[Canucks Conversation] Quads and Harm discussing the “should the Canucks go all in?” question

12 comments

1. There are no more dynasties in a salary cap league. If you play your cards right, you may have a good 3 year competitive run, and that’s it. Players are constantly wanting to get paid max dollar leaving little room to be competitive. Look at Tampa Bay. They had back-to-back Cup wins and 3 years later are a wildcard spot. They are no longer favourites. In the past 10 years, you have 8 different teams win a Cup.

   Canucks need to think hard about this year. With OEL’s cap hit coming in 2025, we’re playing with a handicap of $4.6M. Pettersson likely won’t take a huge discount and Boeser’s contract is coming up in 2 years. Miller’s turning 31 in 2 months.

   We still have Hronek, Blueger, Joshua an DeSmith this year. We can’t keep them all.

2. They shouldn’t trade a top prospect… but this is the *type* of deal they should be trying to pull off.

   Andrei Kuzmenko + 2023 1st Round Pick + Prospect (Not top-5) for Pavel Buchnevic.

3. We’re in better shape this year, than we will be next year. No doubt.

   Even with the cap going up, the difference in the cap space lost to Peteys extension, Hroneks next contract, and OELs buyout is going to far outweigh any cap relief we get from guys like Myers (who we’ll need to replace if he walks 3+ mil there).

   The real question really should be what contract we move out. I think this team is desperate for another top 6 play driver. Somebody whos capable of playing both W/C. The obvious answers are Myers, and Kuzmenko. At this point, I think moving Myers puts us in a bigger hole than moving Kuz.

   I can’t see us moving laterally here though. If we’re moving a guy like Kuzmenko while his value is somewhat low, I don’t see us wanting to take a similar contract back. I would expect us to pony up, and add aditional pieces to turn Kuzmenko into a higher value player, whether that means adding picks/prospects. Would love to add a Jamie Benn kind of player, who can play anywhere in your lineup, brings size, plays C and W, has a mean streak. If we’re going all in, I wouldn’t be shocked to see us move high picks for a team to retain dollars over term.

4. Just look at what Rutherford and Alvin did on the fly this year with value contracts, turning yesterday’s chick poop of a team into today’s contending chicken soup? Who’s to say they can’t make more finds next off/season?

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   Keep the core, improve the depth as can be done, but do not trade away top picks or prospects, that’s where the sustainability needs to come from.

5. I like the guy but Quads is a little tough to listen to

6. We are all in doofus. We ain’t got nothing but hopes and prayers followed by experience Canucks hockey. A small fuck messier chant and a stfu Aquaman. We literally are banking on a fuck ton of luck .

7. I’m so torn with this. On one hand, we can’t give up players like Lek, Willander, D-Petey right now because our cupboard is SO bare. On the other hand, if this team had a legit 2C then I’d be right there with everyone calling us cup contenders, and maybe even the favourites.

   How do we do it though? And who?

   Zegras isn’t the answer for *this* year but he’d be an intriguing get in the off-season.

   Is Casey Middlestadt available? What’s the price on him? What’s the contract for him in the off-season?

   Joel Eriksson-Ek? Would the wild move that sweetheart deal? Because he would be the PERFECT 2 way 2C. Fits like a glove, and would make for a great C between Mik and Kuz. Doubt Wild move him with Kaprizov due for a new contract in a couple years.

   Lindholm? Is he a cheap rental because of his mediocre year and UFA status? He doesn’t fit our age range so extending him might be unlikely.

   Gourde? One more year but he’s been pretty mid offensively, and now Kraken are in the playoff hunt so I don’t know.

   Would someone like Monahan suffice? Good in his own zone, okay offensively, has a history of putting up numbers. Can he return to pre-surgery form on a talented roster? He might be a lot easier to get compared to the rest, and his cap hit means we don’t have to clear out anyone of any real significance, and may still be able to add D depth.

   Who do we move out if we want to match salaries? The only answer is Myers, but he’s going to need to be replaced as well.

   I woulnd’t go ALL-IN this year I think, but I would give the team a bit of a boost. Make the boys prove this isn’t a fluke year before you make a massive splash.

8. I don’t know what they said on the pod, but I’d be leery of younger guys discussing it, not knowing what it’s like to be older and having decades of “if only we had done X instead” memories. At this point I’m in what the hell go for it mode, because I can easily see this team being a tire fire in the future if everything goes wrong. Biggest mistake in retrospect for the Gillis era was not making bad picks, it’s making those picks. They should have been out the door. I’d happily trade all of our 2009-2014 picks for one guy that helps win game 6 or 7 in 2011. The stressful part is obviously knowing when to trade them, and who to get with them.

9. Yes, cause our cap situation won’t get better if Petey asks for 12mil (which looks like is the case after Nylander signed) and Hronek asks for 7.5+mil. Hronek is tied for 6th in scoring among D-men. And looking at those around him, quite a few are making north of 7mil. So I think he gets the Morgan Rielly contract at best. That’s a huge pay increase for 2 players. This year is likely the biggest our window will be until Lekkerimaki and Willander come over and become top 6 and top 4 respectively. Their ELCs will give us a second wind.

10. No! Never go all in. Never!

    Always build.

    The one exception is when you’re at the end of an era, the future is bleak, the cupboard is dry, and you’re going to give your aging squad one last kick at the can.

    You don’t do this at the beginning of an era, unless you can’t hold your nerve.

    Give us a 15% chance to win for 3 years in a row, rather than a 20% chance once.

11. I’m okay with them trading anyone other than Willander but it has to be for someone with control

12. Prices seem to have come down for rentals so I say go for it.

    Trading Willander, BruZZZZ or Lekkerimaki would be a hard no.

    Trading Podz, Raty or a player in that range would be a hell yeah.

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    That said bringing in rental players fails more than it succeeds and can often disrupt team chemistry at the wrong time. You may also trade for a player that really doesn’t care about winning the cup and would rather be on the boat.