Here we go...as a Leafs fan I remember trying to talk myself into these kinds of transactions over the last decade. Once the Canucks truly bottom out and a new competent regime installed things will look up.
- Deeps27

Erik Gudbranson = Luke Schenn, more or less.

Gudbranson is Luca Sbisa.

Y'all need a new GM with a brain
- twiztedmike

And some swag to go with it.

And some swag to go with it.
- smellmyfinger

hundo P agree

Erik Gudbranson = Luke Schenn, more or less.
- Tomahawk

This just makes me sad

Haha yeah this reminds me of all the "band-aid" deals we made for so long. Don't be so hard on them though, the real pain is still years away.
- Steven_Dean

Maybe you guys should come to Vancouver and attend a game at Rogers Arena and see first hand how easy it is to play against our buttery soft defense. After one period you will all agree that watching the local house league bantams will offer more physical play than the group that we witnessed play last season.

In my unexpert opinion, this looks to me like a classic now-vs.-later trade. Vancouver gets a what-you-see-is-what-you-get D man, and Florida gets a solid very young centerman who clearly has upside left to him. It's possible that if that itself were the trade, that both teams could win.

What makes this trade favor Florida is the draft picks... giving up a 2 and a 4 and getting only a 5 back seems pretty one-sided, especially when they're already giving up the future potential of the 19-yr old centerman.

In the end, I think the Analytics thing is a snazzy new tool in the toolbox for GM's to use... Analytics definitely deserve a seat at the table, so to speak... but to "turn the keys over" to Analytics, as the author puts it, to me would be as silly as turning the keys over to any other tool in the toolbox (e.g. total pts or +/-). The GM still has to have his vision on what kind of team he wants, and then he can use Analytics - along with the other tools in the box - to decide which players fit the vision.

Gudbranson is basically all he's ever going to be at age 24.

Ok I can buy that.

Can you also say the same thing about gormley or doesn't that logic apply? Thanks.

Haha yeah this reminds me of all the "band-aid" deals we made for so long. Don't be so hard on them though, the real pain is still years away.
- Steven_Dean

Nothing like the leafs ,the leafs had nothing when the cap was implemented.Yet they chose to keep going for it,by trading high picks .The Nucks have kept the best of their youth and are using their old core to develop their next one .

Them trying to keep a moderate team around the twins,while they salt the best of their youth .Is far better than trying to tank with these two ,and provides a winning culture for the kids to come into.Rather than throwing 18 and 19 year olds into the fire and hoping it works

Y'all need a new GM with a brain
- twiztedmike

Y'all need to somehow get out of your 50th year of the Laffs rebuild...

Analytics is a fancy for being cheap. Just an excuse for bad teams to sell their fan base till another fade comes along.

Gudbranson is basically all he's ever going to be at age 24.

Ok I can buy that.

Can you also say the same thing about gormley or doesn't that logic apply? Thanks.
- rinaldo

What do the stats say?

Gudbranson is Luca Sbisa.
- PepinoPamplemousse

Brady Skjei is Lucas Sbisa. Keep up.

I have to agree that this deal is much better for Florida than Vancouver in many different ways.

The first being Gudbransen has hit his potential. Other than being a former 3rd overall pick what does he have going for him? Size? Yeah that's nice but it doesn't guarantee you'll be a Chara type player. Gudbransen doesn't score, doesn't set up plays, and doesn't really block shots.

McCain on the other hand looked pretty decent as a rookie center in the league. Not great but he still have room to grow and is already a 3rd/4th liner. If he improves and becomes a top 6 forward then he is a win for the Panthers, if not they still got a 3rd line forward and a 2nd round pick. Which is huge for the final point....

Florida freed up a defenseman slot for the upcoming expansion draft. Florida had some tough choices to make coming up with which 3 guys they would protect. Ekblad is guaranteed. But for the last two who of Kulikov, Petrovic, Gudbransen do you protect? Do you give up two forward protects to guard the extra defenseman? What if a prospect coming up you want to keep but will likely be poached?

