Jeremy Hronek

7 minutes ago, xMagnus said:

Seems pretty clear to me that the NHL wants to keep this as quite as possible for as long as possible, in hopes people will forget.

 

Release the damn names.

The NHL is a corrupt and garbage league.  

As a Canucks fan that watched the Canucks get constantly screwed by the refs between 2009 and 2013 (and even 2015 was quite fishy with Ferland allowing to perform actions that would have been called charging, boarding, and roughing in most instances), I have no reason but to assume that the NHL is very corrupt.

Do you think Bedard going to Chicago is just coincidence?   Lafrenniere to NYR?  

So yeah......I'm not surprised at all that the league is trying to cover up 2018.  

I only follow the NHL because of the Canucks, but my passion for the sport isn't anywhere near what it was 10-15 years ago.  

13 hours ago, RWJC said:

Canucks Notebook: Can Soucy provide Hughes with a permanent defence partner?

 

 

VICTORIA – Who knows who tomorrow brings for Quinn Hughes?

 

On Thursday it was Noah Juulsen as a defence partner for Hughes on the first day of the Vancouver Canucks’ training camp. On Friday, it was Carson Soucy.

 

And Saturday, when the Canucks hold their only scrimmage of camp, who among the other 19 defencemen on Vancouver Island will partner Hughes?

“They all want to, I know that,” head coach Rick Tocchet said Friday. “I don’t know, to be honest here. But it’s a situation where, especially early, if you want to try things, do it now. But I’m not going to experiment for three weeks. We’ve got to make sure we get someone there.”

 

Hughes, the dynamic defenceman and newly-anointed captain who had 76 points in 78 games last season, has not had an everyday, “permanent” defence partner since the Canucks allowed Chris Tanev to leave in free agency three years ago after Hughes’ rookie season.

 

Hughes’ most frequent partner last season, Luke Schenn, was traded by the Canucks in February as a deadline rental and later signed in free agency with the Nashville Predators.
 

So the auditions continue to the right side of the most talented defenceman in Canucks history.

 

But Soucy’s turn on Friday didn’t look like an “experiment.”

 

The Canucks used their summer spending money to buy Soucy and Ian Cole in free agency – both left-shot defencemen expected to bolster the middle of a blue line that has been largely rebuilt by general manager Patrik Allvin since the start of last season.

 

Soucy profiles as a robust, physical, stay-at-home defenceman like Schenn, and the new Canuck spent his two seasons with the Seattle Kraken as a partner to offensively-inclined blue-liners Mark Giordano and Justin Schultz. And with Giordano, two years ago, Soucy played the right side.

 

“I think it would be pretty similar,” Soucy said. “I think it’s just understanding that when they have the opportunity (to join the rush), let them do it. I think we got caught one time today where I was just a little too much up ice instead of just kind of hanging back. It’s just understanding that that is what Quinn’s obviously really good at. And I’ve got to play to my strengths.”

 

Tocchet re-iterated his preference for natural lefty-righty defence pairings. But the only right-shot defencemen capable of matching Hughes’ workload is Filip Hronek, and the Canucks’ would rather Hughes and Hronek play on different pairings so that one or the other is on the ice for most of the game.

 

The coach floated the idea that playing with Hughes could be a job-share, with two players splitting time beside him while Vancouver’s No. 1 defencemen logs 23-24 minutes a night.

 

“The right side has it’s challenges,” Soucy conceded. “It’s almost easier sometimes in games. In practice, you just start drills differently. In games, you kind of make those reads just as the game goes on. Playing with Hughsie, it’s just knowing he can do a lot of it himself with the puck. I just kind of give him the space to do it, and I’m also just kind of protecting him when he jumps up.

 

“I think if we did get to play with each other, it definitely would be a little bit of an adjustment. But I think that would come pretty easy just with how good he is and how much he can do with the puck himself.

 

“He’s so dynamic, so smart with the puck. And I think he’s better at defence than people will give him credit for. He closes well, and he’s got a good stick. You might think you have space but he’s also right there. He might not be physical, but he’ll still close with his stick and with the skating. And then obviously with the puck he is one of the best in the league.”

