Jeff Paterson: Which Abby Canucks can help Vancouver’s roster next year?

Jeff Paterson: Which Abby Canucks can help Vancouver’s roster next year?

Jeff Patterson covers the Vancouver and Abbottzford Canucks for us. Of course, the host of Rinkwide Vancouver. They were back at it again last night after Abbottzford’s game one victory in the Western Conference final. Uh more on Manny Meltris Club coming up, but want to start with the Vancouver Conucks. Jeff, how are you? I’m good. Before we talk hockey, let me just say my wife and I enjoyed a terrific day out at Northlands last Sunday. Sun was shining. I had a mid-afternoon tea time. Uh, we had the good fortune of being waved through. We played through the group in front of us after the third hole. The third hole, the par three. Mhm. Mhm. And all I could think to myself was, man, like I wish I had one of those mini bottles of bogey juice. Okay. Thank you. Right. Like fantastic idea. Uh, also based on what I saw from the group that let us play through, they could have used some bogey juice on both holes. So, I was going to say we’re burying the lead here. Espad has gotten so good she’s playing through groups at Northlands. Well done, Shannon. Very impressed. Uh Patterson, we are one the countdown is on here, Jeff. We’re one month away from the no move clause kicking in and Frank Cavelli says the Canucks are going to re-engage. What’s your sense? Do you think he’ll be a Canuck on July 1st? And do you think they’re motivated to trade him? They just got to get the right offer. My initial thought is that you guys should have a countdown clock. You know, like we always see that in television now. I know this isn’t TV, but uh we’re a month out. You should have the countdown to trade protection clock at all times when your show is is up and running through the month of June. Uh my hunch is that he’s going to be here when training camp rolls around. Now, we heard Patrick Alvine at his year ender say uh he’s keeping his options open. And what else could the GM say in that moment? But I think there’s an element of truth to all of that. But in subsequent media availabilities, Jim Rutherford has talked about uh the off season and what they expect from Elias Patterson, sort of all of it with an eye to next year. And of course, when Adam Foot took over, he was asked point blank about Elias Patterson. Talked about and we talked about how it was more positivity than we had heard from the previous head coach. Again, I took that to mean that Adam Foot is expecting that EP40 is going to be around and on the roster uh when he gets his hands on this hockey club at training camp uh in the fall. So, just based on that, my hunch is that he is going to be around here, but as we all say in hockey, it can change with a phone call. And if things start to ramp up and if other teams re-engage, if uh there are teams out there that come around and start kicking tires, then of course the Vancouver Conucks have to listen. But they’re already a team that has this uh lack of uh depth and strength down the middle. And now we’re talking about pedalling Leos Peterson. Uh you know, without knowing the returns, it’s hard to go too far down the road here. But uh uh if they think that they can make a swap and and somehow uh build up that center ice position with a new face, a different player, a different profile of player, then I think these are all things that they have to consider internally between now and the time that that trade protection kicks in. So I hear both of you. I hear both of your mouths when you talk about your best solution at center ice person. I hear both of you when you talk about how uh it’s going to be a difficult contract to move and you’re not trading him uh at high value. I I I get all of the case for keeping Elias Patterson. The flip side is I don’t believe this management group has ever believed him to be a championship centerpiece. I think they continue to have grave concerns about his practice habits, preparation, and all of that. And then of course the worst crime here is hanging on to an 11.6 million anchor player. I put all of that together and I do think Jim Rutherford and Patrick Alvine would like to make a trade this month with that player. Uh if and I think it is entirely incumbent on what is coming back and I think Jeff is right that they need a center as part of the package. Do do you think that they merely make a trade in which it’s perceived as a fair price or do they need to win the trade? No, I I think they are firmly in fair price territory. Jeff, what do you think? Well, the more that I watch the playoffs again, I’m just sort of reminded of the profile of center iceman that the Vancouver Conucks don’t have right