Canucks Army Monday Mailbag: August 28th

For Jordan Subban to get a shot in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks would have to trade him to almost any other franchise.

Alexander Burmistrov, Patrick Wiercioch, Anton Rodin, Erik Gudbranson and Ben Hutton.

I’m not sure who you’re referring to in here, in terms of not mentioning Jonah Gadjovich. I’m fairly certain he’ll be at the Young Stars Tournament in Penticton. I couldn’t imagine why not.

I believe, both personally and impersonally, that the Canucks would benefit from signing either one of Jaromir Jagr or Thomas Vanek. I think that, of the two, Jagr makes the most sense. In fact, it would be an excellent fit for both sides. Jagr can’t move anymore, which explains why teams are afraid to sign him in spite of remaining productive into his mid-forties. Whatever line he’s on has to change their style almost entirely to accommodate having him by their side. If there’s one line in the NHL where that wouldn’t be an issue, it has to be the Sedin line. They’ve never been the fleetest of foot, and that’s only getting worse with age.

Signing either of the two players you’ve suggested runs counter to the Canucks’ nominal youth movement, and that’s sure to draw the ire of some. Being young is a means to an end though; not the end-goal. If you want the Canucks to be young again, it’s because you’re getting players in their prime at their best value. If the current crop of young players isn’t enough to make you a competitor under those circumstances, then who cares if they spend an extra season with the Utica Comets or in junior? In the case of both of these players, I think the Canucks could recoup a draft pick at the deadline, and that’s something a young player shouldn’t be able to do.

Canucks general manager Jim Benning’s future will depend on a number of different things. I’m starting to think it’s not as simple as where the Canucks finish in the standings. If the team is mildly entertaining and not a complete turnstile, then I imagine he’ll have a good chance of surviving the year. If it’s another year like last season or the one before, that’s a different story.

About as slim as Jake Virtanen in those photos from the Utica Comets near the end of last season where he looks downright starved.

I would expect that Subban will play out the year in Utica. The Canucks won’t qualify his contract, and he’ll hit unrestricted free agency.

No.

Unless something’s changed, Jonathan Dahlen is still the Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL’s property, so if he does return to Sweden, that’ll be his team. SHe’ll not only be on Elias Pettersson’s team, but I’d imagine he’ll share a line with him, too. I have no clue whether the AHL or SHL would be better for Dahlen’s development.

Brock Boeser.

Troy Stecher will definitely lead the Canucks defence in points next season. He was a shot-generating machine last year and just didn’t get many bounces. If some of his percentages normalize, then I expect he’ll be north of 30 points in his sophomore season.

Probably not.

I think you’re being facetious about what the Calder Trophy is for, but I get your point — it almost always goes to the player with the highest points. That tends to leave otherwise excellent rookie defencemen out of the race for the Calder by default, which is unfortunate. I don’t tend to care too much about awards. The voters almost always get it wrong. Some of the awards are ridiculous; I’m looking at you, Leadership Award. I can certainly see the argument for a Rookie Defenceman of the Year, though. I mean, why not? I think Zach Werenski deserves far more recognition for the season he just put together, and perhaps this new award is one way of making that a reality.

I’d hate to spoil my next article, going live at 10 AM PST, on this very subject. You’ll just have to wait!

See my earlier answer to a similar question.

I don’t know if Brandon Sutter is just a fourth line centre. That seems a little bit harsh, even for my tastes. I don’t think he’s terribly good. My response to his play last season was as much an attempt to showcase how ludicrous it was that anyone would deploy him as a first or even second line centre as it was anything else. He’s probably an okay third line centre on his best days. On his worst, he’s perhaps a bit below average in that role.

That’s all that should’ve mattered for the last three-plus seasons, too. So, yes, I agree with your priorities for the Canucks next season.