Canucks Army Monday Mailbag: October 16 – Part Deux

If the Canucks wanted to trade Chris Tanev, they could bring in a serious return. He’s a premier top pair defenceman who’s among the best in the league in terms of defensive value, and he’s on an affordable contract. Finding players like Tanev is exceedingly difficult. The conversation probably starts with a blue chip prospect and a first-round pick, at least.

It’s hard to say what the Canucks could get for Erik Gudbranson. His value relative to what he brings on the ice is out of whack, but in the right direction for the Canucks to get a good return. They might even be able to get a return package for Gudbranson similar to what they paid for him.

A Tanev trade seems unlikely, especially given the Canucks lack of interest in such a move during the off-season. If Gudbranson continues to play a small role with new head coach Travis Green, then I’d expect that this development along with his exorbitant contract demands makes him an obvious trade candidate.

I honestly can’t think of any real reason why Green has cut Troy Stecher’s ice-time. Stecher’s had some rough moments, but for the most part, he’s been a solid defenceman. There were times last season where he was the clear-cut best defenceman on the Canucks roster period. It’s not adding up.

You could certainly make a case for the Canucks as the worst run team in the NHL. It wouldn’t be that difficult. They haven’t been able to stay competitive, and they’re not doing a great job with stocking the cupboards with prospects.

My understanding is that the general manager has a significant role in who the club takes with their first-round pick, but takes a back seat from round two through seven.

Switching from a one-three-one formation to an overload.

You have a great memory. I’ve definitely made that comparison before. I’m less and less fond of player comparisons with each passing year of learning how to scout and analyze the draft, but for Brock Boeser, I think the Patrick Sharp comp still works.

It’s a three-way tie between Kole Lind, Nikolay Goldobin and Jonah Gadjovich.

I haven’t asked Green what role he plays in personnel for the power play, but I get the sense that he gets the final say on everything personnel related. I’d imagine that the assistant coach has more of a say in systems than anything and that the two work together to decide who plays in what role.

It’s far too early to draw any conclusions one way or the other.

The Canucks tried that with Jake Virtanen and Jared McCann two seasons ago, and it did not go well. I think there’s a balance between letting the kids have everything on a silver platter and making them earn every second of ice-time. The Canucks seem to be doing a relatively good job of that this season, in my estimation.

As I’ve stated a hundred times before, I’m not a huge fan of discussing or advocating for people to lose their job. I’d just rather they improve, and it works out for everyone involved. In this case, hypothetically, it’s the general manager who would usually go before the president. And if the Canucks have another season like last, I’d be surprised if Benning survives it.

That doesn’t seem likely, no.

It’s not a good look for Dylan Strome. This is consecutive coaching staffs who don’t see him as NHL-ready. I’d suggest it probably has a lot to do with his skating — it’s a problem. I doubt they’re ready to give up on Strome just yet, though. And they shouldn’t be, either.

I have no clue what the cost would be for Strome. Any answer I gave you would be absolutely meaningless.

Malcolm Subban, by a lot.

Boeser is the bright spot for the Canucks this season and probably a few after.

Are the Canucks a little on the soft side? I guess. Is it something they should prioritize given all their other shortcomings? No.

Green has a lot of options. For me, it starts with the scheme. The Canucks forwards need more puck support beneath the hashmarks and the personnel could use some work. I’d like to see this team move to an overload.

That game ranks high in terms of the worst power plays I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.

Absolutely. I have no doubt that Strome is eventually going to be a high-impact NHL’er. If the Canucks can pry him on the cheap, which I doubt is a possibility, then they should.