The Canucks know they’re legit now. Time for some legit huge boy roster strikes.
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There are just a few subjects that might be entrance and centre in Vancouver Canucks fan dialogue till the commerce deadline now that Jim Rutherford has been prolonged.
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One is Elias Pettersson’s contract. He can signal an extension any time.
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“Ask me after the season,” he reiterated Friday. He simply doesn’t to speak about it. And so folks will speculate on his future till he’s both signed or it’s apparent that an extension isn’t within the offing.
One other subject is what is going to the Canucks do to shore up their roster forward of the playoffs?
As mentioned with Rutherford earlier this week: not successful the Stanley Cup is sort of sure, however that’s not a purpose to swing for the fences.
Rutherford is aware of this nicely.
With this in thoughts, just a few questions from followers for our weekly mailbag.
Is administration in a spot the place high-value property (Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Tom Willander, 1st spherical choose) might be on the desk for a rental? Does administration see this yr as an ‘all-in’ state of affairs, given the crew’s report? — Trevor C. through X
Canucks Report
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That is just about what I requested Rutherford earlier within the week. They’ve talked about what they’re going to do, clearly.
Would they push all their chips in, I requested him?
“Presumably,” he replied. “You have to see what comes up.”
After all he was going to be cagey. However it’s important to suppose they’re seeking to reinforce the roster.
They’re clearly banking on the likes of Lekkerimäki and Willander being NHLers in a yr’s time, when Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s buyout cap penalty actually ramps up. Rutherford just about mentioned so once we spoke in December.
In any other case, it’s important to suppose nearly all the things is on the desk. There may need been a time the place they have been able to flip Nils Höglander, however he’s change into the sort of participant Rick Tocchet desires, a man who will get in on the puck, who wins board battles, who has some scoring punch.
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However somebody like Vasily Podkolzin? Behind their minds Canucks administration in all probability would love him to return again on the finish of the season as a reborn top-six winger, but when push involves shove and he’s the distinction between including an enormous piece and never, it’s onerous to see the Canucks holding on.
You realize that first spherical choose this summer time might be a commerce chip, given it’s going to be within the excessive 20s.
Prime 6 ahead, depth C man depth D man no biggy. Jim has acquired this. — Smilo through X
There are eternally classes from 2011. Look, as an example, at why these Canucks added Max Lapierre. All season they’d been operating out random guys to play fourth line centre. On the deadline, they added Lapierre, who was so clearly an improve on all of the earlier choices.
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Absolutely the Canucks will look to do an identical factor, on the very least.
And we are able to take a look at Rutherford’s work in 2016 and 2017 when he added depth defencemen with Trevor Daley, Justin Schultz, Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit. He additionally picked up winger Carl Hagelin in 2016.
It could make sense to see the Canucks attempt to discover a method so as to add one other defenceman and a pair forwards.
We’ll see.
The teaching employees has made an enormous distinction. Tocchet is superior, nevertheless it’s the group as an entire, beginning with Abbotsford. — Sheila through X
It is a crucial level.
Tocchet clearly is in tune together with his teaching employees: he inherited Mike Yeo however he’s labored with him earlier than and he introduced Adam Foote, who Tocchet says has improved as coach “1,000,000 per cent,” and Sergei Gonchar, who was such an excellent participant and seems to be a splendidly efficient coach.
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The coaches perceive these gamers so nicely.
After which within the AHL, sure, there’s a wise teaching employees there as nicely.
Jeremy Colliton had a great status earlier than he was within the NHL with the Blackhawks and with the way in which the gamers there have carried out, it’s clear he has a robust connection together with his gamers as nicely.
And his employees is excellent. Gary Agnew has a long-standing strong status. Jeff Ulmer performed all over the place and is a brilliant man too.
Plus there’s the Sedins and Yogi Svejkovsky working with everybody.
Figuring out learn how to deploy your coaches is so vital and the Canucks appear to be hitting it out of the park.
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