WWYDW: Anything Else?

The Vancouver Canucks made it through the draft and free agency, adding a first line winger and a potential first pairing defender. That’s a hell of a two-week stretch, if you ask me.

They’ve still got money, though, and with money comes options. Canucks General Manager Jim Benning has about $4.1-million of room to spend on those options, should he choose to take Vancouver to the upper limits of the cap. And more than a few choice free agents, or trade targets, to spend them on. And we’re not even at arbitration season yet. Who knows how many pieces will shake free from that process.

With that in mind, what moves would you like the Canucks to make this off-season? You’ve got $4.1-million to spend and players to trade however you choose. Try to make it realistic, though.

Last week I asked: What would you have done with the fifth overall selection, were you in the Canucks shoes at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

I know this is hard for CA bloggers to handle, but Benning did the right thing. The franchise needs top D talent and that only comes from the draft. He saw OJ as the best and took his shot.

Speaking of which, if you guys are ever looking to put a positive spin on the Canucks, how about an article explaining why OJ is such a good fit and how it may have actually been a stroke of GOOD luck that he fell to us rather than Dubois?

It’s easy to write, let me start a few points.

1) Dubois may not pan out at centre. If he’s a winger, we’re better off with a top D-man.

2) OJ (like Dubois) was one of the youngest at the draft. He played at the U20s and was arguable the best D-man there in spite of most of his competition being 2 years older. Unlike Dubois, he’s a D, which normally takes longer to develop. If that’s the case, his trajectory could carry him to be one of the top in the league.

3) Interesting note, at the combine, OJ said he was intimidated by the bench press because it’s not a normal part of his training. Possible implication, he hasn’t had a really strict strength training regimen in his life and if that’s so he made it as #1 D in the draft in spite of being nearly the youngest AND not maximizing his physical abilities. Wait ’till Roger Takahashi gets a hold of him, he could be something really special when he puts on on some muscle.

Trade with Arizona To Arizona (draft tkachuk) 5th pick 3 round pick To Canucks 7th overall (draft joulevi) 20th overall (forward)

As an aside, can we now officially apply to the NHL for a $50,000 rebate?

if larsson = hall

then juolevi = pulljojarvi

so i would trade our fifth pick with chiarelli straight across for their fourth.

also, if subban = weber then i trade burrows and higgins for two dudes 4 years younger and better who make less dough.

Clayton Keller. There’s no reason to care about a guy being 5’10” when he puts up those kinds of numbers.

I think that it was a good decision to choose a d-man with the fifth pick.

It makes sense when you think about be a use unless we luck out, the Canucks are going to be trash again this season.

This means we have a chance at another high pick again next season, and since d-man tend to take longer to develop, next year’s draft we might be able to draft an impact forward, who may be able to hit his peak around the same time as Olli.

We have no choice but to wait and see.

I would have done what Benning did … I can’t believe I’d ever write those words.

5-7 years from now Olli Juolevi is going to control the game in a way Canucks fans have never seen before.

The franchise has never had such a smart cerebral player on the back-end. The way he reads the play, breaks up plays, and transitions the puck up ice will be unparalleled by any defenceman in this teams history.

He will be a “quiet star”. The kind of player you will need to watch to truly appreciate. He may not be in the nightly highlight reels, but anyone who watched the full 60 will know the impact he had.

Drafting Olli Juolevi at #5 and taking the first defenceman off the board is the correct play every time.

Solid work by Benning at the draft. He traded for a right-hand D early. Took the best course on buy-outs (Higgins, but not Burrows). And now all RFA’s are signed or have QO’s so he is better positioned than most all other GM’s for hunting UFA’s.

I would have drafted Ty Ronning with the 5th overall, duh.