RWJC Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Canucks: Yes, Brock Boeser would love Jake Guentzel as a teammate Patrick Johnston Published Jun 14, 2024 If you’re someone who likes to draw straight lines in your hockey gossip, try this one on for size: Brock Boeser and Jake Guentzel have the same agent. A random observer might wonder if there’s reason to think that Boeser is doing what he can to urge Guentzel to consider joining the Vancouver Canucks, now that Guentzel appears set to hit unrestricted free agency. You can bet that he’s suggested to his agent more than once that Guentzel would be a great fit with the Canucks, obviously on the ice, but off the ice too. Boeser, after all, has come to love his adopted hometown. You know he’ll sing Vancouver’s praises to anyone who will listen — but especially to high-profile potential teammates. So that’s one direct line. The other line you can draw, of course, is to the Canucks’ management team, who know Guentzel so well from their days with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Drafted by Pittsburgh in 2013, he signed on with Pittsburgh late in the 2015-16 season after three seasons with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. A high-scoring player in junior, he evolved into a top-end two-way player, scoring a point per game and taking on all the toughest matchups. He played first with the Penguins’ farm team in Wilkes-Barre, quickly adjusting to pro hockey and by midway through the 2016-17 season was ready for the NHL. He made an immediate affect the Penguins, scoring at a point-per-game pace in the second half of the season, then scoring 13 goals in 25 playoff games. His career has only carried on from there. He was a key player for the Penguins right until this spring, when he was the top trade target at the trade deadline. The Carolina Hurricanes ended up snagging him and he was a strong performer for Carolina down the stretch and in the playoffs. Now it seems likely he’ll hit free agency next month. The funny thing here is that in a different universe, Guentzel might have already been a Vancouver Canuck. At the 2016 trade deadline, a deadline where then-GM Jim Benning and his key AGM John Weisbrod ended up doing nothing, there was plenty of chatter around Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis, who was still one of the best blueliners in the game and a pending unrestricted free agent. The veteran defenceman was one of two notable trade chips that Benning held; Radim Vrbata was the other. But rather than make a move that he felt wasn’t good enough, Benning chose to make no move at all. Before the deadline there were trade talks with both the Dallas Stars and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins, you may recall, were then helmed by now-Canucks president Jim Rutherford, who was always looking to add blue-line depth. A prospect was offered by the Penguins. The Stars offered a third-round pick. In the end, neither was what Benning and Weisbrod thought the player was worth and for some reason felt that to accept a lesser offer would somehow hurt future negotiations. (Rutherford would end up moving a third-round pick to Edmonton for defenceman Justin Schultz.) In pondering a trade with the Penguins, obviously a few names came up. One prospect who came up in the Canucks’ internal discussions was a young forward with the University of Nebraska-Omaha: Jake Guentzel. Now at the time, he wasn’t a player who anyone thought would be a 40-goal scorer, or even a key player a year later in a Stanley Cup chase, but scouts saw a player who did everything well. He’s Swiss Army-type forward now, and even then he was that player, though obviously at a lower level. If they needed a goal, often it was Guentzel who would make it happen. He killed penalties. He lined up against the opposition’s best players. Sometimes he would take the big faceoffs, even though he was nominally a winger. Simply put, he was The Man for Omaha. Now whether he was the player put on the table by the Penguins, or even whether Benning and Weisbrod heeded the input of their scouts on Guentzel isn’t known. The duo generally kept their own counsel, usually meeting one on one, the door closed to Benning’s office. Even team president Trevor Linden would have to poke his head in to inquire on what was going on. But there’s little doubt his name was in consideration. Anyway, fast forward to today: there’s little doubt that Guentzel is on the Canucks’ radar. They made inquiries after Guentzel when the veteran winger was on the trade block going into the trade deadline this season. There’s chatter now that the Canucks might even look to flip a mid-round draft pick in the coming weeks to get direct negotiating rights to the player, before of the market opening on July 1. And you know when the market opens on July 1, if Guentzel hasn’t been flipped anywhere, you know the Canucks will come calling. And maybe then, finally, Guentzel will be a Canuck. pjohnston@postmedia.com https://apple.news/A3pIipUzyQAuRubBofh2OSA 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucker67 Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Just a matter of time I think. x - Miller - Boeser Guentzel - Pettersson - x The beginning of two excellent lines. Yeo is out and I hoping Yogi, the Sedins and the Canucks will put together a great PP next season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pears Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 3 minutes ago, Nucker67 