I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team come

[Arachnid]

This just in...

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=313064

Frack, he's goonna want 7 mil now

[Arbour]

Farhan's observations as to Keslers worth to the Canucks (although not in a similar context) are not going to be lost on Kesler's agent either. At the beginning of the season Kesler was probably looking at Zherdev's arbitration award ($3.9 mil) as a starting point for negotiations, and given the arbitration criteria his agent could reasonably justify why Kesler was worth around $4.5 mil. Given Kesler's performance this season it would not be unreasonable for him to obtain an arbitration award around $5.0 mil, particularly if he has a strong playoff.

What will be interesting is whether another GM will tender Kesler an offer sheet assuming he has not accepted an offer or elected to go to arbitration before the cut off date. In order to induce Kesler to sign the offer will most likely be over $5.0 mil. (Most likely at or below $5,231,249, but who knows maybe some team sees Kesler as worth two 1sts, a 2nd and a 3rd round pick). It could be interesting times for Gillis in the off season.

[Larry Goodenough]

Hockey is still hockey when it comes to playoff time.

Yes, the opposition raises the level of it's intensity, but so does Vancouver.

If it's harder to score in the playoffs, why break up one of the top 3 lines in hockey.

Pointless.

[Cornuck]

If the team starts every game by giving up the first one or two goals, then we're in trouble and it won't matter who's on what line. I see the need for a shut-down line, but not at the cost of disrupting the current lines which are scoring.

Also, if Luongo doesn't step up his play, it won't matter much either.

In other words, there's a lot more to worry about than line changes. I believe that Kesler and Burrows have to lead this team in the post season, and there's no reason why they can't.

[the toucan kid]

End result potential:
-3 solid lines

You don't get three solid lines. You get, probably, a decent number one line, a good shut down line, and a waste of space. That's what we've had in the past trying to cobble together a second line out of spare parts.

As for Kesler, 5 million means we're going to have to depend on the the system to fix our D and that will take a lot of time. He might be the last core player to get locked up and as such we might have to let him go if the price is in the 5's. I guess we hope Hodgson is our second line center of the future and then redistribute Kesler's money on the back end. It would really suck to lose him, but we're really going to the bank with what we have if we lock him up, and there isn't enough here and there's not much coming to fix the problems. Tough situation, for sure.

[Farhan Lalji]

End result potential:
-3 solid lines

You don't get three solid lines. You get, probably, a decent number one line, a good shut down line, and a waste of space. That's what we've had in the past trying to cobble together a second line out of spare parts.

As for Kesler, 5 million means we're going to have to depend on the the system to fix our D and that will take a lot of time. He might be the last core player to get locked up and as such we might have to let him go if the price is in the 5's. I guess we hope Hodgson is our second line center of the future and then redistribute Kesler's money on the back end. It would really suck to lose him, but we're really going to the bank with what we have if we lock him up, and there isn't enough here and there's not much coming to fix the problems. Tough situation, for sure.

I (begrudingly ) agree with on the lines issue, but there's no freakin' way we let Kesler walk. Kesler is the type of gay you want on the team when it's all on the line. As he showed this past Olympics, the guy is a clutch performer...and you can't put a price tag on that.

[Cornuck]

Kesler is the type of gay you want on the team when it's all on the line.

The type of WHAT?

[Jelly]

Farhan, atleast proof read before you type, .... but that seals it, you aren't the real Farhan.

Kesler on NHL2K cover.. time for EA to step up and put Luongo on NHL11... wait... we don't want that EA curse.. nvm..

there could be a million possibility between now and Kesler signing his next contract with what ever team.
He could easily fire his agent and just sign a NHL minimum contract as well, it is all up to Kesler.

[the toucan kid]

Kesler is the type of gUy you want on the team when it's all on the line. As he showed this past Olympics, the guy is a clutch performer...and you can't put a price tag on that.

Unfortunate (well, actually whatever works for locker room morale is fine by me) typos aside. I don't have a bad thing to say about Kesler's game (other than the whinny faking stuff), but everything has a price when you're backing yourself into a cap corner with no room to breath and a paper thin defense.

[Farhan Lalji]

Kesler is the type of gay you want on the team when it's all on the line.

The type of WHAT?

As he showed during the Olympics, he is a "clutch performer"......


In all seriousness, I think I'll try and proof-read my posts a little more often before submitting them, haha.

I'll make one last comment about my proposed line changes. I thought about this a little more last night, and here is what I came up with (IF the Canucks were going to tinker with their lines).

Sedin-Sedin-Burrows
Raymond-Demitra-Samuelson
Hansen-Kesler-Bernier
#####4TH LINE#######

Here is one thing I considered: Offensively, if Demitra is playing well, he is just as good as Kesler....maybe even better. At worst, Demitra is maybe 90% of what Kesler is offensively.

CONCLUSION: Demitra replacing Kesler as 2nd line center shouldn't make too much of a difference in terms of point production from that line.

Kesler replacing Demitra on that 3rd line gives the line a different identity, role, and focus:

Kesler is MUCH MUCH MUCH better defensively than Demitra, and is also MUCH MUCH grittier than Demitra...or Samuelson....or Raymond...or almost any other guy that could play on that line.

Bottom line is this: If Samuelson, Raymond, or Demitra was 'demoted' to play on that 3rd line, the line would basically be a watered down scoring line that would still have trouble scoring. If you put Kesler on that line however, the entire complexion of that line changes. All of a sudden, the line becomes a line that has some serious defensive shut down potential and grit (combination of Kesler and Bernier). All of a sudden, Kyle Wellwood is no longer your 3rd line center.

While that 3rd line, with Kesler, would still have trouble scoring (unless Kesler is even better than I thought), it would also be a line that would be capable of shutting down anyone.

[Jelly]

WHY did AV listen to you!

[the toucan kid]

Yeah just going to say - ask and you shall receive Farhan.

[woodhog]

Coincidence? Or is AV lurking around this forum getting valuable Farhan advise?

[the toucan kid]

Farhan = AV

[Arachnid]

Farhan = AV

Um...

Just so you know FL is a brilliant mind and never makes typos he doesn't plan...it's much much more deep rooted than that

Sammy replaces Burrows?