 

Who wouldn’t want to play with a guy like that?

 

PROJECTING: If Tocchet leaves Soucy and Hughes together for Saturday’s scrimmage and carries the pairing into next week, it’s not hard based on training-camp pairings to project what the defence might look like for the Oct. 11 season-opener. Hronek has been skating on the right side with Cole, which would be the second pairing, while Guillaume Brisebois has spent the first two days of camp on the left side of Tyler Myers, which would be the third pair. But check back with us on Oct. 10.

 

 

PODKOLZIN 2.0: The re-establishment of Vasily Podkolzin as an NHL player continues.

 

After a two-month banishment to the American Hockey League last season for remedial work, the 2019 first-round pick who scored 14 goals as an NHL rookie two years ago, has looked good on left wing in a prime spot beside centre J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser.

“Great linemates, great players,” Podkolzin said Friday. “I was so happy when they send us the lineup. I feel more confident after that.”

 

Asked for his biggest takeaway from last season, the 22-year-old said: “Just don’t worry about (what is) outside the hockey team, and try to be confident everywhere. Just be a little easier to yourself and be responsible and be confident. Hockey is funny game. I want to be happy when I play.”

Goal-less in his first 16 games last season, Podkolzin was sent to the minors in November by former coach Bruce Boudreau. Coached in the AHL by Jeremy Colliton and the Abbotsford Canucks staff, and counselled by Henrik and Daniel Sedin, the Russian returned to the Canucks in February soon after Tocchet replaced Boudreau.

 

Both coaches noticed that Podkolzin needs to play instinctively, and that when he overthinks the game he becomes hesitant and loses his impact as a power forward.

 

“He’s a great kid,” Tocchet said Friday. “He takes everything literally, though. You tell him something and that’s all he thinks about. When he thinks too much, I think he gets into trouble. So that’s on me to get him to relax. But I’ve liked him so far. He’s just a pleasure to coach. Terrific kid. He worked his ass off this summer. Now it’s just (about getting him) to relax.”

Podkolzin said Miller and Boeser have been encouraging him.

 

Also a big, first-round pick who went backwards in his second NHL season with a stint in the minors, Miller understands what Podkolzin is going through.

 

“He’s had to do a lot more in the sense he’s learning English, his learning and understanding,” Miller told reporters on Thursday. “He’s still so young. He seems like a mature player for his age, which is awesome.”

 

“It’s definitely a big season for me,” Podkolzin said. “But I don’t feel any, like, extra pressure. I just want to play hockey. It has been a long summer, four or five months without hockey. I just want to be my best version right now. I had great work in the summer in the gym and on the ice. I can’t wait to play my first game.”
 

 

IF YOU’RE NOT EARLY, YOU’RE LATE:

 

Know who else can’t wait? The Canucks’ roster.

 

It is rare to see players circling fresh ice ready to practise but entirely without coaches. But it happened after both mid-session floods on Friday: players returned to the ice eager to go, but had to wait for the coaching staff to show up.

 

“I want to kind of see who’s out there,” Tocchet explained. “I do that on purpose to see who’s out there, and the whole team is out there.”

 

 

MIKHEYEV UPDATE: Tocchet said there was a chance that winger Ilya Mikheyev, who left training camp before the first session on Thursday due to a personal matter, could re-join the Canucks on Saturday. But he won’t participate in the intra-camp scrimmage, Tocchet said. Mikheyev hasn’t played since January after undergoing ACL surgery, but was expected to participate in training camp in a non-contact jersey.

 

Iain MacIntyre September 22, 2023, 8:50 PM

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/canucks-notebook-can-soucy-provide-hughes-with-a-permanent-defence-partner/sn-amp/

It's like I said in the other thread.

I really like Carson Soucy and what he will be able to bring to this team,

but he's not the type of guy that should be playing with your best defenseman on a top pairing. 

Can it work?   Yes.  As it did with Schenn.  Is it risky?  Yes.  

