Jeremy Hronek

January 14

17 minutes ago, Tusk said:

We will get oilers in the first round. Maybe Vegas and then Winnipeg....... then hopefully Toronto cashes in a bunch of miracles and we get them for the Final!

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.

January 14

20 minutes ago, gwarrior said:

I would be down with a Vancouver Winnipeg conference final. I'm also in the same boat of having a bit of a soft spot for the Jets. That fan base lost a team and it took forever for them to get one back.

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.

January 14

7 hours ago, CanucksJay said:

If a team targets Hughes and does something to take him out of the series, I would 100 percent be ok if we did the same to 2-3 of their most valuable players because that's what Hughes is worth to us.

But yes, I would love an upgrade at 3D

After Hughes and Hronek, I would rank the defense

Soucy

Cole

Zadorov

Myers

Juulsen

That's still pretty darn good

Can't believe how well management transformed this group

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.

January 14

14 minutes ago, qwijjibo said:

Calgary getting bent over the barrel here. No way they move Lindholm and Sharangovich for this.

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.

January 13

5 hours ago, Bretzky said:

I live in The Peg now, but still am a Nucks fan and follow them more. I’m in my late 50’s and really only became a Canuck fan during the Linden, Bure, Odjick years. My exwife was/is from LA, where we also lived….I’m originally from Van. And she also became a Canucks fan when we were together. I was lucky one day to have Bure and Gino autograph a wallet photo I had of her, for her cause they were her faves. If the Jets and Nucks make it to the Western final I’m rooting for the Nucks, but hope all players from both teams come out healthy win or lose. CHEERS!

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

January 13

1 hour ago, Elias Pettersson said:

Pettersson Miller Boeser

Kuzmenko Pinto Mikheyev

Joshua Blueger Garland

Hoglander Suter Lafferty

Pinto is an upgrade on Suter. And it allows Suter to be our 4C which is where he can help us the most. Pinto is a good skater and strong on faceoffs. He is a shooter more than a set up man, so he should be able to score some goals. He's also a right shot so can play right wing as well. So if Petey goes back to playing centre then Pinto can be the shooter with him on the 2nd line as the right wing.

Long term Pinto can be our 3C to replace Blueger. Blueger may not sign with us in the summer. Pinto may want $2.5 million, but Blueger may want even more as a UFA. So we'd have Pinot as our 3C and then Lekkerimaki steps in on the 2nd line. So our future lines would be:

Mikheyev Miller Boeser

Hoglander Pettersson Lekkerimaki

Joshua Pinto Garland

Podkolzin Raty Lafferty

Bains

We can then trade Kuzmenko for more help on defence, specifically a right shot Dman. We have Willander coming in, but we still need more help on the right side. We need a right shot Zadorov type IMO...

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.

January 13

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.

January 13

8 hours ago, Elias Pettersson said:

To Vancouver:

Shane Pinto

To Ottawa:

2025 or 2026 1st round pick

Ottawa will be losing a 1st round pick because of the Dadonov fiasco. They have an option on when that pick will be, either 2024, 2025 or 2026. I am sure they will keep this year’s pick. So we can trade them our 1st round pick and they can have the option of it being either in 2025 or 2026 to match when they will lose their pick. I think this will be very attractive for them. They are in rebuild mode and might even be trading Chychrun, so getting another 1st round pick makes sense for them.

Vancouver gets a 23 year old right shot centre who can play either as a 3C or a 2C or even as a right winger. Pinto is a versatile player. He would fit perfectly into the 2C role right now for the playoff run. Apparently he is in great shape as he had a few extra months off. he will be rusty so he can take the next 3 months to shake the rust off and be ready for the playoffs.

Apparently Ottawa is going to be signing him to his qualifying offer of only $900k, so cap wise it works perfectly as well. He will be an RFA in the summer but since he’s been out half a season we probably don’t have to pay him much for next season.

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?

January 13

4 hours ago, MidKnight Ego said:

MTL gives Monahan to Vancouver, preferably with 50% retained....

Canucks trade Andrei Kuzmenko and a 3rd round pick or a second if they need immediate help,( 2nd comes with retention on Monahan)

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?

January 13

4 hours ago, MidKnight Ego said:

MTL gives Monahan to Vancouver, preferably with 50% retained....

Canucks trade Andrei Kuzmenko and a 3rd round pick or a second if they need immediate help,( 2nd comes with retention on Monahan)

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?

January 13

To San Jose: Kuzmenko + Mikheyev

To Vancouver: Couture + Duclair

January 13

Kuzmenko for Mikael Granlund?

