Now that camp is opening time it’s appropriate to review the Canuck off-season. It should be noted from the start that past bungling played a major role in the team not being able to better exploit possibilities offered by the cap freeze. If they did not have all the dead cap space and bloated obligations resulting from past moves they would have been in a tremendous position to take advantage of the cheaper contracts to younger, key players. If free of poor contracts to players like Eriksson, they might have becomes legit contenders. Also, important to understand that little pre-panning went into many of the moves such as getting Schmidt to compensate for the loss of Tanev. Still, in some cases, management was able to jump on situations to make improvements and this needs to be acknowledged as well.
1. Loss of Markstrom – can never be great if you’re giving up your MVP. Markstrom was tremendous the last couple of years and it is unlikely the team gets a sniff at the playoffs without Markstrom totally stealing games. Really a direct result of the botched cap situation and a big black eye on Canuck management.
Yet the loss was, in part, compensated for with the signing of Holtby. Doubt Holtby, at this time, is as good as Markstrom but he has been a more than bona NHL goaltender in the past and provides stability.
Other considerations include:
- Markstrom was getting injuries and you wonder about making a long term commitment here (6 years is probably too long and the Canucks needed to avoided that)
- Demko needs the game time to develop and Markstrom to Demko move was likely at some point. If so, then probably better to start process sooner than later. Also it was encouraging that the team, for once, was thinking long term
- if Markstrom had been signed then Demko could have been moved to get help elsewhere
- not really related to judging Benning and co. but unfortunate he went to a direct competitor who instantly got their goal tending issues dealt with.
- team would have lost Demko to Kracken for nothing if he wasn't moved
Grade - C
2. Acquisition of Holtby – doubt created by the downturn in his play and injury history takes the luster of this signing. Still, not long ago, he was viewed as top end goalie and he played a lot last year. If he gets back to play of a couple of years ago this will be a huge win. Moreover, with Markstrom gone, his acquisition was crucial. Another favorable factor is that he likely goes to the Kracken and that allows the team to retain someone else.
Grade B
3. Loss of Tanev – key loss. Tanev was great with Hughes and helped Quinn excel in his rookie year. Could say, on the other hand that Hughes would be good with anyone (and play with Schenn would be evidence of that). Still Canuck will be forced to find someone to partner as well with Hughes as Tanev did. Moreover, Tanev was very important on the PK , in getting the puck out of his zone, in shot blocking and in being a leader and valued teammate.
Yet, it has to be recognized that Tanev has had a scary injury history and at least fans won’t have to watch other teams key on Tanev and pound him to death along the end boards anymore.
Grade - C-
4. Schmidt for a 3rd. - based on everything we know at this time a slam dunk for the Canucks. Trade might have been as good a move, league-wide, as there was this off season. Player was pivotal on a very good team and probably their best all-round defense man. (as he likely is on the Canucks presently) Also seemed very popular and a vocal leader. Don’t like giving up more draft choices but will give up a 3rd every day and twice on Sunday for a player like Schmidt.
Grade A +
5. Loss of Stecher – Has been a consistent plus player for the team, was showing an increasing ability to put up points and often paired decently with Edler. There have been times when he gotten abused around his net and had been less than stellar taking players coming off the side boards or from behind the net but he does compete. Would say he is still no more than 3rd pairing player but there was some upside. His loss was important and you wonder if the team could have finessed the situation to get him back at reasonable price considering what he took in Detroit.
Grade C-
6. PTO to Hamonic – like in so many of the situations it is easy to get into trade-offs such as Markstrom for Holtby, Tanev for Schmidt. Here might be that the hopeful acquisition of Hamonic makes up for, or more than makes up for, the loss of Stecher. Will need to know terms if this deal done to fully assess that. But, on its own, this deal (if it is realized) provides the team with good veteran depth on defense. Moreover, if Hamonic can get back to form he showed a couple of years ago (never thought Hamonic was good again after the beating Gudbranson gave him) this move could be a tremendous steal.
