Highstickin

I actually don't think the Canucks look much different. The only year it maybe makes a difference is 2017 when we slipped 3 spots. In the end we still get Petey but could have had Makar or Heiskanen. The other drafts where we dropped didn't really produce any better players between where we should have picked and where we did. The biggest mistakes were simply not picking the right player from the ones available. i.e. Juolevi over Tkachuk, Keller and McAvoy

I don't like embellishment in hockey (or any sport for that matter) but I think I dislike video reviews even less. How many more lengthy stoppages do we need in a game? Review the truly relevant plays (basically just goals) and live with the human error elsewhere. I feel like the on ice officials mistake rate is a lot lower than we think. I have no data to support this so it is just my opinion. Stop slowing down the game for something that is not black and white to begin with. Goals - Black and white Offside - Black and white (although not sure we really need to review) Embellishment - massive grey area

People probably said the same about Bobrovsky or Freddy Anderson last year: Bob - 2022-23 RS 3.07 GAA and .901 SV% 2022-23 Playoffs 2.78 GAA and .915 SV% Anderson - 2022-23 RS 2.48 GAA and .903 SV% 2022-23 Playoffs 1.83 GAA and .927 SV% While the regular season is not meaningless, some goalies are able to turn it on when the pressure is the highest. From what I have seen, some goalies really thrive when put under higher workloads. Maybe the issue for Desmith so far is not getting the net often enough to "feel the puck". While we are looking at numbers, Desmith does have one playoff start. in 2021-22 he started the first game of the playoffs for Pitt and got the win in triple OT. Stopped 51 of 54 shots for a .941 SV%.

This one could be lengthy too. No idea how Wilson could possibly defend his actions here. It's not like he looked away and was swinging his stick back into his right hand. He basically looked right at the guy, moved Gregor's stick out of the way and then hit him in the teeth. I didn't watch the whole game, was there something between Wilson and Gregor before this happened? The only thing that might help Wilson in this case is that Gregor stayed in the game and doesn't appear to have any injuries that will keep him out.

I'm guessing it wasn't much fun playing on those bottom of the league Red Wings teams. Maybe Hronek was asking for a premium to sign with a struggling team and Yzerman didn't want to pay. If that were the case, maybe Hronek is willing to accept a more team friendly deal with Van if he sees team success in the future. This of course comes with a lot of Maybe's.

Two main reasons I see are age (Toews is 3 years older) and Toews is a left shot vs Hronek being right shot.

I agree with your point about Rutta, but does that same kind of philosophy also not apply to players whose numbers are inflated by playing on better teams/with better D-partners?

Henrik and Daniel aren't AGMs so not sure why you bring them up in this discussion. It also doesn't take a whole lot of research to figure out what Emilie and Cammi are responsible for on this team. Maybe take 2 minutes and do a google search before questioning why we would hire someone. Although most teams don't run with 3 AGMs I think its more important to look at results rather than question the structure compared to others. Remember, the previous leadership team "ran out of time" when trying to make decisions that stopped at one desk. Maybe spreading out the workload and decision making to highly skilled people and trusting them to do their jobs is what is contributing to success on the ice both in the NHL & AHL.

When ever I look at the stats for the all time greats I always seem to be amazed by something I did know before. For example when I look at this list: - The PIM totals for Zubov and Lindstrom blow me away. If I assume all their PIMs were minors (I know they likely weren't but I am not willing to dig that deep) that would mean they were each around 1 minor penalty every 6-7 games. All while playing 26-27 minutes a game against the best players in the world. - Bobby Orr +/- is wild. I'm not sure exactly how this stat was collected during his playing career but to be second all time to Larry Robinson and having played half the games is crazy. No other player in history is even close to a +/game. I know you mentioned that Huggy has been talked about in the same circle as Orr and maybe he can reach that level but I think it is way too soon for that. Look at the points/game stats as evidence of just how amazing Orr was. In about the same number of career games (Orr played 27 more games that McDavid thus far) Orr's Points/Game is only 0.12 less than McDavid and all the media can talk about is how unbelievable McDavid's scoring ability is. For context in an 82 games season that is only a 10 point difference between the best player in the game today who happens to be a forward compared to a defensemen. All this to say, I am glad Huggy is a canuck and I hope he plays his whole career here and continues to do amazing things because he is a truly great player. I would just slow the role on comparing him to Orr.

Hardly a panic signing when the guy has been in town for weeks.

That's true, but the problem is no team gets through the playoffs healthy. Look at Florida last year for example. No chance we get through the gauntlet that is not the western conference without being banged up. I'm not advocating for the canucks to make any major moves that leverage our future but depth will always play a role in playoffs. Speaking to your statement, when our depth has been tested it hasn't been spectacular.

What the Jets paid may never have been on the table for Van due to salary cap problems. The jets could fit Toffoli in, with some retention, and just give up draft picks so maybe thats all NJ wanted. Van would have had to either make a second move to open up the space or pay an extra asset to have NJ take on a contract. Either way you can't say we should have just paid what another team did because it is not apples to apples.

Bjugstad?

Great veteran pick up given his extensive playoff experience in ........... 2015-16.

Agreed but its not just next year we will need the cheap fill ins, it will be for the duration of the OEL buy out. I think this is the biggest reason Lekker, Raty, D-Petey & Willander are un touchable. I do think they will be good players but I don't think their skills are what brings the most value to the team in the coming years. We will require cheap skill in the way of ELCs and if we trade them away now we will be forced out of quality veterans down the road.