January 13

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,

January 13

3 hours ago, PunjabiCanucks23 said:

With the Rumors of Guentzel - it leads me to believe the acquisition cost is too high- especially given that it may cost Kuzemnko, 1st, and prospect/ Hoglander while we may need this it can leave a deficit on our front end/ future.

Benefit is having not to rely on the lotto line.

However, there are some Centres that could fill in as 2C and not cost as much as Guentzel.

---

Sean Monahan- on a cheap contract- on pace for 50 pts on a MTL team

Shane Pinto- young prospect-about to make a comeback assuming he gets resigned- he's been practicing with fellow team mates

Adam Henrique- like Monahan - almost at the peak of his career on a poor team atm- on pace for 45 pts.

-- These 3 players will cost less then a Guentzel like player- Monahan is my favorite atm as he will cost less than 2M- and if we want to resign wouldnt cost a pretty penny.

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

January 13

5 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Kotkaniemi would be an excellent get. The rest of those guys, especially are just okay. Zegras is a room cancer. Just say no.

Agree on all accounts.

Zegras is a douche, Perry needs help, and Kessel is old and has breasts.

January 13

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).

January 13

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).

January 13

5 minutes ago, EdgarM said:

I think there is a few things in play here. First, I dont think the Lotto line is sustainable and I dont think they will want that to be a permanent thing.

I really think they want Petey to have his own line but Kuz is just not working out. I heard the rumour of Monahan and also rumours that Kuz and Hogs were in play. Coincidentally our two who occupy the doghouse but I think Hogs is here for good.

The obvious move is to trade Kuz for Monahan as he could do what Miller has done for Petey and play center when needed. He also provides a little more size for Petey's line as well. Size on one side and speed on the other. This might work for him.

The other issue is that I think they are putting too much in one basket with Hughes and Hronek too. They really need these two to run their own lines and support the second line.

I knew Garland just needed the right line mates and I believe he has finally found the right ones. We could almost say he single handedly made his own second line with two unsuspecting personnel.

I think if we find the right player for Petey, we could move into a position I have never seen this team be in before. Three strong lines, at the same time, thats crazy.

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

January 13

1 hour ago, Pears said:

That kind of says they plan on keeping the lotto line together and are looking at a legit second line center.

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).

January 12

42 minutes ago, Coconuts said:

I disagree, if only because I don't believe teams can't be over the top prepared for injuries to key players. Injuries happen, sometimes it's top players who get banged up and it sucks. But on some level it is what it is, injuries are part of the game.

Canucks D depth is solid despite offense from the D being top heavy (Hughes and Hronek), but our forward group is also top heavy and I view that as being more of a problem imo. The Canucks have gotten good showings from depth players this season but our second line is undeniably left wanting. Folks like to poke fun at the Oilers for their top heavy forward group, but if we're stacking Miller, Pettersson, and Boeser more often than not that also gives the opponents one big line to try and shut down.

The Canucks would be much better equipped having more top six talent in their top six, two effective top six lines are much better than one. One could argue that our depth makes up for it, but the reality is that most teams who get further into the playoffs will also have some pretty solid depth themselves.

Building a team with top notch depth at all positions just likely isn't doable more often than not under the constraints of a salary cap.

At the end of the day if Hughes goes down that cripples us regardless of who else we have on the back end, losing any of Boeser, Pettersson, and Miller would hurt a lot too but not as much as losing Hughes. If Demko goes down we'd be in a tough spot as well, regardless of how well DeSmith has performed as a backup.

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 .

January 12

On 12/19/2023 at 2:22 PM, Elias Pettersson said:

Nashville would be a good fit for Elvis. It’s close his home in Memphis…

If he got traded to Nashville, he would say the following:

”Thank you…….thank you very much.”

January 12

4 minutes ago, MikeyD said:

I agree only on the basis that defensemen tend to get injured in the playoffs far more often and that it'd push us over the edge more.

With that said I think both are about equal but a defenseman would be the cheaper option. Also disagree that Cole is a #5. He is clearly a good shutdown defender and is easily a top 4.

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.

January 12

1 hour ago, Grandmaster said:

Tanev and Lindholm would address both positions.

2024 1st, Kuzy and Pods and they take a bit of salary retention in both incoming players so we fit under the Cap.

That would be the deepest lineup in Canuck history. Even more so than 2011.

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.

January 12

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

January 12

10 hours ago, Sell.the.team said:

I've heard this guy is a little too into the nose beers

I won't speculate since I don't have all the facts but this guy declined very fast in the NHL.

Injuries and his style of play were also probably contributing factors but no guy in their mid-to-late 20's should decline as fast as he did.

Hard pass on Monahan.

Sign In

Profiles

Forums

Blogs

Events

Downloads

Gallery

Store

Posts posted by Jeremy Hronek