Post-Game Talk: Seattle Expansion Draft | Canucks lose F Kole Lind to Seattle

[Hammer79]

I just really don't understand the forward picks.. like why not make a reasonable top 6...

Are the banking on free agency? Will they trade some D to acquire it?

D are worth more on the trade market than middle 6 wingers, so yeah probably.

We will have to wait to see how the next week plays out, but if they went into the season with this line-up, they would struggle score or to crack 70 points. They have a lot of cap space so do they go for it, or accumulate assets to eat bad contracts and go for it later? Vegas' success may be a bit of a curse because it raises expectations unrealistically when Francis had way slimmer pickings. My hunch is they won't take on any bad contracts for sweeteners, try to go for it via trade and UFA and fail spectacularly.

 

[vanuck]

The Kraken defence is already better than ours lmao.

Add to that a solid, deep group of forwards (though not necessarily any high-end scoring) and they should be pretty competitive in a weak Pacific division next year. All this without knowing what they're pulling off in further trades or how they spend the remaining 27+ million in cap space.

 

[tantalum]

What on earth is going on? That quote makes absolutely no sense. Has any other insider said anything about this?

Well the rumors so far seem to be around the likes of Schwartz and Hyman and nothing on the back end so what LeBrun said matches that. Of course is he saying it because it matches or is his information confirming what is already out there?

But no it doesn’t make sense. Concentration should be on the following priorities:
(1) extensions to Hughes and Pettersson
(2) blueline
(3) move money out somehow to do (1) and (2) properly.

Forwards shouldn’t even really be entering the equation at this point.

 

[bandwagonesque]

No top pairing defenders? Giordano?

They have more guys capable of matchup minutes under team control than we do (just Schmidt and both sides want that relationship to end)

Giordano wasn’t a legitimate top-pairing defenceman last season and is declining rapidly.

 

[tantalum]

Pretty amazing how Vegas drafted a significantly better team IMO, for not much more cap and a LOT lot lot more draft assets.

What was amazing was you had a few GMs completely shoot themselves in the foot during the Vegas expansion. Florida f***ed up huge and so did Minnesota. They handed Vegas Marchessault, Smith, Haula and Tuch for example to protect players that they got the appraisal wrong on. Those GMs have since been replaced. It’s really those couple of moves that made the big difference for Vegas up front. Still Vegas picked crap like Sbisa and made other “errors” as well.

This time it looked like the GMs may have learned that putting your neck out to save players you will get rid of in the next 12 months wasn’t good for job security.

 

[lawrence]

now we know why nobody is taking Kole Lind.

Sorry if that's been said. I just had too.

Best of luck Kole.

 

[wetcoast]

I had a dream where Eriksson got taken and the Canucks somehow signed Ovechkin to a 3 year deal.

Needless to say, it was only a dream.

Sounds more like a nightmare honestly as we need Dmen.

Losing Lind shows what little depth the Canucks ahve.

 

[DarrenX]

Holtby is a bad, overpaid player. Sure it’s better to have the bad player on a cheaper contract but best to probably avoid them altogether

Yep. "Holtby is a negative value asset but if you eat $3M in salary he becomes a positive value asset" is not the galaxy-brain strategy that people seem to think it is.

The Kraken don't need to waste a pick on Holtby, they can sign their own crappy veteran UFA to a 1yr contract and flip that instead.

The Kraken are at least as good as the Canucks right now. They have less top end talent (but of course, they said that about VGK too) but are deeper top to bottom, and goaltending is close to even. When they are finished trading and signing assets they will be significantly better than the Canucks next year, and that's what the standings will reflect. We'll come back to this thread in April and see who was right.

 

[gianni]

What is Nic Hague's ceiling? I remember wanting the Canucks to draft him instead of Kole Lind.

 

[4Twenty]

The Canucks 5/6 top end players are better than probably current Vegas’. The thing is the massive separation comes from the depth.

Seattle looks to have a dozen forwards or so who can play with and against very good competition on good teams.

This is before they even make another move.

High end talent doesn’t guarantee success. I like the depth and flexibility. The same opportunities that were made available to Vegas were clearly off the table for Seattle so I’m not sure it makes sense to gas up McPhee.

I believe they’ve made trades but even if it’s fewer than I think. I believe patience with their cap space is an incredible leverage over literally every team. They just need to be patient.

 

[m9]

It will be interesting to see if losing Kole Lind actually ends up mattering here.

For what it's worth, Province Sports recently did their Canucks prospect top ten and had Lind in at #4:

Canucks top 10 prospects: Kole Lind needs lift to secure an NHL future | The Province

He would be a few spots lower for me (closer in the 8-10 range) but it is definitely strange to have the Canucks lose one of their top prospects and nobody really cares. Probably not a good sign for the prospect depth.

