Carol Schram: Vancouver Canucks: Prospects Keep Shining, Assembling the Blue Line Cole Cassels and the Utica Comets continue to impress, and some thoughts about how Vancouver's blue line might look next season.

Hell no to Franson, I don't care if his entire extended family have season tickets.

4 Million will get you a good D (like Sbisa), top 4? No. Fransen won't sign for that, and VAN shouldn't over pay at that position unless its a big, tough, strong puck moving defenseman that can man the PP and skate and play big minutes.

Sbisa...








Sorry Nucker....but you're a flames fan now so

4 Million will get you a good D (like Sbisa), top 4? No. Fransen won't sign for that, and VAN shouldn't over pay at that position unless its a big, tough, strong puck moving defenseman that can man the PP and skate and play big minutes.
- VanHockeyGuy

How does Benning think he can find 3 more guys that can get through waivers?

I doubt either Subban or Hutton will be able to make the jump and most the D currently in the AHL will be waiver eligible (Clendening, Biega, Corrado, Sanguinetti) if resigned.

He must be expecting Pedan, Cederholm and Stewart will be ready as call ups

Move out Bieksa, sign Fransen for 4.5 per for 2 years.

How does Benning think he can find 3 more guys that can get through waivers?

I doubt either Subban or Hutton will be able to make the jump and most the D currently in the AHL will be waiver eligible (Clendening, Biega, Corrado, Sanguinetti) if resigned.

He must be expecting Pedan, Cederholm and Stewart will be ready as call ups
- belcherbd

Correct, there's a bit of a problem there. JB Has some stuff to think about.

throw franson a long term fiver and he takes over bieksa's cap space starting next season, dump bieksa now if you can, if not take the hit however you can (vrbata, higgins, burrows) or hope for an injury lol

throw franson a long term fiver and he takes over bieksa's cap space starting next season, dump bieksa now if you can, if not take the hit however you can (vrbata, higgins, burrows) or hope for an injury lol
- sushi

Forget the long terms, give him 3 years max and it would have to be at a hometown discount.

five is definitely a discount compared to what some other teams will throw at him. no one will sign a hometown discount contract for less than 4 years, it's pretty pointless

if you can lock him in at 4.5-5.0 it's worth a shot at long term considering what tanev makes and franson being a much more dynamic player in comparison

five is definitely a discount compared to what some other teams will throw at him. no one will sign a hometown discount contract for less than 4 years, it's pretty pointless

if you can lock him in at 4.5-5.0 it's worth a shot at long term considering what tanev makes and franson being a much more dynamic player in comparison
- sushi

saw this in the Sharks blog:

- Jim Jamieson of The Province floated a fantasy trade involving Hamhuis for Seabrook. Is Hamhuis available? While his age, 32, isn’t really appealing it’s hard to ignore the chemistry he had with Brent Burns at the World’s. Now, making a deal solely off chemistry from an all-star international roster is foolilsh, but the Sharks do need a top four defender – and Hamhuis could be around and able to help for the rest of the Thornton/Marleau years at a friendly cap hit. He’s currently at $4.5M and a UFA after next season. What would the Sharks have to send back? I don’t know, it was a random thought, but he’s a 32 year old pending UFA. He’s not outright attractive, but there may be value in him to stabilize the top four while the kids get better. Probably not, but a thought. - Tim Chiasson

So what would it take??

saw this in the Sharks blog:

- Jim Jamieson of The Province floated a fantasy trade involving Hamhuis for Seabrook. Is Hamhuis available? While his age, 32, isn’t really appealing it’s hard to ignore the chemistry he had with Brent Burns at the World’s. Now, making a deal solely off chemistry from an all-star international roster is foolilsh, but the Sharks do need a top four defender – and Hamhuis could be around and able to help for the rest of the Thornton/Marleau years at a friendly cap hit. He’s currently at $4.5M and a UFA after next season. What would the Sharks have to send back? I don’t know, it was a random thought, but he’s a 32 year old pending UFA. He’s not outright attractive, but there may be value in him to stabilize the top four while the kids get better. Probably not, but a thought. - Tim Chiasson

So what would it take??
- GloveHandStrong

For me, probably more than SJ would be willing to pay

saw this in the Sharks blog:

- Jim Jamieson of The Province floated a fantasy trade involving Hamhuis for Seabrook. Is Hamhuis available? While his age, 32, isn’t really appealing it’s hard to ignore the chemistry he had with Brent Burns at the World’s. Now, making a deal solely off chemistry from an all-star international roster is foolilsh, but the Sharks do need a top four defender – and Hamhuis could be around and able to help for the rest of the Thornton/Marleau years at a friendly cap hit. He’s currently at $4.5M and a UFA after next season. What would the Sharks have to send back? I don’t know, it was a random thought, but he’s a 32 year old pending UFA. He’s not outright attractive, but there may be value in him to stabilize the top four while the kids get better. Probably not, but a thought. - Tim Chiasson

