Chris Johnston
@reporterchris
·
31m
Another case of Bud Light was just delivered to the #leafs dressing room.
- VanHockeyGuy

I see Marner passing out drunk , JT slept at center ice and missed all the fun and Matthews is trying to recruit drunk players to go flash female security guards with him.

I never said they were not trying to get better. My statement was they are not building the farm team through their own draft picks. I did state quite clearly that they are looking at other options like the NCAA free agents and project prospects from other teams. Abby has Woo Salovs Hogs Rathbone and Briesbois as their own drafted players on the team. Hogs and Rathbone mostly developed on other systems.

Building you big club by draft picks is mostly done for teams living on the bottom and I don't think the Canucks care to go that route. They want to win, but don't confuse building a better farm team and building a better farm team with your own picks. Two different subjects.

I don't care what any one says if you trade a first, two seconds, and a third in 18 months then the draft is not a priority.
- VANTEL

If they went in with 4 or less picks, I'd agree with you but they aren't. They have 7.

If they went in with 4 or less picks, I'd agree with you but they aren't. They have 7.
- manvanfan

Still plenty of time before the draft. Let's see what the final number is. For the record I don't care past the second round.

Still plenty of time before the draft. Let's see what the final number is. For the record I don't care past the second round.
- VANTEL

They would have to trade more core players to acquire 1st round picks. The one they did lead them to acquire a core RHD need. It’s a balance between retool and development. As they are not rebuilding drafting is part of it but not the only focus.

Still plenty of time before the draft. Let's see what the final number is. For the record I don't care past the second round.
- VANTEL

Probably 8 or 9 and trade up into the 2nd to get back to the alloted 7.

They had 83 points this year, it’s only 7 more points. They were also 13th in goals for, if they can change their poor defensive habits and get a full year of Demko I think they’re easily a 90 point team. It’s not great, but it’s progress.
- LeftCoaster

It would have taken 96 points this year to beat the Jets out. Our problem is that we’ve consistently sucked at drafting while not being bad enough to get can’t miss players because ownership demanded that we try to compete.
I will say the positive is that we seem to be able to draft and/or develop goalies consistently. I would like to see them make it but I honestly believe short of drafting Fantilli or Bedard. Or Cerebrini? Next year or McKenna in the following years, we’re unfortunately nowhere close.
By time we’re ready to compete we’ll be hampered by JT’s contract in his mid 30s. Pettersson will be making 9-10 if he’s still around.
I dunno maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think we’re a playoff team and if we can somehow squeak in, we’ll get swept unless there’s drastic change.

I see Marner passing out drunk , JT slept at center ice and missed all the fun and Matthews is trying to recruit drunk players to go flash female security guards with him.
- VANTEL

I wonder if they’ll have a parade for a series win?

It would have taken 96 points this year to beat the Jets out. Our problem is that we’ve consistently sucked at drafting while not being bad enough to get can’t miss players because ownership demanded that we try to compete.
I will say the positive is that we seem to be able to draft and/or develop goalies consistently. I would like to see them make it but I honestly believe short of drafting Fantilli or Bedard. Or Cerebrini? Next year or McKenna in the following years, we’re unfortunately nowhere close.
By time we’re ready to compete we’ll be hampered by JT’s contract in his mid 30s. Pettersson will be making 9-10 if he’s still around.
I dunno maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think we’re a playoff team and if we can somehow squeak in, we’ll get swept unless there’s drastic change.
- I-own_da-Northwest

It’s been defense not scoring that has been the problem of late. Shore that up and they can contend. Coaching is a key to that. Upgrading D players with Hronek goes a long way.

2 seasons ago, the Canucks had 92 points, but if they get 90 next season, that is considered progress

2 seasons ago, the Canucks had 92 points, but if they get 90 next season, that is considered progress
- Reubenkincade

How many more wins they get with full season of Demko? Now if the new coaching can instill structure to defensive play that’s good for some more wins too. Add better defensive players like Hronek as well all that leads to more points. So it’s conceivable, as long as they remain healthy, to have a season good enough for a playoff spot. Is that progress for a mostly young team?

How many more wins they get with full season of Demko? Now if the new coaching can instill structure to defensive play that’s good for some more wins too. Add better defensive players like Hronek as well all that leads to more points. So it’s conceivable, as long as they remain healthy, to have a season good enough for a playoff spot. Is that progress for a mostly young team?
- Quinn's Quest

Nuck4U and NuckUp towed that line.

How many more wins they get with full season of Demko? Now if the new coaching can instill structure to defensive play that’s good for some more wins too. Add better defensive players like Hronek as well all that leads to more points. So it’s conceivable, as long as they remain healthy, to have a season good enough for a playoff spot. Is that progress for a mostly young team?
- Quinn's Quest

Not many, I don't see Demko as being as otherworldly now that he's suffered a major injury, he's due for regression. Hronek is not that good, he was expendable on a much worse Detroit team that finished below us in the standings. The Canucks need to shed Myers and OEL and replace them with 2 much younger/better D men. They'll do better than this year for sure, but they won't get close to the playoffs next year, they need to shed a lot of cap for EP40's contract if they want to keep him and if they can't then expect the team to be completely screwed for years afterwards.

