Pre-Game Talk: Canucks Offseason Begins - Expectations?

[Vector]

A big factor for the future success of this team is the same thing that ultimately really sunk Boudreau, having a cohesive coaching staff. Bruce lost two key assistants in the offseason and he seemed to have very little say in their replacements. Same questions remain about Tocchet's staff.

Personally, I'd like to see another assistant added (in relief of either King and/or Yeo) with a better mind for offensive tactics. King has done a pretty good job of running the powerplay but I want someone who's role is expanded out and can facilitate a more creative offensive structure at 5v5. I don't actually know what Yeo does anymore.

 

[PettersonHughes]

The big question mark hanging over this franchise is the OEL issue. With a long off-season to heal up, is there any chance he can recover even a shadow of his former game?

He obviously has some history in Airzona playing Tocchet's defensive system. Maybe that's the structure he needs to to at least become a reliable 4-5 d-man.

Otherwise, he becomes the most expensive 'depth d-man' in NHL history.

I sure hope management pairs him with Hronek while Hughes carries his own pair (with Burroughs, Bear or Schenn?) so OEL can at least be reliable again. We're gonna need him to not be a $7 million black hole if there's any hope of contending.

 

[EverTheCynic]

Realistically we're just gonna have to accept the OEL contract and piece around it. Lots of good teams have one bad contract. Minnesota is a good team with $15m in dead cap.

Myers, Pearson, Boeser, and Garland is around $20m in cap. That is plenty to piece around this core, even after factoring in a big raise for Petey.

Those should be the pieces we fixate on moving. OEL is a pipe dream. Nobody is taking that contract, and ownership will never allow such a massive buyout. Especially so soon after green lighting the trade.

 

[Nucker101]

It's absolutely insane that we just watched Quinn Hughes level up into looking like a Norris-level defender capable of tilting the ice in Doughty-type minutes and people are crying like babies about it like it's the worst thing that ever happened because we might only get an 8/10 prospect instead of a 9/10 prospect in the draft.

FML sports fandom in 2023 is stupid.

That depends entirely on whether or not playing Hughes 27-28 minutes a night over a full season without having his play drop off is sustainable. I don’t think he can do that like prime Doughty could.

He was pointless and in 6 straight games prior to last night, with a -3 rating during that span. Prior to that he hadn’t gone all season with more than 2 consecutive pointless games.

 

[VanJack]

Once again, the Canucks off-season starts in mid-April.

But if there's any positives that can be drawn, for the first time in what seems years, there's no debate about the future of the coaching staff or the GM.

For better or worse, Tocchet is the coach; and Allvin-Rutherford are entrenched as GM and President of Hockey Ops. Now the focus is entirely on trying to improve the roster.

It's a tall order based on the Canucks atrocious cap situation--but at least that's all we're going to be talking about for the next four months.

 

[SiZ]

Once again, the Canucks off-season starts in mid-April.

In a sense, it started in December.

 

[VanillaCoke]

Expectations have to be higher than last off seasons mess.
Raise the bar. Lower the excuses.

Bare minimum is moving a bunch of salary without giving up more assets we don't have, good luck..
I think boeser goes to Minny, and they try to lose Myers wherever they can.
Maybe they try to move JTM but I have big doubts they even want to.

OEL is impossible to move so just play him big mins until it's LTIRetirement, the buyout after next season is way better than this summer.

Need to find alot of upgrades and or hit on most pro scouting acquisitions, with a spotty track record and many lost trades already I don't have alot of optimism.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

No more excuses like the disaster that was Miller and the "will they, won't they" of trading him. Likewise, Boeser needs to go because drawing this out for yet another season is getting ridiculous. Far too many times I felt like JR had a bit of confirmation bias in terms of value and refused to budge, which ultimately resulted in him being caught with his pants down.

We need to see actual change and not minor additions. And for the love of god, fix the damn defense. It's absurd that we went into two seasons with essentially Hughes babysitting the AHL squad.

Of course, it doesn't help that after an okay-ish season last year, Myers went full stupid this year. He needs to be gone one way or another. 50% retention should let us trade him for something instead of paying another team to eat his contract.

As for OEL. I remain against a buyout given how much dead cap we'd have to deal with until 2031. I'd prefer to ride him out and chance LTIRetirement at some point.

 

[strattonius]

Yep. But no matter what reasonable opinions and takes we give, there will be a constant swarm of attackers to anybody who has doubts about this team's playoff chances next year.

Its so toxic.

I'm not even talking about next year's playoff chances I just disagree with your take on Hughes and Pettersson's minutes.

You whine about toxic behavior then make passive aggressive comment about an argument I haven't even made. That's ridiculous.

