Trading Miller is absolutely in my mind the way to go, but I’d be very surprised if we saw that happen. They wanna be competitive, he helps that. I’d trade him and build around Pettersson and Hughes.
- LeftCoaster

I feel that was the better option before buying out OEL. Was confident Tocchet could drive him into LTIRetirement. At some point down the road the dead space is gonna bite them.

I get that but you are probably still thinking of a roster that contains Pizzaman Dries Briesbois Myers OEL.

I think yesterday's move took us from the 10 year to compete level to a five years to compete level depending on who they bring in. I think the fact that they were willing to accept and fix their mistake is a very good first step.

If their answer is to replace OEL with Brisebois then it was a wasted move but you don't clear out that much space and spend a hell of a lot of money to do nothing.
- VANTEL

No, I'm thinking of big, fast physical teams that have talent & grit in spades. Strong, relentless forechecking, fierce puck battles along the boards, devastating, bone crunching hits in the middle of the ice....things the Canucks are completely void of.
You did yourself a favour by not watching the playoffs and then seeing just how far off the Canucks really are.

The contract is fine, he’s worth the dollar, I still thinks he’s a selfish dickhead though, but that’s another issue.
- LeftCoaster

He is the only player I like on the team lol. I don’t mind if they trade him however but it’s very unlikely

We were six wins away from the playoffs and that was with a terrible first half of an injured Demko and an AHL D core.

Scoring was not an issue. Keeping the puck out of our net was a huge issue. Kudos to this management for taking the first big step needed to fix this team. Now wait and see what step two is.
- VANTEL

After the coaching change, the team played with little pressure. It was garbage time and they played loose, having fun. Having the pressure to hold on to a playoff spot would have been more difficult.

I don’t either they like Miller. I’m just saying that it’s a fine contract.
- CanuckDon

I disagree. It might look like value for a season or 2, depending on his mood swings and then it will lick coyote balls for the remainder of the contract. It was a dreadful knee-jerk reaction by an amateur and panicking GM.

I feel that was the better option before buying out OEL. Was confident Tocchet could drive him into LTIRetirement. At some point down the road the dead space is gonna bite them.
- Load Management

Agree with this. Years 3 and 4 are really going to hurt. That's one mid level contract that you won't be able to afford. I remember the Kessel trade and retention in Toronto. Leafs were stuck with that for it seemed an eternity trying to work with a $2M deficit each year. It finally ended this year!!

No, I'm thinking of big, fast physical teams that have talent & grit in spades. Strong, relentless forechecking, fierce puck battles along the boards, devastating, bone crunching hits in the middle of the ice....things the Canucks are completely void of.
You did yourself a favour by not watching the playoffs and then seeing just how far off the Canucks really are.
- Marwood

If you have Pizzaman on your second line and Dries as your 3C you are winning Jack. Studnicka as a linemate blows for Dakota and Aman.

Change Dries for Bjugstadt or even better Barbashev, Stunicka for Halloway, Bear for Pesce, Pizzaman for a healthy Mikheyev and I think your team starts to look better.

I need to see the final roster before I say it is a playoff team or not. Yesterdays move gave them the cap room to build a better team so now lets see what PA does .

After the coaching change, the team played with little pressure. It was garbage time and they played loose, having fun. Having the pressure to hold on to a playoff spot would have been more difficult.
- PrinceLH

Bull

If you have Pizzaman on your second line and Dries as your 3C you are winning Jack. Studnicka as a linemate blows for Dakota and Aman.

Change Dries for Bjugstadt or even better Barbashev, Stunicka for Halloway, Bear for Pesce, Pizzaman for a healthy Mikheyev and I think your team starts to look better.

I need to see the final roster before I say it is a playoff team or not. Yesterdays move gave them the cap room to build a better team so now lets see what PA does .
- VANTEL

I mean, the Leafs may not be the ultimate model ... but to compare the Canucks to Leafs is pretty laughable. They could trade one of Marner or Matthews and get a haul that out classes the entire prospect pool of the Canucks in one fell swoop.

