Canucks Army Monday Mailbag: July 10th – Part Deux

At the top end of the draft, I’d like to see the Canucks find a way to get their hands on Andrei Svechnikov. Just imagine the future of this franchise with Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat and Svechnikov anchoring the middle of the Canucks lineup.

I know the reflex among Canucks’ fans is to be #AllInForRasmusDahlin, but I lean towards Svechnikov at first overall, with the caveat that we’re so far away that this doesn’t really matter — it’s possible neither is in first overall by next May.

Someone I’d like the Canucks to target near the end of next draft? Artyom Minulin. He’s a terrible skater, but I still think he’s a player that should have gone in the third or fourth round. As an overage player at the draft, he could prove a savvy pick late.

I can foresee a scenario where Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier make the NHL out of the gate. It wouldn’t surprise me if neither of them made the jump either, though. And that’s about it.

If you want me to drop a piping hot draft take, the only other player I would give a fighting chance of making the show from this year’s draft is Owen Tippett. I should add that I’m higher on Tippett than most, but with good reason.

I’m not that well connected. The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t need to shed cap space. So far as I can tell, they just need LTIR (long-term injured reserve) to kick in and they’re salary cap compliant.

It’s way too early for me to give even a vaguely useful answer. I don’t think Dahlin gets the Canucks to the playoffs instantly, but it’d be a boon for the Canucks certainly.

If Simon Despres makes a comeback, he could be the player to come from seemingly out of nowhere to be a highly effective player from free agency on a dime.

I’d just search Bo Horvat’s name in the search option on the Canucks Army home page. We’ve touched on that subject a few times, and I’ve just nothing new to add to that conversation, unfortunately. If you want me to pull a number out of thin air, let’s go with $4.75-million for six years.

Coaches always coach to win. That will never change, regardless the circumstances. General managers tank; players and coaches don’t.

I’d love to ask the Canucks’ scouting staff to answer that question — especially as it concerns Adam Gaudette. I don’t quite have one myself. I thought very little of the Gaudette pick at the time, and only came around to him as a prospect halfway through his first season in the NCAA.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend I saw this coming, or even that I have the tools to figure this out with the benefit of hindsight. The Canucks saw something that most, myself included, didn’t see. And I haven’t even the vaguest idea what that was. If I did, I could answer how he played so much better in the NCAA than the USHL.

I have no clue. Maybe the Calgary Flames?

Anders Nilsson.

It depends on a player-to-player basis. Even at that level, I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer that question. I can offer a tonne of insight into the draft, but not a tonne as it concerns development, generally speaking.

I’ll say this much, as a general rule, I think teams usually leave their prospects in the AHL and lower levels of competition for too long. They don’t even realize they’re wasting the best part of drafting and developing players. It’s all about cost controlled players who are on the rise.

Vegas Golden Knights.

I have no clue. I imagine they take it easy and do as little work as possible.

I don’t think that two seasons is unrealistic, but I’d probably take the over. The Canucks’ prospect pool just isn’t that good. It’s not even a top ten pool yet, though it’s not far off.

Check last week’s mailbag.

I don’t think that the Canucks will sign Horvat for eight years.

Ben Hutton when Olli Juolevi forces his way into the Canucks’ starting lineup next September.

We’ve been talking about that as a possibility for what feels like years now, and it just hasn’t happened yet. If it did, I’d want the Canucks to take a look at Andrei Loktionov. He was a really useful player in the NHL, and last I looked into him, he wanted to come back.

I do, unfortunately. And Brandon Sutter can’t fill that role.

One has to think the Sedins are getting sick of the constant losing. I don’t imagine that gets better in a contract year when they’re fielding questions about whether they’ll be traded or not for months at a time. I don’t think this team has a “hurrah” in them, and I don’t think it can set the Canucks any further back than they already are. I can definitely see this being the Sedins last go in Vancouver, though.

Part one did.

Elias Pettersson.

I’m going to have my agent reach out to them.