now after they traded JT Miller. Uh, and all this talk about Marco Rossi. And sure, Marco Rossi, a 60point guy before the age of 25. uh you know this guy can play in the National Hockey League, but uh if they have questions about can you win at playoff time with Elias Patterson, uh I I guess I would have some of those same concerns about a player who profiles like Marco Rossi and of course Philip Pedle down the middle like it’s hard to win at playoff time. We’ve seen that. But even before you get to the playoffs in this specific division, Leon Dryettle is not going anywhere. Conor McDavid’s not going anywhere. Jack Eel likely not going anywhere in Vegas. Mason McTavish down in Anaheim. There are there is just sort of that profile of big strong center iceman. Not in the division obviously, but Sasha Barov going to a third straight Stanley Cup final with the the Florida Panthers. Uh and and if it was easy, every team would have those guys through the lineup. It’s not easy to find that profile of player. Uh, but I do think the the more that I look at the Vancouver Conucks and the more that I hear this interest in Marco Rossi, again, fine. Uh, but you show me like who’s the horse here? And so, uh, back to your point, Matt. I mean, I think that sort of is the concern from this management group, uh, with Leas Patterson. And we saw it last year in the playoffs against Edmonton. I mean, they took Edmonton to game seven with a third string goalender and with a star, supposed star who really was hard to find most nights there. And yeah, I know in the bubble, Patterson performed reasonably well in the playoffs in his first look. We know now that the bubble was the bubble, the most unique experience that any of those guys will ever have in their NHL careers. Uh, this was going out into hostile environments and having to play not only opponents, but opposing fan bases and all those types of things. and there just wasn’t a whole lot of a bottom line there from from Leas Patterson. So, I do think that there are some red flags, even if he bounces back in the regular season, that’s not going to erase these concerns about can this guy get it done when the chips are down. And so, until he proves it, you know, I think that’s going to be a legitimate and a fair question uh about Elias Patterson. So, uh, again, my my gut tells me that he’s going to be around here, but that doesn’t mean that, uh, something happens that, uh, alters the course here between now and July the 1st. And I hear you on the center ice solution of Rossy and his profile and whether that works in the playoffs. And remember, we had talked about Matt Duchine, gentlemen, that okay, you may have to overpay him in money term or both to get him here in free agency. Did we see the playoffs that Duchine just finished here? Yeah. six points in 18 games. This was after six points in 19 games last year. So, 12 points in his last 37 Stanley Cup playoff games and career 37 points in 69 games. I’m not sure that’s the droid they’re looking for either. No. Well, I as it pertains to Rossi though, and I I’ve thought about this as well about his profile. I think the Conucks cross the bridges as they get to them, guys. And they’re just trying to get to the playoffs. And Rossy and Person down the middle, you know, a rejuvenated Person, that’s the caveat. I think that gets you to the playoffs at the very least. And that’s the first step for this franchise. You know, I’ve been thinking about that, Blake, especially with regards to this draft and the 15th overall. And I hear you about, you know, trying to piece meal a playoff team together and then feeling in. And yet I I just wonder whether you need to build the playoff team from the ground up, from the foundation up, the moment of construction. So take the big player at 15th overall over the small player at 15th overall. You know, take the rangy defenseman, the skating defenseman uh over the Jeff, what do you think of all of this? Yeah, and I haven’t really had a chance to visit with you guys since Marco Rossi sort of became front page news. We know that his name has been out there. People have been speculating, but it certainly sounds like the Minnesota Wild want to relocate him. And and look, the banker conducts need an upgrade across the board. So, I understand the interest level here, but it’s so much more than just the player. It’s the acquisition cost and it’s also uh you know, from what we understand, he wants a whole lot more on his next contract than Minnesota is willing to pay. So, do the Conucks want to invest 7 by seven in an undersized center who again jumped from 40 points to 60 points? And I think this is important. He was a top 10 pick in his draft. If people aren’t familiar