Pre-Game Talk: Gm 1 of 82. @ Oilers.

[Mr. Canucklehead]

I don’t know of many dmen in the league that couldn’t get caught flat footed by McDavid. No shame in it.

This.

Now, if they get torched by the rest of that Edmonton forward group...different story. Good Lord.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Their blueline is alot worse than ours.

'in the next few years'

 

[geebaan]

'in the next few years'

Even I’m on your side in this

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

From Daily faceoff...

Pac
Van: Sutter, Beagle
Ana: Henrique, Shore
Az: Soderberg, Richardson
Cgy: Ryan, Jankowski
Edm: Cave, Haas
LAK: Lizotte, Amadio
SJS: Thornton, Gambrell
VGK: Glass, Nosek

Cen
Chi: Kampt, Carpenter
Col: Compher, Bellemare
Dal: Faksa, Dowling
Min: Koivu, Eriksson Ek
Nas: Turris, Bonino
StL: Bozak, Sunqvist
Wpg: Lowry, Letestu

East
Bos: Coyle, Lindholm
Buf: Mittlestat, Larsson
Car: Haula, Wallmark
CBJ: Jenner, Nash
Det: Glendening, De la Rose
Fla: Borgstrom, Acciari
Mon: Kotkaniemi, Thomson
NJD: Zajac, Zacha
NYI: Brassard, Kuhnhackl
NYR: Howden, Andersson
Ott: Anisimov, Pageau
Phi: Laughton, Bunnaman
Pit: Bjugstad, Blueger
TBL: Johnson, Smith
Tor: Kerfoot, Spezza
Was: Stephenson, Dowd

That Nashville 3rd/4th line centre stands out...Turris $6M...Bonino $4M...

 

[DL44]

That Nashville 3rd/4th line centre stands out...Turris $6M...Bonino $4M...

The flip side has to the Oilers... I hadnt even heard of Cave and Haas before this preseason... must be min wage or ELC's...

 

[MadaCanuckle]

That Nashville 3rd/4th line centre stands out...Turris $6M...Bonino $4M...

When you have Duchene and Johansen as top 2 centers...

 

[Tables of Stats]

The flip side has to the Oilers... I hadnt even heard of Cave and Haas before this preseason... must be min wage or ELC's...

Cave played for the Bruins and Oilers last season. He's a 24-year-old undrafted center who brings nothing offensively and doesn't seem to move the needle defensively either. Filler junk on the level of what Schaller was last season but at center.

Hass is a 27-year-old center out of the Swiss league. He was a ~0.5 PPG player in a league where former NHL nobodies such as the esteemed Josh Holden can play at a near 1 PPG pace well into their late 3os. So a complete nobody who's very likely to provide less than nothing for the Oil.

 

[Hoghandler]

When you have Duchene and Johansen as top 2 centers...

Just over $26mil for their top 4 centremen.

 

[Hit the post]

'in the next few years'

Their blueline will still be worse than our *IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS*.

You've been listening to St. Anger too much.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Their blueline will still be worse than our *IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS*.

You've been listening to St. Anger too much.

Why would the Canucks blueline be better than the Oilers in a few years?..Edler,Tanev,Myers aren't getting any younger?

 

[Hit the post]

Why would the Canucks blueline be better than the Oilers in a few years?..Edler,Tanev,Myers aren't getting any younger?

I might not like the contract, but I don't think Myers will fall of the cliff in the next few years in terms of performance.

Jimbo didn't deal a 1st line forward for a #4 (re: Myers vs Larssen).

Plus those aging D vets will be better for helping to insulate Hughes. Oilers don't have that luxory with their D prospects.

 

[Addison Rae]

I might not like the contract, but I don't think Myers will fall of the cliff in the next few years in terms of performance.

Jimbo didn't deal a 1st line forward for a #4 (re: Myers vs Larssen).

Plus those aging D vets will be better for helping to insulate Hughes. Oilers don't have that luxory with their D prospects.

Edmonton has Klefbom, Larsson and Nurse (who are better than the Canucks top 3) so how exactly can they not insulate Broberg and Bouchard?

 

[canucksfan]

Oilers wingers are just pathetic. Imagine if McDavid had first line wingers.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Oilers wingers are just pathetic. Imagine if McDavid had first line wingers.

Taylor who..?

 

[The Iron Goalie]

Oilers wingers are just pathetic. Imagine if McDavid had first line wingers.

Taylor Hall, Filip Forsberg, and Mathew Tkachuk please stand up!

 

[Hit the post]

Edmonton has Klefbom, Larsson and Nurse (who are better than the Canucks top 3) so how exactly can they not insulate Broberg and Bouchard?

I don't consider those three better than our top 3 (perhaps in a couple years sure).

 

[Aqualung]

Once Roussell is healthy, I’d like to see a bottom six like this:

Roussell Gaudette Leivo
Motte/Schaller Beagle Virtanen

with hopefully Sutter traded away and Eriksson shot out of a canon.

Although even then I don’t see much of a performance improvement except we put a young player in a position to play and gain cap relief.

 

[DL44]

Edmonton has Klefbom, Larsson and Nurse (who are better than the Canucks top 3) so how exactly can they not insulate Broberg and Bouchard?

Klefbom is a good player... I like him.
Nurse is Sbisa with a better shot, and slightly fewer puck gaffes... huge toolbox, not enough IQ.
Larson is a healthier more physical Tanev... a defensive dman only with less IQ and skating ability.

 

[PG Canuck]

Just over $26mil for their top 4 centremen.

thats 11M more than our four grinders in our bottom 6. Not bad for Nashville if you ask me

 

[sandwichbird2023]

Guess $10.9 mill in cap spending only gets you so much.

We can laugh all we want about the Marner contract, but then we are paying more for our 4th line, so jokes on us.
As for the game, I'm excited to get the season going. I think we lose a tight one on the road, 4-3 OTL. McDavid with a 4 point game to start the season (probably 4 unassisted goals by the look of his linemates).

 

[PuckMunchkin]

And looking at their roster it's hard to comprehend how they're up against the cap ceiling, when unlike us they're spending relatively little on their bottom six. Also ironically for the high profile trades Chiarelli messed up his Scrivens for Kassian trade I think is a better value deal than anything Benning has been able to pull off.

Gudbranson for Pearsson comes to mind.

 

[PG Canuck]

Gudbranson for Pearsson comes to mind.

some real league winner trades right there. Probably a good reason both these teams suck still.

I miss when I hated the oilers

 

[VintageBure]

I feel like Edler Tanev and Hughes Myers works better.

 

[DL44]

I feel like Edler Tanev and Hughes Myers works better.

Maybe at home. Your pairings seem slightly less balanced to me. But I would definitely like to see your pairings when we have more control of matchups.

Yeay? Ney ?

 

[Nucker101]

The bottom 6 definitely is a bit of a buzz kill. Was looking forward to seeing a top 9 that looks dangerous offensively with Gaudette as the 3LC and Sven on his wing. Now we have a decent top 6 and what looks to be a random mix of bottom 6 players, there's no clear role/cohesion in that bottom 6.

I would be much more excited for tomorrow if these were the lines:

Ferland - Pettersson - Boeser
Pearson - Horvat - Miller
Baertschi - Gaudette - Leivo
Virtanen - Beagle - Sutter

With the following usage from favourable to least favourable in terms of zone starts and line matching.

T-1) 1st Line
T-1) 3rd Line
3) 2nd Line
4) 4th Line


I'm also not a huge fan of Edler -Myers, I'd go:

Hughes - Tanev
Edler - Stecher
Benn - Myers