Canucks News 2.0

[Cousin Strawberry]

Sure maybe he appears to be a sulking weenie but maybe we don't know the whole story.

Up until this slump he had proven to be an ultra competitive, elite level superstar drawing early comparisons to some premium hall of famers. He was lauded for putting in the work, staying late to work on his shot or skating etc. Something happened from that to this.

He is, by far, the closest thing to a top 5 center we can hope to acquire or develop in the next 5+ years...as it stands right now.

He has an issue. We don't know what it is....nobody knows what it is. If they can somehow solve this puzzle we will have that GretzkyDatsyuk talent anchoring our 1C slot.

[Meds]

Poor, poor choice.

This is the kind of shit that leaves me worrying over what they will do next.

Their decision making surrounding most key roster positions has been rather suspect.

Lankinen was definitely a reactionary extension when Demko went down yet again and his reliability is now very questionable. With nobody in the pipeline that they could trust to step in, I think they had to secure someone who can start some games. Free agency was almost certainly not the place to go fishing for a starting goaltender.

As you said, knee-jerk.

As an idea to solve a few spots…..

Would ya do the following…..

Scooter + Demko + picks/parts

For

Swayman + Lindholm + Zadorov

[donlever]

@ Cuz.

I still do not like the Lankinen contract even if your theory were true.

I respect your continued defense of Petterson although your neverending Gretz/Datsyuk comparable remains laughable.

He, imo, however, has never been an elite level Superstar and you harm your debating structure by continuing to suggest so.

McDavid Draisaitl MacKinnon Kucherov Eichel Pastrnak Matthew's et cetera.

Elite level Superstars all.

At this point EP is not even William Nylander.

[Cousin Strawberry]

The comparison wasn't originally made by me Donny. I am relaying what kind lofty expectations were levied on this kid after how he burst onto the scene displaying the skills that would have the hockey world comparing him to some of these icons (I will admit to defiantly continuing with it in the face of neverending criticism)

That list of the best of the best...he was among them for a significant period of time leading up to his fall from grace. He is a game breaker. I'm telling ya he has the talent buried beneath the soggy pants and dragging ass. He certainly isnt Mëds trunk gimp like he's carrying on about.

He shall return. He's General MacArthur

[Meds]

He has never been among that list of players except among some Vancouver Canuck diehards and homeristic social media personalities.

Maybe temporarily on a level with Pasta and Eichel.

Eichel is a new addition to that list, having underwhelmed up until last season when compared to pre-draft expectations…..in fairness though, he was mired in Buffalo.

I won’t ever put him on a level with 99. That’s laughable.

Datsyuk? I can see certain comparables. IQ, certainly when Scooter has a clear head he can think at that level. His defensive reads are similar. His hands are also nearly as quick as Datsyuk’s, and I think, when healthy, he has a better shot. However, what set Datsyuk apart and put him on a higher level was his skating and footwork. Datsyuk could backcheck like few others…..catch a player, lift their stick and take the puck and turn on a dime and head the other way quickly. Datsyuk could go full tilt north with the puck and then go east to west with insane speed…..and his hands always kept up. Pettersson cannot do those things.

[donlever]

Cuz, I am respectful your opinion on Gen Mac as well as your right to defend it, we will need to agree to disagree in this one.

Mëds.

Datsyuk was also a little bowling ball.

Solid like Russian rock.

Not at all like our resident waif.

[Cornuck]

All things considered, I'd be more on "team Petey" if his skating weren't so shaky. Every other tool is there, but that nobby-kneed stance makes him so easy to spot on the ice. The constant falling, etc - I'd expect this more from a rookie, not a 6-year vet.

We'll know by July 1st if this is the future of our forward group, and if so I hope he takes this off-season seriously and works on his brain, faceoffs and skating. If he doesn't or can't improve on those things, then we're hooped. We'll either have a crappy 1C or a vastly overpaid 2C.

[UWSaint]

Lankinen is of a kind with Joshua, Hoglander, and O'Connor.

Signing guys to term and it-all-adds-up dollars who are at best secondary complements is like playing to protect a lead when you are losing by a goal.

To be sure, individually, you can marshal an argument for each signing on its individual merits.

Joshua was coming off a career year -- size is needed, his discipline was improving, he was competent defensively and could play all right on the PK and played pretty well protecting leads late in the game. But for a long time, Joshua was a replacement level player, then just above the parapet. His flaws are obvious and unlikely to change -- he has zero edge work and trouble corralling passes that aren't in the wheelhouse. Coming off the year he had, sure, the Canucks didn't sign him above what I bet he'd get on the market. But this is the kind of player management should think -- finding the next Joshua internally or on the market isn't an impossible task (and they did it! Sherwood, who I was wrong about), and the difference between a Joshua-lite for $1M and the real deal for $3.25 doesn't have near the impact as what a @2.25M difference can do for a defenseman.

