Monday Mailbag: After Dark

What happens when J.D. Burke hands off the Monday Mailbag to someone who is already midway through their fourth beer?

As they used to say on my favourite T.V. show, let’s find out.

For the first time since 2014-15, the Canucks had at least two lines who could be relied on to produce offence on a semi-regular basis and even had a top-10 power play. With Henrik and Daniel Sedin gone, that doesn’t look likely to happen again. So no, I don’t think it’s a realistic thing to aim for.

The question of their cup window is an interesting one because the team’s best young forwards are entering their prime within the next few years but the help they need on defense is just so, so far away. I would say you’re in the ballpark but they’ll really need to figure out their back end within the next couple of years if it’s going to happen at all.

Adam Boqvist scares the shit out of me. “Boom or bust” prospects aren’t nearly as common as some people think, but boy does he fit the bill. If I remember correctly, his most recent season in the SuperElit had 4 matches. Three of them never made the NHL. The fourth was Erik Karlsson. There’s a real risk associated with selecting him, but you could say he’s an intriguing gamble. He can probably iron out the defensive issues but the concussion history is not, as you say, easily fixed.

I definitely lean towards Wahlstrom but you can’t go wrong with either player.

Who knows, man. It’s June. Any answer would be a complete shot in the dark. I’d like to at least know what the Canucks do in free agency before I take a stab at answering this one.

Yes, but it would involve moving one of the few assets they have that’s more valuable than the 7th overall. They’re not moving Boeser, Horvat, or Pettersson, so if they don’t move their pick that’s pretty much the end of it. The only thing I could see happening is something involving Thatcher Demko, but even that seems like a stretch.

I feel like we get a variation of this question every week but here’s a brief list of guys I have way higher than consensus, ranked based on how high I expect them to be selected:

Jonatan Berggren

Jake Wise

Rasmus Sandin

Alexander Alexeyev

Calen Addison

Sean Durzi

Nicolas Beaudin

Markus Karlberg

Jakub Lauko

Jerry Turkulainen

I’m usually a “pump the brakes” guy, but honestly, I don’t see why he can’t be an impact player right away. He was the best player in a men’s league this season. It’s not that much of a stretch to think he could be at least above average in the NHL next season. That being said, I think it’s likely he will be sheltered like crazy at evens and get a ton of power play time, at least at first.

I think Hanifin is a special case. Setting aside whatever you think about Hanifin or the team’s rumoured interest in his services, the front office wouldn’t be doing their job if they weren’t at least taking calls. Other than that, I think the only D the Canucks would target would be prospects in return for one of their veteran pieces. I’m not against acquiring Hanifin (if the price is right), but in general I don’t think trading for a defenseman would be prudent.

It’s not really the same thing. One broke into the league at 18, the other at 22. One was selected in the fifth round, the other at fifth overall. Also, unlike Hutton, I really don’t think Noah Hanifin is damaged goods. He’s coming off his best season yet. I’m not really sure why he gets talked about as if he’s been a massive disappointment.

When looking at their contract situation, Andre Burakovsky seems like the obvious answer. That would be an interesting move, although I can’t really speculate as to what a trade between the two teams might look like.

Kristoffer Gunnarsson has played parts of three SHL seasons and a total of 69 games now and still hasn’t earned as much a single point. That seems impossibly difficult to pull off. That selection is definitely looking like one of the more notably puzzling selections of the Jim Benning regime. The 2017 draft was otherwise a great performance by the team’s scouting department overall, however; so I think they can get a pass this time.

It’s really tough to answer questions like this one because after Buffalo selects Rasmus Dahlin, all bets are off. If Oliver Wahlstrom and Quinn Hughes are gone by seven, I lean towards Jesperi Kotkaniemi as the best bet to be an impact player available.

It almost always makes sense to trade down in the middle rounds, but teams are also less likely to be targeting a specific player after around the second round or so. But yes, I would explore trading any of the team’s picks down.

This is just silly. That would be a tremendously lopsided trade. You don’t just give up a player like Jacob Markstrom for nothing.

Los Angeles and Anaheim seem ripe for the picking. Rumours are floating around that both teams called asking about Brandon Sutter, too. Your move, Jim.