Grade – tentative B
7. Signing of Rathbone – everything suggest big upside at this point. Nice to get rid of the worry that he would sign elsewhere and he provides some long term hope for the defense. Interesting to see his progress in camp.
Grade – B+
8. Signing Brisebois, Saunter and Chatfield - Hopefully, one of these players can break through and establish themselves in the NHL. Most likely none of them do and probably they end up as journey men AHLers. However, team does need some depth and some bodies to man the back end in Utica. Only signing you might really quibble about is Saunter who showed zero growth in his game last year.
Grade C
9. Signing Michaelis as an NCAA free agent – player that has good hands and some quickness. Doubt that he has the size or skating to survive in the NHL but taking a flyer on player ranked as one of the best NCAA free agents is never a bad thing. Like found money if you hit on one of them.
Grade C+
10. Signing Lockwood – another player that stuck with the Canucks rather than exercising his option to go to some other team. Illustrated, as other deals with their college players, that the team does a good job of following up on their college players and keeping them in the fold.
Grade C+
11. Losing Tofolli – type of short term deal that always had the chance of blowing up in their faces. Never was, IMO, the type of deal a rebuilding team should be making. Loss of Madden and the 2nd was absolutely not balanced by what Tofolli brought in the playoffs (although the injury makes this a little unfair). Also, it was obvious at the time of the deal that cap was not going up eliminating much chance you could keep Tofolli. Loss of Tofolli creates a void on the top two lines and this appears a critical shortcoming heading into the season.
Grade E
12. Signing Virtanen – if you just go off goals and points salary looks appropriate. However, if you factor in the wild inconsistency in his play, his dismal playoff effort, you have to see his contract as on the high side. (especially when you factor in covid prices) Once again he probably gets, undeservingly, a chance to be in the top 6 and I don’t see how many can have much confidence he is going to do much with it. At 24, it is getting to be last chance time for Jake to establish himself as anything like an upper tier NHL player. In the circumstances, Virtanen likely had to be retained but you do wonder if the Canucks should have dealt him already and recouped something better for this high end draft choice
Grade C-
13. MacEwen signed – given what he has shown to date, good move by the Canucks. Provides needed size and speed if nothing else. If he can play up to the standard he showed at certain points last season on the 4th line, he is worth the contract. Can be some limited hope that he will be a break out player this year.
Grade B
14. Gaudette signed – don’t see him turning out as NHL center. His defensive coverage is wholly inadequate and he doesn’t distribute the puck well enough. Lots of high energy but futile running around and shows no ability to pace himself into game. Gives himself so little chance to read the play which is a massive flaw in his game. Might, as has been suggested for years, turn out on the wing but force feeding him into a center role doesn't seem to be working. Maybe another who should have been probably traded while there may have been a market for him.
Grade C-
15. Motte signed – player showed in the playoffs that he is an excellent penalty killer and fore checker. Moreover, looked like he had some offense as well. If he continues like this, and there is little to suggest he won’t, he becomes a bargain. One of the best stories on the team last season.
Grade A
16. Hoglander signed – not so much, as with Rathbone, a commentary on off-season moves as it is about Canuck drafting. No doubt this has improved since the awful years of the past and there can be legitimate hope that players like Hoglander can be long term contributors. Seems like a player who is good from the dots down but still needs some considerable work in his overall game.
Grade C
17. Hawryluk signed – fringe player who seems to have topped out in minor league hockey. Has a very determined approach and is willing to mix it up. However, given his size this may be a prescription for spending considerable time on the LTIR. At 25, any break out is extremely unlikely. Benning seems to have fallen in love with this player years ago and Hawryluk may provide good insight into Benning’s scouting abilities. On a two way, minimal contract so this helps eliminate Hawryluck being the kind of disaster other such signings have been in past years.
Grade C
18 Gravoac, Bailey resigned – basically minor league depth replacement players. Did enough in their stints with the Canucks to deserve these contracts and, in the case, of Bailey play in Utica creates some hope he could contribute with the Canucks.