... and what is this decent young core you speak of? Did you watch this year's playoffs. These guys don't have the speed or size to play with that pace or physicality. Not that they will make the playoffs soon, but I don't think you want to build around anyone on Vancouver right now ... anyone that wants to stay anyway.
- Sayros

The Leafs out-drafted the Canucks, plain and simple, during a five year period they drafted their core, Morgan Rielly, Willy Nylander, Mitch Marner & Auston Matthews. That’s five great first round picks, their problem is they gave them all too much money and they haven’t been able to surround them with the size and grit needed to be successful in the playoffs.

The Canucks drafted Virtanen/McCann, Boeser, Juolevi, Pettersson and Hughes…Virtanen was a bust, they traded away McCann for immediate help, Juolevi was a bust, and only Pettersson and Hughes have been big wins. They’re still in the process of trying to build a young core ten drafts after they took Virtanen and McCann.

Thankfully Pettersson and Hughes are the youngest of those guys and kids you can still build around. You need to build around four or five young players, not two, but Aquilini wants to win so they’re going to most likely continue in this cycle of “now” at the expense of the future….all from poor drafting, such is life as a Canucks fan.

I disagree. It might look like value for a season or 2, depending on his mood swings and then it will lick coyote balls for the remainder of the contract. It was a dreadful knee-jerk reaction by an amateur and panicking GM.
- Marwood

Would Miller get more or the same if was a UFA this summer? 💯 he would certainly get a bigger contract this summer. So the contract has value. Full stop. You may dislike the player but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad contract. He can be flipped for assets.

I agree that it’s questionable to sign him as I want the team to rebuild. But we all know that will never happen in our lifetime

I feel that was the better option before buying out OEL. Was confident Tocchet could drive him into LTIRetirement. At some point down the road the dead space is gonna bite them.
- Load Management

I wish they’d trade Miller, Boeser/Garlund, Podkolzin, Rathbone and the #11th to Columbus for the 3rd, Laine, Sillnger and a big young right shot dman.

Major trade like the good old days!!

Year 3 and 4 are going to be killers.
- PrinceLH

Canuck brain trust are betting on the cap increasing exponentially over the next few years. We will see if they bet correctly.

The contract is fine, he’s worth the dollar, I still thinks he’s a selfish dickhead though, but that’s another issue.
- LeftCoaster

American, so it’s to be expected.

I wish they’d trade Miller, Boeser/Garlund, Podkolzin, Rathbone and the #11th to Columbus for the 3rd, Laine, Sillnger and a big young right shot dman.

Major trade like the good old days!!
- LeftCoaster

I'd love if they could pull off a deal like that, the organization might get my respect again.

The Leafs out-drafted the Canucks, plain and simple, during a five year period they drafted their core, Morgan Rielly, Willy Nylander, Mitch Marner & Auston Matthews. That’s five great first round picks, their problem is they gave them all too much money and they haven’t been able to surround them with the size and grit needed to be successful in the playoffs.

The Canucks drafted Virtanen/McCann, Boeser, Juolevi, Pettersson and Hughes…Virtanen was a bust, they traded away McCann for immediate help, Juolevi was a bust, and only Pettersson and Hughes have been big wins. They’re still in the process of trying to build a young core ten drafts after they took Virtanen and McCann.

Thankfully Pettersson and Hughes are the youngest of those guys and kids you can still build around. You need to build around four or five young players, not two, but Aquilini wants to win so they’re going to most likely continue in this cycle of “now” at the expense of the future….all from poor drafting, such is life as a Canucks fan.
- LeftCoaster

I see math is still a problem for you.

