Who performed better this year? Which one of them is 27, which is 34?

You get that the majority of players are retired by 34, right?
- Dirte

Do you have any facts to back this up? It seems pretty low.

I thought you were referring to Dipietro?

And Luongo played great this year, but got absolutely shelled by Detroit in one game (9 goals) and didn't play too much afterwards which distorted his numbers quite a bit.

Yeah, cause an AHL goalie is comparable to one of the most consistent goalies in the past decade. A gold medal winning goalie who took his team to within one win of the Stanley Cup just 2 seasons ago.
- KB3Point0

Agreed, that's just a horrible comparison. The Isles would have to give up way more for someone to take on DP's contract. And the other thing a rich, contending team could do with Luongo is trade for him and then use the compliance buyout on him next summer, basically use him as an expensive one year rental for a cup run. It's obviously a far-fetched idea and would take an owner with deep pockets to do it.

Which, even if true, was turned down.

Now we're another year along, on a 34 year old, coming off a bad season. With a declining cap.
- Dirte

Which even if true is far from nothing...

Seriously, do you have selective reading?

I talk to people around Calgary who know people "around" the Flames. There are people in that front office who really like Vanek, so that trade would not shock me.
- IanEsplen

Feaster should be fired... He needs to rebuild not get assets that are not meant for a rebuild... He needs to understand that his team is not even close to competitive right now and just needs to continue the rebuild

Trading Luongo and Ballard, then signing Tanev @ $1.75M, leaves the team with $7M in cap space. They would still need two 4th line wingers (approx $1M each) a 3rd line center and a spare D & F (again, approx $1M each). That leaves around $3M for a 3rd line center.

It's really hard to call that cap hell. They have options.

I would trade Edler if I got an amazing deal for him. A trade with Philly would make a lot of sense. Something centered around Luongo & Edler with Coutourier & one of their big D-men coming back. I would also trade Burrows if I could get a good return. A Luongo, Edler, Burrows package could probably net the Canucks a Coutourier, Simmonds, Meszaros, Briere (for buyout purposes) type return. Toss in some picks or prospects if need be to even it out, but it should be pretty close to even.
- KB3Point0

No one is going to trade for Ballard unless you keep salary, and the same goes for Lu. $1.75m for a third pairing guy on his second contract? Alberts is better value at $1m. You're going to find two 4th line players for league min? Philly isn't going to gift you Coutourier, even for Edler. Really what you have said here is that you have no answer but to keep doing things the way they have been done for the past five years, which has not won them the cup.

Agreed. And the stupid idiotic people out there that actually believe that most Canucks fans are expecting a king's ransom for Luongo are (frank)ed in the head. Most of us aren't expecting a first rounder or a good prospect in return. In fact, just getting rid of his contract would be pretty good at this point.
- Nucker101

Yup.
Right you are, sir.

Which, even if true, was turned down.

Now we're another year along, on a 34 year old, coming off a bad season. With a declining cap.
- Dirte

Really?

Every expert I've heard think he played pretty well this year. Maybe not what we are used to seeing out of Lu, but I bet the Pens would take him. I also doubt the Leafs blow that lead would Lu in net.

I highly doubt that any GM takes on Ballard at his full, current salary. Yes he got (frank)ed over by AV/Bowness, but that's an expensive risk to take. If I'm a GM I'd rather wait for him to be bought out or a sign a cheaper UFA d-man.
- Nucker101

A lot of teams are nowhere near the cap ceiling and a bunch are going to need to work hard just to hit the floor. He only has 2 years left and he can easily crack most teams top 5 and some teams top 4. If they aren't going to use the cap space it isn't a big risk if they don't have to give up anything to get him.

My master, I believe he was talking about dubnyk
- RF_4eva

I'm not your master.

You'll have to track him down somewhere in the United Arab Emirates or Persia or wherever the sands of time have taken him...

Do you have any facts to back this up? It seems pretty low.

I thought you were referring to Dipietro?

And Luongo played great this year, but got absolutely shelled by Detroit in one game (9 goals) and didn't play too much afterwards which distorted his numbers quite a bit.
- Fosco

I think he's right. Avg career is like 5-6 years so I bet most guys have hung the skates up at 34 or playing at a lower level.

Really?

Every expert I've heard think he played pretty well this year. Maybe not what we are used to seeing out of Lu, but I bet the Pens would take him. I also doubt the Leafs blow that lead would Lu in net.
- IanEsplen

If you remove the blowouts where Lu was in net and the team didn't show up in front of him his numbers this year were pretty good. As you noted, he played very well in most of his starts this year.

