Canucks News N Notes 24-25

[Hockey Widow]

And Kirill Kudryavtsev it is.

Re Willander, Canucks did not want to burn a year on his ELC. Will this create enough ill will that Young Tom says fuck you and stays at BU for 2 more years? Could, but it seems self defeating.

[theman]

And Kirill Kudryavtsev it is.

Re Willander, Canucks did not want to burn a year on his ELC. Will this create enough ill will that Young Tom says fuck you and stays at BU for 2 more years? Could, but it seems self defeating.

Glad the Canucks are not caving in on that. They need 3 full years of his ELC for cap reasons.

[Tciso]

And Kirill Kudryavtsev it is.

Re Willander, Canucks did not want to burn a year on his ELC. Will this create enough ill will that Young Tom says fuck you and stays at BU for 2 more years? Could, but it seems self defeating.

Glad the Canucks are not caving in on that. They need 3 full years of his ELC for cap reasons.

I dunno if that's really true. If Kuddy plays 3 years on and ELC, his next contract is as a 23yr old with 200ish games. If he is as good as projected, he will get a massive 2nd contract that walks him to free agency. If he only has 2 years, his 2nd/bridge contract will likely be for a couple of million less and leave him as an rfa. Long term, it probably saves money to only have 2 years on his ELC.

[UWSaint]

Our old buddy Bert with an interesting take on the EP40/Millzy Drama:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2tu5R0MmE8
(Donnie & Dhali show, around 6:20 mark)

I follow. Unfortunately, there's just so much drama that's happened out there that it was getting kind of annoying and hard to watch. I just couldn't understand how two men couldn't figure it out and come to a compromise because that J.T. Miller, he's a legit game-breaker. He's one of those guys that when you have them, you want to keep them.

It was hard seeing him go and I have so much respect for Toc [Rick Tocchet] and Adam Foote and that staff that I was surprised it carried on for that long.

- Bert44

Funny thing, I once kind of wondered whether Bert was a guy a team couldn't get along with during his Canuck years. Here's why. In late January 2004, I saw the Canucks play the Capitals in Washington DC and got there early enough for the warmup. I remember two things about that warm up. One, Henrik and Daniel playing catch on one knee sending each other saucers from the side boards to the opposite face off dot. Every saucer pass from Henrik landed flat, many landed at Daniel's stick (that was clearly their game, it was like taking half court shots). Two, the team skating in a circle and Bert whacking Arvedson's ankle from behind. It wasn't a tap, it was a fierce chop. There was chatter, no grin, just a stone-faced look like "don't you dare say anything to me, swede...."

As it happens, it was Arvedson's last game in the NHL as he messed up his knee. He was a free agent acquisition that offseason with a bit of a buyer beware sign due to (IIRC) repeated groin issues. But for whatever reason, he never made it back to the NHL after the knee. I remember he did nothing in his first three months with the team. The idea was that he'd play with the Sedins, but there was no early return, so he moved to his more traditional role in Ottawa as a third line penalty killer type with some secondary scoring (although there was none of that....). But he was reunited with the Sedins in January and was on an absolute tear when he got injured -- I think he scored 7 or 8 goals that month.

This was also the season that Steve Moore concussed Naslund and then a few weeks later tried to punch Bert's glove with the back of his neck. While Naslund was out, the Sedins skated with Bert and Daniel had a four goal game. I thought it might have been worth doing more of that since the WCE line was getting a bit stale, but Moore's ill-timed reverse hit while falling to the ground sort of put an end to experimentation.

At any rate, after Bert served his time and had his injury in Florida, he was no longer the force he'd been in Vancouver but once he accepted that, he became a valuable role playing secondary scorer type for years. I wouldn't have thought he'd wear the experienced veteran thing all that well, but he did and was generally talked about positively from his coaches and teammates in Detroit, etc.

I've heard interviews with Bert, and he sounds like he enjoyed a good time and was a great teammate if you were "in" with him, and maybe a bit of a prick if you weren't, but sounds to me like mostly banter and pretty much in the standard range of distribution for Alphas at the time.

[donlever]

I don't disagree with a lot of that.

Bert was also a brooder due to Crow.

[Megaterio Llamas]

I feel it was more Miller vs World than Miller vs Petey.

I believe the rumours that he was a dink to everyone.

Other players, coaches, training staff, doctors, etc.

Yo Millzy, you're only supposed to be a jackass against the opposing teams, not with your own teammates as well.

It's what it is

It is what it is.

In the words of Vancouver's greatest hockey philosopher.

And in the words of his leading disciple and exponent, Kevin Weekes, 'what it is' ???!!!

[donlever]

Or...

...where my wallet?!

[donlever]

Willander signs ELC.

2025 - 2026 start.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DIc4CUYpQan ... 9ld3VzemN3

[5thhorseman]

So does that mean he's going to Abby for the playoffs?

[Hockey Widow]

This makes sense with the other stories that were coming out. He saw more personal value in finishing his semester than turning pro. Good job when it’s finally finalized.

[Megaterio Llamas]

Hopefully, we'll see him for the playoffs in Abby. Great news.

[Hockey Widow]

Willander family denying report. The report says a deal is in place for 25-26 season but not signed. His family advisor is calling the report false. So we wait.

[5thhorseman]

Donny duped again?

[donlever]

Kicked in the nuts and Trumpled.

[donlever]

https://www.instagram.com/p/DIc0VuVRSbo ... MzcGlpbndk

The Stallion says it so it must be so...