CanucksArmy Monday Mailbag: Ryan Kesler, The Draft, Jake Virtanen and More Noah Dobson Talk

This was a brutally difficult year for Ryan Kesler. I didn’t follow the Anaheim Ducks all that closely, but from afar it seems like he just couldn’t get his season on track. From the late start due to injury right on down to the poor underlying totals — nothing went right for Kesler.

I don’t want to write Kesler off yet. He’s been a steady Selke candidate even as he enters his mid-thirties. The only reason I’d think it possible is because of the wear and tear on Kesler’s body, which is significant. It might be that this is the end, but just a year prior he was still among the best shutdown centres in the entire NHL. That would be an incredibly steep drop-off.

As for Kesler’s legacy in Vancouver, I’m in the minority here, but I think people should look back on his time as a Canuck fondly. The diving, whining ass hole you’ve grown to hate in Anaheim isn’t all that dissimilar to the one you loved in Vancouver. The only difference is that he was your ass hole. In much the same way he was and potentially still is among the best defensive centres in the entire NHL.

The trade request complicates things. I get why Rogers Arena still boos Kesler any time he touches the puck. You demand a trade; it’s bound to happen. It puts a damper on everything Kesler accomplished as a Canuck, certainly. But you also have to remember all he gave to the Canucks. When Kesler was in Vancouver, he gave everything he had to this franchise every time he stepped on the ice. Kesler signed for way, way below market value to help the Canucks build the best roster possible, too. I think the good outweighs the bad, and by a not-insignificant margin at that.

I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the Canucks are sending out smokescreens ahead of the draft; they did it last year with Cody Glass and Elias Pettersson. That said, I know for a fact that the Canucks’ interest in Noah Dobson is genuine, and rightly so.

Gourde.

I don’t get to watch anywhere near as much junior hockey as I’d like to. Not this year, anyway. I don’t know how to quantify it in terms of games watched or time spent, but it’s been less than ideal this season, for sure. That said, I’ve kept close tabs on first-round prospects and feel well-informed for at least that portion of the draft as is. I’m hoping to dive into some junior tape in the coming month, too.

I don’t want to rule it out, but I’d take the under.

No, I don’t think that Michael DiPietro should’ve played in the World Hockey Championships. He was there for the experience, and honestly, it was pretty great of Team Canada to offer even that.

420 pounds.

My guess is that the Canucks Senior Director of Hockey Operations & Analytics John Wall covers that.

I doubt the Canucks will move on from both of Sven Baertschi and Markus Granlund, but I could see them moving one of the two this off-season. If I had to bet on it, I’d put my money on Baertschi. I just don’t see Granlund having any value on the market.

As for Sutter, the Canucks apparently fielded a consistent string of offers from four teams on an almost daily basis during the season according to The Province’s Jason Botchford and rejected them all in kind. I think they’re in it for the long haul with Sutter, for better or worse.

I can’t answer the first question. There’s no explaining it. As for the second one, I’m optimistic that we could see the Canucks try and acquire more picks as they get more invested in a full-on rebuild.

I’ve heard the Canucks are straying from high-floor, low-ceiling players, and their last draft backs that up, so I have my doubts that we’ll see another Sutter in Vancouver any time soon.

My guess is it would take the Canucks second-round pick to move up two spots to the Coyotes fifth-overall selection.

It’s hard to say what the Montreal Canadiens would want for Alex Galchenyuk. They have so much invested in his success. Only making matters more difficult is the fact that I’m not entirely certain whether they want to rebuild or turn things around quickly — that’s of the utmost importance in this conversation.

I could see Chris Tanev making a trade like this work. The Habs desperately need help on their back-end. If the Canadiens dive head-first into their rebuild, then that changes things. The seventh overall pick seems like a steep price, but the Canucks don’t have much else to offer in terms of draft capital that would even come close to fair value.

For the right price, I’d still try to add Galchenyuk if I were the Canucks. Most considered this a down year for the 24-year-old forward, and he had 51 points on an awful team. The Habs have him locked up for another two seasons at a very affordable $4.9-million for the next two seasons, though he’s an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of that deal.

No, I don’t think so. That said, I’m a huge fan of grand strategy games, and I’ll be damned if I haven’t had entire afternoons, evenings, etc. disappear in a flash. Of course, I haven’t had the time for that in years, it seems, but it was fun back in the day. Any Victoria 2 fans out there?

That doesn’t seem outrageous on its face, but I’m not sure the Canucks would pull the trigger on that deal. They drafted Kole Lind to play with Elias Pettersson; it’s hard to imagine them parting with him barely a year later.

I don’t see Hanifin and Tanev as related in the context of the Canucks off-season. They play opposite sides and offer completely different skill sets. The Canucks can comfortably afford to have both on the books, too.

CanucksArmy has a rich legacy of gamers. I’m pro prospects gaming, and I’m willing to bet there are others among us that think similarly. Jackson sucks, so he would be anti-gamer prospect.

We’ll debate this on Roxy Fever.

They’re definitely hurting the cause.

Generally, I think the, ahem, haters are just a lot more loud than the fans. I’m sure it’s pretty evenly split. Whatever the case, it comes with the territory. I don’t usually let the people telling me I’m the worst thing ever over a hockey take phase me. I do, however, greatly appreciate it whenever anyone has anything nice to say. Hell, I just appreciate that anyone cares about my hockey opinions to seek them out regularly. Y’all are mostly awesome as hell.

I have no clue. All I know is that it looks like everyone swung and missed on that one.

Canucks make a trade.

Concessions.

Okay, all jokes aside I’d love to try my hand at scouting.

I would dip myself in gold.

Jonathan Dahlen makes the team out of training camp.

If Rick in this instance means Rick Dhaliwal, then yes, give him the biggest platform possible. He’s one of the best in the business.

You have to understand, scoring is a lot higher in junior leagues. To have a .910 on a rebuilding team in the OHL is actually pretty fantastic. He’s earned all the plaudits.

I think that Team Canada just wanted to offer DiPietro an opportunity to learn from the pros. Everyone expects him to be Team Canada’s netminder next season at the World Junior Hockey Championships, so it was probably a great way to get him valuable experience.

That’s a very simplified way of putting it, but yes, that’s basically how it would have to go.

Sidney Crosby.

The sale of Star Wars to Disney.

Nope.

I’ve heard of him, but that’s about it. It’s a great story, I can tell you that much.

Brendan Leipsic – third line

Markus Granlund – fourth line

If not Noah Hanifin, the Canucks should target Julius Honka.

In general, I’m all for drafting an overage player if they’ve proven they’re worth the pick. The CanucksArmy Top 100 has a few players in their draft-plus-one or draft-plus-two season. I’m not that Alan Lyszczarczyk is that player, but there are examples out there of other players who fit the bill. Sean Durzi, for example.