Speculation: Fantasy GM and Rumor Roundup Thread | "Trader Jim" gearing up for TDL

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

They aren't standing pat. Rutherford's comments (and Rutherford's history) make that pretty clear. They aren't chasing an 8% playoffs chance. They aren't in earshot. They aren't close. And they aren't stupid like the previous GM.

Allvin was hired barely a week ago. They're still doing evaluations. They're still touching base with agents and doing cap and contract projections. They're still formulating a plan for specifically what they're going to do.

While they're still planning, there is absolutely nothing to be gained by pre-advertising a fire sale. Just stand behind the team for the time being and give some lip service to being competitive. Don't disappoint fans who are still buying tickets quite yet. Maybe build some worry in other GMs that JT Miller won't be moved.

I have very little doubt that we'll start to see some significant moves before February is over.

“As for creating cap space, Rutherford played down the rumours that the Canucks could move a big name at the trade deadline.
“We don't start those rumours, okay,” he said. “And then when a name is thrown out there, especially in Canada, it takes on a life of its own. So, I don't think that the names that are out there, people should automatically think that they're going to move. We do have to make some kind of moves to get some flexibility cap-wise, but it doesn't necessarily have to be with our top players.”

Did you even listen to the podcast or are you making this up as you go along..?

They are not chasing an 8% playoff chance,but he’s not going to kibosh it either if they are close..

 

[Buresflyingelbow]

I wonder if the league grants us another buyout due to Virtanen and his proceedings? Would help us out largely if it was a contract termination and he was off the books next year.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

That comment is actually more damning considering how bad the Canucks were last year.

It's obvious hyperbole, he's not actually comparing them to finals teams. It's just gesturing at this pile of misfits and noting that our spending structure does not have any correlation to how good the team is, and therefore we need major surgery

Obviously it’s damning to fans who hate the roster..that’s not the way JR implied it.

There’s no argument that the team needs to be reconfigured..

 

[xtra]

Obviously it’s damning to fans who hate the roster..that’s not the way JR implied it.

There’s no argument that the team needs to be reconfigured..

It’s also all roses for poster like you who have a hard on for benning still.


Rutherford hasn’t made one move yet in either direction; I’ll bet anything he’s moving out two major pieces by the deadline

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

It’s also all roses for poster like you who have a hard on for benning still.


Rutherford hasn’t made one move yet in either direction; I’ll bet anything he’s moving out two major pieces by the deadline

Lol..Benning deserved to get fired..(as did Gillis and most of the other former Canuck GMs) This thread has nothing to do with him

You need to come up with some original thoughts.on JRs interview,and be specific about it..Or back up what you're saying...You’re just parroting the status quo here

 

[VanJack]

Let's face it, when you scan this Canuck roster there really aren't a lot of 'tradeable players' who'd bring much of a return. Garland and Miller are about the only two. You might throw in Motte, but as a third-fourth liner, he wouldn't fetch much. And all Halak or Hamonic would get you is a late round draft pick.

When you delete the 'untouchables' like Hughes, Pettersson, Horvat and Demko, Podkolzin, Hoglander etc., the list of other players that teams might be interested in slims down considerable. Either their contracts or too onerous or they weren't that good to begin with.

So if Rutherford is going to make 'big changes' he has to hit a home run with Miller and Garland. The problem will be that if the Canucks are still sniffing around the playoff bar by mid-March, it'll be pretty hard for him to blow up the roster.

But if he does, I guess the key to a rebuild is accepting 'short term pain' for 'long term gain'.

 

[Canucker]

“As for creating cap space, Rutherford played down the rumours that the Canucks could move a big name at the trade deadline.
“We don't start those rumours, okay,” he said. “And then when a name is thrown out there, especially in Canada, it takes on a life of its own. So, I don't think that the names that are out there, people should automatically think that they're going to move. We do have to make some kind of moves to get some flexibility cap-wise, but it doesn't necessarily have to be with our top players.”

Did you even listen to the podcast or are you making this up as you go along..?

They are not chasing an 8% playoff chance,but he’s not going to kibosh it either if they are close..

It sounded to me like he was pretty aware of their current situation, being a pretty big longshot to make it to the post-season...and that he was going to roll along and give them some opportunity to see if they can take a run at it, but the reality is that 1) changes need to be made to be more cap flexible, and 2) they need to get better and need to re-stock the cupboards...I think they'd need to be FAR, FAR better than a 10% chance of making the playoffs to keep them from at the very least "re-tooling" at the deadline.

 

[Peter10]

Seemed pretty clear what he was talking about...
-The Canucks are 'past' the rebuild cycle, but not yet at the SC contender level.. getting close.

He never said that this is a team that can consistently compete (for the cup)..He does think that this team is good enough to make the playoffs...and that is his primary focus right now.

