Mailbag Part 2: Green, Gostisbehere, and Goldobin

Not even close. I can’t say for certain they’d be winners of a McCann-Pearson trade straight up, let alone with the additional four picks thrown in.

If you wanted a clear answer, Friday night’s game against the Capitals certainly wasn’t helpful. Green played his heavies a fair bit in the third period and the team still ended up blowing the lead.

Ultimately, I’m not sure it really matters if Green is at fault for the team’s tendency to fall apart in third periods. He’s certainly done enough this season to generate criticism either way. Edler played 27 minutes on Friday, while Stecher played less than 12. Brandon Sutter played nearly three minutes more than Bo Horvat at even strength. In this particular instance, it may not have been on the coach, but he’s definitely made enough strange lineup decisions early in the year to warrant further inquiry.

According to article 8.9 of the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, CHL players who are not selected in the NHL Entry Draft are afforded a brief window between the conclusion of the draft and the start of their major junior season where they can sign an ELC with any team that gives them an offer. The Canucks have also done this in the past with Evan McEneny back in September of 2012.

Absolutely. I doubt the Flyers would be interested, though. Tanev is on an expiring contract, Virtanen is a project at best, and the second rounder is basically magic beans. I’d imagine there would be better offers on the table.

I can certainly see the case for why the Canucks would benefit from an Eriksson for Ryan deal. Ryan’s a more useful player at this stage who can probably line up on one of the top three lines and give it some scoring punch, even if it won’t be in line with his salary. If they can get an additional asset out of it I would have a hard time saying no. The only issue is that the Canucks could really use the extra cap space right now, and could really use to shed some salary, so I would be surprised if they took on more. Ultimately, the team may just be at the point where they have to accept that Eriksson is going to be on the roster until his contract expires. If there had been an easy way out, the Canucks likely would have taken it by now.

I’m not sure what the implication is here. Are you asking why the Oilers didn’t claim any of the Canucks players when they were on waivers? That would be because they have no cap space. Are you asking why there hasn’t been a trade yet? That would likely be because division rivals are often reluctant to do business with each other, and an offer would have to be on the table that would be palatable to both teams. Either way, that tire fire is currently leading the Pacific, while the Canucks are in sixth. I don’t expect that to last, but if anyone in this situation looks silly, it’s the Canucks for keeping a solid middle-six winger in the AHL.

To be honest, I would be surprised if the Canucks went this route. Videos are usually reserved for former players or coaches, and the team has already done a great job of honouring his legacy by introducing the Botchford Project. I could maybe see the ceremonial puck drop thing happening, though.

I would imagine Gaudette would get sent down again. They never even bothered to fill his roster spot while he was gone, so I would imagine the intention is for him to return to Utica once Roussel is back.

Trick question. Almost all hockey players are cops.

I think it may be time to accept that Goldobin isn’t getting another shot with the Canucks. I like him more than a lot of people do, but he really had to give it his all during training camp to prove he belonged on the team, and instead he was just as hit-or-miss as he was for many stretches last season. It’s possible we could see him again if the team is ravaged by injuries, but I just don’t see how he cracks a healthy lineup. given the way the situation has unfolded. Unfortunately, if he plays at the NHL level again it will likely be for another organization.

I don’t find it that hard to believe that Delorme may have been the first scout in the organization to take note of Pettersson and advise the team to keep an eye on him. For better or (mostly) worse, the Canucks never really gave much thought to industry rankings when he was in charge, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were throwing names around and Delorme happened to be the first guy to mention Pettersson before he was on anyone’s radar. I’m not sure how much of a role he actually had in the Canucks selecting him, but I’m willing to believe their version of events. It seems like a weird thing to lie about, frankly.

The numbers would suggest he is, but I’m skeptical. The truth is, Pettersson went on an absolutely unsustainable run to start the season last year, and happened to be playing with Goldobin for much of that stretch. They obviously have chemistry together, but I’m willing to bet that at least some of those gaudy numbers can be attributed to good fortune and the fact that teams weren’t keying in on Pettersson yet.

The discussion surrounding Goldobin reminds me a lot of what we used to hear about Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz. There were a number of commentators who were eager to make the case that Kunitz had just as much to do with the success of that line as Crosby, but the Penguins’ success and Kunitz’s struggles in the time that has passed since he left the team would suggest otherwise. Ultimately, good players can play with just about anybody, and it’s unsurprising that a player who obviously has some speed and playmaking skill in Goldobin would have success with him, but I think it’s a little ridiculous to think that an AHL player who has struggled in just about every situation away from Pettersson is somehow the key to his success. Pettersson was never going to continue shooting at 30%, with or without Goldobin, and the line has performed much better with J.T. Miller overall, even if Pettersson hasn’t been scoring as often.