with the player, he was a top 10 pick in his draft who’s already a 60point guy before the age of 25. Like, I would say that he has met expectations. He wasn’t a lottery pick. So, if you’re getting a 60point player at his age uh in the top 10, that’s what he was supposed to do and that’s why he was drafted where he was drafted. Now, uh you would think, well, why wouldn’t Minnesota want to hang on to a player like that? Minnesota feels like a team that maybe is on the cusp now getting out of uh cap jail itself to uh accelerate its program. Uh but they’ve got their reasons. So, if he’s available, those types of players aren’t on the market all that often. I do think that the Canucks, as Blake said, I mean, accumulate talent here and sort of figure it out as you go. Uh they’re a better team if they can make that trade, but at what cost? And that’s the question. We don’t know right now. The 15th overall by itself isn’t going to get it done. So, what else do you have to throw in? And if Minnesota’s looking to pedal an undersized centerman, you know, are they going to be interested in Jonathan Leer Mackey at that stage of the proceedings? You wonder if that would fit the bill or, you know, are they knocking on the door of one of these uh defensemen that the Canucks have? Although Mini now uh looks like it’s relatively stacked. I mean, Brock Faber has emerged as a legit uh number one. Uh they went out and they made the trade with Columbus. Uh you know, they’ve added Zev Boom to the to the mix there. Like their back end, uh they seem like they’re in pretty good shape. Now, can you continue to add to that and get even better? Yeah, I suppose so. But uh you know that’s why uh so many layers to all of this and without fully knowing the acquisition cost it’s hard to sort of assess uh before the deal goes down. But I I mean I do think that the Canucks should be playing the field here figuring out what these types of players are going to cost. Uh what kind of inventory do they have? Is it enough to make these sorts of deals? Uh so we’ll see how things ultimately shake down here. I mean I I do think look Jim Rutherford’s history long history. We’ve talked about this getting out in front of the market. Also trying to make a splash uh not afraid to pull the trigger. We’ve seen that already in his time here uh in charge of the hockey operations. So I am anticipating that the Canucks are going to be active between now and July the 1st. I I don’t know that Marco Rossi is necessarily the guy, but I do think that he is the kind of player that they absolutely uh should be going down the path on. Are they uh are they starting to get some value added by some of the guys that are playing in this Calder Cup playoff run? I mean, um, great question. You know, put put Mancini’s rush from last night onto his, uh, onto his, uh, reel immediately. Uh, that’s, uh, that’s an intriguing player now all of a sudden, I think, for a lot of Conucks fans. He is breathtaking at the American Hockey League level. He’s not that player in the NHL, not yet. But again, you’re just seeing the confidence build here uh, night after night. And had he been able to convert, I mean, it really would have been the goal of the playoffs. and uh roof would come off the Abby center. Uh you know the just the the swashbuckling dash through the neutral zone absolutely deaks the defender out and uh did everything but pull the trigger. Uh I just love the confidence that he plays with and you know clearly the tools are there. I mean he’s got the frame. You can’t teach that. Uh skates well for a big man and I like the confidence that he’s playing with. So uh he’s been fun to watch and I think it’s going to be again interesting to watch and continue to monitor his development. And I’ll tell you the one guy like people want prospects to lead the way down on the farm. It’s not happening on the backs of Jonathan Leer Mackey who was uh remarkably quiet and then took the penalty with three minutes to go in a a two-all game and they were able to kill that off. But guys, Ty Mueller is coming on strong here in the playoffs. I thought he was a little slow out of the gates. Again, this is his first look at professional hockey playoffs at any level. Um he’s a goal and an assist last night, so he’s in on two of the three goals. He’s been on on four of the last six goals that the Abbottzford Conucks have scored. But beyond that, for a raw rookie, Lacer Macki takes the penalty with three minutes to play in a tie game. Who’s out there taking the face off on the penalty kill? It’s Tai Mueller and he’s just busting his ass out there. Part of this penalty kill that’s just incredible. Now 35 for 36 in the playoffs. And you can see the trust that