Cooke for Ouellet?

[Bartman]

On Spector's trade rumors this morning he mentions:




SPECTOR'S MAILBAG.

"Oz" sends in the following: "According to CKNW980am Radio out of Vancouver the Canucks are in talks with the Pittsburgh Penguins, to seal a deal that would send LW Matt Cooke to the Penguins for RW Michel Ouellet. This would free up $1 million in cap space for the Canucks and would bring some more grit and leadership to the Penguins."

http://spectorshockey.tripod.com/specto ... mours.html




I know we need both RW's and talented prospects but this rumor scares me a bit. If it turned out to be true we would be trading away grit and energy for a second year player with only a half season under his belt.

If you were the GM would you pull the trigger on a deal like this? I don't' think I would.

[levelheaded]

What exactly would be the point of that trade? Sure Ouellet is young and a million dollars cheaper, but for a reason. Our team is severely lacking in grit and energy. Cooke brings both of those things, and can chip in a goal or two when needed. I really want to see Cooke on the top line, just because he was so good with Nazzy and Mo at the end of the 03/04 season and playoffs. Oullet is young and completely unproven. This trade would be a pretty big step backwards, just for the sake of a million dollars cap space.

[MinnesotaCanuck]

The team's last experiment with an Ouellet went so well, I don't know how they can pass this one up

Ouellet was a 30 goal scorer in the AHL. In fact, he had 30 points in 19 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season. He was also on pace for 25 goals and 25 assists in the NHL last season. This move wouldn't help team toughness at all, but it gives the Canucks a young talent to develop. At $500k this season, he makes for a good bargain. However, he is entering the second year of a two-year contract. He is likely to earn a big raise next season.

Cooke, on the other hand, has two years left on his contract at $1.5M per. I don't see him getting a pay increase unless he shows more scoring touch in the next two years.

I like Cooke. However, if this move allows the team to shore up the defense and/or add a legitimate top-6 forward, I could live with it.

[the Cunning Linguist]

I vote Yes because it opens up the possibility of re-signing Carter (if he'll accept $2.5-2.8M for a year) or acquiring Dumont. Ouellet is an one-dimensional player who might be a great fit for the Sedins, is younger, an RFA after this year and would arrive a million dollars cheaper with more potential offensive upside than Cooke. Sure we'd lose some grit but I think the Rypiens, Burrows, and Boucks of the world can grow into that role for a lot less.

[jchockey]

I vote yes because I think Cooke is expendable. With his salary and talents I think he could easily be replaced by Alex Burrows. They play the same role but Burrows is loads cheaper. Michel Ouellet is a young player with good hands. Bringing him in would mean no Dvorak in Vancouver.

Naslund-Morrison-Bulis
Sedin-Sedin-Ouellet

I don't see how it can't work.

[Linden Is God]

Ouellet would be nice, but I'm not sure at the expense of Cooke. Then again, I come from a town that's full of Ouellet's, and they're all snakes. Never trust a Ouellet

[littlebert]

I vote yes bring in Ouellet and then we have room for Dumont. Then all we need is Dunham or Shields as a backup and we are done

[MinnesotaCanuck]

What exactly would be the point of that trade? Sure Ouellet is young and a million dollars cheaper, but for a reason. Our team is severely lacking in grit and energy. Cooke brings both of those things, and can chip in a goal or two when needed. I really want to see Cooke on the top line, just because he was so good with Nazzy and Mo at the end of the 03/04 season and playoffs. Oullet is young and completely unproven. This trade would be a pretty big step backwards, just for the sake of a million dollars cap space.

Ouellet's pro stats are pretty impressive:
NHL
05-06 50 games...16/16/32...-13 (including 18 points on the powerplay)
AHL
05-06 19 games...10/20/30...+12
04-05 80 games...31/32/63...+15
03-04 79 games...30/19/49...E

I believe Cooke has more offensive ability than some people give him credit for, but Ouellet has the potential to be a 40 goal scorer at the NHL level. I don't think Cooke is capable of putting up those kind of numbers.

