Oh here we go again with the Higgins/Hansen rant...Island Nucklehead wrote:Then dump both Hansen and Higgins and keep Burrows.Mëds wrote: Burrows is almost never invisible out there. He always does something, he blocks shots, turns in hard shifts, and provides energy in some way.
Higgins is a continual disappearing act.
Hansen doesn't have Burrows all-round smarts, but he's a better option than Higgins.
Blob is not wrong. This team needs to get younger, it needs to get rid of some of these tweeners, and unfortunately for Burrows, he fits that category now.
We're getting exactly what we should expect from 3rd line wingers earning $2.5 mil - 10-15 goals, 35 - 40 points, good on the PK and solid effort.
Richards had 5 goals,15 points and -7 in 47 games, so an 8/25 & -12 pace for a full season - on a 7 million salary.Island Nucklehead wrote: ] Yes, he's great with the Sedins, and yes his play away from the puck / on the PK is more than adequate, but the Canucks need to decide what path they're going to take moving forward. The salary cap forces a pretty cold reality on teams. Mike Richards was a huge part of the Kings cup teams and cost them a lot of good assets, and look at him now.
Completely different situation from Higgins - giving you 10 goals and 35 points and a +12, on a 2.5 million salary.
You want to trade all the vets and have a team with Sedins + all rookies?
You've already got a team like that - the Oilers.
You treat them well and honour the deals that you sign.Island Nucklehead wrote:How do you convince free agents to settle here if you have no money to pay them or roster spots for them to occupy?ukcanuck wrote:Really don't understand the what have you done for us lately crowd when it comes to Burrows. Wasn't he the guy that gave discounts on his previous contracts when he was producing more?
The guy has bled for the team and is a true professional. He deserves the current contract when you take all of his years on this team together. Dumping him now, just because he's starting to get long in the tooth would say a lot of negative things about this organization.
How do you convince free agents to settle here if you treat your veterans like so much meat?
We were NOT successful in bringing a cup to Vancouver in 2011 when we had a 3rd line of limited effectiveness (Lapierre was not a viable 3rd line center in Vancouver) and a 4th line (Hogeson, Tambellini, Oreskovich, Glass, Malhotra, Bolduc) who produced a grand total of 1 assist in the entire playoffs, and went a -19 while doing it.Island Nucklehead wrote: It really depends on what the organization wants for itself. We were successful when we had players out-performing their deals. We can continue to say "but he's been so great for us in the past, we can't move on from him now", and the team will get worse as these guys slide into mediocrity. Or we can say "he's been so great for us in the past, but we need to keep moving forward".
I like the Kenins/Horvat/Hansen line, and the Dorsett/Higgins/Mathias/Richardson line as our bottom 6, and I can see them producing offence in the playoffs, and a definite upgrade over 2011.
[/quote]Island Nucklehead wrote: I would say that seeing what the "next generation" can do is more exciting than watching the old guard fade away. Ultimately, there's only so many spots for veteran, "glory days" players, and the Sedins deserve to occupy two of those spots (and the team absolutely still needs their production). There isn't anything significant on the immidiate horizon on the back-end, so Bieksa and Hamhuis are likely safe. The forwards appear to have the most help on the way (Kenins, Baertschi, Virtanen etc.), and the organization needs to get some of these guys into the lineup. Burrows, Higgins, Hansen... all need to earn their spots, and with a salary cap they all need to provide (at minimum) a decent value for their role.
Kenins can stay with the team
Virtaanen & McCann need another year (at least) to develop.
I'd say Kassian & Bonino have another year (maybe) to prove that they're legitimate top 6 forwards or else they're gone and make room for the prospects
He's probably wondering why the male nurse calls him honey this morning