Soucy needs to be a #4 at best.   The Canucks are mis-using Hughes in my opinion.  Instead of trying to acquire "the Brent Seabrook to Quinn Hughes' Duncan Keith," the Canucks don't seem to mind placing Hughes with non-Top 4 calibre d-men in an effort to artificially create depth with their other pairings (i.e. Edler-Schmidt, Schmidt-Myers, OEL-Myers, etc.).  Since Tanev left, we never once saw Hughes play with Edler, Schmidt, or OEL.  And now we aren't going to see Hughes play with Hronek (and yes, in all of these cases, it's due to stylistic incompatibility).  

The point remains however - the Canucks are missing a HUGE opportunity by not pairing Hughes with a legit Top 4 calibre guy.  As good as Hughes has been for us, imagine how good he'd be (and that pairing in general would be), if he had the Brent Seabrook to Hughes' Duncan Keith.  

Disappointing to hear about Podkolzin but I'm happy to hear about Hoglander and Woo.

The media and fans have to be careful with their expectations on Carson Soucy.    

Soucy is a solid defenseman in a particular role, but he should NOT be playing alongside the teams' best defenseman in my opinion.

Could it work?  Yes.  Will it be risky?  Yes.  

One of my pet peeves with the way we have handled Quinn Hughes, since the departure of Tanev, is that we often play Hughes with sub-par partners.  

Instead of saying, "Lets try and find the Brent Seabrook to Quinn Hughes' Duncan Keith," the coaching staff seems to be more content in playing Hughes with non-Top 4 calibre d-men so that they can artificially create depth on their other pairings.  

A developed Willander cannot come some enough.

7 minutes ago, Jester13 said:

 

Kuzy as a sweetener to move Myers?

 

I think you just took the lead in the "worst take of the year award"

I should have phrased it better.  Kuzmenko and Myers as part of a 'hockey deal' in which we bring in another Top 4 calibre defensemen to play alongside one of Hronek or Hughes (which then allows Soucy to be a #4 while pushing Cole onto the 3rd pairing.......ultimately resulting in more ideal roles for them).

We then take a calculated gamble that

1) Boeser has a rebound year due to him being leaner and coming to terms with his father's passing

2) Garland returning to form due to Tocchet's more structured system (Garland looked good in AZ under Tocchet and also looked good playing under Green) and also playing consistently with one center (Suter?).

3) Hoglander and Podkolzin benefitting with more ice-time.  

Yes it's a calculated gamble but sometimes that's what it takes......and given the above, I could definitely see things having a reasonable shot at working in our favour.  

The general feeling that I'm getting is that many fans are overestimating our current defense.  

-Soucy shouldn't be playing with your teams' best defenseman.  Yes, Schenn played with Hughes last year and that pairing was half decent, but it's still risky.

-Cole shouldn't be on your Top 4.

And this is with a completely healthy defense!!!!  How many times during the year are all six defensemen completely healthy?   So from where I sit - our defense is one key injury away from being one of the weakest defences in the NHL.  Even without Kuzmenko up front, I think the Canucks could have a reasonable chance of being solid up front.

12 hours ago, tas said:

 

 not gonna happen. 

Agreed.  

11 hours ago, spook007 said:

You'd move a near 40goals scorer as a sweetner to move Myers and to give Podz and Hogs more opporunities?

What if Podz and Hogs doesn't grow as hoped for? Than we gave up Kuz for 1 year of Myers?

Sorry but trying to get my head around it? 
Keeping Brock, who's had I don't know how many chances and never broken 30 goals over Kuz?

I'd say this is some gamble...

Sorry I might not have worded it correctly.

I would strongly consider moving Myers and Kuzmenko in a "hockey deal" as opposed to Kuz being used as a sweetener to move Myers.

1) Kuzmenko had an excellent season last year under Boudreau's system, but will he able to duplicate that under Tocchet's more structured system with a heavier emphasis on two-way hockey. We saw a little bit of dissension between Tocchet and Kuzmenko last season.  

2) Does Kuzmenko really fit into our long term plans?  He's only signed for two more years here and isn't too far off from being 30 years old.  

