2025 TDD - Canucks speculation

[Madcombinepilot]

So I figured I would start a thread on this to keep it all contained. I am not advocating selling the team off and rebuilding, just making the most of our assets so we still make the playoffs and are competitive. Without that 1-2 punch on forwards, I don't think anyone thinks we are seriously going far in the playoffs,

(Roster Lines in no particular blender)

Brock - Petey - Debrusk
Garland - Chytil - Joshua
O'Conner - Suter - Sherwood
(Abby Placeholder) - Blueger - Hoglander
(Abby Placeholders are any of: Raty, PDG, Sassons, Bains, Aman, Karlsson, Hirose, McWard -- the endless sea of overachieving AHL guys that has skated for us this year but have peaked)

Hughes - Myers
MP3 - Hronek
Forbort - Soucy
DPetey - Mancini
Juulsen (IR)
[Willander] -- Still in NCAA

Demko (IR)
Lankinen
Silvos

NEEDS: - this team needs a gamebreaking forward or second line center and a 4th line guy to protect Petey and Hughes. Someone who it hurts to fight, not just a guy who is willing to tilt.

So if this is the predicted roster, at the TDD, we have a couple options. Bold players are those who could/should be moved.

First off, Add any 1 or 2 of the 'peaked AHL' guys (Bains, Karlsson, Aman). They make great throw ins for any trade.. Should keep one for depth and keep Abby competitive.

Juulsen is a RHD who plays decent defence for a depth guy on an awesome depth style contract who has been pushed down the depth chart by Mancini. He is a throw in or perhaps worth a late round pick. (some team always overpays for RHD) He won't clear waivers when he is healthy, so we might as well try and get something for him. A late round pick, perhaps.. either way, there is no roster spot for him. So off he goes.

Soucy/Forbort... one of them has to go, and I think it should be Soucy. Forbort is a little more steady and kills penalties (makes him worth more), but Soucy has an extra year.. I don't really care which goes, but one of them should be packaged off. With the emergence of Dpetey, the team does not get noticeably worse for playoffs if we move Soucy, plus we need the roster spot if they are serious about calling up Willander when the NCAA season is done. If we move Soucy, and any of Willander, Dpetey or Mancini take a step, the Forbort contract solves itself in the offseason, and we are still going to have a good PK in the playoffs..

Suter - He either resigns this week, or should be moved at TDD. He will probably want 3.5+ next year and is a swiss army knife in any lineup. If we resign Suter, then its Blueger that is shipped as one of Raty/Sassons replacing one of Blueger or Suter does not overly downgrade team performance. Suter (with a throw in) is an awesome depth piece for a contending team and could get a 2nd or 3rd round pick, or the grinder for the 4th line that drops the gloves to protect Petey and Hughes.

Brock - DId not bold this one, just to see if anyone actually reads this.. To preface, I love Brock. I am all in for resigning him to a 7.5-8m, 4 or 5 year deal. Sit back and watch him get his 400th goal as a Canuck and reset the record book... BUT, Rantanen has said he wants to test UFA waters.. Trade (or sign and trade) Brock now for Rantanen (rental for rental, we probably have to throw a Suter or something in this). Cap is going up and we offer a 11.5-12m extension for Raantanen.. (this one probably deserves to be in the SYKO's dreams thread, but if Forbort and Soucy are gone, the cap space is there)

Lastly, as a thought.. we have a shitload of cap space. There should be NO expiring contracts on other capped out teams we don't look to take on to gather picks and prospects.
We might even find a gem (or our knuckle dragger) in here for nothing. This team needs to maximize all assets to get better for the future, and unused cap space is an asset.

Anyways.. thoughts/comments on this?

[theman]

So, you have Letterkenny staying down in 'the A' for the remainder of the season?

[Cornuck]

It's an interesting deadline this year.

For a change, we have cap space to play with. BUT... we're not a contender, and winning a single round would be bonus (assuming we don't get our shit together).

Brock is the number one question. A lot of people like him as a person, and he's (potentially) one of the best scorers on the team by far. BUT - he is not getting any faster in a league that gets faster each year. 5 years from now? Yikes! For the long term benefit of the team, I hope we move on and get a good return from a team that needs him.

Hopefully Suter signs - he's a good guy to plug-in where needed.

I think our defense is fairly set for now - but a Zadorov-type player would be nice.

Up front - we need more scoring. Brock 'could' be that guy, but I don't want to count on him long-term. Petey - who the fuck knows. I don't have a problem if he gets moved with a good return. He's done nothing to give us hope for a year now. But if he goes, then we need to sign 2 top centers instead of one.