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

I think people are underestimating how powerful Seattle will be with 30M in cap space. Could snag up half the Free agency class.

Should be able to sign Hamilton and Landgod with cash left over for an offer sheet.

 

[m9]

The Canucks 5/6 top end players are better than probably current Vegas’. The thing is the massive separation comes from the depth.

Seattle looks to have a dozen forwards or so who can play with and against very good competition on good teams.

This is before they even make another move.

High end talent doesn’t guarantee success. I like the depth and flexibility. The same opportunities that were made available to Vegas were clearly off the table for Seattle so I’m not sure it makes sense to gas up McPhee.

I believe they’ve made trades but even if it’s fewer than I think. I believe patience with their cap space is an incredible leverage over literally every team. They just need to be patient.

I think Seattle will still be adding a top-six center and maybe even more. It's hard to judge right now as an incomplete team. Hopefully the people judging the Seattle roster aren't the same ones saying "It's only July, don't worry about the Canucks defense" as it's a pretty similar situation.

 

[ChilliBilly]

Well the rumors so far seem to be around the likes of Schwartz and Hyman and nothing on the back end so what LeBrun said matches that. Of course is he saying it because it matches or is his information confirming what is already out there?

But no it doesn’t make sense. Concentration should be on the following priorities:
(1) extensions to Hughes and Pettersson
(2) blueline
(3) move money out somehow to do (1) and (2) properly.

Forwards shouldn’t even really be entering the equation at this point.

Yeah, but no one is going to take our crap without incentive. That incentive had better not be a top 2 pick.

 

[Balls Mahoney]

Looking at the Kraken roster, holy shit did they pick an awful team. Why didn't they pick any stars? This might be Atlanta Thrasher territory or worse.

 

[Paulinbc]

So what do we think we had to give up in order for them to take Lind?

 

[tantalum]

Yeah, but no one is going to take our crap without incentive. That incentive had better not be a top 2 pick.

I expect it will be. I expect they will be shipping all sorts of picks out to get rid of contracts and then they will use that cap space to build a shitty team with other shitty contracts.

 

[Paulinbc]

Looking at the Kraken roster, holy shit did they pick an awful team. Why didn't they pick any stars? This might be Atlanta Thrasher territory or worse.

The season doesn’t start until October, pal. They’re off to a great start.

 

[Pip]

Looking at the Kraken roster, holy shit did they pick an awful team. Why didn't they pick any stars? This might be Atlanta Thrasher territory or worse.

Like who? Surely you’re not talking about Price/Tarasenko right?

 

[DarrenX]

I think Seattle will still be adding a top-six center and maybe even more. It's hard to judge right now as an incomplete team. Hopefully the people judging the Seattle roster aren't the same ones saying "It's only July, don't worry about the Canucks defense" as it's a pretty similar situation.

The mock drafts I've seen all have the Kraken taking Matthew Beniers at centre with the 2OA pick. I don't know anything about him but if he's going second overall he must be pretty good. It's not impossible that he steps right in.

 

[Balls Mahoney]

The season doesn’t start until October, pal. They’re off to a great start.

Can't wait to see all the fake fans trying to rock Kraken gear that can't name three hockey players go back to pretending to be Seahawks fans.

 

[m9]

Can't wait to see all the fake fans trying to rock Kraken gear go back to pretending to be Seahawks fans.

The team has basically been in the league for one day. Maybe give them a bit of time to build a team that will be competitive long-term?

 

[Balls Mahoney]

The team has basically been in the league for one day. Maybe give them a bit of time to build a team that will be competitive long-term?

I love it because expansion teams are historically horrible and usually are for a decade plus. Vegas was a once in a lifetime freak occurrence in sports. All the dumb Seattle fans think they're getting a Vegas team which is hilarious because after two or three Thrasher years which this roster is in store for, the disillusionment is going to be hilarious. Especially for such a God forsaken city like Seattle.

 

[Pip]

I love it because expansion teams are historically horrible and usually are for a decade plus. Vegas was a once in a lifetime freak occurrence in sports. All the dumb Seattle fans think they're getting a Vegas team which is hilarious because after two or three Thrasher years which this roster is in store for, the disillusionment is going to be hilarious. Especially for such a God forsaken city like Seattle.

Unless they start offloading players left right and centre they won’t be a basement team unless their goaltending falls apart.

 

[MS]

Looking at the Kraken roster, holy shit did they pick an awful team. Why didn't they pick any stars? This might be Atlanta Thrasher territory or worse.

Because all the 'stars' available are old negative value garbage that would *actually* create a Thrasher scenario?

They're basically doing exactly what Vegas did. Giordano+Eberle basically = Fleury+Neal as the most 'name' players selected and surround that with a bunch of fast, cheap, underrated, effective two-way players. And left themselves with a mountain of cap space to make more moves for better players.