2 years away.
- LordHumungous

Yeah, maybe. The point I was getting at is that if the fans don’t put Hughes/Pettersson/Boeser/Demko/Horvat with (as an example)

Toews/Kane/Keith/Seabrook
Crosby/Malkin/Letang/Fleurie

Who at the time were the up and coming stars

Are you confident that they will be able to challenge for a cup?

Perhaps it’s too early to tell still.

STL 15 M
NYI 14M
WPG 15.3M
MTL 12M
COL 15.5M
CGY 14M
MIN 15M
ARI 15M
PHI 16M
BOS 14M
CLB 11.2M
CAR 14.4M
OTT 13M
DET 11.8M
NJ 12.4M

So half the league two top paid players are around the 15M mark.
- manvanfan

Without really going through your list Monteal has Weber and Price for an AAV of nearly $20 million

Yeah, maybe. The point I was getting at is that if the fans don’t put Hughes/Pettersson/Boeser/Demko/Horvat with (as an example)

Toews/Kane/Keith/Seabrook
Crosby/Malkin/Letang/Fleurie

Who at the time were the up and coming stars

Are you confident that they will be able to challenge for a cup?

Perhaps it’s too early to tell still.
- 1970vintage

Drake Caggiula on waivers...

#bottom6

The pieces are there for a cup challenge.

I get that the Canucks need more muscle on the back end, but I think Schmidt >> Myers, for essentially the same price.

Selling Schmidt is a downgrade for the D even if it opens space to bring someone in, sweetening for Seattle to take Myers is the better option IMO (of course, depending on the cost) as you move the money, keep the better player, and can get a D in UFA.
- NewYorkNuck

Radkos Gudas has more hits than the top 7 D that has played for Van this season.

I'm just saying that it doesn't matter if the D is better on paper the same as they were this season by improving with Schmidt over Tanev. They now miss the intangibles of playing defence. Keeping Schmidt over Myers is upgrading on paper but not in the intangibles department for a second year in a row.

Without really going through your list Monteal has Weber and Price for an AAV of nearly $20 million
- golfingsince

That's a goalie. Van isn't signing a goalie, they already did that.

STL 15 M
NYI 14M
WPG 15.3M
MTL 12M
COL 15.5M
CGY 14M
MIN 15M
ARI 15M
PHI 16M
BOS 14M
CLB 11.2M
CAR 14.4M
OTT 13M
DET 11.8M
NJ 12.4M

So half the league two top paid players are around the 15M mark.
- manvanfan

Makar makes 10 million?

Drake Caggiula on waivers...

#bottom6

The pieces are there for a cup challenge.


- LordHumungous

Obviously you are joking, and obviously everything else has to fall into place, but Jay Beagle isn’t going to be lifting the cup at Rogers Arena, unless it’s as a coach...

Radkos Gudas has more hits than the top 7 D that has played for Van this season.

I'm just saying that it doesn't matter if the D is better on paper the same as they were this season by improving with Schmidt over Tanev. They now miss the intangibles of playing defence. Keeping Schmidt over Myers is upgrading on paper but not in the intangibles department for a second year in a row.
- manvanfan

You keep posting about hits, which I agree the team needs better toughness... but you don't normally hit people when you have the puck. Gubranson racks up a lot of hits, so there's that.

I think more than anything the team needs a new coach who can implement a better system. Throwing more "intangibles" at this team's D corp isn't going to help anything at all. Once they improve the structure, having the better players should pay dividends.

Makar makes 10 million?
- Reubenkincade

Not yet he doesn’t. The list was top 2 paid, not 2 best.

Obviously you are joking, and obviously everything else has to fall into place, but Jay Beagle isn’t going to be lifting the cup at Rogers Arena, unless it’s as a coach...
- 1970vintage

lol Beagle has as much chance hoisting a cup here as Gaunce does on the 4th line in BOS

But seriously the pieces are there. Hughes, Demko, Horvat, Boeser, Petey, Miller, Hogs, Pods (maybe) we haven't had this class of players for awhile. Maybe it will take another GM to round things out and satisfy the whiners guild but we may want to wrap our heads around the fact that Aquilini may give JB another 'last' opportunity to build around that. Is what it is. See where it goes.

That's a goalie. Van isn't signing a goalie, they already did that.
- manvanfan

You said top 2 paid players.

NJ, 16.5 M

There really aren't many teams under $15M.

There are probably as many or more teams over $20M than there are under $15M.

Obviously you are joking, and obviously everything else has to fall into place, but Jay Beagle isn’t going to be lifting the cup at Rogers Arena, unless it’s as a coach...
- 1970vintage

I think you are onto something here.

