Jeremy Hronek

Would be nice if either of Seattle and Edmonton draw Colorado and Vegas in the first round.

Oilers are the one team that I fear facing in Round One. I don’t mind playing them in any other round since all bets are off as far as tough opponents go, but Oilers will be dangerous. After an awful start, the Oilers have been playing like an elite team and have made up a LOT of ground. They are nipping at LA’s ball sack as we speak (3 points out). I hope Edmonton and Vegas draw each other in the first round. I’d love to play LA, Nashville, or Seattle. I hope we avoid St Louis and Edmonton.

Looking at the Jets line up, I still don’t quite fully comprehend as to why they’re doing so well. Ditto for Boston. I knew Winnipeg would be good but I’ll have to admit that I completely and utterly underestimated them.

You hit the nail on the head. For me, as far as resistance to injuries go, the Canucks are pretty well covered for the most part. -One of Kuzmenko or Mikheyev can take Boeser’s spot on the lotto line if Boeser goes down. -Suter could play on the Garland line, in any position, if someone from that line got hurt. -Hoglander could fill on any winged position outside of the top line. -Raty or Podkolzin will be than capable of filling in incase of injuries as well. On defense, any one of Cole, Soucy, Zadorov, or Myers can ride shotgun on a 2nd pairing defense, and wouldn’t look out of place playing alongside Hughes or Hronek on a top pairing. Now - having said the above, there is a HUGE difference between “not looking out of place” and “continuing to be elite.” For example, up front, -Pettersson-Miller-Kuzmenko/Mikheyev -Kuzmenko/Mikheyev-Pettersson-Boeser -Kuzmenko/Mikheyev-Miller-Boeser Would still likely be capable of “tilting the ice” incase one of our big three forwards got injured. In net, DeSmith has shown that he’s more than capable of stepping up with Demko went down. On defense however, this team would be significantly impacted if Hughes went down with injury. Canucks would be in trouble if any combination of Soucy-Hronek Cole-Hronek Zadorov-Hronek Was your contignency top pairing. Hence, why I like the idea of getting a true #3 calibre guy like Chychrun, Tanev, etc. Chychrun-Hronek Tanev-Hronek while not ideal, would still be considered a pretty good top pairing. So, that’s why I’d prefer to get a #3 dman as opposed to a 2nd line C. Even though our 2nd line could be much better, we are still getting consistent secondary scoring from our bottom 6.

Agreed. I think the OP’s heart is the right place but Calgary’s GM would get his balls chopped off by Lorena Bobbit if he signed off on that deal.

Would be pretty cool. The winner of such a series then go onto defeat the Leafs in the finals.

Pretty good thought process but my only concern is that Pinto’s lack of playmaking ability might not be a good fit for Kuzmenko and Mikheyev. To your point however, he’d be a nice option to have just in case we lose Bluegar next season. Pinto’s presence would also allow for Suter to go to a more ideally suited bottom 6 role (although I really like the chemistry that has developed between Hoglander-Aman-Lafferty). Aman has made a strong case to stay in the line-up. I think for me, I’m not sure if I see a huge need for an upgrade to the 2nd line. Yes, the Suter, Mikheyev, Kuzmenko line aren’t doing anything, but we’re getting consistent scoring from all our other lines. As long as the Lotto line remains in tact, our 2nd line seems like it will inevitably struggle with offense no matter who the center is. Hence, I’m not really sure if it’s worth trading a key prospect or high draft pick for such a piece. On the flip side, the Canucks’ back-end, as deep as it is, need a guy that can ensure that our top defensive pairing remains elite even if one of Hughes or Hronek goes down with injury. Can guys like Soucy, Cole, and Zadorov play with Hughes or Hronek? Absolutely. Would such a pairing be elite? I’m not so sure. Hence, the need for someone like Chychrun. For me, I’d honestly look at Chychrun over Pinto. Even though our 2nd line is a bit ‘useless’ right now, I think it provides us with good depth incase of injuries and can be split up when necessary (ie Kuzmenko or Mikheyev takes Boeser’s spot on the top line if Boeser gets injured, Miller and Pettersson can always anchor different lines if necessary, Suter can go back to the bottom 6 if there is an injury to Bluegar or someone else on the Bottom 6). Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that our closest NHl ready prospects on the farm are forwards right now (Raty, Podkolzin). And so come playoff time, these guys can fill in if there are injuries. Hirose as a bottom pairing defenseman as well. The ultimate point I’m making in this: The only area where the Canucks don’t seem to be well protected as far as injuries go, is if one of Hughes or Hronek gets injured since are other defensemen, as good as they are, are only #4 calibre defensemen at best. We don’t have that #3 guy that could really look good on a top pairing. Hence, why I believe that going after Chychrun (if we’re thinking Ottawa) would be better than Pinto.

