I've been reading this canucks blog since the days of Tessier so I know you don't take kindly to outsiders, but as someone with no vested interest, who just wants the best for every team, I don't think the Canucks should rush the rebuild because they won one play-in round and one playoff round. If not for Demko, they would have been out in 5 against VGK, who controlled most of the play.. the same way Tampa did to Dallas in the Final. There are levels to team building.

Yes Petey and QH will need new contracts after next season but you'll have the next crop of kids coming in on ELCs to offset it, and while the allure of acquiring a player like OEL is undeniable, the team isn't ready yet. Tyson Barrie isn't the answer either. You gotta take your medicine for those bad contracts and suck it up next year. There's always going to be good talent available on the FA market, and if you build it right, they will come. But next season is not the time.. unless all you want is a participation medal in the playoffs like it seems people in Edmonton are clamoring for.
- Udogs

I agree, take your lumps and let those bad contracts expire, time is on their side.

Yeah, well that aint going to happen, my freezer packed it in. I'll be hauling $600 of rotted beef, lamb, pork, elk, moose, chicken, seafood, cheese, raspberries and blueberries to the dump not to mention pounds and pounds of salmon, smoked salmon, and 40 lbs of halibut
- A_SteamingLombardi

Vantel strike again?

If the Canucks let Markstrom and Toffoli walk, they could afford MAF and sign Tanev, plus get a draft pick, or not sign Tanev and get a defender.
- 1970vintage

Canucks could do a lot of things but Benning just likes to do what he has already done. I'm starting to lose patience with his inactiveness in certain situation that require action.

Team was dominated in the playoffs by Vegas. Bringing back the same squad doesn't inspire confidence that the results are going to change. Thinking that Petey and Hughes are going to be that much better to carry the rest of the team or that Gaudette and Virtanen will still grow is not a plan.

Canucks could do a lot of things but Benning just likes to do what he has already done. I'm starting to lose patience with his inactiveness in certain situation that require action.

Team was dominated in the playoffs by Vegas. Bringing back the same squad doesn't inspire confidence that the results are going to change. Thinking that Petey and Hughes are going to be that much better to carry the rest of the team or that Gaudette and Virtanen will still grow is not a plan.
- manvanfan

I think he is trying to make moves, every reporter was saying he was/is the most active. But maybe he isn't getting the deals he wants or maybe he is getting bent over?

He paid the going rate for LE, Beags, Ferland, etc. because they had multiple teams interested in signing them to similar deals. Now, the question of should he have signed them or not is different. However, they signed for the going rate.

As for Toffoli, yes, his going rate is pricing him out of what the Canucks want to spend on him. They by all intentions CAN sign him. They have the money to – it just means not signing Marky and Tanev, but they have the money to sign him. However, if he wants more than what the Canucks think he's worth, and it/he doesn't factor into their long term plans, then signing him doesn't have as much to do with the cap as it does other factors.

That said, the Canucks still can sign him. It's not improbable.

As for discounts: as we've seen with OEL, people now want to play here. When signing the other scrubs in the past, they didn't as Vancouver wasn't desirable at the time, so they got full market value.
- NewYorkNuck

Nobody else was going 4 years and $3m for Beagle. Only the Canucks were willing to give him that deal. It was widely discussed that Vancouver has had to “over pay” to get players because of the state of their team, and it is now being widely discussed that Vancouver is now a destination where players want to come.

I don’t believe they will be able to improve the team for the next year or two given the salary constraints. I don’t think, for example, they are going to get better Dmen than Tanev/Stecher For less than $6.5m. Sure, they’ll have different guys, but I can’t see them upgrading on the cheap. But that’s what they will need to do to until all the dead weight is gone.

I think he is trying to make moves, every reporter was saying he was/is the most active. But maybe he isn't getting the deals he wants or maybe he is getting bent over?
- anavar

He doesn’t have the ammunition to make deals because of past practices, that’s the issue. No one is going to take his garbage out for him.

I think he is trying to make moves, every reporter was saying he was/is the most active. But maybe he isn't getting the deals he wants or maybe he is getting bent over?
- anavar

Nobody is taking Sutter or Baer etc. nobody.

He doesn’t have the ammunition to make deals because of past practices, that’s the issue. No one is going to take his garbage out for him.
- Pacificgem

lol we can all agree that sutter & LE + insert rando was never getting oel.

Makita, thanks for defending me when Minivan was slagging DCT last night.

I still think Ottawa won the draft by a landslide, followed by Detroit and then Los Angeles. Those three franchises got some really really high quality kids/players.

I still think Ottawa won the draft by a landslide, followed by Detroit and then Los Angeles. Those three franchises got some really really high quality kids/players.
- Pacificgem

Detroit absolutely crushed it imo. Ottawa was mega impressive as well.

Canucks could do a lot of things but Benning just likes to do what he has already done. I'm starting to lose patience with his inactiveness in certain situation that require action.

Team was dominated in the playoffs by Vegas. Bringing back the same squad doesn't inspire confidence that the results are going to change. Thinking that Petey and Hughes are going to be that much better to carry the rest of the team or that Gaudette and Virtanen will still grow is not a plan.
- manvanfan

That's probably due to the OEL trade offer. Friday.