We need Hughes to be healthy - and that will change everything we're seeing right now. Our power play looked to be in slow motion lately and has never scared anyone with the perimeter passing and attempted tip-ins. Petey's one-timer is non-existent.

So - top needs? A 2C. A 'deterrent' that can skate (D or F). A scoring winger. Since we're not too worried about the playoffs this year, we can do this now, or July 1st. (But with that said, Aquaman will push for his playoff revenue, so all bets are off)

[Lancer]

This team is going nowhere this year. Even if they are in a playoff spot at the TDD, they shouldn't be buyers.

IMO, management can use this wash of a season as an opportunity to reset the roster a bit and build for the near- and mid-term. It means having faith in what comes from the farm and being willing to take some risk of the internal replacements not quite matching the departures but it would make the roster younger. In a short time, they may prove better options.

That means approaching this not so much as traditional sellers, but as targeted buyers for certain assets that may not look to be adding for a playoff run, but will have benefit next season and beyond.

Trade Boeser: With a good off-season and the confidence built this season, Lekkerimaki should be ready for a top-6 role next year. That makes Boeser redundant in light of his age and contract status. A Boeser trade could net trade chips that can either be used to beef up the farm, or by acquiring a younger, cheaper option in the top-9. Maybe he gets packaged in a deal for a better top-6 option.

Trade one of Bluegers or Suter for the right price:Raty should be ready for 4th line duties at worst. Not that either player will bring back much, but every chip helps.

Find a trade partner for either Forbort or Soucy: Soucy may be the more attractive option with a year left on his contract, but one of them should make way for Willander and/or D. Petey. There are enough options to hold the fort the rest of the season if one or both go.

I don't think there's much chance Allvin and Rutherford will swing for the fences on a blockbuster trade at the TDD. I wager we'll see something along those lines before the draft. Who knows? Maybe they save the above trade chips for a bigger deal before the draft? I can imagine that being the better opportunity to upgrade the 2C position - the position of greatest need IMO. Chytil has flashed some ability, but nobody should consider him any kind of replacement for Miller now or in the future. Just a question of when the above moves get made to clear space for that better 2C.

[Argay Ham]

This is what I'd like to see the guys we do have in the playoffs this season...

Hoglander-Pettersson-Debrusk
Suter-x-Boeser
Joshua-Chytil-Garland
O'Connor-Blueger-Sherwood
spares - INCLUDE Lekkerimaki

Hughes-x
Pettersson-Hronek
Pettersson-Myers

Get the proper people for those x spots and that's honest to god I think a team that could win a Cup. Of course that involves Bodysnatching EP40 into what he is supposed to be. But I could see him have a very 2012 Kopitar-esque emergence in these playoffs.

Or he gets injured worse. One of the two.

As it stands there's no room for Soucy on the team anymore.

[Meds]

My most pressing question in this thread is: Why are we trying to predict what happened almost 12 months ago?

[Meds]

The idea of dropping Brock and chasing Rantanen......

Hard pass.

Since being traded to Carolina he has 1G and 3PTs in 7 games.

At the 4-Nations tournament he had 1G and 0A in 3 games.

Sakic and Co. moved him out because Burnaby Joe is a savvy former franchise talent who knows what he has in players. He knew that Rantanen without MacKinnon is probably an 70-80 point player. While you have to overpay sometimes on players to maintain the chemistry of a line, you don't overpay by that much.

Rantanen in Vancouver right now would probably be a 70PT winger.

Hell, you could put Ovechkin in Vancouver right now, and with the way Pettersson is playing, Ovie wouldn't catch Gretzky's record until the Olympic break.

[Picker of Cherries]

Would rather go with the potential of Raty and Sasson than the known of Suter. Don’t really want him resigned. They have a defensive specialist in Blueger. They don’t need two. I’d keep him as an own rental unless/until someone coughs up a second.

Forbort should be sold, too, maybe a third. He’s a UFA and is behind the two D-Peteys and Hughes on his left side. They can keep Soucy for depth on both sides. They’ll also have Willander coming soon, so they’ll be eight deep without Forbort and will still have KK and McWard in Abby if they need to go 10 deep.

[Hockey Widow]

I’d trade:

Demko
Boeser
Suter
Soucy
Hoglander
Juulsen

Get the absolute best you can for all of them. A mini on the fly rebuild. Hope that in 2 years we are contending enough for Hughes to want to stay.