Since this thread is about the Senators and mentions Chychrun, I’m just thinking outloud here: Hughes-Hronek Chychrun-Soucy Cole-Zadorov Juulsen (Myers moved) Chychrun can play both sides (as can Hughes) and can help drive the puck up ice when the Hughes pairing is not on the ice. Chychrun can also move to the top pairing if one of Hughes/Hronek got injured and we wouldn’t miss a beat.

1. What would the new resulting line combinations with Pinto be? 2. Would you expect the presence of Pinto on a newly created second line to be a significant of secondary scoring?

1. What would the new resulting line combinations with Monahan be? 2. Would you expect the presence of Monahan on a newly created second line to be a significant of secondary scoring?

1. What would the new resulting line combinations with Monahan be? 2. Would you expect the presence of Monahan on a newly created second line to be a significant of secondary scoring?

To San Jose: Kuzmenko + Mikheyev To Vancouver: Couture + Duclair

Kuzmenko for Mikael Granlund?

https://www.nhl.com/news/merzlikins-wants-new-scenario-wont-be-backup "“Elvis feels he's a No. 1. I liked that about him. Daniil feels he's the No, 1 and if you ask Spencer, given the chance, he feels he can be a No. 1,

I would give up a significant amount for Joel Eriksson Ek. -Excellent long term cap hit -Can be a long term core player -Can help us greatly on the PK. -Can fill in on the top line if one of the Big 3 got injured. Kuzmenko++ for Eriksson Ek Pettersson-Miller-Boeser Suter-Eriksson Ek-Mikheyev [shut down line] Joshua-Bluegar-Garland Hoglander-Aman-Lafferty

Agree on all accounts. Zegras is a douche, Perry needs help, and Kessel is old and has breasts.

Switching up Boeser and Kuzmenko to even out the Top 6 + trading Mikheyev++ for Elias Lindholm What if the Canucks did the following: Pettersson-Miller-Kuzmenko Hoglander-Lindholm-Boeser Joshua-Bluegar-Garland Aman-Suter-Lafferty Under this scenario, Mikheyev would be the player that the Canucks traded (him and Lindholm have almost identical cap hits).

Switching up Boeser and Kuzmenko to even out the Top 6 + trading Mikheyev++ for Elias Lindholm What if the Canucks did the following: Miller-Pettersson-Kuzmenko Hoglander-Lindholm-Boeser Joshua-Bluegar-Garland Aman-Suter-Lafferty Under this scenario, Mikheyev would be the player that the Canucks traded (him and Lindholm have almost identical cap hits).

Mikheyev-Monahan-Hoglander as a 2nd line seems pretty “meh” to me.

