The Defence

[Hockey Widow]

^^^
Don't forget next year we have to deal with Corrado and still decide if we want to bring Weber back. Something has to give.

[Zamboni Driver]

If Sbiza was half the price he might make some sense. Having to qualify a bottom-pairing guy at $2.9M is too much. I'd rather keep all of Weber, Clendenning and Stanton, and that's probably what our options are when it comes to cap. Can probably get all of them for around $3M.

I'd also be keeping Bieksa. The guy bleeds Canucks colours and none of those d-men are ready to step into his role. Don't see much sense in trying to force him to waive for what would likely be a small return. (his 15/16 salary is also only $2.5M... savings for a Canucks team with attendance issues )

Yep, I'd agree with that assessment.

^^^
Don't forget next year we have to deal with Corrado and still decide if we want to bring Weber back. Something has to give.

The contract for Tanev basically ate up our remaining 2.5 mil cap space.
So if they trade Sbisa's rights, and the cap goes up $2 mil, that leaves us about $4 mil total to give a raise and resign Matthias, Richardson & Dorsett, and to qualify or sign Weber, Corrado, Stanton & Clendening.

I'd say goodbye to Vey & Pizza man, and bring up a couple of rookies next year.

[Hockey Widow]

I think Benning sees Sbisa as a Bieksa replacement. I bet he asks him to take a one year deal. If they plan to let Bieksa walk after next year they may want to hold onto him. I'd be fine trading Sbisa, Vey, a goalie, Corrado, Jensen. We need to clear contracts get some picks.

[Meds]

Can Sbisa opt to re-sign below his qualifying price?

There are only a few things that his agent has as any kind of negotiating leverage. He's still young, only turned 25 in January, they say defensemen hit their real stride around now, some not until 26 or 27. He's played a ton of minutes for the Canucks this year, he sits 3rd in overall TOI, just 30 minutes behind Tanev, and while his TOI/G is actually 5th on the team, he is still a bottom pairing guy who is playing over 18 minutes per night. He plays with an edge.

Benning's counter is that he is a bottom pairing guy on this team, a turnover machine, has been on the ice and directly/indirectly responsible for many bad goals against us, and contributes very little on the scoreboard, and due to his decision making errors requires a steadying presence that has meant breaking up our top pairing of Hamhuis/Bieksa.

If he will take a 1 year deal at $2M, then keep him. Frankie hasn't shown enough to warrant risking him being ready for NHL minutes on a regular basis.

[Topper]

Bring back Salo and Allen.

[SKYO]

For next year I would say our D should look like.....

Edler - Tanev
Hamhuis - Bieksa
_______ - Weber

Stanton
Clendening

Every GM usually nabs one or two players from their former team, with that said I bet Benning goes after one of Bartkowski or McQuaid as UFA targets July 1st, they could be somewhat affordable - http://stats.nhlnumbers.com/teams/BOS?year=2015

[Hockey Widow]

Sbisa can be signed for the league minimum if he'd take it. Problem is you have to qualify him to keep his rights and there is no reason for him to accept anything less than his qualifying offer. If the Canucks don't qualify him he becomes UFA July 1.

I doubt Benning lets that happen. D men have value. I expect he gets qualified and perhaps moved. That is, if Benning was only joking when he said he sees top four in Sbisa. Which is why I said he maybe be seen as a Bieksa replacement. If we keep him he will be at, or very near what we are paying him now. I could see a Tanev scenario where he is asked to take a one year deal to allow the Canucks with cap flexibility with the promise of being moved or rewarded.

Tanev took the risk and he got rewarded. After next year I can really see them letting Bieksa go and maybe re-signing Hamhuis to a two year deal. After Bieksa, Sbisa is our toughest D man, he just doesn't fight.

And we still don't know which youngsters will make the transition to the NHL. Better the devil you know. But if you could trade Sbisa for a decent return, alone or in a package, and add via FA, go for it.

[BladesofSteel]

Sbisa has warts, no argument here. I am withholding judgment until I see how he elevates his game when the real season begins.

He posseses the physical tools to become a real asset against some of the heavier clubs in the West. I still see a top 4 d-man with two-way upside.

[Todd Bersnoozi]

Sbisa has warts, no argument here. I am withholding judgment until I see how he elevates his game when the real season begins.

He posseses the physical tools to become a real asset against some of the heavier clubs in the West. I still see a top 4 d-man with two-way upside.

Yeah, I don't mind the Pizza Man as well. He stepped up and played reasonably well when a lot of our top D men were out (ie - Juice, Edler, Tanev). The only problem is with the Tanev signing, not sure if there's much money left for Sbisa. Hammer and Juice are showing signs of being on the decline, while Sbisa is showing signs of getting better, it's only a matter of time that he will pass them on the depth chart.

[Meds]

Cap room on the blueline is going to have to come from the forwards.

Benning will likely have to make some tough calls on guys like Vey, Richardson, Matthias, and Stanton.

We know he's going to want to keep Vey, but over the last stretch of key games, Linden hasn't made a great case for himself. He's been defensively awful, and offensively underwhelming. I would try to flip him to get a 2nd rounder back. If nothing else sign him and put him in Utica for the entire season (or does he have to clear waivers even if sent there before the season starts).

Matthias is gone. He's too expensive. Benning should be working the phones to trade his rights as soon as the playoffs are over. I can't see any plan where JB can free up enough room for him as he will be looking at $3M easy. Probably more in the East.