Beagle terminates his contract and becomes Van's new Manny Malholtra coach for the Canucks.

You said top 2 paid players.

NJ, 16.5 M

There really aren't many teams under $15M.

There are probably as many or more teams over $20M than there are under $15M.
- golfingsince

Talk to Neem about it.

I don't really care. If JB wants to sign them for less than 15M he can do it. If he wants to sign them to 20M or more, he can do so also.

He just responded to my copy and paste, so I responded to him.

And if we don’t believe that our top guys are worth that kind of money are we really confident that this team will be able to compete for a cup in the near future?
- 1970vintage

I think we have a VERY competitive top 6, they just need a better bottom 6 and a better coach to take that extra step.

Yeah, maybe. The point I was getting at is that if the fans don’t put Hughes/Pettersson/Boeser/Demko/Horvat with (as an example)

Toews/Kane/Keith/Seabrook
Crosby/Malkin/Letang/Fleurie

Who at the time were the up and coming stars

Are you confident that they will be able to challenge for a cup?

Perhaps it’s too early to tell still.
- 1970vintage

I would say up there with LA more than Chicago for the talent at the time of cups is what we are looking at with our young core. If they can get the support they need, they have a real shot at a cup during their prime years.

I think we have a VERY competitive top 6, they just need a better bottom 6 and a better coach to take that extra step.
- Retinalz

And a better GM.

You keep posting about hits, which I agree the team needs better toughness... but you don't normally hit people when you have the puck. Gubranson racks up a lot of hits, so there's that.

I think more than anything the team needs a new coach who can implement a better system. Throwing more "intangibles" at this team's D corp isn't going to help anything at all. Once they improve the structure, having the better players should pay dividends.
- NewYorkNuck

They lost their best defensive defencemen and defender that threw the most hits. they are now worse by having on paper better defenders.

And a better GM.
- Marwood

Even me who has been okay with the good and the bad that has come with Benning is getting to a point where he needs to do different, that he hasn't done much of before.

https://twitter.com/Fan2A...tatus/1380200103957291010

Look at that. Give the guy some minutes and he came make things happen.

CapFriendly
@CapFriendly
TRADE:

To Chicago #Blackhawks:
F Brett Connolly
D Riley Stillman
F Henrik Borgstrom (signing rights)
2021 7th RD pick (FLA)

To Florida #Panthers:
F Lucas Wallmark
D Lucas Carlsson

* no RS on either side.

And a better GM.
- Marwood

Benning has done a great job building us a bright future, only way it could have been better is if FA let him rebuild instead of attempting a failed retool.

That said, he is not the GM to add the surrounding pieces for us to truly be competitive going forwards and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately the GM we would need to do this probably will refuse to work with FA.

They lost their best defensive defencemen and defender that threw the most hits. they are now worse by having on paper better defenders.
- manvanfan

They've given up 0.12 more goals per game this year compared to last year. They've score 0.63 goals LESS per game. I think their offense has fallen off, not their defense.

Again, since they have better defenders now, a better system will help them flourish even more Don't need to throw plugs back into the mix

(Also, Edler and Myers threw the most hits last season and this season, not sure where you're getting them losing their biggest hitter from.)

lol Beagle has as much chance hoisting a cup here as Gaunce does on the 4th line in BOS

But seriously the pieces are there. Hughes, Demko, Horvat, Boeser, Petey, Miller, Hogs, Pods (maybe) we haven't had this class of players for awhile. Maybe it will take another GM to round things out and satisfy the whiners guild but we may want to wrap our heads around the fact that Aquilini may give JB another 'last' opportunity to build around that. Is what it is. See where it goes.
- LordHumungous

It's a good core so far, but the main problem is that you listed 8 players and only 1 of them is a defenseman

Benning has done a great job building us a bright future, only way it could have been better is if FA let him rebuild instead of attempting a failed retool.

That said, he is not the GM to add the surrounding pieces for us to truly be competitive going forwards and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately the GM we would need to do this probably will refuse to work with FA.
- Retinalz

And Pres of Hockey Op's. Pretty well sums it up.

They've given up 0.12 more goals per game this year compared to last year. They've score 0.63 goals LESS per game. I think their offense has fallen off, not their defense.

Again, since they have better defenders now, a better system will help them flourish even more Don't need to throw plugs back into the mix

(Also, Edler and Myers threw the most hits last season and this season, not sure where you're getting them losing their biggest hitter from.)
- NewYorkNuck

I didn't say throw plugs back into the mix. You are the one thinking that only Gudbranson types throw hits.

Fatburger threw the most hits per 60 last season.

Whatever though, we think differently on this.