Canucks News and Notes 2017-2018

[Jovocop]

Agreed. This players situation is fine line for the team to tread. Perhaps some pre deadline posturing hy the club to try to up the offers? I was really excited when they acquired Guds but have been pretty underwhelmed to this point. I think it would be (mostly) agreed that the worst case scenario would be him walking for nothing as a UFA. What is the second worst scenario: overpaying in cap/term; or not getting good value on a trade (ie less than we paid)?

GMJB would definitely trade Gudbranson if an extension cannot be signed before the deadline. The Canucks are currently not a playoffs team and most likely would not be at the deadline. There is no point of keeping Gudbranson if he indeed wants to test the market.

[SKYO]

Gudbranson is in the same spot he was in a year ago. His play and injuries have limited his negotiating power. He did just turn 26, so he should be to emerging as a player. What I see as his biggest issue to overcome is reading the offense coming at him. When paired with Hutton or PornScag, too often both defenders decide to cover the same players. He's still young enough to learn, but that time is clicking away.

Has he shown enough in his brief playing to hit a big contract as an FA. I don't think so. There will be offers, his size and age guarantee that, but it won't be the payday he hoped for when he extended last season.

If he stays at a reasonable rate on a short deal, and he may be amenable to that to still try to get that payday next contract, but the risk is his to take.

I guess that's why former Panthers coach Gerard Gallant put Guds with Mitchell sometimes to create a formidable defensive combo on the 3rd pairing iirc, elder Mitchell with the senior smarts, Guds with the 6'5 muscle.

Gerard Gallant would never admit it (at least not before Sunday), but he hated seeing Erik Gudbranson traded. In a cap world, someone had to go. Losing him and Willie Mitchell changed the complexion of the blue line. Gallant valued Gudbranson’s game, how hard he could make it on opposing forwards. But Florida’s front office values a different kind of defender, and with one season remaining until his free agency, they weren’t going to ante up for Gudbranson’s skillset.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/diff ... -panthers/

Vegas btw thanks the Panthers for Gallant, helluva coach.

Gudbranson’s other defence partner last season was Brian Campbell. When they skated together, they posted a 52.5% corsi and had a goals for percentage of 62.5%.

You could argue that Campbell carried that pairing, but it seems clear that Gudbranson didn’t drag Campbell down, at the very least.

Campbell is heads and above better than Hutton, so it's no surprise Campbell can carry a pairing, so having Guds with him was good metrics.

In any case a healthy Gudbranson is a beast and has a solid 5 prime years to come, like Elliotte Friedman always mentions, Guds in the right system/structure is a force.

[BladesofSteel]

^^^Guds in the playoffs would be a force

[SKYO]

^^^Guds in the playoffs would be a force

Facts, man such a conundrum, should be crazy times the next few weeks.

[BladesofSteel]

Alex Auld doesn't think a deal will get signed.

[Chef Boi RD]

After listening to the moaners and crybabies between 1040 and 650 today, whimpering on about Benning and McKenzie claiming the Canucks desire to resign Gudbranson, doing such will cause a major catastrophic tectonic shift off the coast of Vancouver Island, brace yourselves if he's resigned

[SKYO]

And Ray Ferraro thinking you can find a legitimate top 6D for $800K for toughness, those 800k types are usually AHLer's who should only be playing 10-20 NHL games max.

Gudbranson is a top 6D - the entire league knows that, and can play a full season without a hitch, much better than the Polak's, Sbisa's, Girardi's, heck even Russell.

[Ronning's Ghost]

And Ray Ferraro thinking you can find a legitimate top 6D for $800K for toughness

My objection to allocating a player or 3 primarily to fulfill the toughness role is not the cap hit, it is the value of the position. The play of defencemen is too important to the outcome of the game to keep a player who is marginal at hockey, but good at toughness, at that position. If the team must sacrifice some hockey ability to get more toughness, better to do it in a couple of bottom six wingers. The Canucks have lots of room to upgrade there.

[Strangelove]

Alex Auld doesn't think a deal will get signed.

Does it matter what Alex Auld thinks?

[ukcanuck]

Botch ford doesn’t seem to like resigning Guds.

He thinks toughness is easily replaced for less money. He doesn’t like guds difficulty limiting shots and figures any goon can play the tough guy roll

I don’t like botch ford...

I figure that if the team can ink Gudbranson for a 4x4 contract by about half way through that contract the Canucks will be back in the playoffs where the refs bury the whistle and those fleet footed forwards can be chopped down and hard nose rules

Signing Gudbranson now will bear fruit then.

[Mickey107]

Hi, Wids. How's the trip? Are we having fun yet?

[Chef Boi RD]

Bitchford possesses the worlds greatest all seeing crystal ball. He knows all. If there is anyone who needs to be archived it's him. Why he is not GM'ing an NHL team is beyond me

[2Fingers]

Bitchford possesses the worlds greatest all seeing crystal ball. He knows all. If there is anyone who needs to be archived it's him. Why he is not GM'ing an NHL team is beyond me

Gee, that sounds a lot like you.

[Chef Boi RD]

Its frightening to know of some of the sounds in Reefs head.

[Jovocop]

And Ray Ferraro thinking you can find a legitimate top 6D for $800K for toughness, those 800k types are usually AHLer's who should only be playing 10-20 NHL games max.

Gudbranson is a top 6D - the entire league knows that, and can play a full season without a hitch, much better than the Polak's, Sbisa's, Girardi's, heck even Russell.

Talk is cheap. Where can the Canucks find that $800k tough top-six defenseman? UFA? If that player is on another team, do the Canucks get that player for free? Don't they need to trade assets for that player?

The Canucks had a tough defenseman, Pedan, but did not feel that he could handle top-six minutes in the NHL.

Has Ferraro ever been a GM or AGM? I have no doubt he knows hockey more than a lot of us but he is no GM neither.