All in all it looks like Florida got a young forward and a high 2nd round pick for a defenseman who peeked as a 3rd pairing. Even if McCain remains as a bottom 6 guy this is still a fair deal.
- Steven_Dean

How can you say a 24 year old defenseman has peaked?? Have you seen the future? Chara, Weber, Burns, Byfuglien etc all got better after age 24 but EG has hit his potential at 24.... Ask Ottawa who got better Chara or Redden?? I am not arguing the trade but to say he has already reached his potential is crazy (unless you can see the future)

This isn't and shouldn't be about the trade more so than what the (frank) are the Canucks doing trying to improve today when they're not a good team or close to it. Rebuild already. Keep the picks and prospects and have a ssystem. Not trading futures for a contract that needs a raise, extension and renewal in year.

What do the stats say?
- twiztedmike

Same as the fox

In the end, I think the Analytics thing is a snazzy new tool in the toolbox for GM's to use... Analytics definitely deserve a seat at the table, so to speak... but to "turn the keys over" to Analytics, as the author puts it, to me would be as silly as turning the keys over to any other tool in the toolbox (e.g. total pts or +/-). The GM still has to have his vision on what kind of team he wants, and then he can use Analytics - along with the other tools in the box - to decide which players fit the vision.
- copelal

Blasphemous!

Seriously though, well said. The problem is when analytics are the only tool used.

Y'all need to somehow get out of your 50th year of the Laffs rebuild...
- LordHumungous

You haven't won a cup yet. I believe that puts you around year 40 of the original "build". Furthermore, VAN is heading exactly where the Leafs were a few years ago - Benning is making tons of questionable decisions.

Ask Ottawa who got better Chara or Redden??
- sdoney

Ask them about Jared Cowen instead.

Nothing like the leafs ,the leafs had nothing when the cap was implemented.Yet they chose to keep going for it,by trading high picks .The Nucks have kept the best of their youth and are using their old core to develop their next one .

Them trying to keep a moderate team around the twins,while they salt the best of their youth .Is far better than trying to tank with these two ,and provides a winning culture for the kids to come into.Rather than throwing 18 and 19 year olds into the fire and hoping it works
- top shelf 15

What winning culture? They stank ass last year. Wtf have you been watching? They're holding onto the past whike trying to look to the future. Never works out well.

Ask them about Jared Cowen instead.
- Tomahawk

Maybe you guys should come to Vancouver and attend a game at Rogers Arena and see first hand how easy it is to play against our buttery soft defense. After one period you will all agree that watching the local house league bantams will offer more physical play than the group that we witnessed play last season.
- Itsjustarash

I'm not saying that Gudbransen wasn't someone that you didn't need, he is still an NHL defenseman and won't go the path of Cam Barker for example but the price you paid for him was a mistake. Someone up top saw EG as a big top 4 shut down guy when he is only a tough 3rd pairing guy. Either that or undervalued McCann. You gave up a 3rd/4th line 19 year old center who could still develop into a top 6 forward PLUS a second round pick and 4th for 5th swap.

That was a steep price as EG is no longer even close to worth the 3rd overall pick he was drafted for. If McCann improves then you horribly lose the deal, if he doesn't you still lose but at least it was negligible.

I think this became a case of over valuing an asset you desperately wanted or undervaluing an asset you had a few of. Maybe this will turn out better for you but right now I don't see it.

In my unexpert opinion, this looks to me like a classic now-vs.-later trade. Vancouver gets a what-you-see-is-what-you-get D man, and Florida gets a solid very young centerman who clearly has upside left to him. It's possible that if that itself were the trade, that both teams could win.

What makes this trade favor Florida is the draft picks... giving up a 2 and a 4 and getting only a 5 back seems pretty one-sided, especially when they're already giving up the future potential of the 19-yr old centerman.

In the end, I think the Analytics thing is a snazzy new tool in the toolbox for GM's to use... Analytics definitely deserve a seat at the table, so to speak... but to "turn the keys over" to Analytics, as the author puts it, to me would be as silly as turning the keys over to any other tool in the toolbox (e.g. total pts or +/-). The GM still has to have his vision on what kind of team he wants, and then he can use Analytics - along with the other tools in the box - to decide which players fit the vision.
- copelal

What winning culture? They stank ass last year. Wtf have you been watching? They're holding onto the past whike trying to look to the future. Never works out well.
- systemtool

I think he meant whining culture

Speaking of Girardi, I hear he's available for Virtanen and a 1st.
Get on it Benning!