Ownership and Management

[Meds]

The excuses from management on why the Canucks can’t rebuild holds no water. The Montreal Canadiens went to the Stanley Cup FINAL, and proceeded to rebuild the next year. It’s all bullshit coming down from up top (ownership). They only care about giving the fans the season by season illusion of a “winning product” just to get butts in seats, plain and simple.

The Canucks have the 3rd worst record in the league and we are 7 games from the 30 game point in the season. This isn’t a missing 2nd line centre problem, it’s much wider than that.

There is no "illusion" to be had this season.

[Blob Mckenzie]

Dude I think everyone is aware of how you feel. I for one would like to see a rapid rebuild that I could see them having a competitive team by 27/28 if executed properly. Don't tear it down to the studs. But trade our best player and a handul of other pieces this season for a heavy dose of picks and prospects with the idea of eating a cap dump if needed. I'm not turning this into a if Hughes wants out or not. There's enough threads for that.

They need a quick pivot. The sooner the better. Im just putting hypotheticals out there and if the mods want to move it he trade rumor thread so be it. It pertains to management and ownership because Fredo farted at Gary Mason last week. 'It might be time to rebuild in someway, perhaps not with current management'. Was the gist I got of it. Brown Cherry is burping out similar sentiments and both are conduits of Rutherford and Franscesco.

Hughes should be dealt no later than Sept 14. But if someone offered me the moon now, I'd take it. He's a top 5 player in the game.

Hughes to San Jose for Misa, 1st, 2nd, player x
Hughes to Anaheim for Mcqueen, 1st, Mintyukov
Hughes to Carolina for Nikisn and Svechnikov
Hughes to Hawks for Frondell, Korshinsky +salary
Hughes to Flyers for Mickhov or Martone, Bonk, Alex Bump, +
decent player
Hughes and Hoggy to Devils for Selayev, Mercer, 1st, two 2nds, John Mustard and a carcass. I have not gotten into possible returns from Seattle, Detroit or Utah, but Detroit would have to oart with Red Savage in any case.

My valuations are imho accuste. You aren't getting back a Fantilli, Cooley, Leo, Smith or either of Celebrini or Bedard. Set Quinn free.



Sherwood for a late 1st.

DOC for a 2nd.

Forbort for a 4th

Blueger for a 3rd


Keep the guts of the team and FH can run a solid PP wth EP40. Draft 6 times in the top 64. Another down year next year but promise the year after. Foote was set up to fail. Best tank commander since Willy. He doesn't dance, wear a Cowichan sweater on the bench or rock a poppie in Frebuary, or have a coffee cup that says "World's" Greatest Coach".... no mustache rides for folks, but I for one salute Captain Foote.

**Edit** the top 5 is wicked this year. Mckenna, Ivar, Veerhoff, the Belcher or Lawrence are sick building blocks. Get ajother top 10 pick in 2027 and this could be tidy with good managemen and the OEL poison being reduced a half dose.

[rats19]

Great post imho blob

I too would like a quick pivot… however it can happen

[2Fingers]

Yes good post Blob, I agree with your comments and the timeline and it can be done IF the owners/management make it so. Keep enough veterans around to support the young guys such as Garland.

[Carl Yagro]

Good stuff, Blob. Nice to see you back, hope it'll be more regular.

Certainly will be some more interesting discussion to be had around here.

I'm sure some of these options will have to be seriously looked at by management by Christmas break.

In the meantime, I'm just playing around with the draft simulator: https://www.tankathon.com/nhl/mock_draft

[donlever]

Yeah good post Blob.

I was pondering Hughes for Semec, Mercer and 2 firsts a couple of days back.

[dangler]

Yup, a quick pivot with new management.
With the pieces they would get from trading those players it would be very possible.
Would keep the Aquilini's happy too.
Is there anyone within the organization who could be promoted to GM and or President?
Ryan Johnson, Cammi Granato??

[Lancer]

I'm sure some of these options will have to be seriously looked at by management by Christmas break.

Either Christmas or the Olympic break would be the propitious times for ownership, management and Hughes to sit down and have an open, honest chat about Quinn, how he feels about the organization, and where he sits with extending his contract. Probably by the Olympic break because there will be little doubt, then, about what this team is or where it's at.

If Quinn's body language and mood are any indicator, I can't imagine him saying he'd love to be a Canuck for life - no matter what the organization does to sweeten things for him. The guy just looks out there like he's mourning a beloved puppy he watched die - but none of the John Wick vibe. He's not the most emotional guy to begin with, but hell even Petey shows more emotion out there and he can be even worse with his body language.

Ownership has to be in on the conversation because I think Frankie will need to see and hear Quinn's response to have a hope of understanding the need to rebuild if Quinn says he's not extending. If Quinn effectively says this team can't win it with him there, what more does an owner need to see that the roster is fatally flawed?

My worry is that ownership will continue to insist on Quinn moving for "win-now" pieces, which could mean a Hughes-for-Crosby-and-two lottery-protected-firsts or something along those lines.

Otherwise, I would hope any of Blob's trade scenarios would come to fruition. What management needs in that case is a team whose management thinks their team is on the cusp of contention who needs an upgrade on their blue line who's willing to part with a prime young forward to do so. Sound familiar??

[Cornuck]

As much as I would hate to see Hughes leave (he's just so god-damnned good!) - but I can also see that if this franchise is going to go anywhere, we'll need to cash in while we can. As long as he doesn't go to the rangers.

[Carl Yagro]

As much as I would hate to see Hughes leave (he's just so god-damnned good!)

This is why I hope for some kind of divine intervention.

This guy is literally our #1 overall pick and you can certainly argue he is already the franchise's greatest ever player... or at least in the top 3. With the low bar this organization has set, you could retire his jersey right now.