So the way I see it, it wouldn't necessarily be "giving up Kuz for one year of Myers," but rather, making a legit hockey deal in which we move Myers' contract AND bring in another top 4 calibre defenseman to play with one of Hughes or Hronek (which could then allow Soucy to play on a more ideal 2nd pairing while also pushing Cole to a more ideal 3rd pairing) .  

You're right that taking a gamble on Hogs and Pods might not pan out but at least they'd be given more ice-time to prove themselves.  

It's just a thought.  

I think both Garland and Boeser will have strong seasons for us.  

Garland was pretty good for us under Green and I think he'll thrive under Tocchet's more structured system (as well as playing with a half decent center in Puis Suter).   

Boeser also looks leaner this year and seems to have come to terms with his dad's passing.  

One guy who I'm not completely sold on in terms of having a good season is Kuzmenko.  I'm not sure if his "laissez-faire" attitude towards the defensive side of things will sit well with Tocchet.  

If we're looking to move Myers with a sweetener, then Kuzmenko is a guy that I'd consider moving.  With Kuzmenko gone, you can give more opportunities to Podkolzin and Hoglander while also using that added cap space to bring in another Top 4 defenseman.  

Technically speaking, Benning allowed us to win the Kesler to Anaheim deal (Bonino, Sbisa,.....and McCann) so there is that I guess.  

1 hour ago, timberz21 said:

 

A little confusing, on one hand you don't want Hughes-Soucy as top pair, but you are ok with them as 2nd pair??   Only problem with that is that Hughes is our best defenseman and we just named him captain.  That's certainly not to suggest he should be relegated to 2nd pairing.  Whether we find a potent top-4 LHD to play with Hronek or not, Hughes is our #1 D no matter what.

 

Honestly with Cole and Soucy playing a lot of SH minutes and Hughes playing a lot of PP, Hughes is bound to make multiple shift with all three of Hronek, Soucy and Cole during a game.  I think the first month we'll see a bunch of different combo on the blueline.  Hughes found chemistry with Tanev and Schenn, so I don't see why he couldn't find chemistry with one of these 3.

 

We'll need to see how it plays out, I doubt we find a top-4 D this time of year.  That'll be addressed after the holiday or TDL if were in the playoff picture.

I don't mind Hughes on a top pair but Hronek doesn't mesh well with Hughes stylistically.  In my opinion, neither Soucy nor Myers should be on a top pairing.  Hence, my suggestion of Hughes with Soucy on pair #2.  But having said that, if we got a guy like Pesce then I'd absolutely roll with Hughes-Pesce at the top pairing.  

With regards to Chris Tanev, Tanev does not look out of place at all on a top pairing.  Hence, no problem with Hughes playing with Tanev.  Could Soucy play on a top pairing?  It's possible but he hasn't done this to date, and he's 27.  Soucy has good underlying numbers but these impressive advanced stats came primarily on a 3rd pairing....and as a #4 at times.  Maybe he works out with Hughes on the top pairing but it could be risky.  

So that's just me.  I think penciling *both* Cole and Soucy on our Top 4 is very risky.........and this is at 100% health!  Teams rarely have all of their top 6 dmen at full health and so what happens if we get 1-2 key injuries back there?   So for me personally - I think we need another Top 4 d-man if the Canucks are serious about making a significant leap this season (and hence, keeping Petey happy).

Pesce has been taken off the market apparently but I am curious about what the Canucks would look like with another Top 4 calibre defenseman.

Option #1:

LHD-Hronek

Hughes-Soucy

Cole-[Hirose, McWard, Wolanin, etc.]

Option #2

Hughes-RHD

Soucy-Hronek

Cole-[Hirose, McWard, Wolanin, etc].

With Option #1 or #2, I think the Canucks would have a pretty solid team that should be able to punch a ticket to the playoffs (with possible upset potential to make the 2nd round).      

My problem with the current Canucks' defense is that both Soucy and Cole are slated to play above where they should/would normally be.  

