It doesn't matter when you add hot tomato sauce like I do. It's the Latte version of Napalm. Lot's of weight and well above waters vape temperature from the high acid content. Sticks like glue. Hits multiple targets. Deep red for visual aspect. Sure to cause a stampede in Yaletown.

- boonerbuck

Interesting, never have considered that...a BloatedREDMosquito and a CanuckREDDon

It doesn't matter when you add hot tomato sauce like I do. It's the Latte version of Napalm. Lot's of weight and well above waters vape temperature from the high acid content. Sticks like glue. Hits multiple targets. Deep red for visual aspect. Sure to cause a stampede in Yaletown.

- boonerbuck

By that logic Guddy has more value as he is younger, a right shot and essentially the same type of player
- NorthNuck

agreed

declining defensive ability....how can something you don't have decline?
- Tumbleweed

maybe its more of a RECLINE than a decline??

agreed
- dbot

And that amount of value is squat.

I was ok with the first two points, but that one stung
- phyllee

Only if ever single trade worked out in favour of the GM that heads up your fav team.

alright, fair enough


Do you remember what the counter arguments were to trading away picks/prospects for Linden Vey, Andrey Pedan, Markus Granlund, Adam Clendening, Sven Baertschi, Philip Larsen and Erik Gudbranson?

We'll exclude Dorsett/Prust/Sutter since those guys were acquired for different reasons and not an age gap.

1) By the time this team was on the upswing again, the picks being traded away could potentially be future prospects ready to break into the league or already on the team.

2) Why were those players being shopped? Most of them were passed over by better players on those teams. Also quite likely that their own GM's/coaches thought that they were tweeners, or had limited upside, or just stopped developing. And it's not like Benning was trading away 5th, 6th and 7th rounders for all of these guys, some of the picks he gave up were quality picks in the first 3-4 rounds.

3) By filling one age gap, he's potentially created one in the future. You're taking away from future draft classes that could be on cheap ELC's and 2nd RFA contracts when Bo and Boeser are in their primes.


These were the arguments being made against management back then.
- Nucker101

yes. all good points.
obviously this was considered by management and the decision was made to patch a hole with young players and some picks were used (not all our picks were used, we still have had picks/quality picks in all the draft years).

Was it worth it? Impossible to say what our team would have looked like if we'd gone a different direction. players may have been injured, decided not to sign, made or not made the lineup, etc.

Personally, i'm good with the decision. I have never liked the idea of intentionally trying to suck.
There is a balance that Mgmt was trying to strike with remaining competitive (while Sedin's were here) and restocking cupboards, adding younger players.

Essentially we've done that.

Would we be in a better position if we'd 'blown it up' and traded everyone for picks? Sure.
Is that a realistic way to run a business or hockey team?
No.

Only if ever single trade worked out in favour of the GM that heads up your fav team.
- manvanfan

If Benning had that pick he probably would of picked up DeBrincat, which of course wouldnt of been bad either.

And that amount of value is squat.
- NorthNuck

disagree

We need Bozak and Gunnarson will be a stalwart .
- VANTEL

I rememberwhen we drafted him he wasnt supposed to be offensive in any way, simply stay at home defender. Appartently he hits hard and that's his game, hitting and shutting down opposing players. Much needed if you ask me

disagree
- dbot

Fair enough, if we traded Gudbranson today, what do you think we could get for him?

If Benning had that pick he probably would of picked up DeBrincat, which of course wouldnt of been bad either.
- phyllee

There is quite a few players around there that look like they might have pretty decent NHL careers.

Lightning defensemen Braydon Coburn (33) and Dan Girardi (34) struggled to contain the Capitals’ physical forwards in the Eastern Conference Final. They’re both entering the final seasons of their contracts. Maybe Yzerman will draw upon his forward depth next month (Tyler Johnson, perhaps?) as trade bait to bring in a younger, faster, more affordable blueliner.

Coburn, Johnson for Tanev? Solves the top 6C problem. Then could trade a LHD or 2. Just keep Coburn around as 7th D.

I rememberwhen we drafted him he wasnt supposed to be offensive in any way, simply stay at home defender. Appartently he hits hard and that's his game, hitting and shutting down opposing players. Much needed if you ask me
- SMBDragon

#1 need on Defense is more goals. We have one of the least offensively involved D corps in the league.

There is quite a few players around there that look like they might have pretty decent NHL careers.




Coburn, Johnson for Tanev? Solves the top 6C problem. Then could trade a LHD or 2. Just keep Coburn around as 7th D.
- manvanfan

Johnson is 27, im hoping if Benning does trade Tanev for a center hes younger. Sam Reinhart or Elias Lindholm are who im hoping.

There is quite a few players around there that look like they might have pretty decent NHL careers.




Coburn, Johnson for Tanev? Solves the top 6C problem. Then could trade a LHD or 2. Just keep Coburn around as 7th D.
- manvanfan

I don't know that a team like Tampa would want Tanev to help deal with "physical forwards". People know he is injury prone

Fair enough, if we traded Gudbranson today, what do you think we could get for him?
- NorthNuck

Well that's a loaded question.
But if given the right circumstances (which would need to be there to trade him, otherwise there is no point), which means there is a demand - a team in need and a lack of supply, i'd say it would be reasonable to expect a 2nd and a prospect.