I also like what this move would do for the forward lines:
Naslund-Morrison-Bulis/($2M+ free agent)
Sedin-Sedin-Bulis/($2M+ free agent)
Pyatt-Kesler-Ouellet
Burrows-Chouinard-Linden
call-ups: King, Rypien, Bouck, Santala, Dwyer?

If the team gets hit by injury, King and/or Ouellet could move up to the top lines.

[spenc8]

not sure I'm ready to throw out more bath water . one of these times we're going to lose the baby . We had a pretty good team that seemed to be just a bit short . Now we're pretty different with a goalie focus and lunch bucket (I hope) work ethic. Cooke who was injured so much last year is a lunch bucketer in his prime which hopefully he and Morrison and Naslund will return to in an injury free season .

[Bartman]

I vote Yes because it opens up the possibility of re-signing Carter (if he'll accept $2.5-2.8M for a year) or acquiring Dumont. Ouellet is an one-dimensional player who might be a great fit for the Sedins, is younger, an RFA after this year and would arrive a million dollars cheaper with more potential offensive upside than Cooke. Sure we'd lose some grit but I think the Rypiens, Burrows, and Boucks of the world can grow into that role for a lot less.

I don't see this move giving us the room to bring one of those guys in...even if they were interested. Assuming kessler and linden re-up for reasonable deals we will have over 42 mill in cap dollars spent. This leaves only a little wiggle room for down the road.

With this trade we would save another million leaving us at 41ish. Remove one of the farm guys who's roster spot would go with a FA signing and we could maybe bring someone in for 1.5-2. Neither Dumont or Carter is going to sign for that kind of cash.

Unless there is someother shedding of cash we still can't affoard either of these guys.

[Kowch]

I'd consider it for all the reasons MinnesotaCanuck already pointed out.

Edit: Unless I'm mistaken (and TSN isn't updated), the players listed come to about $36.4mil. Anyone have a more update (and possibly accurate) Cap chart?[/url]

[westvandal]

I for one see no reason to do that deal now unless it guarantees us Dumont. It makes more sense to wait to see how Cooke does before trading him...last year was a fluke injury wise and if healthy this year could prove to be helpful to this year's squad.

A healthy Cooke might have been the difference for making the playoffs imo.

[MarkMM]

I'd consider it for all the reasons MinnesotaCanuck already pointed out.

Edit: Unless I'm mistaken (and TSN isn't updated), the players listed come to about $36.4mil. Anyone have a more update (and possibly accurate) Cap chart?[/url]

http://hockeyanalysis.com/?page_id=333

They've got 7 defensemen without Krajicek, so one of these guys will be sent down to make room, probably bringing our cap to about $38.5 mil, with the need to sign Krajicek, Linden, Kesler and a goalie. Assuming on average $0.7 mil for each (maybe a bit less for the goalie and a bit more for Kesler and Linden, but averaging out to 0.7), plus another $0.5 mil for a depth forward, and we're just over $41 million.

So yeah, if we stick to our $42 million cap, we either have some extra breathing room OR some money to sign Kesler and Krajicek for enough to get a long term deal OR we can do this deal, and have about $2 million to add/upgrade on the roster.

Either way, I don't think Dumont or Carter fits into those scenarios, we might be able to if we go a bit above $42 million...

BTW, this deal intrigues me, I wouldn't flip out if it did happen, but I voted "No" because I think Cooke has untapped offensive potential to go along with his heart and grit, which we need, and we're lacking a proven agitator without Cooke, but nothing that couldn't possibly be replaced with something cheaper.

[MinnesotaCanuck]

Kowch wrote:
I'd consider it for all the reasons MinnesotaCanuck already pointed out.

Edit: Unless I'm mistaken (and TSN isn't updated), the players listed come to about $36.4mil. Anyone have a more update (and possibly accurate) Cap chart?

http://hockeyanalysis.com/?page_id=333

VHF has put together a very impressive website dedicated to the Canucks roster. It has been mentioned on other threads, but it's so damn good I feel the need to say it again:
Awesomeness
Thanks again, VHF.

[Kowch]

Thanks! That's awsome!

Great job VHF!