But there lies the inherent problem. Assuming that…. 1. The Lotto line sticks together 2. Garland’s line sticks together 3. Aman and Lafferty remain fixtures on the 4th line That pretty much leaves you with Hoglander, Suter, Mikheyev, and Kuzmenko as 2nd line winger options. A. Ideally, Suter should be on your bottom 6. B. Ideally, Hoglander should continue to play with Aman and Lafferty unless he is riding shotgun on a VERY stacked 2nd line. Pettersson-Miller-Boeser ????????? Joshua-Bluegar-Garland Hoglander-Suter-Lafferty Is how things should be ideally. Pettersson-Miller-Boeser Mikheyev-????-Kuzmenko Joshua-Bluegar-Garland Hoglander-Suter-Lafferty Basically, if want any chance of having an offensively dangerous 2nd line, this is what we’d be looking at…….and the two questions we’d have to ask ourselves, is, 1. “to what likelihood can the addition of a new center turn a Mikheyev/Kuzmenko line into something potentially dangerous?” 2. “To what extent will the Canucks have enough defensive depth in their line up if they packaged Myers++ to acquire said center?” That’s what it comes down to for me. The inherent problem in moving Kuzmenko++ for a good 2nd line center, is that the only linemates options would be Suter, Hoglander, Mikheyev…….ultimately meaning that our 2nd line would still be offensively average as a whole. It’s always why I believe that IF you’re going to package Kuzmenko++ for a center, then 1. Make sure the center coming back is exceptionally good defensively (ie Eriksson-EK, Couture, Elias Lindholm, ROR) 2. Have Suter and Mikheyev be the linemates for said center and have them be the ultimate shut down/defensive deployment line (so in essence, this “2nd line” would be known more for shutting down and containing rather than providing secondary offense. Garland’s line and our 4th line would be counted on more for secondary offense as opposed to this shut down line).

All fair points but here is how I see things: -Kuzmenko takes Boeser’s spot if Boeser gets injured. -Even without Miller or Pettersson, Garland’s line has been playing well all season and could still produce on another line. -As you allude to, we could be in very serious trouble without Hughes. However - if we have that #3 calibre defenseman (ie Chris Tanev), then perhaps you could help mitigate things to a very large degree if one of Hughes or Hronek went down with injury. My concern with investing in a 2nd line center (assuming that we keep the Lotto line in tact), is that the new 2nd line C (assuming Kuzmenko is moved) would still only have Hoglander, Suter, or Mikheyev as linemates. In other words, that 2nd line still likely won’t produce much even if you have Lindholm, Ryan O’Reilly, Tomas Hertl, etc. there. If the Canucks truly are looking for a scoring 2nd line C, then you’d probably have to move Hoglander++ for said piece (Suter moves to the 4th line to play with Aman and Lafferty), and hope that the new 2nd line center can help get Kuzmenko going again. Pettersson-Miller-Boeser Mikheyev-NEWGUY-Kuzmenko Joshua-Bluegar-Garland Aman-Suter-Lafferty Given this, I think I might be starting to understand @Elias Pettersson’s thought process with regards to moving Hoglander for Alex Wennberg .

If he got traded to Nashville, he would say the following: ”Thank you…….thank you very much.”

Agree that Cole might not be a #5, but he’s a #4 at best. On a good team, he’s not going to be your best defenseman on a 2nd pairing (a #3), and he shouldn’t be anywhere near the top pairing (#2). The ultimate point that I’m making, with regards to our defense, is that there’s too big of a talent gap between Hronek and our 3rd best d-man………to the point where no one outside of Hughes and Hronek would be worthy of being on our top pairing while keeping that top pairing at an elite level.

I think Myers would need to be included in that to make it work from a cap perspective. In terms of getting that #3 calibre defenseman, Tanev would definitely fit the bill for that. Lindholm also would be a good 2nd line center, and could fill in on the Lotto line if somebody got injured. For that new second line, I’d do it as follows: Mikheyev-Suter-Lindholm, OR Suter-Lindholm-Mikheyev. Either/or. Keep Hoglander on the 4th line where he can continue to thrive and develop (he’s already playing very well down there with Aman and Lafferty). Getting back to my Lindholm line, the “identity” and role I’d give that line would be as a match-up line. An ultra defensive shut down line that can possibly chip in some goals. if this newly formed Mikheyev-Suter-Lindholm like could be a top match up like that help free up the Lotto line for more offensive deployment, then that could be a massive win for us.