Hughes-Soucy (Soucy should not be on a top pairing)

Cole-Hronek (Cole should not be on a 2nd pairing)

Whoever.

Under normal circumstances, I'd advise the Canucks to just ride this year out and wait for Myers to come off the books but how we perform this year could have a significant impact on Pettersson's long term decision-making. In other words, we pretty much need to guarantee ourselves some significant progress this year if we want Pettersson (and Hronek?) to stay here long term.  

With Wallinder (RD) waiting in the wings, I would strongly recommend that the Canucks look for another top 4 calibre LD.   Have said LD form a top shut down pairing with Hronek, and then have Hughes and Soucy form another pairing.  

p.s.___________No to Pesce because we already have Hronek and Wallinder is waiting in the wings.  

p.p.s._________Hindsight is 20/20 but in retrospect, we should have ponied up more assets to trade for Hampus Lindholm instead of OEL.  Even now, if Boston decides to move towards rebuilding, I would strongly consider sacrificing the penis of my own father if it meant bringing Hampus Lindholm to the fold.

Lindholm-Hronek

Hughes-Soucy

Cole-Whoever

Which would ideally morph into.....

Hughes-Wallinder

Lindholm-Hronek

Soucy-Whoever 

At some point in the future.  

4 hours ago, Odd. said:

Last thread had 49 pages. 

Yeah anyways I can’t belieeeeeeeeeeeve we traded a 1st and 2nd round pick for Hronek

I wasn't but will also concede that the deal made perfect sense given what this management group (and ownership) are trying to accomplish.  

For better or for worse (probably for worse but I'll be honest and say what I would have done), I would have traded ALL of Pettersson, Hughes, Horvat, and Demko for 2023 1st round picks and elite prospects.  I would have moved Kuzmenko for a low 1st.  I would have then brought in additional 1sts by weaponizing our cap space with bad contracts and would have tanked hard for a 2023 lottery pick (which likely would have put us in a position to draft Bedard, Fantili, or Carlson).  But again, that's what I would have done and there would have been some massive pros AND cons to my plan.......but I digress.

Here is our current Canucks team:

Forwards.

Defense:  

Goaltending:

-My initial prognosis is that

1) We are solid up front 

2) We are solid in Net

3) We need another Top 4 LHD on our team if we truly want to be a playoff team this year......with a good chance of making the 2nd round.

-Soucy needs to be a #4. Not a top pairing guy.

-Cole needs to be on the 3rd pairing and anchor that 3rd pairing (whether he's playing with Hirose, Wolanin, Myers, or whoever).  

I don't know if it's feasible or not (or even advisable), but I'd try and package one of Hoglander or Podkolzin with Myers to bring in a top 4 calibre defenseman that can play alongside Hronek.  Make a legit "hockey deal" so to speak.  

For example, would Hoglander and Myers bring you a solid "stay at home" youngish LHD that could play alongside Hronek and take on our toughest match-ups? (said defenseman would need a cap hit of $6 million or less to make it work from a cap standpoint).  My guess is that a Hoglander/Myers deal would not land you said piece but maybe a Podkolzin/Myers deal would?  (although I have reservations obviously about moving Podkolzin).  

New Defense:

[NewLHD]-Hronek

Hughes-Soucy

Cole-[Wolanin/Hirose/McWard, etc.]

5 hours ago, gwarrior said:

Well now with DeSmith in the fold. I guess Silovs can fight Martin for the starter job in Abbotsford. So a year to get himself ready. Ok. I'm cool with that.

I don't anticipate a fight happening for the starter job.  They'll give Silovs the ball unless he completely falls on his face. 

5 hours ago, Dr. Crossbar said:

Just a bit more about Silovs. His progression is impressive. He's not a flash in the pan coming out of nowhere. 

Here's an excellent article below on Silovs and his performance at the 2022 World Championship ... how he outplayed his NHL teammates, put up fantastic numbers ... ONE YEAR before his amazing 2023 performance and making history for Latvia.

If you look at 2022 at the Worlds, it's no surprise what he did in 2023.

He just continues to get better. 