With a little bit of anti-Canuck luck, getting one of the top 2 picks, deft moves by management to fire sale for picks and an owner willing/forced to sit it out and let reality play out... there could possibly be a very quick turnaround that you've seen with other teams, which could entice the Captain to evaluate whether the future could be bright?

Fuk, that's a lot of "IFs". Go ahead and stomp on my shades if y'all want...

[Lancer]

As much as I would hate to see Hughes leave (he's just so god-damnned good!) - but I can also see that if this franchise is going to go anywhere, we'll need to cash in while we can. As long as he doesn't go to the rangers.

Watch - we'll see news that he signed an extension between now and 14 Sept and be tearing our hair out about a wasted opportunity to re-set the roster and are consigned to more of the 'mushy-middle' with Hughes locked into the fold and guaranteeing that the team will never tank.

No pleasing some people - and I may include myself there.

Still begs the question of whither the roster if Quinn extends? Keep on rolling the dice with mid-1st-round picks? Take a few more swings at failed prospects 'looking for new surroundings'? 'Improvement from within'?

With this season circling around like last season, the organization needs something - anything - to change the team's trajectory, or at least the narrative for the season. I'll even take management pulling the plug on the season - something you know they'll never do. Petey is trending well, but he's nowhere close to his Alien self. Demko hurt himself somewhere, somehow - again. Add a dispirited Quinn, and that's the core. Yay. Among the supporting cast, Sherwood is earning himself a nice new contract, but he's really the only one who's outperforming their cap hit. The youth is either hurt or uninspiring. The best anyone can say of D. Petey or Willander is that they don't look over their heads too often; they haven't wowed anyone so far the way Edler or Bieksa did when they started out.

This team (and more its fans) needs a dose of good news the way a guy stuck in the desert needs a canteen of water.

[Chef Boi RD]

I don’t think moving Hughes to New Jersey is the only option. Teams have paid heavy prices for UFA rentals with no guarantee of retaining. A playoff team would pay dearly for Hughes. In fact I’m fairly convinced that if Hughes is traded it won’t be to Jersey. The Devils ain’t going to offer the moon for a player whom they stand a pretty good chance of inking when he becomes a UFA. They’ll bide their time and save their assets.

[Lancer]

I don’t think moving Hughes to New Jersey is the only option. Teams have paid heavy prices for UFA rentals with no guarantee of retaining. A playoff team would pay dearly for Hughes. In fact I’m fairly convinced that if Hughes is traded it won’t be to Jersey. The Devils ain’t going to offer the moon for a player whom they stand a pretty good chance of inking when he becomes a UFA. They’ll bide their time and save their assets.

Hence someone like Anaheim, Chicago, Utah - teams that are on the upswing with appealing “future star”-type players they can shed in a “fast forward to contention” move for Hughes. Either those, or some team who hopes they can offload some of their older established forwards they can con a manager into accepting in exchange for a roster-changer like Hughes - like a Tampa, Washington or Boston.

That’s the paradox of star players in a cap league - if they want to go to contenders they almost have to do it in free agency.

[Meds]

Dude I think everyone is aware of how you feel. I for one would like to see a rapid rebuild that I could see them having a competitive team by 27/28 if executed properly. Don't tear it down to the studs. But trade our best player and a handul of other pieces this season for a heavy dose of picks and prospects with the idea of eating a cap dump if needed. I'm not turning this into a if Hughes wants out or not. There's enough threads for that.

They need a quick pivot…

Keep the guts of the team and FH can run a solid PP wth EP40. Draft 6 times in the top 64.

Yeah, like everyone said, good post Blobby Mac.

Coupla disagrees (you know for discussion)…..

Hughes IS the guts of this team. The fancy stats when he’s off the ice or fucking horrific. Remove him and defenders cue on Petey. EP can’t carry that load. He’s been good lately, for sure, but he’s not carrying the offense, Hughes is.

Assuming returns are what you hypothesize, there’s no guarantees with draft picks, which you know, so I won’t expound.

If Hughes goes to San Jose (example), and their 1st comes back in the package, I would lay odds that said pick is not a lottery pick at the end of the season with the injection of Hughes into that roster.

Those last two points are why I don’t think there is a quick pivot here.

Hughes max value for us in terms of getting a high pick is at the end of the season where a team still gets a full season with him before needing to up his cap hit. Make it a trade with an extension in place and that value is premium.

For the record, I am begrudgingly on board with this plan. It will suck to watch a player of his skill get traded, but it’s better than watching him walk. I also know that any rebuild that exits Hughes is at least 3-4 years long.

[Meds]

Considering Lancer's prognostication that we will see Hughes signing an extension between now and next September, I want to offer this counter-thought to the trade Hughes and rebuild the ship idea.....

The two key criteria to this "IF" scenario are:

1. Hughes re-signs with an extension kicking in for the 2027-28 season.

2. Pettersson continues his current play and we end up with an 82-point 1C that is in the Selke conversation.

With cap increases and player salaries coming off the books, the Canucks will have around $23.5M in available space when we hit July 1st next year.

A commitment from Hughes, and a resurgence from EP40 could make Vancouver a destination for free agents who want to play with guys like that over the next 2 seasons. If the Canucks actually draft smartly (biggest IF of them all) by the time we are kicking off the 2027 season, we could have some decent prospects in the cupboard with Cootes could be the first of them plugging into the NHL line-up in a meaningful way.

This season is an abortion at this point, so hopefully we come out of it with a high pick of our own and manage to sell someone like Sherwood at the deadline for a above market value to add to the rolls of the dice in June.

This is me struggling to be an optimist in the face of the realization that Frankie won't sign-off on a fire sale and rebuild.