Does she know?
- smellmyfinger

no she's still in the trunk

think benning will sell players off this year if that happens?
- Tumbleweed

Hopefully, but there's not much left to sell. Hamhuis/Vrbata will be gone. I suspect one of Burrows/Higgins is bought out. Burrows retained at 50% would have trade value at the deadline in my opinion.

Sedins are here to stay. Same with Sutter/Dorsett and the youth.

Miller has a NTC and is washed up. Edler has a NTC. Tanev is still young enough to keep. Sbisa has no value, rest of the defense is young.

Hansen(limited NTC) is the only one, and I'd consider selling high on him now.

Our prospect pool is still way too damn shallow. I would much rather have seen this plan executed by keeping all of our picks every year and trying to do add one or two extra picks by trading vets, if not then so be it. I'd rather sign players instead of trading away picks and prospects for veterans. Plus everyone praises Benning's scouting eye and yet his plan involves trading away picks. Shouldn't his plan be to make the most out of his strengths as a GM and try to get the most picks as possible?


You can still sign UFA's to satisfy Aquilini(God I can't wait until he sells the team).
- Nucker101

Ahem your a bandwagoner. Flyers r your current team.

Hopefully, but there's not much left to sell. Hamhuis/Vrbata will be gone. I suspect one of Burrows/Higgins is bought out. Burrows retained at 50% would have trade value at the deadline in my opinion.

Sedins are here to stay. Same with Sutter/Dorsett and the youth.

Miller has a NTC and is washed up. Edler has a NTC. Tanev is still young enough to keep. Sbisa has no value, rest of the defense is young.

Hansen(limited NTC) is the only one, and I'd consider selling high on him now.
- Nucker101

No reason at all to buyout Higgins or Burrows.
Sent to Utica or picked up on waivers.

Ahem your a bandwagoner. Flyers r your current team.
- Nighthawk

It was a joke. I don't take hockeybuzz that seriously. You don't have to post on your hockeybuzz team blog to be a fan.

Hopefully, but there's not much left to sell. Hamhuis/Vrbata will be gone. I suspect one of Burrows/Higgins is bought out. Burrows retained at 50% would have trade value at the deadline in my opinion.

Sedins are here to stay. Same with Sutter/Dorsett and the youth.

Miller has a NTC and is washed up. Edler has a NTC. Tanev is still young enough to keep. Sbisa has no value, rest of the defense is young.

Hansen(limited NTC) is the only one, and I'd consider selling high on him now.
- Nucker101

It's a mess when you think about it, Benning has drafted some good young players in his available draft position, but as I said earlier in the Nucks thread….he's pulled five dollars from his left pocket and put it in his right and is now spinning how much better his financial situation is.

The team is only better than when he took over because they have four or five decent prospects…that's it!

Hopefully, but there's not much left to sell. Hamhuis/Vrbata will be gone. I suspect one of Burrows/Higgins is bought out. Burrows retained at 50% would have trade value at the deadline in my opinion.

Sedins are here to stay. Same with Sutter/Dorsett and the youth.

Miller has a NTC and is washed up. Edler has a NTC. Tanev is still young enough to keep. Sbisa has no value, rest of the defense is young.

Hansen(limited NTC) is the only one, and I'd consider selling high on him now.
- Nucker101

that's the problem with the accidental tank

This is not an analytics issue. Two totally different players in totally different roles, at different points in their careers. Using analytics to compare them and to use this trade as an example of "eye-test" vs "analytics" is very misleading. It's one thing if Benning was trying to improve his D by trading a positive analytics roster D man for a less than positive Gudbranson, but he's not. He's filling a need with assets available.

Seems like an example of trying to fit the facts into an argument to prove a point, rather than starting with the facts and then providing analysis.
- 13sundin13

What you have is one group of people - guys like Nick Kypreos - who are 'old school' and think a big tough dman who was picked 3rd overall is automatically awesome.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have people who simply look at the numbers Gudbranson has put up - doesn't score, doesn't prevent scoring - who ask 'why would you trade for a below-replacement level player?'

Since the former views this trade as a "head scratcher for Florida" and the latter as the worst trade yet by the guy already considered the worst GM in hockey.

So what you have is a microscosm of a debate that continues to go one. But it's a dumb debate, I'll give you that. It's a dumb debate because literally every way we have to track hockey players says Gudbranson is a bad player.

No reason at all to buyout Higgins or Burrows.
Sent to Utica or picked up on waivers.
- Nighthawk

It saves them money if they want to sign a big name UFA(Lucic/Eriksson/Ladd) this summer. Higgins was already waived and he cleared. Burrows has no value at his full cap hit most likely.

Scooby*

(frank)ing auto correct
- Nucker101

Hi Nucker. It's been a long time. Before we continue this dialogue, are you back on your meds?

What you have is one group of people - guys like Nick Kypreos - who are 'old school' and think a big tough dman who was picked 3rd overall is automatically awesome.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have people who simply look at the numbers Gudbranson has put up - doesn't score, doesn't prevent scoring - who ask 'why would you trade for a below-replacement level player?'