Arturs Silovs finishes World Championship with .952 save percentage (from 2022)

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/canucks-hockey/arturs-silovs-finishes-world-championship-with-952-save-percentage-5402155

 

 

Agreed.  My only thing with Silovs is that he needs to develop in the A as opposed to being a back-up for us (i.e. similar to Markstrom in the 2014-2015 season).   

This DeSmith trade will now allow for that.  Props to Alvin here.  

On 9/18/2023 at 1:21 PM, Jeremy Hronek said:

While I agree with the article, the more concerning matter is Demko's ability to stay healthy.  

Demko has missed very long stretches of hockey these past 2-3 seasons.  

Even throughout his formative years (pre beastmode bubble Demko), he struggled with injuries.  

If Demko gets injured again, will Silovs be able to step up to the challenge? We already know the answer for Spencer Martin.  

Looks like this issue has been addressed with the Tanner Pearson trade.   DeSmith is a clear upgrade over Spencer Martin and should allow the Canucks to have semblance of stability in net if Demko goes down with injury. This deal also allows us to comfortably develop Silovs in the A.   Very solid deal for the Canucks and it's made me a little bit more excited for this coming season.  

What we really need now is another top 4 left-handed defenseman in my opinion.

[LHD]-Hronek

Hughes-Soucy

Cole-Myers / Hirose-Cole / Wolanin-Cole

15 minutes ago, AndersRune said:

Kuz EP40 Miller

Boeser Suter Beau

Garland Räty Mikheyev/PDG

Joshua Teddy Podz 

Räty looked ok, what happens If he kills it in camp?!? Miller back to the wing?

 

Super shouldn't be on a Top 6.  If Raty is NHL ready this year and is ready to take ownership of the 3rd line, then Suter moves to the wing.  

Myers being traded with a sweetener would make the most sense for the Canucks given what they are trying to accomplish (i.e. being a competitive right now + polishing Pettersson's nutsack in order to keep him happy).  Use Myers' cap space to bring in a top 4 d-man.   

I know many fans are down on Garland but I think he'll do well for us this year under Tocchet.  

On 9/17/2023 at 6:33 AM, Strawbone said:

I think Myers will stay with the team and be a useful player this year in a lesser role. Every once in a while he throws a huge hit like the one on Duncan Keith, and that alone is enough for me to want to see him stick around and finish his Canucks career with a bit of a redemption story. 

I think Myers will stay here for one final season for the following reasons:

1) Moving Myers would likely require too big of a sweetener even with one year left.

2) One of the biggest concerns for this current Canucks squad is a lack of depth on defense.   If Hronek gets injured, there will be a lot of questions on the right side. Can one of Soucy or Cole fill in as the top RD?  (they've had good underlying numbers as 3rd pairing d-men but would that translate at the 1st pairing level?....keep in mind that Cole is also 34 years old now). 

This team has to stop bleeding picks.  Even with a massive upgrade on Myers on the right side (for example, Pesce....just as an example), do you really think the Canucks would be able to compete with teams like the Golden Knights, Avs, Lightning, etc?  

Canucks should probably be a little bit more patient in my opinion.  Myers comes off the books for free next Summer and so the Canucks could just put that cap to more efficient use at that time.  

I'm going to go into EA Sports land right here and loosely hope for the following later this season (and at the end of this season).   

1. Sign Pettersson at max term.

2. Trade Hughes and Demko to Buffalo for Dahlin and their goalie and sign Dahlin at max term (won't happen obviously but still)..

3. Sign Hronek to a long term deal.  

4. Trade Kuzmenko for a 1st at the trade deadline.  

Perhaps my vision for the Canucks is a little different than Management's (or most fans for that matter), but what I want to do is find youngish core pieces and lock them for the long term.  Similar to what the Sens are doing now.   

6 minutes ago, RWJC said:

 I can envision us picking up another defender by Xmas. Potentially a top 4 two way guy. 
 

At what cost?  Top 4 two way guys are not easy to acquire.  Boeser and Garland won't fetch you that piece.  Do we move yet another 1st for said piece?

p.s. - I agree with your arguments on Demko.

