Canucks have asked about Jonathon Blum

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LickTheEnvelope

Time to Retool... again...
Dec 16, 2008
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Holden was a leader from day one on the Bruins. He'd be a nice pickup here but with how crappy our pro scouting seems to be, I'd be shocked to my very core if the Canucks even tendered him an offer.

*sigh* Ya i'm expecting the most disappointing off-season in the last 10 years.

I've got 3 concerns still (a RH PP QB, a 3rd/4th Line Center, [for the love of god!!!] a scoring 2nd line winger) and I don't think any are getting addressed in any meaningful way.
 

MS

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Mar 18, 2002
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Holden was a leader from day one on the Bruins. He'd be a nice pickup here but with how crappy our pro scouting seems to be, I'd be shocked to my very core if the Canucks even tendered him an offer.

*sigh* Ya i'm expecting the most disappointing off-season in the last 10 years.

I will say this :

Blum strikes me as a 'bad pro scouting' signing. This guy was given massive opportunities to succeed, in the perfect team to develop as a defender, in Nashville. He failed for obvious reasons - small, weak, and ineffective. Wasn't even very good in the AHL last year. But still carries 'name' value as a #1 pick - look at how keen everyone is to sign him in this thread.

Kind of Cam Barker-ish in that regard IMO.

Holden would IMO be a 'good pro scouting' signing. Guy flying under the radar, never drafted, outstanding AHL player but has never been given an NHL chance so you don't really know what he's capable of at this level.

Minor signings will be key this offseason - they're really all we can make, and we'll have to make a lot of them and some of them will play fairly important roles by default. How good our pro scouting is will be paramount, and I'm very interested to see how we go with these sorts of signings.
 

Hardyvan123

tweet@HardyintheWack
Jul 4, 2010
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Any concerns that an organization that really knows D-men just let him walk as a 24 year old? I suppose 2-way at league minimum can't hurt anything...

I guess it could be but it also just might be s sign that the Preds have too many defensive prospects and not enough room too.

Absolutely, but sometimes players need a change of scenery. Also, it's not like we're going to offer him a huge contract, we're probably going to offer a one or two year deal for under $1M per.

Low risk, high reward.

I tend to agree with this.

Normally, I would agree with you, but in this case we're pretty much talking about our last $1M. Is Blum the guy we want to spend that on?

Like others have said we could always waive him and realistically what other options are there needing to be filled, other than a 3rd line center, which could very well be Bo at this point.
 

Free Edler

Enjoy retirement, boys.
Feb 27, 2002
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I will say this :

Blum strikes me as a 'bad pro scouting' signing. This guy was given massive opportunities to succeed, in the perfect team to develop as a defender, in Nashville. He failed for obvious reasons - small, weak, and ineffective. Wasn't even very good in the AHL last year. But still carries 'name' value as a #1 pick - look at how keen everyone is to sign him in this thread.

Kind of Cam Barker-ish in that regard IMO.
Cam Barker was the first guy who popped into my head when I thought of Blum. Not because he's on Barker's level in terms of being a draft bust (although he's quickly closing in on 'bust' territory) but because he hasn't really done anything for a while but will get a contract because of his name and the fact that he was a #1 pick. Barker at least spent multiple years as a regular on NHL teams, something Blum has failed to do thus far.

Holden is the polar opposite. He was undrafted, played his way up from Junior A to the Dub, up through the AHL and is now waiting for a shot in the NHL and he's precisely the type of defender this team needs, if his NHL game is anything like his AHL game.
 

Yossarian54

Registered User
Oct 12, 2011
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Perth, WA
Any concerns that an organization that really knows D-men just let him walk as a 24 year old? I suppose 2-way at league minimum can't hurt anything...

Even a one-way under 900k would work, as you can bury that in Utica if need be.

Definitely worth taking a chance on as a #7. I think Nashville's issue is that they have Weber, Josi, Klein, Jones and Ellis all ahead of him. While we have the same level of depth, we lack the real offensive potential they have in someone like Ellis.
 