 

[Lindgren]

What I expect (not what I want):

The Canucks won't buy out OEL, because ownership will veto that move. (and he won't be traded—it mystifies me that some posters keep ignoring the NMC and suggest that he'll be traded).

They'll attach futures of some sort to get out from Boeser and Beauvilier, and perhaps, if the attached asset is good enough, bring back at least one player of the same level but at centre.

They'll try to move Myers, but that too will require an asset attached. I"m not sure that they can pull it off, what with his trade protection.

With some cap space freed up with those moves, they'll take whatever future capital is left to try to acquire a partner for Hughes.

They won't offer Delia another contract, but whoever the vet is that they bring in to compete with Martin for the back-up job, he'll have to be cheap.

A minor point: If Jet Woo has a big playoff for Abbotsford, management will need to choose between using him as one of the sweeteners to get out of bad money, or giving him a shot on the bottom pair out of camp, or risk losing him on waivers.

 

[Breakers]

Vancouver's forwards salary expenditures go up by 41% for next season.

the projected cap for next season is $85 million
and their total salary expenditures for next season is already at $102 Million............. and we haven't hit free agency

Aqua Man is also paying about $20 million in SB's this summer.

You can start to grasp why Aquilini is "all in" paying that much for mediocrity

puts into perspective why he wouldn't do buyouts considering what he paying for the on ice product.

 

[Knight53]

It’s going to all come down to what they do with Miller at the draft. Everything else is minuscule or irrelevant.

 

[StreetHawk]

It’s going to all come down to what they do with Miller at the draft. Everything else is minuscule or irrelevant.

That and Petey's desire or not to extend. If I was him, and it's only my POV, I wouldn't extend with the Canucks this off-season. I'd rather keep the option to pull a M. Tkachuck or PLD or Trouba if I needed to and get dealt next year if things don't turn around.

 

[DFAC]

Priority 1 - lock up Petey.

Priority 2 - revamp the blueline. OEL and Myers need to go, and be replaced by capable NHL defenders.

Everything else is secondary. Don’t really care if we aren’t able to move some of our glut of wingers at this point, and would rather hang on to Boeser, Garland, Beauvillier, etc then pay a team to take them on.

Id add a defensively sound pker 3C as a top off season priority too

 

[Diogenes92]

I'm not even talking about next year's playoff chances I just disagree with your take on Hughes and Pettersson's minutes.

You whine about toxic behavior then make passive aggressive comment about an argument I haven't even made. That's ridiculous.

Why are you assuming that I was talking about you specifically?

I was talking about a toxic attitude towards posters with differing opinions that's been taking place on the Canucks board for months now.

 

[strattonius]

Why are you assuming that I was talking about you specifically?

I was talking about a toxic attitude towards posters with differing opinions that's been taking place on the Canucks board for months now.

Toxic attitudes have been going on for far longer than months here. It's actually much better around here since Benning was canned.

My apologies for thinking you were talking about me there, I definitely made an assumption.

 

[Yultron]

One name to keep an eye on is Ryan Johnson with the Buffalo Sabres , chance he doesn’t sign with Buffalo .

I would absolutely sign him to an ELC if he becomes unrestricted on Aug 15th assuming Buffalo can’t resign him

 

[Johnny Canucker]

I would consider making Jimothy Timothy Miller captain.


Sick and tired of “nice guy” captains. I want a guy with Chris Prongers personality.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

True.

What do you think is more likely to be the outcome next year?

Playoffs or 80-90 points range?

Sub 50% chance to make the playoffs.

 

[Diogenes92]

Sub 50% chance to make the playoffs.

That's my gut instinct as well.

Not sure if that's what I actually believe or if I have simply become too poisoned by the ownership and management of this team.

 

[Zaddy91]

I would consider making Jimothy Timothy Miller captain.


Sick and tired of “nice guy” captains. I want a guy with Chris Prongers personality.

Is this what JT stands for.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

That's my gut instinct as well.

Not sure if that's what I actually believe or if I have simply become too poisoned by the ownership and management of this team.

No no. It makes perfect sense.

Just go through the teams this year in the playoffs in the west and then the teams that just narrowly missed and try to justify why the Canucks would supplant any one of them next year in the top 8.

Its a pretty hard sell.

 

[valkynax]

Imagine if Pete is not happy with whatever boneheaded moves Moleman and Alv will make, and decided not to sign extension until later in the next season.

 

[McDavid is too whiny]

Imagine if Pete is not happy with whatever boneheaded moves Moleman and Alv will make, and decided not to sign extension until later in the next season.

That would be pretty funny. I’m here for it.

 

[Diogenes92]

If OEL is back next year now that EF is reporting that Fatqulini doesn't want to make any big buyouts...maybe that is an early sign of doom for the team.

Would they dare to healthy scratch him with such a big cap hit?

They don't scratch Myers, so I'd guess not.