Rumor: Sven Baertschi request trade - update cleared WAIVERS

[sting101]

He should be in our lineup. I really don't understand this at all. He is better than Leivo or w/e

I miss him with Horvat. Pearson doesnt have the same level of IceQ and creativity/playmaking deception skills and Bo having 2 ESG this year to date is proof that something is missing.

With Ferland out this move is gonna bite us in the ass. I get why he isn't gonna play on our 3rd and 4th lines ideally due to his skillset but there is no reason why Pearson and Roussel cannot bump down to accomodate more skill and someone with some playmaking skills with Horvat or even Gaudette.

I hope this works out for Baertschi he really should be in the NHL. If he wasn't so injury prone and had the concussion issues he would undoubtedly be a respected scorer in this league. Teams value reliability and cap space is at a premium so i can see why he's in a tough position

 

[780il]

Baertschi with some retention for Chiasson

 

[Jumptheshark]

On waivers. His contract is the problem

 

[elitepete]

Why isn’t he in the NHL?

Our gm and coach are dumb

 

[StreetHawk]

Why isn’t he in the NHL?

He was on the team last year when they did the same thing to Gagner. After his injured plagued concussion season plus the off season moves by the team he needed to play well in pre season. Being on the top 2 lines of a bad team does not secure your roster spot.

he was simply ok in camp. Well, being ok is not good enough when your job is on the line. If the Canucks were happy with Sven on the top 2 lines they wouldn’t be adding top 6 wingers in the summer.

cap hit one thing but the additional year next season is likely the bigger stumbling block. If he was ufa at the end of the year teams would be more interested because if he were to play well they could extend him, if he did not they would let him walk. Lower risk for them. Cap space is important so you’re not going to spend $3.6 mill on someone you’re not convinced will deliver on that contract.

 

[604]

I say he clears.

Tough for him to request a trade in that situation.

 

[604]

The key question is, why? We don't need him. Out of all the Canucks need, he is not on the top 3. Right now the Canucks are top 10 in team scoring.

Taylor Hall would give the Nucls two real scoring lines...that being said, no way we land him.

 

[JimEIV]

I went to see Binghamton play Utica last night...I think Sven is where he belongs.

 

[StreetHawk]

I say he clears.

Tough for him to request a trade in that situation.

You can't separate the player from his contract. Based on talent and ability and production, Sven is an NHL player. But, his concussion and injury history is a concern. Factor in his contract, and it becomes a situation that makes it difficult to find a trade that makes sense for the Canucks to get Sven back into the NHL.

Sven is making his NHL salary in the AHL, and without having to lose escrow. But, he's in the AHL.

The period to buy players out was in the off-season. So, don't think the Canucks can do much more for Sven aside from letting him play in Europe, but they'll be eating the cap hit. If you're taking that big a hit, you still want the option to recall him if you run into injuries. If you let him go to Europe, I don't think you have the option to recall him. So likely not an option for the Canucks. Last year with Gagner, they still had the option to recall him when he was with the Marlies.

Is Sven going to pull a Berglund and walk away? Major financial hit to him if he does. But, if playing hockey elsewhere besides the AHL matters more to him, then that's a decision he will have to make. It benefits the Canucks the most if he does.

Or things remain status quo. I can't imagine that the Canucks have not been working the phones all season to move the guy. Just can't find a match that makes sense for them. Won't add extra term or higher cap hit for the same term.

 

[Nucker42]

He’s not leaving 6.8 million on the table. I doubt he gets claimed. Gives the Canucks and a team they trade with more flexibility though as the team that acquired him could keep him in the ahl or nhl

 

[crobro]

Sven should most likely be on Seattle’s opening night roster in about 18 months

 

[Qwijibo]

Imagine calling one of the best young goalies in the League in Demko a “redundant goalie”

He’s redundant to Jersey. Who have Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood is younger, more proven, and has better overall stats despite being on a tire fire of a team. It’s not the Demko isn’t valuable. He just isn’t overly valuable to New Jersey.

 

[EXTRAS]

Sven should most likely be on Seattle’s opening night roster in about 18 months

Or at least back in the NHL somewhere given 12 new nhl forward roster spots.

 

[Canadian Canuck]

He’s redundant to Jersey. Who have Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood is younger, more proven, and has better overall stats despite being on a tire fire of a team. It’s not the Demko isn’t valuable. He just isn’t overly valuable to New Jersey.

Fair enough but Demko has a lot more potential than Blackwood imo

 

[General Disarray]

He should decide what's more important: hockey or money. He will obviously choose money and thus will have to stop crying and play in the AHL.

 

[Qwijibo]

Fair enough but Demko has a lot more potential than Blackwood imo

In your opinion.