Johnson is 27, im hoping if Benning does trade Tanev for a center hes younger. Sam Reinhart or Elias Lindholm are who im hoping.
- phyllee

I don't know that a team like Tampa would want Tanev to help deal with "physical forwards". People know he is injury prone
- NorthNuck

Gudbranson!

for Yanni Gourde

Gudbranson!
- dbot

Wouldn't that be nice. I highly doubt you get a 2nd and a prospect though.

My guess would be a 3rd and a 6th/7th
or
a 4th and a B level prospect

At best

Wouldn't that be nice. I highly doubt you get a 2nd and a prospect though.

My guess would be a 3rd and a 6th/7th
or
a 4th and a B level prospect

At best
- NorthNuck

Fair enough.
I reckon mine is high end and your's is low end.
Either way, unlikely to happen.

Fair enough.
I reckon mine is high end and your's is low end.
Either way, unlikely to happen.
- dbot

It's true

Johnson is 27, im hoping if Benning does trade Tanev for a center hes younger. Sam Reinhart or Elias Lindholm are who im hoping.
- phyllee

Is Tanev going to get a "younger" center? I doubt it unless the center isn't as good as Johnson.

I don't know that a team like Tampa would want Tanev to help deal with "physical forwards". People know he is injury prone
- NorthNuck

Tampa's defence is already large. Washington just played bigger.

Vegas wanted speed and skill, don’t think they’d have much interest in Gaunce who’s an average skater(decent for his weight though) and sucks offensively.

The prospect would have had to been at least semi-decent or a pick instead.

At what point does Gillis stop becoming an excuse? Edler is literally the only Gillis contract left on the team now. And outside of Boeser, the best players on this team are still non-Benning players. Horvat, Edler and Tanev.

Did Gillis tell the team to do the stupid age gap strategy that failed? Did he tell Benning to sign Eriksson and cater to the Sedins?

By that logic, every GM who’s ever taken over a team left behind by a bad/mediocre GM has never had success.

It’s okay to admit that your favourite team (frank)ed up and still be a fan, let’s just hope they’ve learned from it and be glad that the drafting seems to have improved.
- Nucker101

You want the team to not over achieve.. it's not. It hasnt. Things are moving slow I agree. Should be grabbing more picks but a lot of this complaining about us not being better sure goes against many other arguments you put up. If those moves by Benning are being measured by success... but future success is being measured by finishing low now... then there is a lot of tail chasing going on in the argument.

Only the day dreamers thought this team wasn't going to tread water and hope to draft well during the remaining time the Sedins had left. JB/FA took a shot right away but seem to have accepted the decline in the following seasons. Luckily, we drafted well during this time for the most part. Even with Benning not bringing profit making success(playoffs and excitement) to the owner... FA stuck with him. Trying to win has not been the priority or sucking would have had Benning fired. Drafting has really been his only strength and here he is... resigned. Maybe people have been looking at what's happening from a narrow perspective. This team needed bodies that they couldnt find from within for medium/short term. It doesn't mean they were shooting for immediate success. The moves would have been much bigger rather than hole filling for the most part.

It seems the legit debate has more to do with how many picks Benning goes to the draft with. Agreed wholly. Should have been doing more of this the last couple of seasons. Way too timid when it comes to creating a hole in the lineup to acquire picks. Just fill those holes short term and get some fkn picks already. At least start the post Sedin era off the right way with a tide of youth added to the system. I think after this draft the foundation can mostly be laid and not far from carrying if they just do a repeat of 2017 with the high ratio of prospects shining in their draft +1 boosting odds of being impact players. I also like JB's ability of finding good prospects later in the 1st round down the road when the team has a bubble season or even makes the playoffs.

Hopefully, we see some picks before the draft. The narrative that he didnt does not seem to want to wait though. So many arguments based on what people think is going to happen to the point it's accepted as fact. Always a peev with me....

It's not about the players that remain holdovers from the Gillis era, it's the fact that we had no picks/prospects in the pipeline and made trades to get some youth in the lineup (using picks to do so, which people complained about).
- dbot

Exactly. This isnt a video game and this isnt the Vegas model. JB didnt start with a clean sheet that is going to be graded by the names on it. The start you get has everything to do with the situation handed over to you. Yes, just like every other GM who gets hired but that doesnt mean they are starting off with an equal situation at all. That's ridiculous. Gillis was handed off with the makings of a cup challenger and made some great moves for the short term. JB was handed the bill for all those moves that were pushed off into the future by Gillis. Not the same. At all.

Think about it this way.... there is a reason there isn't a bunch of Gillis hold overs. He didn't draft hardly any that made the NHL or had any success. Horvat. Seven 1st rounders and you have Horvat and Gaunce. The team may be made up of almost all JB's players now but what he had to work with was a fail by Gillis. It's impossible that Gillis' failures are not influencing the situation with this team even today. If JB took over a team that had made good on their 1st round picks over the few previous seasons, that would have opened a lot more opportunities to do a tear down. Hard to commit to that when you have no prospects and a handful of vets you cant trade signed for a few more years.