CanucksArmy Monday Mailbag:

The only way they can fit Elias Pettersson on the opening night roster is if they send defenceman Alex Biega through waivers to the Utica Comets. I’m not sure anyone is going to claim Biega, but it speaks to how tight things are with the Canucks’ roster. It seems possible, likely even, that they lose a player on waivers this season.

I’m highly skeptical of any GAR (Goals Above Replacement) or WAR (Wins Above Replacement) model, usually. I think they have some value, but I don’t put a tonne of faith into anything that purports to be a one-size-fits-all metric for player evaluation.

That’s a tough question to answer. I think the Canucks have to keep players like Goldobin in the fold. They need his skill set, he’s young and on the right track. Then again, the outlook is plenty bleak. I’d say I’m 50/50 on whether to keep the jersey or not.

The best move for Goldobin was to trade Sven Baertschi while his value was high, ahead of restricted free agency. With Baertschi back in the fold for another three seasons, that doesn’t seem likely. They’d have to get rid of either Loui Eriksson or maybe Markus Granlund to guarantee Goldobin a consistent spot on the roster.

I say yes.

It’s looking that way, yes.

I think the Canucks don’t think it’s okay, so much as they’re resigned to that fate at this stage. That’s my guess. If they could move Ben Hutton by now, they would have.

I wouldn’t want Hughes to make the transition to the NHL in his draft-plus-one year playing his off-side, whether he says he’s comfortable with it or not. It’s not like the right side of the Canucks’ lineup has a tonne of space for Hughes either. It’s left side or bust, but first the Canucks need to sign him to a professional contract.

The Canucks newest members have limited no-trade clauses, not no-movement clauses. It’s the latter that guarantees protection in any expansion draft. So, the Canucks won’t have to protect any of Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel or Tim Schaller.

I think that the Canucks should go that route, but I get the sense that they’re happy with their centre depth as is. When I spoke to Canucks general manager Jim Benning on Sunday about the possibility of running with Brandon Sutter as the 2C, he didn’t seem to hate the idea, so that’s where I’d expect the Canucks to go.

The Canucks need to go to salary arbitration with Troy Stecher because the player elected to go that route, as per his CBA negotiated rights.

The Leafs are my early pick for Stanley Cup favourite, so we don’t see eye-to-eye there.

The Canadiens desperately need to rebuild, but the contracts on their books are just awful.

The Oilers will bounce back this season.

Elias Pettersson isn’t Loki in disguise.

There’s no reason whatsoever for the Canucks to trade Michael DiPietro. A team can never have too much depth in the crease of their prospect pool. With Thatcher Demko leading the charge, and DiPietro not far behind, it seems like the Canucks are in good hands in net for the future.

I don’t have any hard data on this, but my intuition is that an improved penalty kill could result in an extra four-to-eight points over a season. Even that number seems high.

I’m not sure whether anyone has brought that up to Benning or not, but the Canucks should get more than just Henri Jokiharju if they take on Marian Hossa’s contract for Chris Tanev. That’s just not good enough to be worthwhile for the Canucks.

Phil Kessel is even more adored by the everyday man than Kyle Wellwood. Both are worthy of the affection.

My Athletic colleague Tyler Dellow wrote an interesting article on this topic, suggesting that the Canucks could put together a great offer involving Olli Juolevi for Erik Karlsson. It was an interesting read, to be sure.

I’m not sure where I stand on it. It’s an interesting train of thought to go down. Karlsson is the best defenceman of his generation period. But is the timing right? Does a Karlsson turn the Canucks into a contender overnight? I doubt it, and by the time the Canucks can contend, Karlsson is going to be well outside of his prime years.

I lean towards yes, though I must admit, that was a difficult question to answer. What a haul for the New York Islanders.

Quinn Hughes debut?

I’ve looked, and not once have I come across an article from the Vancouver media advocating for Jim Benning to lose his job. In markets like Toronto or Montreal, there’s an article like that every other week. The idea that Vancouver is a hypercritical market is honestly one of the most laughably overstated positions in hockey.

I could see both of Horvat and Boeser finishing in the low-end of that range, yes.

When Benning was with the Bruins, they had a tonne of natural centres on their roster too. It’s a smart way to build a team. Centres come at a premium in today’s NHL, and with good reason. It’s one of the most important positions in the game. Sometimes an entire line’s play can hinge on their success. Then there’s the matter of having players take strong side faceoffs as opposed to weak side draws in the defensive and offensive zone.

My guess is that they don’t want the kids to develop a losing attitude or get comfortable with losing or something along those lines. Just a guess.

Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin is one hell of a player, but I’m not sure I see the fit.