Grade C
19 Attempts to unload Eriksson, Baertschi and maybe Sutter. Always a completely forlorn hope that the team could get out from under these awful contracts. Benning talking openly about trying to do this is one of those circumstances that causes many of us to seriously question Benning power to think rationally or, for that matter, think at all. Best hope here is that Benning has learned his lesson and steers clear of such hideous brain farts in future.
Grade – non-starter so hard to say much of anything about a grade.
20. Sutter not bought out. Another non-move that surely needed to be made. Canucks could have got substantial cap relief here providing for more forward depth to be added. Hard to see what Sutter can provide on any sort of sustained basis at the present time.
Grade D
21. Not signing Tryamkin – looked like a very real possibility for a time but here again the team got bit in the ass by poor previous decisions. Would have been better to get Tryamkin to Vancouver so he could develop his North American game. The longer you leave a player in Russia the harder the transition seems to be. Still a chance they can get Tryamkin if they can get their cap situation improved by next off –season or maybe even sometime during the latter part of this season if all the complications can be worked out.
Grade D.
Kielly resigned – seems destined for the ECHL -although right now maybe the back up in Utica. Really a non-consideration. Can always tell his grand children he got on NHL score sheet.
Overall Grade
Throughout the off season seemed like it was one step backward , one step forward. Ultimately the team seemed to have come out ok. Some key players were lost but in most cases adequate, and sometimes more than adequate replacements, appeared to have been acquired. The main case where this wasn’t true, was the loss of Tofolli and that loss really reduces management’s off-season grade. Moreover nothing was done to improve scoring from the bottom six. In the end, I think the main thing to conclude about this off-season was it represented an opportunity lost. With players like Hughes and Pettersson still on the entry contracts the team should have had a chance to add some quality help while not losing much in the process. But this was squandered by past, stop gap moves that ultimately did little to improve the team in the short term while handicapping it in the long term.
However, it did seem the club firmed up a basis for future moves. Long term acquisitions such as Schmidt shore up the back end. Moreover, there were none of the hugely bloated, long term deals that screw up your future. There was even a sense that the team had finally learned their lesson and putting more emphasis on the future. This, if true, would be the most welcome development and represent an important change in club’s philosophy and direction.
Canucks grade (based just on the moves and non moves made and not made) C+
1. Loss of Markstrom – can never be great if you’re giving up your MVP. Markstrom was tremendous the last couple of years and it is unlikely the team gets a sniff at the playoffs without Markstrom totally stealing games. Really a direct result of the botched cap situation and a big black eye on Canuck management.
Yet the loss was, in part, compensated for with the signing of Holtby. Doubt Holtby, at this time, is as good as Markstrom but he has been a more than bona NHL goaltender in the past and provides stability.
Other considerations include:
- Markstrom was getting injuries and you wonder about making a long term commitment here (6 years is probably too long and the Canucks needed to avoided that)
- Demko needs the game time to develop and Markstrom to Demko move was likely at some point. If so, then probably better to start process sooner than later. Also it was encouraging that the team, for once, was thinking long term
- if Markstrom had been signed then Demko could have been moved to get help elsewhere
- not really related to judging Benning and co. but unfortunate he went to a direct competitor who instantly got their goal tending issues dealt with.
- team would have lost Demko to Kracken for nothing if he wasn't moved
Grade - C
2. Acquisition of Holtby – doubt created by the downturn in his play and injury history takes the luster of this signing. Still, not long ago, he was viewed as top end goalie and he played a lot last year. If he gets back to play of a couple of years ago this will be a huge win. Moreover, with Markstrom gone, his acquisition was crucial. Another favorable factor is that he likely goes to the Kracken and that allows the team to retain someone else.
Grade B
3. Loss of Tanev – key loss. Tanev was great with Hughes and helped Quinn excel in his rookie year. Could say, on the other hand that Hughes would be good with anyone (and play with Schenn would be evidence of that). Still Canuck will be forced to find someone to partner as well with Hughes as Tanev did. Moreover, Tanev was very important on the PK , in getting the puck out of his zone, in shot blocking and in being a leader and valued teammate.
