being able to play in one zone is not enough...Granlund is no scream in hell,but at least can be deployed up and down the lineup,wing and centre...Versatility is the key,even Archibald brings more to the table than Gaunce.
He's not a young prospect anymore..If Gaunce played for an American team,nobody would take a blind bit of notice he passed through waivers.
Using 'cap space' as a reason to retain him is absurd......I look forward to more of your 'hot takes' if Gaunce isn't re-signed after this year (his contract expires after this season).
Nobody is 'blaming' Gaunce for anything..He's a character kid,but his limitations completely outweigh the positives.
Yes, Granlund has been deployed up and down the lineup, but he
hasn't been good! Defensively, Granlund is not equal to Gaunce and on offence, Granlund has been awful when not paired with our top players or on the top PP. Gaunce has never been gifted these opportunities to succeed, so I think it's ignorant to compare the two. Here's what we do know, Granlund has been awful when playing his role and not gifted prime minutes with top players. Gaunce has been effective in his role playing against the toughest matchups with mostly defensive starts.
Versatality playing wing and centre? check for Gaunce. Up and down the lineup...he's only been given the heavy lifting on the 4th. Granlund is nowhere near Gaunce's ability on the 4th and according to 'experts' like you that praise benning...we don't need Gaunce to move up and down the lineup because we're drowning in depth . Didn't you watch the preseason?
bennbrod and green said they want the 3rd & 4th to be a checking line and Gaunce brings that and proven to be much better at it than Granlund. Gaunce could play on any of these two lines if necessary. You tell me one player on the canucks that is playing on the 4th that can move into the top two lines? Is this 'versatality' only defined for Gaunce's role or is it a prerequisite for all 4th liners in the NHL? Or is this just your 'expert' opinion? I don't know many 4th liners in the NHL today that can play in the top two lines...do you? and if so, give me names. Considering we have one of the most expensive 4th lines in the NHL, it might be smart for you to name canuck 4th liners first.
And Archie does deserve to be on this team too...he also brings more than 3 or 4 other players do.
If Granlund played on an American team you think they would have another revolution? What's your point? There are 4 other players on this team that would have as much reaction as a silent fart if they got sent down, and even less so on an American team. Unfortunately, there are more hockey-minds in Canada so you will inevitably have more thinkers. Maybe you should consider cheering for an American team? They voted trump in so you won't have problems finding people with like minds.
Again...what's your argument about an American team have to do with Gaunce? Is this your 'expert' reasoning?...FFS.
I won't delve too much into cap space cause the subject is far too complicated and 'experts' like you think cap space doesn't produce goals, so who cares. However, if you compound (insert 'add' if you're confused) the ridiculous salaries of bennbrod's acquisitions and traded these players or got rid of these players who are underperforming, we would have enough cap space to take on other team's bad contracts and stack our draft picks. Yes, Granlunds contract won't hurt us alone, but you compound these contracts and the sum is an advantage we could be maximizing. It's our opportunity costs that I'm getting at. Keep players who are equally good on the lower contracts, get rid of those acquisitions that are marginally better players or worse players that have high salaries.
Overall, this team would be in the same position at the end of the year, near the bottom because the guys acquired won't win us any games. EXCEPT, our prospects development has been improved with the NHL experience, our young guys will have a stonger bond fighting through the 'tough' years together and we can acquire more draft picks with the cap space saved.
I look forward to reading your trump logic when you realize that this team has not improved this year after acquiring one of the highest paid 4th lines in the NHL, for multiple years to come. Oh...I forgot about trump logic, Gaunce didn't produce, he's to blame for our scoring issues.
Are we really better off sending down our prospects who worked hard over the summer for these older guys who need mentors themselves?