Proto

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Jan 30, 2010
11,523
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I will say this :

Blum strikes me as a 'bad pro scouting' signing. This guy was given massive opportunities to succeed, in the perfect team to develop as a defender, in Nashville. He failed for obvious reasons - small, weak, and ineffective. Wasn't even very good in the AHL last year. But still carries 'name' value as a #1 pick - look at how keen everyone is to sign him in this thread.

Kind of Cam Barker-ish in that regard IMO.

Holden would IMO be a 'good pro scouting' signing. Guy flying under the radar, never drafted, outstanding AHL player but has never been given an NHL chance so you don't really know what he's capable of at this level.

Minor signings will be key this offseason - they're really all we can make, and we'll have to make a lot of them and some of them will play fairly important roles by default. How good our pro scouting is will be paramount, and I'm very interested to see how we go with these sorts of signings.

I'd probably sign both and put the best one on the team and if you lose the other one on waivers, so what. The team has some young options at the bottom of the defense, but they need depth.

I agree that Blum seems like a long shot, but probably an inconsequential risk. Worst case scenario he's a top pairing guy in Utica.
 

MS

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Mar 18, 2002
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Cam Barker was the first guy who popped into my head when I thought of Blum. Not because he's on Barker's level in terms of being a draft bust (although he's quickly closing in on 'bust' territory) but because he hasn't really done anything for a while but will get a contract because of his name and the fact that he was a #1 pick. Barker at least spent multiple years as a regular on NHL teams, something Blum has failed to do thus far.

Holden is the polar opposite. He was undrafted, played his way up from Junior A to the Dub, up through the AHL and is now waiting for a shot in the NHL and he's precisely the type of defender this team needs, if his NHL game is anything like his AHL game.

Yup, agreed completely.

It's amazing how many chances #1 picks get. And how teams think that they can somehow get results out of players who have completely flopped elsewhere.

It's slightly different with guys who actually made the NHL early and then under-achieved for a bit while still being relatively solid NHL players, but for guys like this who are nobodies/fringe players 5-6 years after being drafted, the success rate is next to zero.
 

CanucksOo

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Jul 29, 2006
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I will say this :

Blum strikes me as a 'bad pro scouting' signing. This guy was given massive opportunities to succeed, in the perfect team to develop as a defender, in Nashville. He failed for obvious reasons - small, weak, and ineffective. Wasn't even very good in the AHL last year. But still carries 'name' value as a #1 pick - look at how keen everyone is to sign him in this thread.

Kind of Cam Barker-ish in that regard IMO.

Holden would IMO be a 'good pro scouting' signing. Guy flying under the radar, never drafted, outstanding AHL player but has never been given an NHL chance so you don't really know what he's capable of at this level.

Minor signings will be key this offseason - they're really all we can make, and we'll have to make a lot of them and some of them will play fairly important roles by default. How good our pro scouting is will be paramount, and I'm very interested to see how we go with these sorts of signings.
This. Totally agree with the bolded.
 

vancityluongo

curse of the strombino
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Jul 8, 2006
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Makes Sense. Now I know what MS stands for.

:laugh: Seriously, someone get him a job as a pro scout for the Canucks.

I've actually wondered sometimes how some of the posters on here with a good grasp of the game would fare as pro scouts. Because the current Canucks ones don't seem to watch much hockey...
 

Outside99*

Guest
:laugh: Seriously, someone get him a job as a pro scout for the Canucks.

I've actually wondered sometimes how some of the posters on here with a good grasp of the game would fare as pro scouts. Because the current Canucks ones don't seem to watch much hockey...

Yeah he's pretty good.

What scares me is they'll pull another absolutely dreadful signing - like Gragnani, Sturm, Barker, Johnson - out of their *** and recommend it to MG just when the team can't afford that kind of cf.
 

mrbitterguy

Registered User
Sep 24, 2010
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san francisco
Blum strikes me as a 'bad pro scouting' signing.

Holden would IMO be a 'good pro scouting' signing.

this makes me certain that the team will sign blum because i have no faith in the pro scouting. just look at the list of pickups from the pro ranks over the last few years. they pick up guys like ballard, booth, oreskovitch, sturm, parent, barker, gragnani, and yes kassian. there's something wrong with how they evaluate players, and especially how players might fit into a role on the team. when the team signed barker last offseason i lost my ****. someone should be fired for that kind of crap.
 