While I agree with the article, the more concerning matter is Demko's ability to stay healthy.  

Demko has missed very long stretches of hockey these past 2-3 seasons.  

Even throughout his formative years (pre beastmode bubble Demko), he struggled with injuries.  

If Demko gets injured again, will Silovs be able to step up to the challenge? We already know the answer for Spencer Martin.  

January 2023 Canucks Outlook:  

Don't agree with plan,

The Canucks should have rebuilt,

Neither here nor there,

34 minutes ago, RWJC said:

Allvin seemed pretty confident the other day that EP wants to stay and that a deal will be done by mid season.

If not, I think you’ll have a good number of folks in agreement with you.

It's great if EP wants to stay here but when will the Canucks truly be elite again?  I think that's the thing that doesn't quite have me sold on our current plan.

By the time the Canucks actually become a 2nd round++ calibre team again,

1) Will Kuzmenko still be on the books?

2) Both Demko and Hughes would likely be at or near contract expiration (Demko will be 30 when his contract expires). Quinn, an American, is VERY tight-knit with his family and brothers.  How likely is it that both these guys extend with us at that time?

So, I don't know.......like I said before, I like the energy, accountability, and structure that Tocchet is building here but post bubble 2020 is when this team and core really needed to take off in my opinion. Unfortunately, that post bubble 2020 off-season was extremely disastrous. 

I hate to be a downer but I can't see us being anything more than 1st round fodder this season at best, and I can't see us *possibly* being elite again for another 3 years (at which point, all/most our current core will either be gone or will be close to contract expiration).   

4 minutes ago, NucksRuleYou said:

Umm, no. It wasn't a new coach bump. Under Tocchet, we finally started to change the way we played into something more sustainable. We actually have some structure. People can laugh and mock the "structure" all they want, but it is true. We had no structure before. The way we played under Bruce was totally unsustainable.

You're probably right but again, time will tell. The Canucks were playing with more structure but it's also entirely possible that other teams weren't taking us all that seriously at that point. I will completely agree with what you're saying here if the Canucks have a strong season.  

It's a typical "new coach" bump but we'll have to see if it translates to long term success.  We saw what happened with Bruce B during his first 60 games here and then what followed with the 22/23 season.  

My personal feeling is that the Canucks should have blown it up in January by moving all of Pettersson, Hughes, Demko, and Kuzmenko for 1st round picks and prospects.  Tank naturally for a Top 3 2023 1st, bring in elite prospects on top of that (which Petey and Hughes would have gotten us), and weaponize cap space by bringing in more picks/prospects.

I know my above idea won't be popular but the truth of the matter is that keeping Petey is risky given his stance on whether he wants to re-sign or not.  If the Canucks aren't competitive this season, his chances of signing long term are not high.  Will Kuzmenko be here long term after two seasons?  

Even though both Hughes and Demko have some term left, how many years will actually be left on their contracts once the Canucks become an elite team?  

Looking at our current team, I'm not feeling kind of..........'meh.'   While I like the depth we have up front, I think our defense still has a lot of questions.  Can Hronek stay healthy?   Can Soucy be more than a #4 if we have some injuries?  He had good underlying numbers as a 3rd pairing guy and as a #4 at times, but what will happen if he needs to play higher up?  Ian Cole is solid but he's 34 years old now.  What happens if he needs to play higher up?

And then of course, you have Demko. Demko is an elite goalie when he's healthy, but we've seen how he's been the past 2-3 seasons....and if we're being honest, the majority of his career.  Demko is quite injury prone. What happens if he gets injured again?  Will Silovs be ready or does he need more time in the A? We saw what Spencer Martin did last year when became our #1 for an extended period of time.  

So in conclusion - while I like the structure, accountability, and energy that Tocchet has brought to the position, I think our team will be in a bit of trouble with injuries to the back-end and goaltending..........which will ultimately leads us to either narrowly missing the playoffs or being 1st round fodder......which ultimately means Petey exploring other options.  I hope I'm wrong here and will gladly eat shit on here if I am.