I don't get why people always say just convert him to a forward. One of the biggest knocks against him is that he's easy to push off the puck and isn't hard on the boards... how the hell is he going to forecheck? How's he going to win board battles? How's he going to get to the "hard areas" around the net? Just a dumb idea.
- NewYorkNuck

I'd like to see him play a full season with Shaw coaching plus OEL handling top pairing minutes before writing him off as a defenseman at such a young age.

I wouldn't be surprised if it has influence.

I know we all like Hamonic, but I see it as a blessing in disguise from a cap perspective. The more money annually available, the more likely we can sign both players to long term contracts (which to me, is most preferable).

Its scary to think what is going to happen when Podkolzin, Hoglander, Rathbone all need new contracts, and Boeser, Horvat, Miller need/want extensions. The longer we can lock up our superstars for less of a cap hit, the better IMO
- Codes1087

Codes likes the Leafs and smurfs and Nucker pukes in his mouth and likes it 🤮🤮🤮

Owner and general manager are the same camp. Two players are sperate camps regardless of the agent being the same.
- boonerbuck

Yeah . But the agent is one also, so collusion can't be applied either . It either works both ways or doesn't work.

I honestly don't see what most of you slurpers see in him.🙃
The kid is by far the worst defender in the league, has some ego issues, as he has demonstrated during interviews and as Darius says above, and I have said several times, the kid is a winger, not a defenseman.

Have you ever challenged someone for make a similar claim about Myers or Sutter or Beagle?
Not sure how you consider it to be personal, when I am making a choice on what players I like and dislike.
- Reubenkincade

Yes.

As far as personal goes... just the way you express yourself about him. I only have to read Darius' post below yours to see a difference. Maybe the word spite fits better than hate.

he's also 21 years old, a lot of dmen at that age are still in the AHL/college and not being tasked with 23 minutes of ice time per game in the NHL. I highly doubt his game has peaked at the age of 20-21.

OEL-Poolman pairing being added to the roster helps every other dman on the roster with less defensive responsibility against opposing top lines.

#CanuckFansAreImpatient
- Nucker101

I don't see how it is considered impatience, when I said stay the fuck away from this kid, before he was drafted.
The kid was a train wreck defensively then and has gotten worse since.

#Nuckergetswhathedeserves

he's also 21 years old, a lot of dmen at that age are still in the AHL/college and not being tasked with 23 minutes of ice time per game in the NHL. I highly doubt his game has peaked at the age of 20-21.

OEL-Poolman pairing being added to the roster helps every other dman on the roster with less defensive responsibility against opposing top lines.

#CanuckFansAreImpatient
- Nucker101

Makar and Heiskenen were both as young yet both are way better defensively than Hughes is.

Pettersson is the important one to re-sign. I agree with Vantel Hughes is only worth 6 million on a show me deal, I’m just speculating what they’re asking for.

Trade him for all I care, but get Pettersson re-signed!!
- LeftCoaster

I would be fine with that.

Bridge is the only way to go. We aren’t signing Mackinnon, Horvat or Hedman. We are signing two runts coming off really bad seasons. They have a lot to prove and I’m uncomfortable having these little guys being the highest paid players/ leaders of the team.
- CanuckDon

i understand what you are saying. but here is their counter argument to the players you just compared them to.

Elias got more points in less games than Mackinnon and Horvat when they signed their deals out of their ELCs

Hughes got more points in 2 seasons (plus 5 games in his first "season"), than Hedman did in his first 4 full seasons.

Points aren't everything of course, but you can see why these negotiations are difficult for both player+agent/GM.

I don't get why people always say just convert him to a forward. One of the biggest knocks against him is that he's easy to push off the puck and isn't hard on the boards... how the hell is he going to forecheck? How's he going to win board battles? How's he going to get to the "hard areas" around the net? Just a dumb idea.
- NewYorkNuck

How the fuck is he ever going to be a defenseman, if he can't win board battles and is easy to push off the puck.

I don't see how it is considered impatience, when I said stay the fuck away from this kid, before he was drafted.
The kid was a train wreck defensively then and has gotten worse since.

#Nuckergetswhathedeserves
- Reubenkincade

I support Canuck players and I'm not going to write off a talented player who's barely old enough to drink a beer in the States. A lot of talented players on this roster struggled last year, I expect them to bounceback with things more normalized(more practice time, more chemistry on and off the ice with teammates) plus the additions of Shaw, OEL, Poolman, Schenn.

People can rush to judgements, and that's fine, I used to do the same as you all know. But I think taking a step back and being less rash and emotional about this hockey team is a more healthy and reasonable way to evaluate things.

Bridge is the only way to go. We aren’t signing Mackinnon, Horvat or Hedman. We are signing two runts coming off really bad seasons. They have a lot to prove and I’m uncomfortable having these little guys being the highest paid players/ leaders of the team.
- CanuckDon

👏👏👏👏

According to Green in today's presser, the lack of Sutter, he is trying Dowling, Highmore and Petan in the centre spot.

While watching the game against the Flames, I would like to see if ZacMac can play centre. He was a 55% faceoff man in the Q. Plus he is that right hand centre.

Makar and Heiskenen were both as young yet both are way better defensively than Hughes is.
- DariusKnight

No argument there, but development isn't the same for every player plus every player plays different styles. Heiskanen is also not nearly as dynamic offensively. Makar I will admit is pretty well rounded, he brings the offensive dynamic ability and can defend reasonable well, but there's no shame in not being as good as Makar or Heiskanen, that's a really high bar to set for young dmen. There's a very large in-between group between being a Makar level dman or being an awful dman.

