i'm not a huge fan of this regime but c'mon lefty, have some perspective...

a new management team comes to an organization that was in turmoil both organizationally as well as within the room.

adding to this was the team's inability to trade a high profile player for 2 years. they finally moved on from that controversy.

and what you advocate is for the team (and new gm) is to play a game of chicken with one of the team's most high profile players who has made it 100% clear through his agent that he will not report to the team. this is a player who was on the last year of his contract meaning that he would be a ufa if he sat out 1 full year.

so, you wait for him to blink or you keep a rapidly diminishing asset (by virtue of his expiring deal) for a few months to a full year? it's easy to have big brass balls when you're sitting on the sidelines. what happens if kesler sat the whole year and just signed with Anaheim (or anyone else) on his own? you would blame benning for being an idiot and not taking the best offer available. what happens when the deal isn't as good as what you would want? you blame benning for not holding out and playing a game of chicken with a selfish, petulant man-child.

i'm all for criticizing this regime but there are a lot more idiots than just those that run this team.
- RealityChecker

I think he means all of us that cheer for them guys

i'm not a huge fan of this regime but c'mon lefty, have some perspective...

a new management team comes to an organization that was in turmoil both organizationally as well as within the room.

adding to this was the team's inability to trade a high profile player for 2 years. they finally moved on from that controversy.

and what you advocate is for the team (and new gm) is to play a game of chicken with one of the team's most high profile players who has made it 100% clear through his agent that he will not report to the team. this is a player who was on the last year of his contract meaning that he would be a ufa if he sat out 1 full year.

so, you wait for him to blink or you keep a rapidly diminishing asset (by virtue of his expiring deal) for a few months to a full year? it's easy to have big brass balls when you're sitting on the sidelines. what happens if kesler sat the whole year and just signed with Anaheim (or anyone else) on his own? you would blame benning for being an idiot and not taking the best offer available. what happens when the deal isn't as good as what you would want? you blame benning for not holding out and playing a game of chicken with a selfish, petulant man-child.

i'm all for criticizing this regime but there are a lot more idiots than just those that run this team.
- RealityChecker

It's the big picture, which I'm not going to get into, basically its their inability when they took over to understand they needed to rebuild and start over. Which certainly plays into the Kesler decision.

I female doged about it at the time and I'm still female doging about it today, they should've got more and they should have gotten better pieces, Kesler be damned.

The one positive about that pick. People didn't learn from almost drafting Kyle Beach so they had to live through the reality of actually picking a local (likely) bust to finally understand that no one gives a poop where the player is from when you're actually watching the team play.
- Nucker101

Maybe just don't draft your local boy in the first round ...pick them later on so they don't come in as this local hero coming to save the day ...but more of 4th rounder who isn't expected to make much of an impact but will work hard to make his hometown team

Heiskanen isn't, you are right, but he is much less of a gamble than Makar. I can't see Makar going top 5. One has to think its either Glass or Middlestadt if either is available at 5. If both are gone, I am truly not sure.
- Codes1087

I think(hope) he's looking at Vilardi>Glass>Middlestadt

I think(hope) he's looking at Vilardi>Glass>Middlestadt
- NorthNuck

our pool is so shallow, I will be happy with anything lol

JB has never mentioned a stay at home defender. He said playmaking center and PP QB. Heiskanen is neither.
- manvanfan

Liljegren/Mittle/Glass

Smart money is on one of these 3 guys being drafted by the Canucks next month.

Lefty you need to eat more fibre!
- Codes1087

I was joking, obviously, but it's hard to covey that in a typed message....unless you continually put one of those "faces" in your message.

I think(hope) he's looking at Vilardi>Glass>Middlestadt
- NorthNuck

Some people think Vilardi might move to wing in the NHL, pus Jimbo keeps talking about speed lately, so even if Vilardi is there at 5, I wouldn't be surprised if they pass him up.

It's the big picture, which I'm not going to get into, basically its their inability when they took over to understand they needed to rebuild and start over. Which certainly plays into the Kesler decision.

I female doged about it at the time and I'm still female doging about it today, they should've got more and they should have gotten better pieces, Kesler be damned.
- LeftCoaster

100% agree with you on the bolded part. i still get frustrated by what i perceive as their inability to "understand" that.

what i won't blame benning/them for is the kesler deal. there were too many variables that were out of their control. organizationally, as i mentioned previously with bad pr (luongo, torts, gillis etc.) and within the room, the team needed to move on.

if you look at the circumstances as a whole vis-a-vis the kesler situation, i think it's clear that they needed to move on and just take the best trade available.

it sucks b/c he could have been a valuable trade piece but only a small portion of blame goes to the gm in this instance.