[Argay Ham]

Sakic and Co. moved him out because Burnaby Joe is a savvy former franchise talent who knows what he has in players. He knew that Rantanen without MacKinnon is probably an 70-80 point player. While you have to overpay sometimes on players to maintain the chemistry of a line, you don't overpay by that much.

Rantanen in Vancouver right now would probably be a 70PT winger.

Hell, you could put Ovechkin in Vancouver right now, and with the way Pettersson is playing, Ovie wouldn't catch Gretzky's record until the Olympic break.

Boeser's gonna have to be the asset you move for Rantanen. There's no other way unless you want to keep living in Groundhogdayland.

[Meds]

Sakic and Co. moved him out because Burnaby Joe is a savvy former franchise talent who knows what he has in players. He knew that Rantanen without MacKinnon is probably an 70-80 point player. While you have to overpay sometimes on players to maintain the chemistry of a line, you don't overpay by that much.

Rantanen in Vancouver right now would probably be a 70PT winger.

Hell, you could put Ovechkin in Vancouver right now, and with the way Pettersson is playing, Ovie wouldn't catch Gretzky's record until the Olympic break.

Boeser's gonna have to be the asset you move for Rantanen. There's no other way unless you want to keep living in Groundhogdayland.

No shit Sherlock.

I’m saying hard pass on Brock for Rantanen.

Boeser will likely be asking for $7.75-$8.5. With rumours of his agent seeking Draisaitl-level compensation, Rantanen won’t sign for less than $12.5M anywhere.

My point is that unless you have a MacKinnon or McDavid to pair him with, Rantanen is NOT a player that you commit that kind of cash to. Without that all-star level pivot He will score at 1.0 PPG or less. My money is on less.

[Topper]

Accepting offers on anyone.

[306NucksFan]

Sakic and Co. moved him out because Burnaby Joe is a savvy former franchise talent who knows what he has in players. He knew that Rantanen without MacKinnon is probably an 70-80 point player. While you have to overpay sometimes on players to maintain the chemistry of a line, you don't overpay by that much.

Rantanen in Vancouver right now would probably be a 70PT winger.

Hell, you could put Ovechkin in Vancouver right now, and with the way Pettersson is playing, Ovie wouldn't catch Gretzky's record until the Olympic break.

Boeser's gonna have to be the asset you move for Rantanen. There's no other way unless you want to keep living in Groundhogdayland.

No shit Sherlock.

I’m saying hard pass on Brock for Rantanen.

Boeser will likely be asking for $7.75-$8.5. With rumours of his agent seeking Draisaitl-level compensation, Rantanen won’t sign for less than $12.5M anywhere.

My point is that unless you have a MacKinnon or McDavid to pair him with, Rantanen is NOT a player that you commit that kind of cash to. Without that all-star level pivot He will score at 1.0 PPG or less. My money is on less.

Rant can be the sniper Petey needs to get the monkey off his back. I to believe with at least one elite winger he himself can be elite. Jake Debrusk is just not that guy.

[BoS]

The core has been significantly compromised.

Miller is gone, Boeser is a huge question mark and Pettersson is, well…

Boeser has proven to be a popular player, but with a mixed history of health, consistency and disgruntled attitude he cannot be relied upon as a core member. The team has been extremely supportive and patient with him, yet during this tumultuous contract year, he has provided little incentive to earn a long term deal, let alone a raise.
Is the lack of offensive punch from the wing enough reason to re-sign him?

What to do with Pettersson? I see two options. Deal him next week, or deal him in the summer. As every day passes, he’s showing more impatience with the media, and his trade value decreases.
Either get him a true elite winger, ie. Rantanen and hope to god they light it up, or dump him at the deadline and set themselves up for a big summer.

This nasty wound will only continue to fester.

Unload Soucy, his game has fallen off a cliff.

Suter would grab a 2nd, but he’s serviceable and shouldn’t cost much too much re-sign.

Sit on Demko. He won’t fetch anything at the deadline with the uncertainty surrounding his status.

Otherwise, I’m listening any and all offers

[Cornuck]

^^ Blades gets it.

The only thing I would change - I think Brock's been fairly healthy lately, and also the "disgruntled attitude" seems to be gone. My bigger concerns are his speed and his lack of skill at stickhandling under even a minimum of pressure.

And yes, keep Demko - he'll be a fine backup once healthy' - he should be enough (with Abby callups) to ride out this season. Figure out what to with him when the season's over.

When I see

Otherwise, I’m listening any and all offers

I'm assuming that means "Otherwise, I’m listening any and all offers except regarding Hughes"