I wonder if they’ll have a parade for a series win?
- I-own_da-Northwest

They have a parade after every victory so my guess is yes.

Not many, I don't see Demko as being as otherworldly now that he's suffered a major injury, he's due for regression. Hronek is not that good, he was expendable on a much worse Detroit team that finished below us in the standings. The Canucks need to shed Myers and OEL and replace them with 2 much younger/better D men. They'll do better than this year for sure, but they won't get close to the playoffs next year, they need to shed a lot of cap for EP40's contract if they want to keep him and if they can't then expect the team to be completely screwed for years afterwards.
- DariusKnight

Myers is likely gone but OEL hard to say given his desire to redeem himself.

Could losing Hronek be a reason Wings were worse? Knocking Hronek cause he was traded is a poor evaluation of his abilities. Plus his impact for a Canucks team lacking top 4 D can be huge.

As for Demko, did he look like he was regressing when he came back and played all those games?

Myers is likely gone but OEL hard to say given his desire to redeem himself.

Could losing Hronek be a reason Wings were worse? Knocking Hronek cause he was traded is a poor evaluation of his abilities. Plus his impact for a Canucks team lacking top 4 D can be huge.

As for Demko, did he look like he was regressing when he came back and played all those games?
- Quinn's Quest

He wasn't peak Demko, which is what the team will need to have a shot, and again if Hronek was so good then why would Detroit have traded him? He was behind several better D on Detroit which means he was expendable. Is he a top 4 D? On Vancouver definitely, on a contender? Questionable at best. That's what I look at when evaluatiing a player's ability. To me, he's what Myers was supposed to be, a 4-5 that can play as a 3 if needed but isn't that anchor defenseman you want on the 2nd pair. That doesn't mean that he doesn't have room to grow or get better, it just means right now I don't see him as a top 4 D on a team that has aspirations or a legitimate shot at a Cup. I've always saw him as a stopgap and hole filler while they look for someone better to replace Myers and OEL.

He wasn't peak Demko, which is what the team will need to have a shot, and again if Hronek was so good then why would Detroit have traded him? He was behind several better D on Detroit which means he was expendable. Is he a top 4 D? On Vancouver definitely, on a contender? Questionable at best. That's what I look at when evaluatiing a player's ability. To me, he's what Myers was supposed to be, a 4-5 that can play as a 3 if needed but isn't that anchor defenseman you want on the 2nd pair. That doesn't mean that he doesn't have room to grow or get better, it just means right now I don't see him as a top 4 D on a team that has aspirations or a legitimate shot at a Cup. I've always saw him as a stopgap and hole filler while they look for someone better to replace Myers and OEL.
- DariusKnight

An older player may have been a filler. But I get that trades for D men that move draft picks sours their worth.

But if Hronek doesn’t pull through, I guess when they start selling the rest of the core for the rebuild, he’ll fetch draft picks back.

An older player may have been a filler. But I get that trades for D men that move draft picks sours their worth.

But if Hronek doesn’t pull through, I guess when they start selling the rest of the core for the rebuild, he’ll fetch draft picks back.
- Quinn's Quest

He's filler because he's roughly the same age as the core, and because he's decent and because the rest of the D is so bad he's definitely top 4 for us because really... who else is there? I didn't like the trade not just because we sold a 1st round pick for him but because it was so unnecessary and Hronek could have still been available at the draft and maybe for much less.

The point I'm trying to make is, this team has holes, holes that aren't going to be filled likely for this season and because of that there's only a very slim chance that IF Demko wins the Vezina, IF we can score at roughly the same clip and IF our D can overperform vs their skill level then MAYBE we can make the playoffs. Yes, Hronek helps us and makes us better, no question about it. But he really is just a fill one of 3 holes in our top 4 type defenseman and it's not a knock on his ability, it's just the reality.

The fact remains that EP needs a new contract, and having scored more than 100 points and just entering his prime, he's going to want an 8 year deal starting at 10 million per season and we just do not have the cap space to accomodate that sort of a contract without trading several big contracts and retaining salary/sending out draft picks/prospects (what few we have) as sweetners to get rid of them thereaby creating more holes to fill. Even if everything works out perfectly, it's not going to be a 1 or 2 year turnaround and anyone (including JR/PA) who says differently is either a) lying and/or b) fooling themselves. This is a 3-5 year project that likely will fail simply because successive regimes have put this team into a hole when it comes to lack of picks, prospects and cap space and attempted to try quick fix after quick fix to get out of it and failed over and over again.

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results... sad as it is, that's what we're facing.

He's filler because he's roughly the same age as the core, and because he's decent and because the rest of the D is so bad he's definitely top 4 for us because really... who else is there? I didn't like the trade not just because we sold a 1st round pick for him but because it was so unnecessary and Hronek could have still been available at the draft and maybe for much less.