O'Connor's story is speed, decent size, no hands, no vision. He's Virtanenesque in that way, with a major difference being (1) he can play the PK pretty well IMO and (2) he doesn't think he's the next great power forward so will probably play into his strengths. (Jake's hands and shot were better -- but not enough to offset his weaknesses and make him primary complement value). Its 4th line winger + PKer stuff. Management inks this deal to lock in a return on NYR's first rounder, so that it wasn't for rentals. Of all the deals mentioned here, I personally think this is the best because its not a longer term commitment, and I value (and we undervalue) penalty killers who don't just play the PK, but are good at it. If you are going to spend on a secondary complement, it had better be down the middle of the ice or have some + special teams attribute that's a bit harder to find and develop.

The story for Hoglander is that he's pretty young and, unlike Joshua, youth alone combined with an upward trajectory created optimism for more to come. Once Sprong was signed and it was clear someone needed to be moved, I advocated for trading Hoglander not because I think he's terrible (though I am also far from a fanboy), but because he might have brought a pretty nice return and if he regressed, he's a player eating up a roster spot that doesn't play center, doesn't kill penalties, doesn't extend possession, doesn't perform well on the PP, and if he repeated last year's goals total or got better, then his resume would look very much like Garland's when he signed his deal, and there's just no way Hoggy is as valuable as Garland. He regressed. The Canucks didn't make the bold move, and they hedged the "improvement" by extending a guy they had the rights to. Sacrifice bunt. There's a decent argument to do this at the time, but man if he repeats what he did this season its all money wasted. And while with Joshua, O'Connor, Lankinen, the question really needs to be in part "how hard is it to get another who will perform nearly as well and possibly better for less money), with Hoggy there was opportunity cost in the form of a return.

Lankinen is the hardest to defend and I have already written about him. To be plain here, the argument that he was needed for the future because the Canucks don't trust Demko or will move Demko is not a good reason, in my view. Because Lankinen is almost certainly not good enough to lead a team through the playoffs, and as importantly, because getting a guy whose projected quality is similar to Lankinen *isn't that hard.* It won't cost the salary, and it won't cost an arm and a leg (the goalie trade market is always for buyers excepting the very best). The Canucks didn't need Lankinen for their backup or projected starter if Demko's injured, they need the *next* Lankinen. That's how you extend the cap.

Now, with any of the signings, so long as a player would be claimed off waivers, it easy to undo. And of course, its quite possible that these contracts are even tradable for assets. And if I were in management, I'd explore deals for all of them except possibly O'Connor.

[Meds]

Cuz, I am respectful your opinion on Gen Mac as well as your right to defend it, we will need to agree to disagree in this one.

Mëds.

Datsyuk was also a little bowling ball.

Solid like Russian rock.

Not at all like our resident waif.

I feel like I’ve picked on his spindly-ness enough. Was just more trying to point out where Datsyuk was superiorly skilled.

But, the spindly physique and skating issues are inextricably linked. Ergo, you are, of course, spot on.

[JelloPuddingPop]

Sounds like Boeser is taking his talents elsewhere next year - was quoted as saying his return is "unlikely at this point" - trade his rights for a 7th rd. pk - and say goodbye I guess.

Mgmt 101.

Yikes.

[donlever]

Our asset management oft leaves something to be desired.

Boeser.

Suter(?).

Edler.

Hamhuis.

Tanev?

Toffoli?

Markstrom?

....it seems to span eras as well.

Disconcerting.

[Meds]

Our asset management oft leaves something to be desired.

....it seems to span eras as well.

Disconcerting.

When one is always building for the present, without an eye towards the future, expiring asset management becomes troublingly reactionary…..and it will remain cyclical until they embrace some short term pain rather than simply try to weather it in waves.

[2Fingers]

This is why I am worried about what they do with Suter. love to keep him but he is having a career year and he wants to be paid. Can he replicate this season or will he drop down to 15+ goals again. I do think a major contributor to his recent success is that his ATOI has increased, last year he was 15:30, this season 17:10, last 2 games 21mins.

If he wants $5M is that too much for a #3 C but who is versatile?

[donlever]

He's also had a very good run of late enhancing his overall stats, which speaks nicely to your ATOI comment Reef, but it could also be a a coincidental, short term, analytical anomaly and unattainable with any consistency for this player over an expanded duration of time.

Considering his age and, on average, 35 ppg per 82 gp status the latter is far more likely.

Hell, Chytil averages that.

[Meds]

This is why I am worried about what they do with Suter. love to keep him but he is having a career year and he wants to be paid. Can he replicate this season or will he drop down to 15+ goals again. I do think a major contributor to his recent success is that his ATOI has increased, last year he was 15:30, this season 17:10, last 2 games 21mins.

If he wants $5M is that too much for a #3 C but who is versatile?

Nobody is paying Suter $5M.

He will be lucky to get $4M on the open market.