 

[JimEIV]

Fair enough but Demko has a lot more potential than Blackwood imo

Based on what? Demko has played 22 games and has a .907 sv%

Blackwood has played 47 games and has a .913 sv%

And Blackwood is one full year younger almost to the day.

 

[EXTRAS]

Based on what? Demko has played 22 games and has a .907 sv%

Blackwood has played 47 games and has a .913 sv%

And Blackwood is one full year younger almost to the day.

He said potential. Using small sample size of current play is completely different. Demko had better AHL stats and pretty great ncaa stats.

I dunno who will be better but your argument is flawed.

 

[JimEIV]

He said potential. Using small sample size of current play is completely different. Demko had better AHL stats and pretty great ncaa stats.

I dunno who will be better but your argument is flawed.

I didn't make an argument I asked the question, based on what?

I think you are saying based on Boston College and Utica?

 

[Canadian Canuck]

I didn't make an argument I asked the question, based on what?

I think you are saying based on Boston College and Utica?

Based on everything. NCAA and Utica of course. His size and athletic ability is much better than Blackwood's as well. Demko hasn't played enough games where you can compare their stats. He;s also been hung out to dry multiple times by our garbage defense. Not saying yours is any better though. They're both terrific young goalies, I just see Demko having Elite #1 goalie potential while Blackwood is more of a #1 B

 

[dingbathero]

Hagg and Stewart, gifts from us to you this holiday season.

 

[JimEIV]

Based on everything. NCAA and Utica of course. His size and athletic ability is much better than Blackwood's as well. Demko hasn't played enough games where you can compare their stats. He;s also been hung out to dry multiple times by our garbage defense. Not saying yours is any better though. They're both terrific young goalies, I just see Demko having Elite #1 goalie potential while Blackwood is more of a #1 B

I'm not seeing the size or athletesism difference honestly.

Demko is listed as 6-4 and 192
Blackwood is listed as 6-4 and 225
Both are considered athletic goaltenders.

Also I'm not sure how you dismiss Demko's NHL performance based on being hung out to dry when NJ has been significantly worse defensively than Vancouver over the last two years. NJ has been near bottom in goals against this year and last and Vancouver has been ahead of them both years by quite a bit...

Demko's pedigree was certainly better coming into pro hockey after playing for some very strong BC teams and a strong WJC performance. But I have a hard time weighting NCAA and junior stats over NHL stats. In Blackwoods case his 47 NHL games over half of last year and less than half of this year is more games played than any single minor league or junior season he's played What I'm getting at is 47 games is significant enough to pass judgement on. I wouldn't argue that 22 games in Demko's case is too small but what we're left with is comparing Demko's NCAA and minor success to a more defined NHL record

I'm not sure how much I would weigh Demko's BC stats. I remember watching Brad Theisen post a .931 at Northeastern in his junior year. Lots of goalies on good teams post flashy numbers in college. By no means am I trying to diminish Demko's accomplishments, what I am saying is comparing two goalies in different leagues, at different ages and with varying levels of talent and systems in front of them is challenging to say the least.

I tend to weigh NHL success more heavily than college or AHL.

Anyway I don't think there is anything clear or definitive at this point but what we do know is Blackwood is holding his own at the NHL level on a horrifically bad Devil's team just barely turning 23 years old a few days ago while Demko is a year older playing for better team with much worse save percentage albeit in a small sample.

 

[Horse McHindu]

Ha!

I love how Sven Baertschi has made a full-fledged "face" turn amongst the anti-Benning/Canucks crowd now that Baertschi is no longer in management's future plans. Funny how a few years back, Baertschi was "heel" because we'd just traded a 2nd rounder for him.

 

[Lenerdosy]

Ha!

I love how Sven Baertschi has made a full-fledged "face" turn amongst the anti-Benning/Canucks crowd now that Baertschi is no longer in management's future plans. Funny how a few years back, Baertschi was "heel" because we'd just traded a 2nd rounder for him.

3 years ago Sven was our best winger by far outside of Daniel. At the time he was a part of the rebuild/retool/whatever management wanted to call it but they brought in guys who are similarly skilled this past summer and bring more than just soft skilled wing play.

 

[ShelbyZ]

While his cap hit is high, his actual salary is $2.4 million for next season, so maybe he'd be more enticing to a team like Ottawa.

Yea, if the Sens are still trying to just get above the floor next season, Sven's contract would be an ideal add with a salary almost $1M less than his cap hit.

Otherwise, interested teams probably wait for:

A. The Canucks to get desperate and offer up a prospect or pick to incentivize taking on his contract
B. The ability to sign him for like 900 grand on the UFA market after the Canucks are forced to buy him out this summer.