Canucks Army Monday Mailbag: September 5th

Another week has passed, which means we’re another week closer to the NHL season. Hell, we’re even closer to the World Cup of Hockey, if that’s your kind of thing.

The Canucks haven’t been terribly active of late. According to our own Jeff Paterson, the Canucks are “linked” to James Sheppard and considering a professional tryout. He’s been working out at Rogers Arena all offseason apparently, so the connection makes sense on that level. Be interesting to see if they follow through on that. 

In the meantime, though, we’ve got an assortment of questions on other pressing Canucks related news, etc. And I’ve got answers. You know the drill.

For the Canucks? No. For any other team? No. There’s just no way the Tampa Bay Lightning are letting Nikita Kucherov loose from their talent hoarding clutches. They have about $6.6-million in cap space left according to www.GeneralFanager.com, so they have the resources to keep Kucherov in town. It’s more about ironing out the details than anything. Really, the difficult decisions start next off-season in Tampa.

From what I can gather, the Canucks are going to run a 1A and 1B system in net, with Jacob Markstrom and Ryan Miller. Which, frankly, makes sense given the contracts of both netminders. The Canucks are in the final year of Miller’s deal and attached to Markstrom for another three seasons beyond this one.

Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me even if Markstrom is getting the lion’s share of the starts down the stretch. Miller’s not getting any younger and at the rate Markstrom is progressing in Vancouver, it kind of makes sense.

To be determined.

I actually wrote an article on this very topic not all that long ago. The list includes Justin Fontaine, Alex Tanguay and Gabriel Bourque. I wrote another article not long after where I suggested the Canucks kick the tires on Peter Mueller, too. I think those four players represent a good starting point, though it should be noted that the Avs have since signed Bourque to a PTO — I guess I meant to say three players.

Well, the Canucks have been trying their darndest to deal Luca Sbisa this off-season, so I’d imagine his name will come up at some point. Perhaps more discreetly, they’ve also looked into dealing Derek Dorsett, so again, that’s a player I would suspect they’re willing to move. As an aside, I think it’s pretty encouraging that the Canucks brass is maybe coming to terms with what absolutely terrible contracts these players have.

If the Canucks season goes down the toilet, I’d expect anyone on a one-year deal to have their name bandied about in the rumour mill. Whether they’re dealt or not is another story entirely. One player to keep an eye on is Ryan Miller. I’d like to think the Dallas Stars make sense as a destination for Miller at some point, but that will be largely dependent on how he plays and whether Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi can hold their own.

At the top of the list, though, is Alex Burrows. He’s in the last year of his deal, which carries a $4.5-million cap hit, but only costs $2.5-million in actual money. That’s a player I can see being attractive for budget teams down the stretch. 

Frankly, I think our rankings system is just fine the way it is. If you’re eligible for the Calder, that likely means you haven’t broke through at the professional ranks yet. That’s good enough for me.

Well, the difference between this year’s team and last is that the Canucks won’t have that many tradeable players. Certainly, none that carry the value Dan Hamhuis had. Besides, I don’t know if the Canucks have it in them. That whole tanking thing just isn’t in their M.O.

The Canucks can’t get anything out of a 28-year-old James Sheppard that they couldn’t get out of a 22-year-old Brendan Gaunce. I’d imagine he’s there to create internal competition and meet the eight-game veteran minimum.

It would’ve been wise, sure, but that ship’s sailed. There isn’t anyone left on the market that can really command top dollar at the trade deadline. Surely if they were viewed in that light, they wouldn’t be available now. That said, if they were to go that route, I’d look at Alex Tanguay.

I’d expect Burrows to play on the Canucks fourth line. Sure, it’s not ideal given his salary, but you can hardly blame Jim Benning (or Mike Gillis, even) for that. And the point is that they haven’t any other options. It’s in a tertiary role or the AHL.

Because they have to. Benning sold ownership on this team competing throughout their “rebuild on the fly” so that’s what he has to believe he’s doing. That and the fact that Benning just isn’t one to tank. Like, it’s just not going to happen.

I honestly have no idea what the Canucks plans are long-term or whether they have any. There are days where it seems like they operate on a one-year whim. Then there are others where they invest in players that have a long-term future with the club. But the Canucks aren’t contending in 2018-19. Not at this pace. Who’s centring the first line on the 18-19 Canucks anyways?

It’s cute that you think I can afford to see a Canucks game live.

Lukas Jasek>Michael Spacek