Since the former views this trade as a "head scratcher for Florida" and the latter as the worst trade yet by the guy already considered the worst GM in hockey.

So what you have is a microscosm of a debate that continues to go one. But it's a dumb debate, I'll give you that. It's a dumb debate because literally every way we have to track hockey players says Gudbranson is a bad player.
- James_Tanner

There is absolutely still a role for a young physical player like Gudbranson, however, not at the price paid to acquire him….therein lies the issue at hand.

It's a mess when you think about it, Benning has drafted some good young players in his available draft position, but as I said earlier in the Nucks thread….he's pulled five dollars from his left pocket and put it in his right and is now spinning how much better his financial situation is.

The team is only better than when he took over because they have four or five decent prospects…that's it!
- LeftCoaster

Agreed, Lefty.


And the cap situation will still be horrible if he signs a big fish UFA.


I really don't understand why he gets "credited" with using his own draft picks to select prospects, that was what any sensible GM in his position is supposed to do. Using your own assets to select players isn't really a success, it's just expected.

Hi Nucker. It's been a long time. Before we continue this dialogue, are you back on your meds?
- Scooby_Doo

If by meds you mean:

"everything is fine, Jim Benning is good, I will blindly 100% support every move this team makes"


Then no

Agreed, Lefty.


And the cap situation will still be horrible if he signs a big fish UFA.


I really don't understand why he gets "credited" with using his own draft picks to select prospects, that was what any sensible GM in his position is supposed to do. Using your own assets to select players isn't really a success, it's just expected.
- Nucker101

He made a good selection in Boeser, Tryamkin and Demko….I'll give him that. I've always liked the Virtanen pick as well, I think you need that element in a successful team.

If by meds you mean:

"everything is fine, Jim Benning is good, I will blindly 100% support every move this team makes"


Then no
- Nucker101

Having a different opinion makes you an outsider in the Canucks thread, but at the end of the day, we all want the same thing…a Cup contending team.

I (frank)in hate Jim Benning now, I honestly think he's an idiot, the exception being his drafting.

He made a good selection in Boeser, Tryamkin and Demko….I'll give him that. I've always liked the Virtanen pick as well, I think you need that element in a successful team.
- LeftCoaster

Yeah, those picks look good. In a redraft, I don't think most GM's in the NHL still take Virtanen over Ehlers/Nylander but that's just speculation. I still see him as a Chris Kreider.

Having a different opinion makes you an outsider in the Canucks thread, but at the end of the day, we all want the same thing…a Cup contending team.

I (frank)in hate Jim Benning now, I honestly think he's an idiot, the exception being his drafting.
- LeftCoaster

Exactly.

Ya Kane and McCann have the same skillzzzzz

Yeah, those picks look good. In a redraft, I don't think most GM's in the NHL still take Virtanen over Ehlers/Nylander but that's just speculation. I still see him as a Chris Kreider.
- Nucker101

Nothing wrong with Chris Krieder, he's a 20 goal guy that's played well in the playoffs, crashes the opposing goaltender all the time

So what you have is a microscosm of a debate that continues to go one. But it's a dumb debate, I'll give you that. It's a dumb debate because literally every way we have to track hockey players says Gudbranson is a bad player.
- James_Tanner

That's completely false. He's not at all a bad player.
What you're essentially saying is "every way I think is valid and believe in to track hockey players, says Gudbranson is a bad player.

Nothing wrong with Chris Krieder, he's a 20 goal guy that's played well in the playoffs, crashes the opposing goaltender all the time
- LeftCoaster

just don't go to the rags thread

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

24 yr old D is maxed out

Nothing wrong with Chris Krieder, he's a 20 goal guy that's played well in the playoffs, crashes the opposing goaltender all the time
- LeftCoaster

Yeah, he's a solid player. But it'll hurt if those other 2 guys become 1st liners.


Nothing wrong with Chris Kreider, but he's not exactly a franchise building block either. Hopefully Virtanen becomes a similar player once he gets older and has that same knack for showing up for big games like Kreider.

Having a different opinion makes you an outsider in the Canucks thread, but at the end of the day, we all want the same thing…a Cup contending team.

I (frank)in hate Jim Benning now, I honestly think he's an idiot, the exception being his drafting.
- LeftCoaster

Seems like benning is a guy not be used to his strengths.

Good enough at drafting to lead you through a few rebuilding years … just to be punted once the cupboards are stocked.

Though I have to say, watching him from afar steer a rudderless ship is much more entertaining.

Having a different opinion makes you an outsider in the Canucks thread, but at the end of the day, we all want the same thing…a Cup contending team.

I (frank)in hate Jim Benning now, I honestly think he's an idiot, the exception being his drafting.
- LeftCoaster

It honestly feels like the Leafs thread from around 2010-2012... some folks just outright hating management and every move, and others blindly defending every move because "reasons".

In all honesty, there's no "one" tried and tested way to build a winner (though good draft picks would be the most important ingredient), but there are dozens of ways in which a management group can sewer a team... sadly for you folks, Benning appears to be better at the latter than the former