Stanton should be traded, it appears that WD doesn't see him as a regular piece here, and at 25 years old it's time to move him for a return. He was a freebie waiver claim after all, might as well see if there is a draft pick out there for his rights.

I would really like to see Richardson kept on, when he's healthy he plays with heart, with his injury record this season his raise isn't going to be as big as we thought mid-season when he was really going and on pace for close to 40 points. I think he's the toughest call for JB.

He will also have to re-evaluate his position on asking Higgins to waive his NTC. Hansen brings too much on a regular basis, and he's a bit younger, glue guy or no, Higgins is the odd winger out.

[Zamboni Driver]

Cap room on the blueline is going to have to come from the forwards.
.

But at what price?
If you had a choice of Sbisa or Matthias at $3 mil, which one is more valuable to the team?
I'd hat to see Matthias go to throw $2.9 mil at Sbisa, and then find out that there's no more upside, and he will play about where he is now, a tough D-man without great offensive skills and questionable defensively

[Meds]

Cap room on the blueline is going to have to come from the forwards.
.

But at what price?
If you had a choice of Sbisa or Matthias at $3 mil, which one is more valuable to the team?
I'd hat to see Matthias go to throw $2.9 mil at Sbisa, and then find out that there's no more upside, and he will play about where he is now, a tough D-man without great offensive skills and questionable defensively

Doesn't matter.

Weber is proving that he is worth another year.....barring the acquisition of a PPQB that belongs in the top-4.

Stanton has apparently lost (or never had) the confidence of WD.

Clendening will push for a spot.

Either way we have to spend money on the blueline to pair with Clendening or Weber, and Sbisa is too much of a liability for that role, so if we want an upgrade on Sbisa, it will cost at least $2.5M.

The only other option is to trade Miller and go with Eddie and Markstrom. JB seems pretty committed to Miller though.

[Island Nucklehead]

Cap room on the blueline is going to have to come from the forwards.
.

But at what price?
If you had a choice of Sbisa or Matthias at $3 mil, which one is more valuable to the team?
I'd hat to see Matthias go to throw $2.9 mil at Sbisa, and then find out that there's no more upside, and he will play about where he is now, a tough D-man without great offensive skills and questionable defensively

Doesn't matter.

I think it absolutely matters. If the cap goes to $73M (which I kind of doubt, as they pegged that estimate on an .88 CAD), the Canucks have about $13Mish to fill their roster, with guys like Richardson, Matthias, Dorsett as UFA, and Sbisa, Markstrom, Weber, Stanton, Corrado, Clendenning, Kennins and Baertschi as RFA's.

I get the feeling Matthias has played himself out of Vancouvers price range, and with Baertschi all but assured a spot next season, that's probably okay. We will likely need to sign a 4th line C, but they are available cheaply in the UFA market. Dorsett is making $2M in real money this season, and it'll be hard to argue he should take a cut.

When it comes to the Canuck defence, we've never been the most durable back end, and we might be able to get all of Weber, Corrado and Clendenning signed for roughly the $2.9M it would cost to qualify Sbisa. I can definitely see a scenario where the Canucks go into next season with 8 d-men on the roster. We have some forwards (Shinkaruk, Gaunce) who wouldn't require waivers in the case of injuries, but on the back-end we're not so lucky.

[herb]

IN, I too could see the Canucks rolling with 8 d-men. There's really no need to fill McMillan's spot with the bevy of call up ready players we will have in Utica next season.

Injuries are going to happen. Bieksa has never played a full NHL season. Hamhuis and Edler usually gets banged up. Tanev takes a ton of heavy hits, so who knows what his future health looks like. Next season we won't have the luxury of a couple of guys in Utica like Clendening and Corrado who are ready to take the next step.

Benning pretty much has to bring back Yannick Weber and his slapper. 8 goals so far this season is damn impressive, and he has been very good paired with Hamhuis.

Corrado and Clendening are young, cheap and serviceable. I can't really see them going anywhere, unless they are part of a larger package.

Sbisa is the wild card. Will Jimbo give up on him after one pedestrian season? That QO stinks, for sure.

If we go with 8 d-men, the odd guy out is Stanton. He's a serviceable bottom pairing guy, but he has no top 4 upside and doesn't bring anything in terms of intangibles.

Edler-Tanev
Hamhuis-Bieksa
Sbisa-Weber
Corrado-Clendening

[Zamboni Driver]

Cap room on the blueline is going to have to come from the forwards.
.

But at what price?
If you had a choice of Sbisa or Matthias at $3 mil, which one is more valuable to the team?
I'd hat to see Matthias go to throw $2.9 mil at Sbisa, and then find out that there's no more upside, and he will play about where he is now, a tough D-man without great offensive skills and questionable defensively

Doesn't matter.

Of course it matters, there is only so much money, and hard choices need to be made - lose valuable forward players or lose Sbisa

Weber is proving that he is worth another year.....barring the acquisition of a PPQB that belongs in the top-4.

Stanton has apparently lost (or never had) the confidence of WD.

Clendening will push for a spot.

Either way we have to spend money on the blueline to pair with Clendening or Weber, and Sbisa is too much of a liability for that role, so if we want an upgrade on Sbisa, it will cost at least $2.5M.

Do we really want to pay 2.5 or 2.9 for a 3rd pairing D?

The only other option is to trade Miller and go with Eddie and Markstrom. JB seems pretty committed to Miller though.

There is no way that they should have given him 3 years, and the deal is poorly structured