Wilch

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Mar 29, 2010
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Would be nice if our pro scout stop placing so much value on draft pedigree.
 

iFan

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May 5, 2013
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I'm glad that we won't be in on the top ufa cause the contracts they'll get will be stupid, we don't need to overpay for a ufa, we have solid players here and in the system, I think Torts is what this core needs, someone to kick them in the ass and if he doesn't Sullivan will, we also need youth and the energy that young players bring, we don't need an past prime Iggy that's slowing down and will command big money, really if Booth can stay healthy he might be a better option, he had a ruff year but his season before was pretty solid, 20+ goal pace and 50ish pts pace, if he brings that to then he's a valuable player for us. Canucks really need health from Kesler, Booth and Edler if we get that that's a huge improvement to this team.
 

Verviticus

Registered User
Jul 23, 2010
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this makes me certain that the team will sign blum because i have no faith in the pro scouting. just look at the list of pickups from the pro ranks over the last few years. they pick up guys like ballard, booth, oreskovitch, sturm, parent, barker, gragnani, and yes kassian. there's something wrong with how they evaluate players, and especially how players might fit into a role on the team. when the team signed barker last offseason i lost my ****. someone should be fired for that kind of crap.

malhotra samuelsson demitra booth hamhuis garrison higgins ehrhoff lapirerre
 

absolute garbage

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Jan 22, 2006
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Holden reminds me a bit of Rome when the Canucks signed him. Actually a lot. Both from Columbus organization, at the same age, kind of stuck in the AHL for years even while playing solid, big minutes and scoring lot of points.

Could be a very good replacement for Rome and an upgrade over Alberts. Definitely my choice for the #7 defenceman.
 

orcatown

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Feb 13, 2003
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Saw quite a bit of Blum at the AHL level this season (seemed like the Wolves were always playing the Admirals). Can't say I was impressed. Started ok during the lockout but after he got back from Nashville looked very average. Most disappointing part was was so little offensive production.

However, might be that Trotz system and the overriding emphasis on defensive hockey might have stifled Blum. Blum looked best on the Giants when he was up forcing the play and joining the rush. This was not style that Nashville seems to prefer and it might be that Blum was a round peg being forced into a square hole. With a player like Blum I think you have to let him have a looser rein and let him exploit his hockey IQ and his creativity.

Also, Nashville has made some strange moves lately (such with the release of Halischuk and getting a flake like Kostitsyn) so maybe their dumping of Blum was premature.

Given last year you have to have your misgivings about Blum but certainly worth a look-see if the price and situation is right.


I don't see the comparisons to Barker since they don't play alike and Barker had more certainly established his incompetence by the the time the Canucks picked him up. Even at the AHL level Barker was clearly worse than Blum. Player that might resemble Blum IMO is someone like Lukas Krajicek. Probably, like Krajicek, Blum will get a number of looks to establish an NHL career. If the Canucks ever convert Blum into at least trade bait (such as Krajicek was) then getting him would be nothing but a positive.
 

Whale

Registered User
Jul 29, 2006
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Victoria
Not big on Blum.

We need a partner for Edler, it was an obvious problem last year, and not someone he has to babysit either. It reminds of when Burke traded for Malik, and he and Jovo became the top pairing in the league. To look back and think that Marek Malik was one half of one of the teams best ever defence pairing is just odd. He was just the right guy for the job.

And that is what we need. Someone who unleash Edler into an elite game controlling defenceman.

My vote last year was for Franson, and that was mocked, but he had a bit of a breakout season. Was hoping for Ellerby but that is off.

So my vote for the next Malik is Ryan O'Byrne. :help:

My prediction however is that we acquire a defenceman by trade.
 

hockeywoot

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Oct 29, 2010
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I'd take him for at or close to league minimum. No more.
Then Corrado, can ideally get top pairing minutes with Utica.

Low risk. Low to medium reward.
 

604

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Nov 1, 2011
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The interesting thing about Blum is that he held down the 2nd pair role in NSH two years ago. He actually regressed the year before last and was only good for a little while last year.

I think he'd actually be a great partner for Garrison which means we'd reunite Hamjuice...Edler + Tanev seems like a good fit too.
 
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