Mëds wrote: ↑Thu Jul 16, 2026 9:54 am
He’s 31, outside of some insane bidding war, no team was going to commit more than 4 years to a big-man, power forward, who will likely see his game drop off at 35.
Yeah, I could have seen no one at more than 4 at the start of offseason (even if I thought someone desperate wiould go longer), but no team committed to more than 2 years! (Well, maybe he had that offer July 1 and wanted to keep searching, we will never know).
I think one issue for him (beyond the meh, not bad but isn’t there more there career) is that he’s a big man and *not* a power forward (IMO). Still, there is almost always a GM who takes a player like Mantha and goes a year or two longer than he should, all to get the player, sacrificing the future (or more accurately knowingly taking on the risk) for the present.
Mëds wrote: ↑Thu Jul 16, 2026 9:54 am
He’s 31, outside of some insane bidding war, no team was going to commit more than 4 years to a big-man, power forward, who will likely see his game drop off at 35.
Yeah, I could have seen no one at more than 4 at the start of offseason (even if I thought someone desperate wiould go longer), but no team committed to more than 2 years! (Well, maybe he had that offer July 1 and wanted to keep searching, we will never know).
I think one issue for him (beyond the meh, not bad but isn’t there more there career) is that he’s a big man and *not* a power forward (IMO). Still, there is almost always a GM who takes a player like Mantha and goes a year or two longer than he should, all to get the player, sacrificing the future (or more accurately knowingly taking on the risk) for the present.
When you consider his size, that may be why his career has been so meh. So yeah, that’s a good observation, “not a power forward”.
After reading that I made me think back to his WJC performance where he put up 11Pts in 7GP, and I remember them raving about his shot and how he was a big body with a really good release. (He scored 57G in 57GP in the Q that year…..it was his draft +1 season, but still, a goal per game pace is nothing to sneeze at). That being said, I also recall them mentioning at the World Juniors that he would need to learn to use his frame more for an impactful career in the NHL.
Somewhere in NW BC trying (yet again) to trade a(nother) Swede…..
Mëds wrote: ↑Thu Jul 16, 2026 11:16 am
And correction, 2 weeks earlier.
Past years started the 2nd week of October.
We don’t need the extra 2 games. But I like the earlier start. Now, we just need to move the draft to Father’s Day. Cuz, we are their fucking $$ market.
Hopefully we have built something else showing a semblance of success by then and don't need to recruit hugely expensive UFA's.
If we're actually going that route and we are throwing coins in a wishing well half a decade early I'd rather us have a fawning over hopes and dreams for the other guy.
donlever wrote: ↑Sun Jul 19, 2026 8:27 am
It'll cost 20 sheets a year to sign him in 2031.
Hopefully we have built something else showing a semblance of success by then and don't need to recruit hugely expensive UFA's.
If we're actually going that route and we are throwing coins in a wishing well half a decade early I'd rather us have a fawning over hopes and dreams for the other guy.
I would think that much of the “hype” around this is the speculation that he WANTS to come home and play in Vancouver. So he will take a (true) hometown discount after Chicago has set him and his kids up for life at 26 years of age.
5 years from now $20M will likely be the cap-space equivalent of $16M this year.
If he isn’t a lemon (durably), then that’s the perfect age to be adding that type of star player if we haven’t found one in the draft yet.
Edit 1: The “other guy” bit just registered. Yes. Much prefer hopes and dreams there. He has already said he will be giving SJ a discount to build with. So it’ll depend upon term. It the other guy also walks himself to free agency then honestly that should be something a rebuilding Canucks keep in mind as they plan their cap.
Somewhere in NW BC trying (yet again) to trade a(nother) Swede…..
