Canucks Army Monday Mailbag: Wednesday February 7th – Part Deux

If the Canucks shop Thomas Vanek, I’m willing to bet they could get a third-round pick for him.

Honestly, there isn’t anyone on this Canucks blue line that is an immovable piece, which speaks to how much they have to do to re-shape their defence corps. Regarding who I’d move out the fastest, Michael Del Zotto, Erik Gudbranson and Chris Tanev would all find their way to the trade block in short order for varying reasons.

Where it gets interesting is who I’d add in their place. I really don’t know how to answer that. Am I drawing from the entire league? This year’s free agent crop? The Canucks’ system? Maybe shoot me a line in the comments, and I’ll answer that part of the question in kind.

I liked the Petrus Palmu pick for the Canucks, but let’s be realistic — his chances of making the NHL aren’t great, but that’s par for the course with sixth-round picks. If Palmu doesn’t make it, it won’t be because of his height. Palmu plays a surprisingly tough game for someone his size and never shies from the most contested parts of the ice.

You can’t replace that level of handsome.

This is one of those instances where one of my Twitter followers answered my question for me. And for that, I thank you, Deedlbug53.

They’re in something that vaguely resembles a rebuild-mode. And your concerns are justified. I wouldn’t be surprised at this stage if they re-signed Erik Gudbranson and Thomas Vanek, and that’s a bad, bad sign for this team.

Bo Horvat.

It’s a combination of the three, and I’ve heard that even the Canucks President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden has his say in the amateur scouting side of things from time to time. They have a rule: they only acquire players that each of them has seen live at least once. Or so I’m told.

There are different circumstances for each round. I can tell you for a fact that Canucks general manager Jim Benning has a lot more say in their first round pick than the ones in rounds two through seven, which is standard for the NHL today.

Yes, and no. Overall in Ben Hutton’s career, the Canucks have been pretty accommodating. They famously referenced Hutton as the reason they had to waive Frank Corrado, which suggests that they didn’t care about the consequences so long as they gave Hutton the spot he earned — reality is, they just didn’t understand the CBA thoroughly enough to avoid this entirely avoidable situation, but whatever.

This year, less so. Hutton’s play suggests that he’s easily one of the Canucks’ best six defencemen, but he’s somehow also the most frequently scratched blueliner. When Hutton’s in the lineup, he’s essentially a third-pair defenceman.

I feel like these are two different questions. Do I think Adam Gaudette has a chance to be a top line player, no matter how slim? Yeah, absolutely. Do I think that his potential most likely lands him in the Canucks middle-six? Yeah, absolutely. Both things can be true.

The thing is, when we at CanucksArmy talk about a player’s projection, we’ll always reference the most likely probabilistic outcome. It doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance that the player in question can exceed expectations; it’s just that we’re playing the odds and speaking to what our information suggests is most likely.

I’d like to see all of them re-signed, save for Griffen Molino, Joseph LaBate, MacKenze Stewart, Anton Cederholm and Cole Cassels.

I would think about that trade, if only for the reason that it seems like Hutton isn’t going to work out with Travis Green as the Canucks head coach.

I don’t know if the Canucks are going to find three teams with interest in Erik Gudbranson period the way things are going. Assuming they do, I still can’t see them getting much for Gudbranson, who is essentially a rental, and a not-very-good one in a sea of useful rental defencemen. Maybe the Canucks get a second-round pick?

I had the flu, you bastard.

The Coyotes were terrible to start the year because they couldn’t buy a save. Otherwise, they still have work to do with building their team, it seems.

As for whether they’re “too tilted” towards analytics, I’m going to go with a heavy no. For starters, their idea of analytics might be entirely different from what we’re working with in the public sphere. I’m not saying that what Coyotes general manager John Chayka is using is snake oil, but there’s a lot of it out there, and from what I’ve heard, a lot of general managers that have bought just that. Secondly, how can someone be “too tilted” towards objective, fact-based evidence? When you frame it like that, it sounds kind of silly, no?

I’ve been hearing it all year, so I’m a bit sick of the Arizona thing, admittedly. It’s not like this team was good before they got on the stats. Look at their record. Then look at the moves they made this off-season. Are any of those moves the type that you need analytics to appreciate? Derek Stepan, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jason Demers and Antti Raanta would be appreciated adds anywhere — analytics or not.

They also added Zac Rinaldo, so clearly, they aren’t solely using analytics.

That whole narrative is so damn silly though. It’s not like the Coyotes stopped using video, hiring scouts and letting their coaches use a whiteboard. They just added analytics to the decision-making process.

Their success or failure shouldn’t in any way act as a referendum on analytics in much the same way that the Canucks constant failings under Jim Benning aren’t a referendum on scouting’s utility. That’s such a ridiculous standard to hold any team.

Sorry for the aggressive rant. I’m not mad at you specifically. I’ve just spent an entire year having people reference the Coyotes or Panthers last year (oddly enough, people are silent about their worse results this season now that stats are outlawed again) as evidence that stats don’t work, and it’s such a stupid, useless, unproductive way to have this conversation. I thought your question was fairly worded and well-intentioned, so we’re all good.

I have to think the Canucks listen to reason and trade Gudbranson.

No, Gaudette would not be allowed to return to the Comets for their playoff run. Same rules as Brock Boeser. (h/t to Ryan Biech for answering that one for me)

It’s about 50/50 right now for either league. Right now, I lean towards the NHL.

It’s pho, all day, every day.

Right now, we have a full staff — and a staff that I’m damn proud of at that. It’s tight. We’re always looking for people who have interest in contributing, but that doesn’t mean that we always have openings.

What I’d do is send me an email to express your interest. Put yourself on CanucksArmy’s radar, and start writing. Even if it’s not here. Right on a different blog. Create your own. Just put your work out there.

If the Canucks can acquire them for very little, then sure. Otherwise, I’d take a pass.

Yes.

That’s a fair line of questioning. It’s hard to hold them to a standard when the goalposts are constantly shifting.