If it wasn't for the insurmountable pit the Canucks put themselves in earlier this season...They would comfortably be in a playoff spot.

This doesnt make sense.

And no, the Canucks are nowhere near being close to to SC contender level. They are maybe close to a playoff contender if you are putting a lot of good will into it.

 

[ziploc]

Let's face it, when you scan this Canuck roster there really aren't a lot of 'tradeable players' who'd bring much of a return. Garland and Miller are about the only two. You might throw in Motte, but as a third-fourth liner, he wouldn't fetch much. And all Halak or Hamonic would get you is a late round draft pick.

When you delete the 'untouchables' like Hughes, Pettersson, Horvat and Demko, Podkolzin, Hoglander etc., the list of other players that teams might be interested in slims down considerable. Either their contracts or too onerous or they weren't that good to begin with.

So if Rutherford is going to make 'big changes' he has to hit a home run with Miller and Garland. The problem will be that if the Canucks are still sniffing around the playoff bar by mid-March, it'll be pretty hard for him to blow up the roster.

But if he does, I guess the key to a rebuild is accepting 'short term pain' for 'long term gain'.

Disagree in part. Motte could be considered a seriously valuable add-on to a playoff team, and with an expiring contract. I would not be surprised at all for him to return a second. Worse players have been traded for more. Hamonic is a wild card. His health/travel situation is so up in the air. Mid-round pick I would think. Halak could be worth more as a backup upgrade or even a 1a. And I'm not totally convinced that Horvat isn't on the block either.

At any rate, the two biggest pieces are definitely Miller and Garland, but there are other trades available, and some creativity could also see a few other surprise players moved.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

It sounded to me like he was pretty aware of their current situation, being a pretty big longshot to make it to the post-season...and that he was going to roll along and give them some opportunity to see if they can take a run at it, but the reality is that 1) changes need to be made to be more cap flexible, and 2) they need to get better and need to re-stock the cupboards...I think they'd need to be FAR, FAR better than a 10% chance of making the playoffs to keep them from at the very least "re-tooling" at the deadline.

Completely agree…

 

[Melvin]

Not doing anything for 2 months is the best stretch of GMing we've had in 8 years.

 

[Peter Griffin]

Not doing anything for 2 months is the best stretch of GMing we've had in 8 years.

Just think how much better this franchise would be right now if Benning did absolutely nothing this off-season.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

This doesnt make sense.

And no, the Canucks are nowhere near being close to to SC contender level. They are maybe close to a playoff contender if you are putting a lot of good will into it.

I don’t know what’s getting lost in translation..nobody is saying they are a SC contender..
“Rutherford was clear: there’s work to do but the team is not that far from contending.
“We're certainly not starting from scratch. There's a lot of good players there,” said Rutherford before dismissing the idea of a full-blown rebuild.
“If you look at the teams that did a total rebuild, it's nice to see those teams doing well now but everybody forgets about the four or five years they had to go through of tough years to get there,” he said. “I would like to think, with the players we have, that this team can be retooled.”

 

[Qwijibo]

I wonder if the league grants us another buyout due to Virtanen and his proceedings? Would help us out largely if it was a contract termination and he was off the books next year.

He was already bought out. End of story. You can’t go back and retroactively void a contract that’s already been terminated via buyout

 

[tyhee]

... all ... Hamonic would get you is a late round draft pick. ...

... Hamonic is a wild card. His health/travel situation is so up in the air. Mid-round pick I would think. ...

I can imagine a really bad contract coming back (so we gain nothing) or a rebuilding team with extra cap space taking his contract if the Canucks sweetened the deal with a mid-round pick, but otherwise I can't imagine any reason why an acquiring team would give anything to acquire the right to pay Travis Hamonic $3.25 million next season (cap hit $3 million) to maybe play a few games of hockey, given whatever personal demons have kept him out of the lineup much of the past two seasons.

Even though on the rare occasions he's available he can still play a little, imo his trade value is considerably less than nothing.

 

[Vector]

Not doing anything for 2 months is the best stretch of GMing we've had in 8 years.

I also don’t have an impending sense of doom like before. Nor do I feel like I’m watching a car crash.

 

[Canadian Canuck]

If Rutherford and Allvin think this team might be a contender in potentially two years, then they are idiots.

The team f***ing sucks.

If they end up keeping Miller, Boeser and the like while only dealing the likes of Garland, Pearson and (hopefully) Poolman, then that doesn’t do anything.

I get it’s likely posturing but Jesus, major changes are required to be an actual cup contender.

And it’s sure as hell going to take longer than 2 years.

