What's Next for the Canucks?

Nope, Im just as confident with Leclaire in nets for the Sens as I would be with Luongo at this point. We dont need a goalie for the time being...

wprager wrote:The Swedes will be gone so it will be a re-load, but not a rebuild. With Luongo in goal they are pretty much in the playoffs every year.

But I'm wondering if Gillis (and Vigneault) are done. Alain, for sure, underachieved, but then Gillis brought in Sundin and that was a great big waste of how many million?

If Gillis subtracts The Sedins and Sundin from his payroll he has room for a scorer and a playmaker via trade...like Spezza and Heatley.

He has Hodgson and some other pieces that could be very attractive to Ottawa.

Kevin Bieksa and Willie Mitchell are both signed, Bieksa for 3.5/next 2yrs; Mitchell 3.5M/next 1 year. With Alex Edler being given more and more responsibility, and Shane O'Brien seemingly having gotten over his attitude adjustment, Gillis might be persuaded to deal either Bieksa or Mitchell in order to solve his Sedin situation.

There are other elements/assets in this kind of potential dialogue between the two teams that could merit consideration.

Studying Van's prospect pipeline could be interesting as well.

davetherave wrote:

wprager wrote:The Swedes will be gone so it will be a re-load, but not a rebuild. With Luongo in goal they are pretty much in the playoffs every year.

But I'm wondering if Gillis (and Vigneault) are done. Alain, for sure, underachieved, but then Gillis brought in Sundin and that was a great big waste of how many million?

If Gillis subtracts The Sedins and Sundin from his payroll he has room for a scorer and a playmaker via trade...like Spezza and Heatley.

He has Hodgson and some other pieces that could be very attractive to Ottawa.

Kevin Bieksa and Willie Mitchell are both signed, Bieksa for 3.5/next 2yrs; Mitchell 3.5M/next 1 year. With Alex Edler being given more and more responsibility, and Shane O'Brien seemingly having gotten over his attitude adjustment, Gillis might be persuaded to deal either Bieksa or Mitchell in order to solve his Sedin situation.

There are other elements/assets in this kind of potential dialogue between the two teams that could merit consideration.

Studying Van's prospect pipeline could be interesting as well.

I think the last thing anybody even remotely connected with the Vancouver Organization wants to see happen is Hodgson dealt.

I think Van dealing Hodgson would blow up in their face in a large way, sometime down the road.

Neely4Life wrote:I think Van dealing Hodgson would blow up in their face in a large way, sometime down the road.

I agree with your thought on that one, but I guess it depends on how desperate Gillis is in terms of dealing Hodgson, if he wants to save his job, he will make a desperation move for short term help, which like you pointed out will hurt them in the next few years.

Vancouver has absolutly no one in terms of prospects outside of Hodgson and Schiender (kinda) not a big fan of that goalie either.

Bobby Lu, oh, what could he do?

Neely4Life wrote:Vancouver has absolutly no one in terms of prospects outside of Hodgson and Schiender (kinda) not a big fan of that goalie either.

Actually, they aren't too bad. A few speedy forwards, and I like Yann Sauve.

asq2 wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:Vancouver has absolutly no one in terms of prospects outside of Hodgson and Schiender (kinda) not a big fan of that goalie either.

Actually, they aren't too bad. A few speedy forwards, and I like Yann Sauve.

Hockey's Future has Vancouver ranked at Number 20 on its list of organizations and their talent pipeline.

For more on the Canucks' prospects:

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/teams/vancouver_canucks

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/nhl_organisation_rankings/

I don't think that because Vancouver got beaten in 6 by a pretty hot Chicago team (Van wins in OT in game 5, we would be talking about a game 7 here), they have to change major pieces and stuff. The Sedins looked pretty awesome as far as I'm concerned. I dont see any player in that Canucks team that choked. Play a better system (new coach?) and add a player or two (taht could be Hodgson), and there you go. My 2 cents.

marakh wrote:I don't think that because Vancouver got beaten in 6 by a pretty hot Chicago team (Van wins in OT in game 5, we would be talking about a game 7 here), they have to change major pieces and stuff. The Sedins looked pretty awesome as far as I'm concerned. I dont see any player in that Canucks team that choked. Play a better system (new coach?) and add a player or two (taht could be Hodgson), and there you go. My 2 cents.

Marakh, if you go back to the article at the origin of this thread, the situation in Vancouver is much more than a facile assessment of 'choking', or even getting beaten by 'a hot team'.

The Canucks have serious issues regarding their salary cap and UFAs--as well as the expectations set by ownership which gave Gillis the mandate to 'do what it takes' to make a run at Stanley.

Again, this is not meant as a critique of the Canucks but a look at a club that was anointed by many as "Canada's Cup Hope" in the playoffs.

You are right when you suggest that a coaching change might be made...but that's not a minor tweak by any means.

a lot of work for gillis his first job should be signing the sedins they stepped up big time this year and they seem to want to stay in vancouver.....then he has to find cap room for the rest of the team i doubt that they will be able to afford sundin if he wants to come back unlees sundin takes less money(also i hope that sundin know whether or not he will play because i dont want the media going over him unable to make up his mind for another half a year)

Kesler soon cutting to the contract chase

Selke candidate due to earn more, but how much and for how long?

Ben Kuzma, The Vancouver Province/May 17, 2009

Ryan Kesler lost three teeth in the season finale from an Andrew Ladd elbow that also broke his nose, but the Vancouver Canucks winger will gain much more respect and compensation in the offseason from his own NHL club.