I see math is still a problem for you.
- Reubenkincade

I see math is still a problem for you.
- Reubenkincade

Agree with this. Years 3 and 4 are really going to hurt. That's one mid level contract that you won't be able to afford. I remember the Kessel trade and retention in Toronto. Leafs were stuck with that for it seemed an eternity trying to work with a $2M deficit each year. It finally ended this year!!
- PrinceLH

We had the Luongo recapture for 3 years at 3 mil, then the Virtanen and Hotlby buyouts for around 2.5mil just came off the books this year. 5 years of dead space. Add OEL'S 8 year buyout to that. Gives you 13 years of a substantial amount spent on shipping assets for negative return.

IMHO it's crippling. Not only because there's no return on the asset. But the money wasted could sign a middling player, which could possibly net a return at trade deadlines or around the draft. It's one less asset to play with....for 13 damn years.

Canuck brain trust are betting on the cap increasing exponentially over the next few years. We will see if they bet correctly.
- bloatedmosquito

The issue is, the other teams also get an increased Cap as well. They can outbid you for free agents or the ability to keep some of your own free agents.

The issue is, the other teams also get an increased Cap as well. They can outbid you for free agents or the ability to keep some of your own free agents.
- PrinceLH

You seem more worried about it than we are.

We had the Luongo recapture for 3 years at 3 mil, then the Virtanen and Hotlby buyouts for around 2.5mil just came off the books this year. 5 years of dead space. Add OEL'S 8 year buyout to that. Gives you 13 years of a substantial amount spent on shipping assets for negative return.

IMHO it's crippling. Not only because there's no return on the asset. But the money wasted could sign a middling player, which could possibly net a return at trade deadlines or around the draft. It's one less asset to play with....for 13 damn years.
- Load Management

The recapture is the league fucking up not the Canucks.

Look at how many first round picks the Leafs have given up to get rid of bad contracts. The Canucks were also over the cap to balance out the dead money on buyouts.

Most teams use the leagues loopholes to compensate for the dead cap era.

We had the Luongo recapture for 3 years at 3 mil, then the Virtanen and Hotlby buyouts for around 2.5mil just came off the books this year. 5 years of dead space. Add OEL'S 8 year buyout to that. Gives you 13 years of a substantial amount spent on shipping assets for negative return.

IMHO it's crippling. Not only because there's no return on the asset. But the money wasted could sign a middling player, which could possibly net a return at trade deadlines or around the draft. It's one less asset to play with....for 13 damn years.
- Load Management

I understand. A lot of fans want instant gratification. It takes years to build a contending team. In today's Cap world it's essential to not waste Cap space. It can be your friend, or it can be your enemy. Choose well at the draft table and you'll be shelling out monster contracts in 3 years. Whoever the Canucks draft this year, if he's a very good player, his entry level contract will end and they'll be forced to pay him in year 4. That just happens to be the last year of the double cap hit. It's going to make it dicey to give the player top dollar. If you force a bridge deal, it'll cost you more by year 6 of this buyout and you'll still be $2.5M in the hole for 2 more years. It's going to hurt this franchise going forward. However, the instant gratification slot machine fans are not going to be satisfied and think this buyout was divine intervention. In reality, it was short sightedness and poor asset management. OEL could have played a couple of more years during the rebuild and there would have been 2 less years of cap issues.

The recapture is the league fucking up not the Canucks.

Look at how many first round picks the Leafs have given up to get rid of bad contracts. The Canucks were also over the cap to balance out the dead money on buyouts.

Most teams use the leagues loopholes to compensate for the dead cap era.
- VANTEL

At the very least they got something positive out of those picks. Poor drafting and letting assets walk has resulted in our shallow prospect pool. I'd rather ship a 1st out and be done with OEL forever than to buy into another 8 years of him on the payroll.

The issue is, the other teams also get an increased Cap as well. They can outbid you for free agents or the ability to keep some of your own free agents.
- PrinceLH

Free agents don’t want to be here. That’s why our management has overpaid in the past. The fact they have dead cap space is a blessing in disguise. Stop them from overspending on mediocre players.

As for Canuck free agents, if they are RFA not an issue (let’s hope we draft more quality in the next few years) and if our players are UFA, chances are they leave regardless how much money we throw at them. Historically, this is a poorly run franchise, players know that.