said: Just a matter of time I think. x - Miller - Boeser Guentzel - Pettersson - x The beginning of two excellent lines. Yeo is out and I hoping Yogi, the Sedins and the Canucks will put together a great PP next season. Then you sign Sprong, Duhaime, Stenlund, Motte to fill out the rest of the line up Höglander - Miller - Boeser Guentzel - Pettersson - Sprong Podkolzin - Blueger - Garland Motte - Stenlund - Duhaime Hughes - Hronek Zadorov - Myers Soucy - Juulsen Demko Silovs 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goose Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 One thing worth noting about Guentzel are his linemates. Has spent most of his time w Crosby/Rust and in CAR Aho/Svech. SN650 keep gushing about his production but it’s important to note how aggressive his linemates are at forechecking/digging for pucks. EP needs to have a big summer. If they do sign JG they will definitely need someone that can be aggressive along the walls 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammertime Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 34 minutes ago, Goose said: One thing worth noting about Guentzel are his linemates. Has spent most of his time w Crosby/Rust and in CAR Aho/Svech. SN650 keep gushing about his production but it’s important to note how aggressive his linemates are at forechecking/digging for pucks. EP needs to have a big summer. If they do sign JG they will definitely need someone that can be aggressive along the walls That's the conundrum! Is. Dak Pete Guentzel in the budget? is Dakota the guy on the wall and net front? Brock surely goes on the block draft/next year in this scenario both Brock/Guentzel don't fit. Long term I see us top heavy. If you get Guentzel and sell high on Brock it could work out. I don't see a world where they both fit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spook007 Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 6 hours ago, Pears said: Then you sign Sprong, Duhaime, Stenlund, Motte to fill out the rest of the line up Höglander - Miller - Boeser Guentzel - Pettersson - Sprong Podkolzin - Blueger - Garland Motte - Stenlund - Duhaime Hughes - Hronek Zadorov - Myers Soucy - Juulsen Demko Silovs If this can be fitted under the cap, and without us getting spanked, when the cap issues really starts in a years time, it has my seal of approval... That is a good looking line up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kettlevalley Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Guentzel is not the guy I want. Too expensive and too much long term risk. Too old and getting a home run deal. I just dont think this is the way to go. This is not a video game. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
German Canuck Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Guentzel would be a great addition to this top 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Garland for the rights to Geuntzel. Clear all of Garland’s cap. We win! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 3 minutes ago, Alflives said: Garland for the rights to Geuntzel. Clear all of Garland’s cap. We win! canucks probably need him in the top 6. with joshua almost certainly gone and the canucks only currently having one legitimate top 6 winger and limited space to add, it makes sense to move garland up after last season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 4 minutes ago, tas said: canucks probably need him in the top 6. with joshua almost certainly gone and the canucks only currently having one legitimate top 6 winger and limited space to add, it makes sense to move garland up after last season. Garland isn’t a top six winger though. He doesn’t fit with Miller or Petey. Rumours on 650 are we are trying to move him to shed cap. What’s his value in that kind of trade, a 3rd? Maybe we trade Garland to another club for a pick and then move that pick for Geuntzl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 10 minutes ago, Alflives said: Garland isn’t a top six winger though. He doesn’t fit with Miller or Petey. Rumours on 650 are we are trying to move him to shed cap. What’s his value in that kind of trade, a 3rd? Maybe we trade Garland to another club for a pick and then move that pick for Geuntzl? unless management knows they can replace that cap space with more effective production or you're getting a solid return, I think it's more valuable to hang on to him. he doesn't fit with pettersson but maybe he does fit with whoever they get to play on the other wing. forward lines are usually more of a solid pair + 1 as opposed to a full three-way chemistry deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 9 minutes ago, tas said: unless management knows they can replace that cap space with more effective production or you're getting a solid return, I think it's more valuable to hang on to him. he doesn't fit with pettersson but maybe he does fit with whoever they get to play on the other wing. forward lines are usually more of a solid pair + 1 as opposed to a full three-way chemistry deal. IMHAO Garland out and Geuntzl in is a huge upgrade on the wing for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Long Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 23 minutes ago, Alflives said: Garland isn’t a top six winger though. He doesn’t fit with Miller or Petey. Rumours on 650 are we are trying to move him to shed cap. What’s his value in that kind of trade, a 3rd? Maybe we trade Garland to another club for a pick