The Canucks look destined to make the playoffs for the third time since 2015. With the recently re-united "Lotto Line", many hockey pundits have suggested that the Canucks acquire a 2nd line center to increase the likelihood of a deep playoff push. While such an idea obviously has merit, perhaps a stronger argument can be made for the Canucks pursuing a #3 calibre defenseman; someone that could really be the "alpha" of a potential 2nd pairing while also ensuring that the Canucks maintain an elite top pairing in case one of Hughes or Hronek went down with injury. Here is how I see our calibre of current defensemen. #1 - Quinn Hughes #2 - Filip Hronek #3 - ???? #4 - Soucy, Zadorov #5 - Cole, Myers #6B/7 - Juulsen #7 - Friedman, Wolanin, Hirose, etc. So based on the above, a strong argument can certainly be made that while the Canucks have contingency options for their 2nd and 3rd pairings in case of injury, they may not be adequately prepared for a top pairing injury to Hughes or Hronek. If one of Hughes or Hronek were to get injured, you'd have guys like Zadorov, Soucy, or even Cole being forced to inappropriately play on a top pairing. While a guy like Hughes could arguably carry whomever he's playing with, as he did with Luke Schenn last season, such a pairing would no longer be considered 'elite', ultimately resulting in a loss of a massive strength for this team. Let's pretend that Hronek were to get injured. Here is what our resulting defense might look like: Hughes-Soucy Zadorov-Myers Cole-Juulsen To me, that above defense, while not bad, would take us away from being elite. Now lets have a look at our forward group: Pettersson-Miller-Boeser Mikheyev-???-Hoglander [for illustrative purposes, I'm pretending that Kuzmenko has been included as part of a 'packaged deal' to acquire a piece] Joshua-Bluegar-Garland Aman-Suter-Lafferty PDG The reason why I'm not entirely sold on the idea of acquiring a 2nd line center is due to the following: 1. We currently have multiple lines scoring despite our 2nd line weakness. The re-united Lotto line, the Garland line, and our 4th line have continuously produced offence despite our struggling 2nd line. So as the saying goes, "if the wheel ain't broke, why fix it?" 2. If there was an injury to Miller or Pettersson, the Canucks could still find a way to try and stack a line (i.e. Pettersson-Miller-Kuzmenko, Mikheyev-Pettersson-Boeser, Mikheyev/Kuzmenko-Miller-Boeser, etc.). While none of these line combinations would be an ideal 1st line for an elite team, the consistent production that we've been getting from the Garland line and the 4th line would make this far more palpable than if we were to lose one of Hughes or Hronek. 3. Given that the Canucks have re-united the lotto line, even the presence of a good 2nd line Center might not be enough to turn that line into a significant scoring threat. For illustrative purposes, let's assume that the Canucks made a trade involving Kuzmenko++ for Calgary's Lindholm. Here would be some of potential line combinations: Suter-Lindholm-Mikheyev Hoglander-Lindholm-Mikheyev Hoglander-Lindholm-Suter With any of the above 2nd line combinations, the needle wouldn't move much in terms of providing consistent secondary offence (which the Garland line is doing anyways). Additionally, guys like Raty, Bains, and Podkolzin have been performing quite well in the AHL, and could also possibly be playoff options to fill in any potential secondary scoring voids. Upper-depth on defense is paramount. Look no further than the Boston Bruins. Despite the losses of Bergeron and Krejici and the resulting questionable forward depth this season, the Bruins have continued to be an elite team due to their upper-depth prowess on defense. The presence of McAvoy, Lindholm, Carlo, and Grzelcyk have given the Bruins a significant advantage. Carlo right now is out with injury but the Bruins are still quite top heavy on defense, and are still winning games as a result. In summary, I would suggest that the Canucks look at packaging Tyler Myers++ to find a #3 calibre defenseman instead of moving Kuzmenko++ to bring in a 2nd line Center. Pettersson-Miller-Boeser Mikheyev-Suter-Kuzmenko Joshua-Bluegar-Garland Hoglander-Aman-Lafferty PDG Hughes-Hronek Soucy-NEW GUY Cole-Zadorov Juulsen Demko DeSmith