Yet, it has to be recognized that Tanev has had a scary injury history and at least fans won’t have to watch other teams key on Tanev and pound him to death along the end boards anymore.
Grade - C-
4. Schmidt for a 3rd. - based on everything we know at this time a slam dunk for the Canucks. Trade might have been as good a move, league-wide, as there was this off season. Player was pivotal on a very good team and probably their best all-round defense man. (as he likely is on the Canucks presently) Also seemed very popular and a vocal leader. Don’t like giving up more draft choices but will give up a 3rd every day and twice on Sunday for a player like Schmidt.
Grade A +
5. Loss of Stecher – Has been a consistent plus player for the team, was showing an increasing ability to put up points and often paired decently with Edler. There have been times when he gotten abused around his net and had been less than stellar taking players coming off the side boards or from behind the net but he does compete. Would say he is still no more than 3rd pairing player but there was some upside. His loss was important and you wonder if the team could have finessed the situation to get him back at reasonable price considering what he took in Detroit.
Grade C-
6. PTO to Hamonic – like in so many of the situations it is easy to get into trade-offs such as Markstrom for Holtby, Tanev for Schmidt. Here might be that the hopeful acquisition of Hamonic makes up for, or more than makes up for, the loss of Stecher. Will need to know terms if this deal done to fully assess that. But, on its own, this deal (if it is realized) provides the team with good veteran depth on defense. Moreover, if Hamonic can get back to form he showed a couple of years ago (never thought Hamonic was good again after the beating Gudbranson gave him) this move could be a tremendous steal.
Grade – tentative B
7. Signing of Rathbone – everything suggest big upside at this point. Nice to get rid of the worry that he would sign elsewhere and he provides some long term hope for the defense. Interesting to see his progress in camp.
Grade – B+
8. Signing Brisebois, Saunter and Chatfield - Hopefully, one of these players can break through and establish themselves in the NHL. Most likely none of them do and probably they end up as journey men AHLers. However, team does need some depth and some bodies to man the back end in Utica. Only signing you might really quibble about is Saunter who showed zero growth in his game last year.
Grade C
9. Signing Michaelis as an NCAA free agent – player that has good hands and some quickness. Doubt that he has the size or skating to survive in the NHL but taking a flyer on player ranked as one of the best NCAA free agents is never a bad thing. Like found money if you hit on one of them.
Grade C+
10. Signing Lockwood – another player that stuck with the Canucks rather than exercising his option to go to some other team. Illustrated, as other deals with their college players, that the team does a good job of following up on their college players and keeping them in the fold.
Grade C+
11. Losing Tofolli – type of short term deal that always had the chance of blowing up in their faces. Never was, IMO, the type of deal a rebuilding team should be making. Loss of Madden and the 2nd was absolutely not balanced by what Tofolli brought in the playoffs (although the injury makes this a little unfair). Also, it was obvious at the time of the deal that cap was not going up eliminating much chance you could keep Tofolli. Loss of Tofolli creates a void on the top two lines and this appears a critical shortcoming heading into the season.
Grade E
12. Signing Virtanen – if you just go off goals and points salary looks appropriate. However, if you factor in the wild inconsistency in his play, his dismal playoff effort, you have to see his contract as on the high side. (especially when you factor in covid prices) Once again he probably gets, undeservingly, a chance to be in the top 6 and I don’t see how many can have much confidence he is going to do much with it. At 24, it is getting to be last chance time for Jake to establish himself as anything like an upper tier NHL player. In the circumstances, Virtanen likely had to be retained but you do wonder if the Canucks should have dealt him already and recouped something better for this high end draft choice
Grade C-
13. MacEwen signed – given what he has shown to date, good move by the Canucks. Provides needed size and speed if nothing else. If he can play up to the standard he showed at certain points last season on the 4th line, he is worth the contract. Can be some limited hope that he will be a break out player this year.