and then move that pick for Geuntzl? say we get stuck with Mik, but somehow his knee is back to form, then Guentzel-Petey-Mik could be a great line. Moving Garly, then adding JG even up to 9 mil, would still leave us over 20 mil left to fill out everything else. I think you are on to something here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 6 minutes ago, Alflives said: IMHAO Garland out and Geuntzl in is a huge upgrade on the wing for us. I don't disagree, but now you have $4 million less to work with and just as many holes. still only have two top 6 wingers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 1 minute ago, tas said: I don't disagree, but now you have $4 million less to work with and just as many holes. still only have two top 6 wingers. True. But we only had one top six winger before. Geuntzl, Petey, xxx xxx, Miller, Boeser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Alflives said: True. But we only had one top six winger before. Geuntzl, Petey, xxx xxx, Miller, Boeser don't get me wrong, I like the looks of it, it just worries me having that much less to spread around elsewhere. i don't care that much about losing joshua, and lindholm was inevitable, but I think it's important to hang on to zadorov and myers and blueger, and they have to either sign or replace hronek in addition to adding to the top 6. plus, you know ... Edited June 15 by tas 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Just now, tas said: don't get me wrong, I like the looks of it, it just worries me having that much less to spread around elsewhere. i don't care that much about losing joshua, and lindholm was inevitable, but I think it's important to hang on to zadorov and myers and blueger, and they have to either sign or replace hronek in addition to the top 6. plus, you know ... To be able to have cap room to get Guentzel and keep Z, Blueger, Hronek, and add Tanev we need to move all of Garland’s cap. We could keep Myers too. Not too sure who the other top six wingers will be but likely it’s a rotation like last season. Hogs, Suter, Pods, Bains, etc. With Guentzel we would have two great sets of top forwards. That might be attractive to UFAs who are trying to rebuild their value. Or older UFAs who are wanting opportunities on a winning team to play with elite guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Just now, Alflives said: To be able to have cap room to get Guentzel and keep Z, Blueger, Hronek, and add Tanev we need to move all of Garland’s cap. We could keep Myers too. Not too sure who the other top six wingers will be but likely it’s a rotation like last season. Hogs, Suter, Pods, Bains, etc. With Guentzel we would have two great sets of top forwards. That might be attractive to UFAs who are trying to rebuild their value. Or older UFAs who are wanting opportunities on a winning team to play with elite guys. sounds like a tight squeeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Just now, tas said: sounds like a tight squeeze. Which is why Allvin is trying to clear Garland’s cap. Might even buyout Mik. That’s 8.5 open cap. That’s Geuntzel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comox Blaster Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Kettle Valley If not Geuntzel, who would you like to see the Canucks sign? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Just now, Alflives said: Which is why Allvin is trying to clear Garland’s cap. Might even buyout Mik. That’s 8.5 open cap. That’s Geuntzel. well, I guess we'll see. looks like a monumental accounting task to me, let alone all the legwork and luck to land the guys. here's hoping. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Long Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 9 minutes ago, Alflives said: Which is why Allvin is trying to clear Garland’s cap. Might even buyout Mik. That’s 8.5 open cap. That’s Geuntzel. Hroney may also price himself out of here, which should open up 1-2 mil more for a replacement like a Roy or Tanev. That deal could also bring back some C depth, like a JK from Carolina. We're so used to having narrow options, but we actually have a decent amount of cap flexibility depending on how they choose to shake things out. E.g., say they lock up big Z, Myers and Bluegar on good deals this weekend. Move Garly. Now it's on, make one final push with Hronek or move him at the draft or before. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 27 minutes ago, Bob Long said: Hroney may also price himself out of here, which should open up 1-2 mil more for a replacement like a Roy or Tanev. That deal could also bring back some C depth, like a JK from Carolina. We're so used to having narrow options, but we actually have a decent amount of cap flexibility depending on how they choose to shake things out. E.g., say they lock up big Z, Myers and Bluegar on good deals this weekend. Move Garly. Now it's on, make one final push with Hronek or move him at the draft or before. Like with Horfat Wallet if Hronek is only interested in maximum dollars he’s likely traded. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Long Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 1 minute ago, Alflives said: Like with Horfat Wallet if Hronek is only interested in maximum dollars he’s likely traded. It would be ironic but yep, move on if that's what this is. Franky Carolina should be begging us for him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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