Some people think Vilardi might move to wing in the NHL, pus Jimbo keeps talking about speed lately, so even if Vilardi is there at 5, I wouldn't be surprised if they pass him up.
- Nucker101

I watched that Vilardi kid in the Mem Cup, doesn't skate well at all. Just because Bo improved doesn't mean EVERY kid can. They desperately need a center that can skate, thus he wouldn't be my choice.....which is why Benning will probably take him.

100% agree with you on the bolded part. i still get frustrated by what i perceive as their inability to "understand" that.

what i won't blame benning/them for is the kesler deal. there were too many variables that were out of their control. organizationally, as i mentioned previously with bad pr (luongo, torts, gillis etc.) and within the room, the team needed to move on.

if you look at the circumstances as a whole vis-a-vis the kesler situation, i think it's clear that they needed to move on and just take the best trade available.

it sucks b/c he could have been a valuable trade piece but only a small portion of blame goes to the gm in this instance.
- RealityChecker

Surely to God he could've gotten Theodore instead of Sbisa, that's who I was screaming for even if he wasn't a proven player, he's a building block.

Surely to God he could've gotten Theodore instead of Sbisa, that's who I was screaming for even if he wasn't a proven player, he's a building block.
- LeftCoaster

conversely, if i'm bob murray, i know i hold most of the cards so i'm going to hold tight.

Heiskanen isn't, you are right, but he is much less of a gamble than Makar. I can't see Makar going top 5. One has to think its either Glass or Middlestadt if either is available at 5. If both are gone, I am truly not sure.
- Codes1087

I think I would take Petterson over Middlestadt.

Heiskanen isn't, you are right, but he is much less of a gamble than Makar. I can't see Makar going top 5. One has to think its either Glass or Middlestadt if either is available at 5. If both are gone, I am truly not sure.
- Codes1087

The draft is almost no different then last season. There was 3 D rated close. Matthews and laine had seperated themselves from the pack. Which D drops and which team does the clb and go a vit off the board.

I watched that Vilardi kid in the Mem Cup, doesn't skate well at all. Just because Bo improved doesn't mean EVERY kid can. They desperately need a center that can skate, thus he wouldn't be my choice.....which is why Benning will probably take him.
- LeftCoaster

I watched that Vilardi kid in the Mem Cup, doesn't skate well at all. Just because Bo improved doesn't mean EVERY kid can. They desperately need a center that can skate, thus he wouldn't be my choice.....which is why Benning will probably take him.
- LeftCoaster

Tkachuks skating was said to be an issue as well ...on a side note guys like mason Raymond and Mathew Lombardi sure could fly

Strike averted! That's how it's done NHL!

I think I would take Petterson over Middlestadt.
- Retinalz

Honestly this pick doesn't really mean anything, right now. We need a top line center and no player in this draft is close to that other than Nolan and Nico.
I would prefer a defenseman or a winger.

Surely to God he could've gotten Theodore instead of Sbisa, that's who I was screaming for even if he wasn't a proven player, he's a building block.
- LeftCoaster

I don't think you could ...kesler picked the ducks basically ...so you weren't getting a first, a high end prospect, and a young center coming off 20 goals and 50 points for Ryan kesler ...like zero chance

Bryce Harper

Honestly this pick doesn't really mean anything, right now. We need a top line center and no player in this draft is close to that other than Nolan and Nico.
I would prefer a defenseman or a winger.
- SRam19

BPA. I'm starting to think by the time this team is ready to compete Bo might be too old.

Bryce Harper
- Redmile247

Tkachuks skating was said to be an issue as well ...on a side note guys like mason Raymond and Mathew Lombardi sure could fly
- Redmile247

He's not a center though, they need a center, two of them!!

Tkachuks skating was said to be an issue as well ...on a side note guys like mason Raymond and Mathew Lombardi sure could fly
- Redmile247

How many top centers are bad skaters? Wingers can get by easier with poor skating.

I don't think you could ...kesler picked the ducks basically ...so you weren't getting a first, a high end prospect, and a young center coming off 20 goals and 50 points for Ryan kesler ...like zero chance
- Redmile247

So take a second and get that offensive dman that he's now crying for.