Grade B
14. Gaudette signed – don’t see him turning out as NHL center. His defensive coverage is wholly inadequate and he doesn’t distribute the puck well enough. Lots of high energy but futile running around and shows no ability to pace himself into game. Gives himself so little chance to read the play which is a massive flaw in his game. Might, as has been suggested for years, turn out on the wing but force feeding him into a center role doesn't seem to be working. Maybe another who should have been probably traded while there may have been a market for him.
Grade C-
15. Motte signed – player showed in the playoffs that he is an excellent penalty killer and fore checker. Moreover, looked like he had some offense as well. If he continues like this, and there is little to suggest he won’t, he becomes a bargain. One of the best stories on the team last season.
Grade A
16. Hoglander signed – not so much, as with Rathbone, a commentary on off-season moves as it is about Canuck drafting. No doubt this has improved since the awful years of the past and there can be legitimate hope that players like Hoglander can be long term contributors. Seems like a player who is good from the dots down but still needs some considerable work in his overall game.
Grade C
17. Hawryluk signed – fringe player who seems to have topped out in minor league hockey. Has a very determined approach and is willing to mix it up. However, given his size this may be a prescription for spending considerable time on the LTIR. At 25, any break out is extremely unlikely. Benning seems to have fallen in love with this player years ago and Hawryluk may provide good insight into Benning’s scouting abilities. On a two way, minimal contract so this helps eliminate Hawryluck being the kind of disaster other such signings have been in past years.
Grade C
18 Gravoac, Bailey resigned – basically minor league depth replacement players. Did enough in their stints with the Canucks to deserve these contracts and, in the case, of Bailey play in Utica creates some hope he could contribute with the Canucks.
Grade C
19 Attempts to unload Eriksson, Baertschi and maybe Sutter. Always a completely forlorn hope that the team could get out from under these awful contracts. Benning talking openly about trying to do this is one of those circumstances that causes many of us to seriously question Benning power to think rationally or, for that matter, think at all. Best hope here is that Benning has learned his lesson and steers clear of such hideous brain farts in future.
Grade – non-starter so hard to say much of anything about a grade.
20. Sutter not bought out. Another non-move that surely needed to be made. Canucks could have got substantial cap relief here providing for more forward depth to be added. Hard to see what Sutter can provide on any sort of sustained basis at the present time.
Grade D
21. Not signing Tryamkin – looked like a very real possibility for a time but here again the team got bit in the ass by poor previous decisions. Would have been better to get Tryamkin to Vancouver so he could develop his North American game. The longer you leave a player in Russia the harder the transition seems to be. Still a chance they can get Tryamkin if they can get their cap situation improved by next off –season or maybe even sometime during the latter part of this season if all the complications can be worked out.
Grade D.
Kielly resigned – seems destined for the ECHL -although right now maybe the back up in Utica. Really a non-consideration. Can always tell his grand children he got on NHL score sheet.
Overall Grade
Throughout the off season seemed like it was one step backward , one step forward. Ultimately the team seemed to have come out ok. Some key players were lost but in most cases adequate, and sometimes more than adequate replacements, appeared to have been acquired. The main case where this wasn’t true, was the loss of Tofolli and that loss really reduces management’s off-season grade. Moreover nothing was done to improve scoring from the bottom six. In the end, I think the main thing to conclude about this off-season was it represented an opportunity lost. With players like Hughes and Pettersson still on the entry contracts the team should have had a chance to add some quality help while not losing much in the process. But this was squandered by past, stop gap moves that ultimately did little to improve the team in the short term while handicapping it in the long term.
However, it did seem the club firmed up a basis for future moves. Long term acquisitions such as Schmidt shore up the back end. Moreover, there were none of the hugely bloated, long term deals that screw up your future. There was even a sense that the team had finally learned their lesson and putting more emphasis on the future. This, if true, would be the most welcome development and represent an important change in club’s philosophy and direction.
Canucks grade (based just on the moves and non moves made and not made) C+
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