They’re not idiots. Fans need to get used to our GM and president not being an open book to the media like Benning was lmao

 

[StreetHawk]

I can imagine a really bad contract coming back (so we gain nothing) or a rebuilding team with extra cap space taking his contract if the Canucks sweetened the deal with a mid-round pick, but otherwise I can't imagine any reason why and acquiring team would give anything to acquire the right to pay Travis Hamonic $3.25 million next season (cap hit $3 million) to maybe play a few games of hockey, given whatever personal demons have kept him out of the lineup much of the past two seasons.

Even though on the rare occasions he's available he can still play a little, imo his trade value is considerably less than nothing.

Guys with term like Hamonic aren’t going to be moved at the TDL. Contenders can’t afford to have Hamonic on the books for $3 mill next season.

that makes Hamonic an off season move where middle of the pack teams will take him on for 1 year. Pearson and Dickinson would fall into this category as well.

people just need to have some patience and recognize that there is a time and place to make roster moves. Does it serve the Canucks to retain on these 3 guys just to send them to a contender at the tdl vs wait for the off season and open up the number of teams that they can be moved to? With the hopes of not taking back contract or at least work out a hockey trade.

 

[tyhee]

Guys with term like Hamonic aren’t going to be moved at the TDL. Contenders can’t afford to have Hamonic on the books for $3 mill next season.

that makes Hamonic an off season move where middle of the pack teams will take him on for 1 year. Pearson and Dickinson would fall into this category as well.

people just need to have some patience and recognize that there is a time and place to make roster moves. Does it serve the Canucks to retain on these 3 guys just to send them to a contender at the tdl vs wait for the off season and open up the number of teams that they can be moved to? With the hopes of not taking back contract or at least work out a hockey trade.

My point wasn't intended to be about timing. I just don't see, unless some really compelling reason pops up to indicate his personal issues are over, why the !#*@& anybody would give an asset for the right to pay Hamonic to probably not play much hockey, now or this offseason. I think the Canucks would have to pay to move him.

 

[MS]

“As for creating cap space, Rutherford played down the rumours that the Canucks could move a big name at the trade deadline.
“We don't start those rumours, okay,” he said. “And then when a name is thrown out there, especially in Canada, it takes on a life of its own. So, I don't think that the names that are out there, people should automatically think that they're going to move. We do have to make some kind of moves to get some flexibility cap-wise, but it doesn't necessarily have to be with our top players.”

Did you even listen to the podcast or are you making this up as you go along..?

They are not chasing an 8% playoff chance,but he’s not going to kibosh it either if they are close..

Because he's not Jim Benning, he isn't going to erode his bargaining positions by telling everyone he's running a fire sale on his top players.

Trading Tucker Poolman isn't alleviating their cap problems. And even then ... that would still be selling.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Because he's not Jim Benning, he isn't going to erode his bargaining positions by telling everyone he's running a fire sale on his top players.

Trading Tucker Poolman isn't alleviating their cap problems. And even then ... that would still be selling.

Nobody is saying he is Jim Benning (that ship has sailed)..but conversely, JR doesn't strike me as a kind of person thats going to mislead, or give 'lip service' to the fans , to avoid eroding his bargaining power (and he's outright said that it may not involve his top players)....What JR said yesterday is not the same take he had on the team 2 months ago.

You're getting a 180 different take on what the man says, ....than what I'm hearing.

 

[JanBulisPiggyBack]

Hamonic is 10 times more movable then Tucker Poolman

Hamonic is a decent hockey player who makes around what he should be making, his status is the most annoying part, Poolman has 3 more years of overpaid

 

[MS]

Nobody is saying he is Jim Benning (that ship has sailed)..but conversely, JR doesn't strike me as a kind of person thats going to mislead, or give 'lip service' to the fans , to avoid eroding his bargaining power (and he's outright said that it may not involve his top players)....What JR said yesterday is not the same take he had on the team 2 months ago.

You're getting a 180 different take on what the man says, ....than what I'm hearing.

Rutherford literally said a few days ago that it was a terrible position to be a non-playoff team at the cap and that salary needed to be cleared out. It doesn't get much clearer than that.

He's talked about obvious non-playoff moves like brining in NCAA free agents down the stretch.

He's done nothing to patch up the obvious holes in the roster with short-term fixes.

He's said that they hope to turn things around in a couple years. Everything they're doing is consistent with that aside from a small amount of lip service to not quitting on the playoffs (and their minute chances) yet.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Hamonic is 10 times more movable then Tucker Poolman

Hamonic is a decent hockey player who makes around what he should be making, his status is the most annoying part, Poolman has 3 more years of overpaid

No one wants Harmonica.

Because no one knows where he is

 

[bandwagonesque]

I think the direction depends on what JR can get for the players he's open to moving but that it's more likely to be a pretty significant retool than a push for the playoffs. Pushing for the playoffs hasn't necessarily been ruled out but the team is spending more time preparing for other contingencies, as they should. It's great to see a functioning front office that is engaged with reality and not best-case scenarios.