The point I'm trying to make is, this team has holes, holes that aren't going to be filled likely for this season and because of that there's only a very slim chance that IF Demko wins the Vezina, IF we can score at roughly the same clip and IF our D can overperform vs their skill level then MAYBE we can make the playoffs. Yes, Hronek helps us and makes us better, no question about it. But he really is just a fill one of 3 holes in our top 4 type defenseman and it's not a knock on his ability, it's just the reality.

The fact remains that EP needs a new contract, and having scored more than 100 points and just entering his prime, he's going to want an 8 year deal starting at 10 million per season and we just do not have the cap space to accomodate that sort of a contract without trading several big contracts and retaining salary/sending out draft picks/prospects (what few we have) as sweetners to get rid of them thereaby creating more holes to fill. Even if everything works out perfectly, it's not going to be a 1 or 2 year turnaround and anyone (including JR/PA) who says differently is either a) lying and/or b) fooling themselves. This is a 3-5 year project that likely will fail simply because successive regimes have put this team into a hole when it comes to lack of picks, prospects and cap space and attempted to try quick fix after quick fix to get out of it and failed over and over again.

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results... sad as it is, that's what we're facing.
- DariusKnight

Well it’s a risk whatever direction is taken. Acquiring Hronek isn’t like trading for OEL. So maybe not the same thing. Here’s the sad fact if you don’t fill in holes for the current core then you might as well sell Petey and all. Rebuild and wait a few years to see what comes.

Well it’s a risk whatever direction is taken. Acquiring Hronek isn’t like trading for OEL. So maybe not the same thing. Here’s the sad fact if you don’t fill in holes for the current core then you might as well sell Petey and all. Rebuild and wait a few years to see what comes.
- Quinn's Quest

I'm not disagreeing, I just don't think it's possible to fill the holes with what assets we have, not without making holes elsewhere. A rebuild at this point (even if FA were to somehow have an epiphany and allow it) wouldn't work either because you still need to rid yourself of both Miller and OEL's contracts (along with selling EP40/QH/Demko) in order to be able to both acquire assets like draft picks/prospects and weaponize your cap space by taking on expiring expensive deals to gain more draft picks and prospects for doing so.

The question is the team going to be able to sell EP40 on spending 8 years here when there's still so much to be done to put the team in the position to not only make the playoffs, but have a decent shot at winning. We know he wants to win, but he hasn't had much of it so far, does he have the stomach for mediocrity for most of his prime which is where this team is and likely to stay in the short term? I don't know, and it's going to be the question that dogs the team like with Horvat's situation until either EP40's signed or traded.

It would have taken 96 points this year to beat the Jets out. Our problem is that we’ve consistently sucked at drafting while not being bad enough to get can’t miss players because ownership demanded that we try to compete.
I will say the positive is that we seem to be able to draft and/or develop goalies consistently. I would like to see them make it but I honestly believe short of drafting Fantilli or Bedard. Or Cerebrini? Next year or McKenna in the following years, we’re unfortunately nowhere close.
By time we’re ready to compete we’ll be hampered by JT’s contract in his mid 30s. Pettersson will be making 9-10 if he’s still around.
I dunno maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think we’re a playoff team and if we can somehow squeak in, we’ll get swept unless there’s drastic change.
- I-own_da-Northwest

We got petey and Hughes and whiffed hard òn 2 other high picks in virtanen and juolevi. Bad gming was a huge issue

I'm not disagreeing, I just don't think it's possible to fill the holes with what assets we have, not without making holes elsewhere. A rebuild at this point (even if FA were to somehow have an epiphany and allow it) wouldn't work either because you still need to rid yourself of both Miller and OEL's contracts (along with selling EP40/QH/Demko) in order to be able to both acquire assets like draft picks/prospects and weaponize your cap space by taking on expiring expensive deals to gain more draft picks and prospects for doing so.

The question is the team going to be able to sell EP40 on spending 8 years here when there's still so much to be done to put the team in the position to not only make the playoffs, but have a decent shot at winning. We know he wants to win, but he hasn't had much of it so far, does he have the stomach for mediocrity for most of his prime which is where this team is and likely to stay in the short term? I don't know, and it's going to be the question that dogs the team like with Horvat's situation until either EP40's signed or traded.
- DariusKnight

Maybe some holes get filled from within and there is UFA too. But yeah trade assets are thin.

As for EP40 show him the money he’ll sign. Petey’s one of the core players that didn’t want a rebuild.

As for this teams fortunes you can’t predict their future performance. Expecting less is the safe outlook but not necessarily accurate.

Maybe some holes get filled from within and there is UFA too. But yeah trade assets are thin.

As for EP40 show him the money he’ll sign. Petey’s one of the core players that didn’t want a rebuild.

As for this teams fortunes you can’t predict their future performance. Expecting less is the safe outlook but not necessarily accurate.
- Quinn's Quest

Conor Garland to Montreal for Christian Dvorak + Mtl 3rd round pick.

Canucks save 500k, get 3rd line center. Montreal gets some scoring.

Conor Garland to Montreal for Christian Dvorak + Mtl 3rd round pick.

Canucks save 500k, get 3rd line center. Montreal gets some scoring.
- manvanfan

I like it. He should be a good fit for Habs too. Either way Garland will definitely be shopped hard this off season.