I talk to people around Calgary who know people "around" the Flames. There are people in that front office who really like Vanek, so that trade would not shock me.
- IanEsplen

Flames fans should riot if they give up their first in that deal. Seriously, I can respect a team for not tanking like the Oilers every year, but Feaster and their ownership is going about all of this the wrong way. Best way to re-tool quickly is to sell of veterans and expiring contracts for as many picks and prospects as you can then use that new free cap space during the summer to add in some fresh faces to replace the veterans you lose, basically you have the same types of veteran players but now you have more picks/prospects. Do that for a couple of years and it's like a speeding up the rebuilding process.

Do you have any facts to back this up? It seems pretty low.

I thought you were referring to Dipietro?

And Luongo played great this year, but got absolutely shelled by Detroit in one game (9 goals) and didn't play too much afterwards which distorted his numbers quite a bit.
- Fosco

598 players played at least 20 games last season. Only 109 of them were age 34 and up. It’s a pretty small percentage. And it drops like a rock, each year you move along. Very, very few make it to their mid-30s.

It's actually kind of incredible (and depressing) to know that the vast majority of players are done by that age.

I think he's right. Avg career is like 5-6 years so I bet most guys have hung the skates up at 34 or playing at a lower level.
- IanEsplen

I think that's probably distorted by fringe NHLers who have hung them up early.

Quality NHLers usually last until 36-38, especially goalies.

Really?

Every expert I've heard think he played pretty well this year. Maybe not what we are used to seeing out of Lu, but I bet the Pens would take him. I also doubt the Leafs blow that lead would Lu in net.
- IanEsplen

Those couple of blowout games where the team didn't even bother to show up and when AV left him in for the full 60 really (frank)ed up his final stat line, but to be fair every goalie has a few stinkers so taking those out wouldn't really be fair.

I'm not your master.

You'll have to track him down somewhere in the United Arab Emirates or Persia or wherever the sands of time have taken him...
- Fosco

Hes a Cousin
Your my master
Although I dont agree what the guy is saying, you shouldnt be spasing out on him too quickly

Really?

Every expert I've heard think he played pretty well this year. Maybe not what we are used to seeing out of Lu, but I bet the Pens would take him. I also doubt the Leafs blow that lead would Lu in net.
- IanEsplen

I doubt they get that far at all, given what Reimer did this year.

Feaster should be fired... He needs to rebuild not get assets that are not meant for a rebuild... He needs to understand that his team is not even close to competitive right now and just needs to continue the rebuild
- RF_4eva

In all honesty, it's not Feaster.

It's the guys above him that have to go. they are the, "We want a Cup, bring in the guys who were good 5 years ago group."

they won't let the Flames re-build.

Honestly, it wouldn't shock me to see Ken King deal the 6 pick for Vanek.

Hes a Cousin
Your my master
Although I dont agree what the guy is saying, you shouldnt be spasing out on him too quickly
- RF_4eva

Who's "spasing out"?

I think he's right. Avg career is like 5-6 years so I bet most guys have hung the skates up at 34 or playing at a lower level.
- IanEsplen

It's depressing, but true. 35 is a senior citizen in the NHL.

A lot of teams are nowhere near the cap ceiling and a bunch are going to need to work hard just to hit the floor. He only has 2 years left and he can easily crack most teams top 5 and some teams top 4. If they aren't going to use the cap space it isn't a big risk if they don't have to give up anything to get him.
- KB3Point0

There will be quite a few players like Ballard available from teams looking to clear cap space though, including some good players that will be bought out. I'd rather take a shot at a player that's just been bought out, much cheaper, and also has a similar story as Ballard(not a good fit with his previous team).

I doubt they get that far at all, given what Reimer did this year.
- Dirte

So you think Reimer is better than Lou?

He definitely had a good year, and is younger, and I can understand why the Leafs no longer have interest in Lou, but I think that's a pretty bold statement right now.

EDIT: contract aside, I don't think there's a team in the league who would take Reimer over Lou in a win now situation, even given their respective ages.

Who's "spasing out"?
- Fosco

He was talkin about duby but you just poop on him because you thought he was talking about DP

I doubt they get that far at all, given what Reimer did this year.
- Dirte

Reimer was rock solid this year, if I was Nonis I'd rather try a sign a guy like Backstrom or trade for a guy like Hiller and maybe just go with a 1A/1B system.

Don't be so sure about that. Fans of other teams ask me all the time if they think Vancouver would take a mid round pick for Booth or Ballard.

And there are a small group of people who would take Louie for the right price.

The market on these three isn't great and it likely isn't fair from a Canucks point of view, But I bet Gillis could off load all three of these guys if he really wanted to make the deal.
- IanEsplen

Gillis got slammed for not trading Luongo last year, when he didn't have to because he had the cap space to keep him. He wanted to wait for the right deal because this year represented a year when goalies would be in higher demand. Look at how many teams need good goaltending right now. PIT, PHI, NYI, NJ, TB, FLA, BUF, PHX, EDM, CAL, MIN, COL, STL.

Booth won't get traded unless the Canucks replace him in another trade. No way Gillis gives him up for a mid round pick.