Manny Mhzra has in him. You know, I’m not projecting star level, but this guy’s already touched the National Hockey League. They gave him the call up as a reward late in the season. And if they could turn him, you know, a bottom six, we talk about the lack of depth at the center ice position. Teddy Blue replacement. He just plays hard. Like he doesn’t take a shift off. And uh his line last night with Carlson and Baines I thought was probably the best offensive line on the ice. And that’s saying something because this Texas team had the hottest line in hockey, at least in the American Hockey League, coming into the series. and Abbottzford did nice job keeping that group in check for the most part and they were able to counter and contribute offense of their own. So just as people are coming to this Abbottzford team I think more and more casuals here just keep an eye on Ty Mueller like this guy just battles hard the dog in him as they say and uh I I think they might have something there. Well I mean that’s effectively their their number one line now. He’s their number one center alongside Lennus Carlson and our just turned 22. That’s right. He doesn’t turn 23 till the end of February next year. So he will play most of next season at 22. It’s eight points in his 13 games and then on Mancini Jeff and it’s 100% right the distinction between the way he plays at the way he plays at the NHL. But his biggest foil in the NHL was his puck handling. And so you see a rush like that last night and you go that’s correctable. That’s going to come with confidence for Mancini as he plays more and more NHL for a guy that literally just had his 23rd birthday three days ago. So again, and then then the other thing and we we touched on this earlier in the week, Blake, but if Mancini is really coming, where does that leave Tom Welander? And based on the negotiation and you know torturous however it was to get his name on paper does that still mean we lander is your trade ship here because you don’t anticipate needing him as much next season with Mancini’s emergence. Well it’s hard to imagine that the two young right side guys would be in the NHL lineup together early on if the Vancouver Conucks are intent on making inroads and trying to get back to the playoffs. you’ve already got Phil Heronic and Tyler Myers. Uh so unless one of those guys is injured, and that’s possible, but you know, who knows what they do in terms of um adding veteran guys in free agency or are they just going to turn these young guys loose and and um you know, have this sort of internal competition for a roster spot. Uh it is hard to imagine though that they would both be in the lineup together. So, a little bit of redundancy in the short term. Of course, if you’re projecting out, uh, they look like two guys that you could build that right side around. So, we’ll have to wait and see. I should say as well, guys, a very spirited discussion and not the first time, but it heated up again last night in the chat during rinkwide was this notion of Elias Patterson and why he’s not in Abbottzford. And uh last night probably wasn’t the night to have the discussion because if he’s there and playing Christian Willan or Gian Bruce Bos probably coming out and those two guys ended up scoring goals uh for Abby last night. But uh you know if this was a nod from the organization to DPD that hey you you’re beyond the American Hockey League now. Uh I do wonder about him missing out on this experience. And they didn’t have a crystal ball. They didn’t know that this team was going to get to the Western Conference Final and quite possibly the Calder Cup. But just in terms of North American playoff experience, how valuable could this and would this have been for DPD? I I do wonder if they’re doing they’re doing fine without him, right? It’s not like they need him. Here they are up a game already in the Western Conference Final. But I do wonder if in hindsight this was an a lowercase M mistake not to get him there just to gain as much playoff big game experience on smaller ice. U rather. But look, I think the nod is that this guy was terrific in his short time in the NHL. This gives him a longer runway in the offseason to prepare now that he has the baseline of life in the National Hockey League. Whatever the case, he’s not in Abbottzford. He’s not coming to Abbottzford. uh they don’t have to, you know, they can’t worry about that. It is some water under the bridge, but uh certainly uh was part of the discussion in the live chat last night on the he only played 66 games this year. And it also just goes against what they generally do. I mean, he’s 21 years of age. They generally do not anoint guys like that this early. They haven’t in the