Not only did Kesler's emerging game cut the opposition like a double-edged sword this season -- being a premier shutdown centre to earn a Selke Trophy nomination and finishing with a career-high 26 goals and 59 points to rank as the team's MVP -- the Canucks know they'll have to cut to the contract-extension chase come July.

With a year left on Kesler's deal at $1.75 million US, general manager Mike Gillis can start talking extension July 1. As much as the GM will ponder the same for Roberto Luongo and how he'll fit unrestricted free agents Henrik and Daniel Sedin under the $56.7 million salary cap ceiling -- especially with $33.25 million already committed to a dozen players next season -- he will also place a premium on getting Kesler locked up long-term. If Kesler is allowed to play out next season, he'll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. That's a scary scenario.

"Ryan struck me as being very happy here in Vancouver and very happy with his development," said Gillis. "In my meeting with Mats Sundin [Thursday], he referenced Ryan four or five times as a guy who he didn't know he is as good as he is. I feel pretty confident that we're a good place for him and he's a good player for us and that we can get something done."

Kesler was a great fit this season as a third-line shutdown centre and second-line winger, where he exploded for eight points in his first three games with Sundin and Pavol Demitra. Kesler also had 10 power-play goals to tie for the team lead with Kyle Wellwood, and was a key part of the penalty kill that finished the regular season with a perfect kill ratio in seven of the last nine games.

"He's not only a good player at both ends of the rink, he's also one of our leaders and character guys who I think is going to learn from what happened this year and in the Chicago series," said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. "Obviously, he's one of the key components to our team. We know that, and he knows that, and we expect him to get better."

Nobody is harder on himself than the 24-year-old Livonia, Mich., native -- OK, maybe his dad, Mike, who drilled home the defence-first message at an early age -- and it won't be hard for management to commit to Kesler. But how much? And for how long?

Kesler had a 54 per cent faceoff efficiency this season and was fourth on the club in blocked shots. He led all Canuck forwards in playoff ice time at an average of 20:29 and was second in the regular season to Henrik Sedin -- 19:31 for the Swede compared to 19:27 for the American.

You could suggest that Scott Hartnell, 27, who will average out at
$4.2 million for the next four years after a 60-point season with Philadelphia, might be the starting point as a comparable.

Then again, don't be surprised if the Kesler camp looks at Selke Trophy finalist Mike Richards and his $5.75-million cap hit over the next seven years with the Flyers as something to aim for in the give-and-take tussle over money versus term. Richards had 80 points (30-50) last season and was a plus-22.

Kesler also spoke from the heart in March when he stated that pay cuts were in order to keep the club together in pursuit of a Stanley Cup. That bravado rubbed some the wrong way. However, the way the Canucks lost their swagger and surrendered their hard-charging, forechecking style to the Blackhawks in the Western Conference semifinal series really rubbed Kesler the wrong way. He was bloodied in Game 6 by Ladd's elbow, but didn't miss a shift.

"We played them well physically, but if you give them a little room, they have the skill to make you pay," Kesler said of the six-game setback. "The first series we were finding ways to win, and in that series we weren't. That was the difference. In Game 4, [2-1 overtime loss] we sat back too much and we made one mistake and they capitalized in overtime.

"Everybody in the room thinks we should still be playing, but as a group we just need to play better. This is going to push me even more to get better and come in faster and stronger, and I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform and each year you want to get better."

All this doesn't surprise Alex Burrows. The feisty winger was the team's most exciting player this season and his buddy a budding future captain. Remind Burrows that Kesler was spitting up blood and his teeth after getting reefed by Ladd -- only to return to the ice in short order -- and there's a nod of admiration.

"That's Kes," said Burrows. "We follow him because he's one of the guys who gets us going and keeps us going. He's going to be a big part of this team for a long time."

How long? Stay tuned.
bkuzma@theprovince.com

I love Kesler, but I don't think he merits Mike Richards money.

Jason York is saying on Team 1200 Radio's 'Healthy Scratches' today that Vancouver GM Kevin Gillis has a very close relationship with Scott and Rob Niedermayer's agent.

Jason believes the rumour of the Niedermayer brothers signing with Vancouver is substantial, and that the brothers will sign a one year package deal with the Canucks.

"Look at the Canucks now," says Jason, "What are they missing? Cup winning leadership. The Niedermayers would give them that."

This might mean Gillis lets the Sedins, Ohlund and Sundin walk.

davetherave wrote:Jason York is saying on Team 1200 Radio's 'Healthy Scratches' today that Vancouver GM Kevin Gillis has a very close relationship with Scott and Rob Niedermayer's agent.

Jason believes the rumour of the Niedermayer brothers signing with Vancouver is substantial, and that the brothers will sign a one year package deal with the Canucks.

"Look at the Canucks now," says Jason, "What are they missing? Cup winning leadership. The Niedermayers would give them that."

This might mean Gillis lets the Sedins, Ohlund and Sundin walk.

Or Ohlund and Sundin walk and the Sedins like the addition of the Niedermayers and sign a deal? I think that would be the best case scenario for Vancouver. It would take the spotlight away from Luongo's perceived failure for the summer too.

SeawaySensFan wrote:Or Ohlund and Sundin walk and the Sedins like the addition of the Niedermayers and sign a deal? I think that would be the best case scenario for Vancouver. It would take the spotlight away from Luongo's perceived failure for the summer too.

Now that would be a slick move...

shabbs wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:Or Ohlund and Sundin walk and the Sedins like the addition of the Niedermayers and sign a deal? I think that would be the best case scenario for Vancouver. It would take the spotlight away from Luongo's perceived failure for the summer too.

Now that would be a slick move...

would hate to face the Canucks if that happened, ouch, that is some star power.