Rip The Mesh

fluff;

40 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

damn, as if we needed another stat to show Linden got robbed. 

This was actually closer to the Cup then 2011. IMO.

8 minutes ago, Coconuts said:

I've got a sinking feeling the Oil are gonna pull it off, I really hope I'm wrong though, we'd never hear the end of it. 

Could be, but I'm thinking different;

They're showing a game from the old days between Boston  and Edmonton. Gretsky and Orr; others form the past. 

Wonder what they would have showed if Boeser had not been hurt and Vancouver went on to play Dallas then Florida? 

Just out now;

VANCOUVER -- For the third time in the past five NHL Drafts, the Vancouver Canucks don’t have a first-round pick on Friday. They also don’t have a second-rounder in Las Vegas, leaving the Canucks with a top pick of No. 93 in Saturday’s third round.

But for the first time, this is seen as the cost of doing business for a franchise that won the Pacific Division this season and finally is back in a position to challenge for the Stanley Cup.

When they were without first-round picks in 2020 and 2021, the Canucks swung for the fences at those drafts by claiming players who had first-round size and skills but required a lot of development. Defenceman Joni Jurmo (drafted 82nd overall in 2020) is already out of the organization and winger Danila Klimovich (41st in 2021) looks only slightly closer to making the NHL after three challenging seasons with the Canucks' top minor-league team.

The profound difference for the Canucks in this weekend’s draft, besides their 109-point regular season, is a hockey operations department largely rebuilt by president Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin since 2021. Amateur scouting director Todd Harvey is a holdover from the Jim Benning era, but he now reports to assistant GM Cammi Granato and, according to Rutherford, has transformed as a manager.

What also has changed is a clearer, more broadly understood, ideal about what traits the Canucks value most.

“Well, we want to play fast, right?” Harvey told Sportsnet last week. “We want competitive people. These kids are going to have roadblocks, they're going to have ups and downs. It's the kids that persevere to get through those roadblocks that are going to get a chance to get to the NHL.

“We kind of look for a player that that fits our mold. Obviously, we want skilled players; that's the name of the game. But we also look for good, character people.”

Players drafted in the third round and beyond who eventually become NHL regulars are like found money for NHL organizations. They’re a bonus. But there’s more pressure on Harvey’s scouts to find those players in a draft when Vancouver doesn't have first- and second-round picks.

This year’s first-rounder was surrendered to the Calgary Flames in the blockbuster rental acquisition of centre Elias Lindholm in January, while the second-round selection was given to the Chicago Blackhawks at the start of last season in the Jason Dickinson trade that provided some cap flexibility.

“I think we've done a pretty good job here in the last couple of years of finding some guys who maybe weren't top picks that might have a chance to play,” Harvey said. “We've got to keep doing that. I get what you're saying, that we don't have those high-end picks in the first or second round. But we're putting pressure on ourselves to still find guys that are going to be valuable players.”

More to read.....................

8 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

apparently its our fault the Leafs will have a crappy defence again 

 

In other words, the Canucks inadvertently messed up the free-agent market by overpaying for Hronek. Now, just about every free-agent blue liner must be giddy with joy as their agents can use Hronek’s deal as a comparison.

So, how much would the Leafs have to pony up for someone like Chris Tanev or Brandon Montour? The issue is not paying players. The Leafs can afford it. The problem lies in the cap space it will take to get a top free-agent blue liner.

In short, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be in tough trying to sign a high-profile defenceman. 

 

https://editorinleaf.com/posts/filip-hronek-signing-bad-news-for-toronto-maple-leafs-01j0w55nv0p6

Just be the interviews you can tell who the more likable team is.  

pre-game, Panthers, game 7, SCF;

In roughly less then a day from now;