past with guys like Pod Coulson and others. So, uh you’re right, uh a little bit curious there. Uh, Arur Sheil continues to rip it up. Um, how does that change the calculus for the Vancouver Conucks, do you think? Yeah, I don’t know. Um, but he’s been fun to watch and he was really good at it. It was, look, it was a great hockey game. Like the product last night, uh, start to finish. Uh, I love the way that two teams who hadn’t seen each other all year. There wasn’t a feeling out process. They know the stakes here. They recognize that they’re in the Western final for a reason because they’re both damn good hockey clubs. Uh and the goalending was really good until it wasn’t there at the end. I mean, that’s a leaky one that gets through Remy Porier. Uh Abby will take it certainly, but otherwise, uh they traded chances. There was no sitting back in a two- all tie in the third period. Uh back and forth they went. Uh I was a little concerned for Abbottzford just because Texas on paper has more game breakers. They had the leading goal scorer in the American Hockey League in the regular season. They had this top line that includes Cole Lind. you get to overtime, you kind of think, all right, one shot chance uh can finish it. I wouldn’t have picked Christian to be the hero, but that’s the beauty of sport. And, you know, never a bad idea, I guess, to put a puck on net. Sometimes it’ll go right through the goalender as that one did. Uh, but Archer Silvas, you know, didn’t blink. And ultimately, the guy at the other end did. And just looking at his numbers here in the playoffs, uh, outside of the four shutouts, he’s given up 12 goals in his last eight starts. Like, that’s a goal and a half per game. uh you get two, you’re going to win most nights with the way that he is playing. And so Aby’s not blowing out opponents, but you don’t have to. A 5-1 win and a 3-2 overtime win, they all count the same at the end of the night. And so, uh, there seems to be a confidence level. The crowd was into it last night. You heard the arty chance an awful lot. And there were a couple of spectacular saves early in the second period. There was a breakaway and then moments after that, the big windmill around the world glove save as he flashed the leather there. So, that got the fans into it. and you know, a little shy of a sellout, but the ones that were there, they were into it. Sounded like a great atmosphere and uh it truly was an arty party and uh we’ll see if there’s another one set for for Saturday night at the Abbottzford Center. And Jeff and Dave Hall will have coverage after game two tomorrow night at Abbottzford Center. And of course, then the series moves to Texas. There would be a game six, game seven if necessary back here at Abbottzford. Uh Jeff Marvelous. Yeah, I just wanted to mention, well, we talked about Atu Ratu and and I, you know, I think he’s going to play at some point in this series. It’ll be interesting to see what happens on the other side though, guys, because the Dallas Stars, as we all know, uh went meekly into the night. They are done. They had papered Liam Bishell, that massive 6’7, 235 pound defenseman, uh they had papered him at the deadline, so he is eligible to join the Texas Stars. and Alex Petravic, a veteran who’s been through the battles in the NHL and played uh pretty much uh nightly in the playoffs here as well. Uh but he spent most of the season in the minors and he too is eligible. They could airlift two guys straight out of the third round of the National Hockey League playoffs and basically add a defensive pair to their lineup. So, uh we’ll see where things go. I doubt that they would fly those guys all the way here for a game two when the series is shifting right back to the lonear state but don’t be surprised if they do get some reinforcements but hey the Canucks may get after Ratu back so this series may get even better uh than it started out with in terms of talent level uh Bishell a first round pick in 2022 and uh Alex Petravic and Dale Talent’s opinion of him is the reason the Vegas Golden Knights have a Stanley Cup if we all remember that expansion draft quandry remember we were going to Petravic Yeah. Uh, and so Maro and Riley Smith shuck shook free and road paved with gold. Jeff, thanks for this. We’ll talk Tuesday. Have a great weekend, guys.

RinkWide Vancouver’s Jeff Paterson to talk about the myriad of moves that may be coming for Vancouver, and when they might happen. Plus what does the Abby Canucks run do for roster construction, whether that’s via promotions or trades? He also recaps the game 1 win, and has more on the possible return of a few young star prospects for both teams.

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