I think he is trying to make moves, every reporter was saying he was/is the most active. But maybe he isn't getting the deals he wants or maybe he is getting bent over?
- anavar

Canucks do a very poor job of trying to create an environment that would make their players appealing to other teams. I don't doubt teams aren't going to pay value when you slap a young 20 goal scorer on the 4th line or scratch him.

That's probably due to the OEL trade offer. Friday.
- VanHockeyGuy

Or the hampster running the wheel in his head is getting tired....

Yeah, well that aint going to happen, my freezer packed it in. I'll be hauling $600 of rotted beef, lamb, pork, elk, moose, chicken, seafood, cheese, raspberries and blueberries to the dump not to mention pounds and pounds of salmon, smoked salmon, and 40 lbs of halibut
- A_SteamingLombardi

Sorry to hear

Detroit absolutely crushed it imo. Ottawa was mega impressive as well.
- Jkuzzi

Ottawa’s drafted 12 players in the first two rounds the past two years/three drafts, that’s incredible! I think when they first became a franchise they did something similar and were good for a decade.

Yeah, well that aint going to happen, my freezer packed it in. I'll be hauling $600 of rotted beef, lamb, pork, elk, moose, chicken, seafood, cheese, raspberries and blueberries to the dump not to mention pounds and pounds of salmon, smoked salmon, and 40 lbs of halibut
- A_SteamingLombardi

F*ckkkkkkk that actually sucks.

Yeah, well that aint going to happen, my freezer packed it in. I'll be hauling $600 of rotted beef, lamb, pork, elk, moose, chicken, seafood, cheese, raspberries and blueberries to the dump not to mention pounds and pounds of salmon, smoked salmon, and 40 lbs of halibut
- A_SteamingLombardi

Wow that stinks....same thing happened to me years ago, elk, deer, moose and a ton of salmon all wasted. I actually put a dollar value on it and made an insurance claim, which they paid thankfully.

Cory Schneider to be bought out today at noon
Alex wennberg as well

He paid the going rate for LE, Beags, Ferland, etc. because they had multiple teams interested in signing them to similar deals. Now, the question of should he have signed them or not is different. However, they signed for the going rate.

As for Toffoli, yes, his going rate is pricing him out of what the Canucks want to spend on him. They by all intentions CAN sign him. They have the money to – it just means not signing Marky and Tanev, but they have the money to sign him. However, if he wants more than what the Canucks think he's worth, and it/he doesn't factor into their long term plans, then signing him doesn't have as much to do with the cap as it does other factors.

That said, the Canucks still can sign him. It's not improbable.

As for discounts: as we've seen with OEL, people now want to play here. When signing the other scrubs in the past, they didn't as Vancouver wasn't desirable at the time, so they got full market value.
- NewYorkNuck

Technically, they had the highest bid, doesn't mean anyone else was bidding the same. I would suggest they offered Beagle 1m more then anyone else to entice him to come.

Ferland, I don't think many teams offered much due to the concussion issues, again probably offered him 0.5 more then others to entice him to come.

Erikson, they likely offered market price, but have him two more years and the NTC which I doubt the other bidders did...

But, like a wise poster once said, their cap hit won't have any effect on the Canucks ability to retain or sign good players...

Or the hampster running the wheel in his head is getting tired....
- Jkuzzi

There's that as well.

Yeah, well that aint going to happen, my freezer packed it in. I'll be hauling $600 of rotted beef, lamb, pork, elk, moose, chicken, seafood, cheese, raspberries and blueberries to the dump not to mention pounds and pounds of salmon, smoked salmon, and 40 lbs of halibut
- A_SteamingLombardi

That sucks!

Canucks do a very poor job of trying to create an environment that would make their players appealing to other teams. I don't doubt teams aren't going to pay value when you slap a young 20 goal scorer on the 4th line or scratch him.
- manvanfan

Yes, too bad they were trying to win hockey games and Jake wasn't contributing effectively. Really should have pumped his value instead of going for the W.

Or, just or, teams see what Jake is, and aren't willing to give up a lot for him. JB went after JTM even though he was stuck in the bottom 6 in Tampa and having a bad year. They sure as poop didn't pump his value.

Nobody else was going 4 years and $3m for Beagle. Only the Canucks were willing to give him that deal. It was widely discussed that Vancouver has had to “over pay” to get players because of the state of their team, and it is now being widely discussed that Vancouver is now a destination where players want to come.

I don’t believe they will be able to improve the team for the next year or two given the salary constraints. I don’t think, for example, they are going to get better Dmen than Tanev/Stecher For less than $6.5m. Sure, they’ll have different guys, but I can’t see them upgrading on the cheap. But that’s what they will need to do to until all the dead weight is gone.
- 1970vintage

Sure, they gave those guys as extra year to come. In fairness to JB, who the hell thought the Canucks would be this good this fast? If they followed a similar trajectory to most other young prospects, they'd be putting it together this year and next when those contracts were coming off the books.

JB put himself in this inflexible position, fully. There are just other circumstances that helped lead to it, not a pure hindsight dissection.

I think most people are fine not pushing for big names, big UFA signings right now. Wait a year, bring in some more kids, hopefully pick up some decent replacement players in this weird RFA/UFA market, and then next year when contracts come off the books make new push.

Jim Benning was sold as a drafting guru. Then he trades his picks away forcing the team to invest in UFA"s. And we all know how that has gone. If Canuck fans are satisfied with the draft I have to ask why.