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Firstly I'd try to make a deal with Philly to unload Kesler to them. If nothing comes of it then I'd definately match. 1.9 isn't too too bad. Yes its grossly overpaying but atleast its incentive for him to go out there and try to earn his paycheque, otherwise he'll be hearing a lot of boo's.

Secondly, I'd qualify him at 1.9 next year and take him to arbitration. Unless he becomes a 20-25 goal scorer, he should be taken to arbitration and his salary lowered.

Thirdly, I'd go out and tender offer sheets to Antero Nittymaki, Joni Pitkanen and Ben Eager next season, no matter what the cost is.

if he became a 20-30 goal scorer this year then yes he would have earned his paycheque...but thats a big if he can.

Personally if they match the offer I hope they play the hell out of Kesler. Put him on the top two lines and hope he earns his paycheque.

tantalum wrote:Personally if they match the offer I hope they play the hell out of Kesler. Put him on the top two lines and hope he earns his paycheque.

I'm with Tant here. No use whining about it.

After years of watching Crow develop young players... or not developing them, this episode just forces the Canucks to see if Kesler has the stuff or not. Match it and play him as a top 6 winger. If he succeeds, he replaces Carter or Bert and is a bargain. If not, he'll have to take a pay cut on whichever team he plays for next season.

I like to see what our first rounders are made of immediately. They must have some skill to go that high. Taking 4-5 years by playing them with hacks like Klatt is a waste of resources... unless you are a true contender.

Hank wrote:

tantalum wrote:
I like to see what our first rounders are made of immediately. They must have some skill to go that high. Taking 4-5 years by playing them with hacks like Klatt is a waste of resources... unless you are a true contender.

There's too many stories to count of high picks wasted because the prospect was rushed. Sometimes it's physical, the guy may have loads of talent, but if he's still got the body of a teenager, then you wait for him to grow into it or risk an injury. Sometimes it's style, we see this with Edler right now, the talent he has offensively and his size is easily NHL calibre, but he needs to become accustomed to the more physical, disciplined style in the NHL rather than the run and gun pure skill Europe, hence he was in the juniors last year and is in the AHL this year.

Bourdon was another example, it's already been said that he had the skill to play in the NHL, but if a player is good enough to be a bottom pairing NHL defenseman right now but has the long-term potential to be a top pairing defenseman in the future, does it make any sense to play him in the NHL on the bottom pairing, where he'll get no powerplay time behind Ohlund, Jovo, Salo and Baumgartner last year? Or no penalty killing time behind Ohlund, Salo, Allen and Jovo?

Just because someone has the raw ability to get drafted early doesn't mean they have developed that ability to properly use it in the NHL, each case is different, for every Dion Phaneuf there're ten Steve McCarthy's.

Okay, everyone agrees that $1.9 is way too much, but there are still some here that can't grasp the concept that a 2nd rounder is too little.

So which is worse? Kesler is a 1st round pick. If that's what we'd get back, then I'd have no problem with taking a gamble and letting him go, but to let him fly for 45th-55th overall pick is insane. There is way too much potential to let him go.

Joker wrote:That's sheer genius. Give him the 'C', tell him he's the future of our hockey club and with his huge paycheque, comes huge responsibilities.

Lots of ice time against the best players in the league will either make him great, or break him down so we can sign him next year for peanuts.

Is that a lame attempt of facetiousness? What are you, the new moron in from Calphuck?

Tant wrote:Personally if they match the offer I hope they play the hell out of Kesler. Put him on the top two lines and hope he earns his paycheque.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Oh wait, I did. Geez, we must be idiots, with no hockey knowledge at all, huh Tant?

Dang wrote: For once I must agree with SR sez

For once, you finally smartened up?

Kesler's upside is too high. Nonis dropped the ball by not getting him signed earlier. Oh well, water under the bridge. This is the year we find out whether he can be the guy his supporters say he can be. And next year there's always release, trade, arbitration, and guys we can pick off Clarke's roster.

It's done.

To be honest, I was quite serious. He could be our next Linden, but Linden got the 'C' at umm... 18 or 19?

Jester wrote:To be honest, I was quite serious. He could be our next Linden, but Linden got the 'C' at umm... 18 or 19?

I'm sorry, I thought you were trying to insult.

Definitely not the time to give him the "C" though.

SRsez wrote: Couldn't have said it better myself. Oh wait, I did. Geez, we must be idiots, with no hockey knowledge at all, huh Tant?

Didn't even see that you had said that. I guess we're on the same wavelength this time.

This may spell the end of Cooke as a canuck sometime this season. I think it does spell the end of his top 6 hopes to start the year. They have to give Kesler the icetime to justify matching (even though a 2nd rounder wasn't enough to not match they do have to put the money they are spending to good use on the ice). No question Kesler gets every oppurtunity to shine on a scoring line where he is also expected to be defensively responsible.

Tant...

Personally if they match the offer I hope they play the hell out of Kesler. Put him on the top two lines and hope he earns his paycheque.

What many are finding refreshing is that the new coaching staff is talking about playing the heck out of the playes that give them the best chance of winning, regardless of the amount of the players contract...

To play Kesler on the first two lines because he just won the lottery doesn't make any sense...

To suggest that he has shown an ability to play ahead of Morrison or Sedin this season is interesting...

SRSez..

Kesler's upside is too high

I agree with you, but I think of Kesler as part of the second wave group of players, the group who will form the core of the team in the next couple of seasons...

This season I see him in a secondary role for the third or fourth line...

Take care...

The way i see it is that there was/is a good chance kesler will be moved to the right side anyways. Bulis will play with the twins (even AV said that not too long ago). That leaves a RW option on the Naslund line for one of Cooke, Pyatt, Schultz, or Kelser (and before he went to the SEL King had a shot). I think Kesler will most likely be better than Schultz and Pyatt. I think Cooke is far better suited for the third line LW role he is very effective at (not to mention he's probably th emost likely to be moved).

I'm not really giving Kesler that spot be default but because I think he could very likely be the best suited for that role.

I think the contract makes it easier to put him in that role. It greases the skids so to speak.

Funny, I was thinking much the same on my way to work this morning.

Who has better potential to be top 6 - Cooke or Kesler?

Like you pointed out, Cooke is best suited for 3rd line duty, and Kesler's abilities seemingly make a good match for Naslund/Mo, not just defensively, but allowing Mo maybe more positional freedom, as well as being a 2nd face off guy when Mo inevitably gets tossed out of the circle, as Cooke & Naslund certainly aren't up to that task.

I guess I will just look at this a different way.

The guys gets a million dollar bonus this year for punching out Iginla last year....




Money well spent.

Madcombinepilot wrote:I guess I will just look at this a different way.

The guys gets a million dollar bonus this year for punching out Iginla last year....

Money well spent.

Ah yes Calgary's 67 point "best player in the world".....

well they signed the bastard. so he better work his ass off this year and get atleast 20 goals. otherwise nonis just wasted money on him.