HKSR Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 (edited) Found a fantastic 2C for the Canucks that is flying under the radar a bit. Tons of upside, and I think we can lock him in for relatively cheap and get a solid value contract for the longer term. To VAN: Thomas Novak To NAS: Vasili Podkolzin 3rd Round Pick Novak is a slick playmaking centre (would be fantastic along side Kuzmenko IMO). He definitely has offensive upside as he put up 17 goals and 43 points last year in 51 games. He has 6 goals and 19 points in 29 games this year. At 26 years old, he would fit the timeline with all of our other core guys, and I could see him as a solid 50 to 60 point 2C playing with Kuzmenko. NAS has a lot of centres. Thomas Novak is currently playing 3C for NAS. He sits behind O'Reilly and Sissons. Predators also have Parssinen capable of playing 3C, along with Cody Glass. Evangelista is probably ready for some top 6 time on the 2nd line wing position, which leaves a nice juicy spot for Podkolzin to slide into on the 3rd line. NAS also gains a 3rd round pick. Novak is currently making $800k as a pending UFA. I could see him making 4 to 5 times that amount for his next contract ($4M+ on a long term deal). If the Canucks could lock him in at that price and he is a capable 50pt 2C for the Canucks, we will have found another solid value contract. That's how we build a contender folks. Contracts that provide more value than they cost. So why would we not just wait for him to become a UFA? 1. NAS could end up re-signing him anyways and we lose our opportunity to trade for him 2. We could really use him THIS season for the playoffs. So why would NAS trade him if they could re-sign him? 1. NAS is stronger down the middle than the wings. Podkolzin would have a fantastic opportunity to slide into their top 6, but most definitely would fit into their bottom 6 easily. A solid hockey trade. 2. Cost. $4M for a 3C is a lot. Parssinen could do the job for a lot less (leaves Glass for 4C duties). Caveat to all this: If NAS is solidly in the hunt for a playoff position, this trade will not happen. Personally, I think NAS will be out of the running and 2 of EDM, SEA, and STL will fill the WC positions. TLDR: Novak is a 26yo pending UFA with 19pts in 29gms this season. Would be a solid 2C capable of 50 to 60 points playing next to Kuz. NAS trades him because they have solid centre depth. Novak plays 3C with NAS, but due for a significant raise coming up that would price himself out of a 3C position. Podkolzin could find a lot more ice time with NAS and would be a better fit for them structurally. Novak would become a long term 2C for Vancouver at $4M to $5M over 8 years. Edited January 9 by HKSR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Long Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Interesting, but we need Podz cheap contract next year. What if we floated Brewski instead? We have enough puck moving d but Nashville might covet that in a prospect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strawbone Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Well you've made a good case for Novak, but generally when I read these proposals hyping up a player on another team, I think... why would they trade him if he's so great? I mean he sounds like a perfect middle 6 center! Especially for what is essentially an unproven prospect at the NHL level and an upper-mid-round pick. Yeah, there's the team fit and future salary arguments... I'm just so used to seeing the Canucks make poor trades in years past that it's hard to imagine getting a core piece like this for what seems like good value. Having said that... I was amazed at how little they had to give up for Zadorov, and he's looking like a core D-man on the team, so maybe there's hope after all with this new management group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKSR Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 3 minutes ago, Strawbone said: Well you've made a good case for Novak, but generally when I read these proposals hyping up a player on another team, I think... why would they trade him if he's so great? I mean he sounds like a perfect middle 6 center! Especially for what is essentially an unproven prospect at the NHL level and an upper-mid-round pick. Yeah, there's the team fit and future salary arguments... I'm just so used to seeing the Canucks make poor trades in years past that it's hard to imagine getting a core piece like this for what seems like good value. Having said that... I was amazed at how little they had to give up for Zadorov, and he's looking like a core D-man on the team, so maybe there's hope after all with this new management group. I don't disagree, I just think if they decided to keep Novak at $4M+, then they'd likely play him as 2C, taking time away from Sissons (who I believe is an even better centre). If they can improve another area like their complement of wingers, or even their defence as @Bob Long mentioned, it might make more sense for them. This is a hockey trade through and through. We give what NAS needs, and NAS gives us Novak which is what we need. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevlar Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Is he really that much of an upgrade over Suter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKSR Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 34 minutes ago, Kevlar said: Is he really that much of an upgrade over Suter? I'd say so. Suter's best season offensively is 15 goals and 36 points in 82 games. Novak was on pace last year for 27 goals and 69 points. Even if he slowed down to only 20 goals and 55 points, that's still a significant upgrade to our 2nd line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rypien-Punch Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 (edited) , Edited January 10 by Rypien-Punch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flickyoursedin Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Decent target I’d be down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reg Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Novak sounds interesting however I would want to know a players height, weight, skating ability and is he a character guy in order to make a decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Dave Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Novak would be a bit of a gamble. He 26 and has only player 108 NHL games, he might be a late bloomer, or he's been on a lucky streak. 62 points in 81 games over this season and last is impressive, but his 44.5 FO% isn't great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dappskee Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 This You don’t build a contender by throwing 40mil at a guy with 100 games. In all honesty, I think EP40 should go back to 2 and the Loto line is used as a game breaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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