According to Green in today's presser, the lack of Sutter, he is trying Dowling, Highmore and Petan in the centre spot.

While watching the game against the Flames, I would like to see if ZacMac can play centre. He was a 55% faceoff man in the Q. Plus he is that right hand centre.
- manvanfan

Dowling seems best suited for Sutter's checking/pk center role

How the fuck is he ever going to be a defenseman, if he can't win board battles and is easy to push off the puck.
- Reubenkincade

Myers seems to have managed it.

I support Canuck players and I'm not going to write off a talented player who's barely old enough to drink a beer in the States. A lot of talented players on this roster struggled last year, I expect them to bounceback with things more normalized(more practice time, more chemistry on and off the ice with teammates) plus the additions of Shaw, OEL, Poolman, Schenn.

People can rush to judgements, and that's fine, I used to do the same as you all know. But I think taking a step back and being less rash and emotional about this hockey team is a more healthy and reasonable way to evaluate things.
- Nucker101

I just don't see him getting that much better defensively, at least enough that I would be comfortable with him being "The Guy" that's out there defending the lead in the last 2 minutes when the other team's goalie is pulled and they're trying desperately to score to force the game to overtime.

That's not to say that he's a bad player, far from it, I just don't see him as a 1D. I can live with him if he was like a 3-4 that just QBed the PP.

If he is expecting to play and be paid as the 1D, then he SHOULD be in the mold of a Makar or Heiskenen or Dahlin. As many teams have shown (most notably the Leafs), you can win a lot of regular season games with offense, but if you can't play defense then you aren't going to go very far beyond that.

How the fuck is he ever going to be a defenseman, if he can't win board battles and is easy to push off the puck.
- Reubenkincade

So…another Jim Benning wasted first round pick to go along with Virtanen & Juolevi? For a guy who’s supposed to be a drafting guru he’s not very good at it…no?

I support Canuck players and I'm not going to write off a talented player who's barely old enough to drink a beer in the States. A lot of talented players on this roster struggled last year, I expect them to bounceback with things more normalized(more practice time, more chemistry on and off the ice with teammates) plus the additions of Shaw, OEL, Poolman, Schenn.

People can rush to judgements, and that's fine, I used to do the same as you all know. But I think taking a step back and being less rash and emotional about this hockey team is a more healthy and reasonable way to evaluate things.
- Nucker101

Are you that thick or do you have a problem reading, in no way have a rushed to any judgment on this player, as I have said, don't draft Hughes, I guess I am rushing my opinion.
It was apparent then, as it is now, that the kid is a shiny skater but a pathetic defender.

I just don't see him getting that much better defensively, at least enough that I would be comfortable with him being "The Guy" that's out there defending the lead in the last 2 minutes when the other team's goalie is pulled and they're trying desperately to score to force the game to overtime.

That's not to say that he's a bad player, far from it, I just don't see him as a 1D. I can live with him if he was like a 3-4 that just QBed the PP.
- DariusKnight

Fair enough, I think the labels of being a #1 or #3 are kind of arbitrary, roles are more important. I think Quinn would thrive if there was a dman on the roster who can handle playing against top lines, I expect OEL to be that guy. Edler was tasked with that last year, but age has caught up with him so naturally the team's defense struggled and there were many nights when Hughes/Hamonic were out against top lines.

So…another Jim Benning wasted first round pick to go along with Virtanen & Juolevi? For a guy who’s supposed to be a drafting h guru he’s not very good at it…no?
- LeftCoaster

IMO, yes, but I have made that pretty clear since Benning the clown drafted him over Dobson, who I would take in a heartbeat.

Are you that thick or do you have a problem reading, in no way have a rushed to any judgment on this player, as I have said, don't draft Hughes, I guess I am rushing my opinion.
It was apparent then, as it is now, that the kid is a shiny skater but a pathetic defender.
- Reubenkincade

Writing off a teenager is pretty much the definition of rushing to judgement. I'm not saying you're right or wrong, but it's clearly a quick judgement to suggest that he can't ever be an effective dman in the NHL when he was projected and evaluated as a top pick by professional talent evaluators

I'll trust their judgement over yours or mine

Are you that thick or do you have a problem reading, in no way have a rushed to any judgment on this player, as I have said, don't draft Hughes, I guess I am rushing my opinion.
It was apparent then, as it is now, that the kid is a shiny skater but a pathetic defender.
- Reubenkincade

Young highly offensive player struggles defensively, go figure. Offensive players cheat defensively, not uncommon. He doesn’t need to be an all around everything defenseman, his offense is extremely important for a team that struggles producing offensively from the backend. He just needs to return to what he brought in year one.

IMO, yes, but I have made that pretty clear since Benning the clown drafted him over Dobson, who I would take in a heartbeat.
- Reubenkincade

He runs an NHL team, we write on message boards. I think he knows more about the NHL than we do.

Yeah . But the agent is one also, so collusion can't be applied either . It either works both ways or doesn't work.
- VANTEL

But the two players are not one... or they would share a contract.

Dowling seems best suited for Sutter's checking/pk center role
- Nucker101

He's quick. Just wonder how he is 30 years old and only ever played 76 NHL games and 14 points. What's missing from his game?