So what would it take??
- GloveHandStrong

JB said no 5-6 mil deals, let the Sharks have him.

five is definitely a discount compared to what some other teams will throw at him. no one will sign a hometown discount contract for less than 4 years, it's pretty pointless

if you can lock him in at 4.5-5.0 it's worth a shot at long term considering what tanev makes and franson being a much more dynamic player in comparison
- sushi

For the minutes he's playing? No thanks.

saw this in the Sharks blog:

- Jim Jamieson of The Province floated a fantasy trade involving Hamhuis for Seabrook. Is Hamhuis available? While his age, 32, isn’t really appealing it’s hard to ignore the chemistry he had with Brent Burns at the World’s. Now, making a deal solely off chemistry from an all-star international roster is foolilsh, but the Sharks do need a top four defender – and Hamhuis could be around and able to help for the rest of the Thornton/Marleau years at a friendly cap hit. He’s currently at $4.5M and a UFA after next season. What would the Sharks have to send back? I don’t know, it was a random thought, but he’s a 32 year old pending UFA. He’s not outright attractive, but there may be value in him to stabilize the top four while the kids get better. Probably not, but a thought. - Tim Chiasson

So what would it take??
- GloveHandStrong

I would want a young player and the 2nd. Ideally that would be Hertl or Dillon but my guess is they would be dangling Nieto or Goodrow which doesn't get it done in my opinion.

We’ll start with eight defencemen, but we want to have 11 D capable of playing in the NHL. That’s something I learned this year from being in the West. The travel wears the team down a bit and it seems to take a toll on your defence.JB

Jamieson points out that the Canucks have five defensemen under contract (Tanev, Edler, Hamhuis, Bieksa and Sbisa) plus four RFAs who need to be re-signed, all of whom will be subject to waivers next season (Weber, Stanton, Clendening and Corrado).

Lots of decisions to be made. And no mention of Biega or Sanguinetti and both are ufa. I'd take Biega over Stanton, but there isn't really a big difference between them.

It is nice to want to have 11 d capable of playing in the nhl, but if you have Clandening and Corrado riding the pine or in the press box, I am not sure if that is helping or hurting their development.

Lots of decisions to be made. And no mention of Biega or Sanguinetti and both are ufa. I'd take Biega over Stanton, but there isn't really a big difference between them.

It is nice to want to have 11 d capable of playing in the nhl, but if you have Clandening and Corrado riding the pine or in the press box, I am not sure if that is helping or hurting their development.
- hillbillydeluxe

The only way I keep Biega is if he is number 7/8 on the NHL roster, his potential is limited and being any higher or lower on the depth chart takes ice-time away from those who the club can benefit more from in the NHL and AHL

Also dont know much of Sanguinetti, but given his age and lack of NHL experience, I'd thrown him in the same boat

The only way I keep Biega is if he is number 7/8 on the NHL roster, his potential is limited and being any higher or lower on the depth chart takes ice-time away from those who the club can benefit more from in the NHL and AHL
- WhiteLie

I am not sure how waivers work at the start of the season. Last season, they had to expose Markstrom to waivers to send him down at the start of the season, but I don't remember Biega or Sanguinetti being subject to waivers, or if they were sent to Utica before the season started and weren't subject to waivers?

Anyway, I think they should try to move a righty on defence for some late round pick or prospect if they can. The depth is nice, but hopefully someone else catches JB's eye among the prospects that is waiver exempt.

He traded for Clandening to get a more nhl ready dman than Forsling, he should be trying to get him into the lineup if he is at all close to ready.

For the love of God, Just get rid of Edler and I think everything will be ok. Please.
No, I really mean PLEASE!

All this talk about D makes that Garrison trade look even more ridiculous. Bieksa should have been traded not Garrison...

This is just ridiculous, but Garrison might just get a Stanley cup out of it...

For the love of God, Just get rid of Edler and I think everything will be ok. Please.
No, I really mean PLEASE!
- Mortalis

I'd move Bieksa before Edler. Edler had a good bounce back season paired with Tanev. If he isn't paired with Tanev, then look out. At least he is a bit younger than Bieksa, damn those ntcs.

I keep telling myself, only one more season before Bieksa's contract expires, or even better if he is moved before then.

In response to Kaptaan's comment about shipping Garrison out (over Bieksa)...

True. Shades of the Grabner trade where we kept Raymond.
hindsight being 20/20 and all that.

Oh my, Ian has gone full Esplen. I didn't think it was possible to get Esplenier than he already was, but this is.

http://niceskateswannapuc...e-maple-leafs-should-make