CanucksArmy Monday Mailbag: Guess Who’s Back

After a few weeks spent doing work mostly behind the scenes, I’m right back in the thick of it with another edition of everyone’s favourite column, the Monday Mailbag.

Any of Rasmus Sandin, K’Andre Miller or Jared McIsaac would be a good get for the Canucks with their second-round pick. Of the three, I’m particularly fond of Sandin, who put up some great numbers with the Sault Saint Marie Greyhounds after a cup of coffee with the SHL’s Rogle BK.

There isn’t a lot separating Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson, in my humble opinion. They’re both near the top of their position in this year’s class, in the third tier behind Rasmus Dahlin, Quinn Hughes and Adam Boqvist.

Generally, draft analysts put Bouchard ahead of Dobson, and some even go so far as to put him in that second tier with Hughes and Boqvist. TSN’s own Craig Button has him in the top five even, if memory serves.

The two have different skill sets. Dobson is a jack of all trades type of defenceman who can do just about everything well. He’s an excellent skater who can see the ice well and make a difference at both ends of the ice. The main question with Dobson has always been to what extent his outputs this season are a byproduct of playing in a league with weaker quality of competition in the QMJHL. To his credit, Dobson’s looked excellent against competition from all over the CHL in the early stages of the Memorial Cup.

Bouchard is more of an offensive driver, as evidenced by his gaudy point totals with the London Knights. He has a booming shot, and I have no doubt that he’ll be a great power play quarterback in the NHL. The one obstacle to Bouchard’s NHL success is his skating. It needs to improve for him to be anything more than a power play specialist at the NHL level.

I prefer Dobson to Bouchard, but I’m in the minority on that front it seems.

I wouldn’t mind seeing the Canucks deal Brandon Sutter either. It just makes way too much sense. Whether it’s the $4.35-million in cap space it would clear for the next three seasons or the haul of futures that can develop into players that will be useful to the Canucks when they turn the corner. Sutter is 29-years-old, so whether he can or not is a worthwhile question.

According to The Province’s Jason Botchford, multiple teams were inquiring on Sutter’s availability for about a week-long stretch last season. The Canucks were unwilling to part with Sutter then, so I can’t imagine we’ll see anything change on that front in the coming months.

I’d take Oliver Wahlstrom over Brady Tkachuk in that situation. Don’t get me wrong — I think Tkachuk is a hell of a prospect, and I wouldn’t fault the Canucks if they drafted him at seventh overall. I just think Wahlstrom has a better chance of being an offensive difference maker; the type of player the Canucks desperately need to stockpile.

Elias Pettersson, if he’s there.

I’d hope that they’re giving the next expansion draft some level of consideration with their free agent choices, certainly. My guess is they’ll avoid no-trade and no-movement clauses.

I don’t even know where to start; I’ve so many grievances with this film. I’ve honestly never been so upset by a theatre experience. I literally stood up at the end of the movie and let out a “what the fuck did I just watch?”

One of the big things is that it just doesn’t feel like a Star Wars film. It seems to have a naked contempt for its fans. So, you know that Snoke guy you’ve been pondering the last three years? Who cares, he’s dead. The Knights of Ren? Who knows or cares, they go unmentioned. The passing off of Luke’s lightsaber from Rey? Who cares, it’s going off a cliff.

Then there’s the matter of Canto Bight, which was about as cringe-worthy as any half-hour in the prequels. This, of course, contributes to the fact that the film is way too long. And boring. And the storyline is stolen from Battlestar Galactica.

It just sucked.

A fifth- or sixth-round pick at the draft if the Canucks retain salary?

My gut tells me that Elias Pettersson will sign with the Vancouver Canucks in short order, and all last week’s handwringing will turn out to be much ado about nothing.

I’d rather the Canucks take Dobson or Bouchard than Tkachuk, but I wouldn’t lament the latter of those three in that spot.

I’d try and find a way to land Marko Dano. Every time Dano gets a shot in the NHL, he shows enough to suggest there might be something there. The Winnipeg Jets just lost to a team in the Vegas Golden Knights that built their team on giving players chances they couldn’t find elsewhere. There’s a lesson in there, and it might apply to Dano.

I doubt it. Jacob Markstrom finished the season strong, and he also seems to have a good relationship with Canucks head coach Travis Green. Anders Nilsson, on the other hand, did the exact opposite. I don’t think a World Hockey Championship is going to do much to change Green’s outlook.

If I were in Canucks general manager Jim Benning’s shoes, I’d kick the tires on Hurricanes forward Elias Lindholm to see if they could make something work. I’m not sure Lindholm is the type of player one breaks the bank for, but for the right price, he’s intriguing. At just 23-years-old Lindholm isn’t too old for the Canucks, and he can contribute about a half a point per game reliably. The Canucks need those types of players.

I think almost everyone outside the organization would be in favour of such a move. Who knows — maybe people inside the organization have an appetite for it as well? The Canucks have at least one more year in Utica though based on their contract. That’s not the worst thing imaginable, but certainly not ideal either.

Jett Woo’s name sets a high bar, and unfortunately his play can’t clear it. He’s a decent defenceman, and someone who should cross the podium in the second- or third-round of the draft in June.