WWYDW: Making Sense of the Canucks Trade Deadline

I do not like the signing. I think it’s a huge misstep to sign a 6th defenseman, at best, to a $4M AAV contract. If this is just to pump up his value prior to a trade, then I would be more okay with it. However, it doesn’t look that way so I’m not pleased that this is GMJB’s first move after getting an extension himself.

No. Another example of Benning massively overpaying for marginal players. As the first move after his extension, it does not instill confidence that he has any vision, idea of how to return the team to relevance, or ability to objectively evaluate his own players.

I’m okay with the signing. By all the TV commentators and analysts standards, the deal was below market value. He is not a top 4 d man at this point although he has been good with Edler and is one of our best penalty killers, last night not withstanding. The prospect pool (and the league as a whole) is devoid of right shot defencemen which also adds some value. He fills a short term need for a right shot defenceman now and some toughness. This contract seems to be set up to trade him at next years deadline. He would have 20 games left as at 4.6 prorated and then be on a club friendly deal for the last year of the contract. That should make Gudbranson a desirable asset at that time.

I am in favour of the signing. I like the term and that there is not a no trade clause. You need some size and grit in any lineup especially now with all the soft players. To go out and acquire a 6’5 defenceman with his experience would cost an awful lot through a trade or free agency. If you draft one you would be waiting several years. Now for management to find a couple more forwards with grit that can play and compliment what Gudbranson and Archibald provide

Yes. Its an almost perfect ‘show me your assets’ contract that allows management to save face; it allows Guddy to show what he might do (albeit under very sheltered conditions); it allows the team to trade him to whatever GM falls in love with Guddy; its not an onerous or egregious amount of money and in the third year could look good. The contract is very moveable, particularly in year one and three, so he can be moved sooner or later. As well, as trade bait, interested teams have salary assurance for three years, which makes Guddy less of a rental who can sign elsewhere if a team gives up significant assets to acquire him.

And can anyone really argue he would be the difference either way to this team being competitive or not over the course of his contract?

Most important: its not an Erikson, Sutter, Sbisa, Miller or Gagner contract. Heck, you can put Guddy on waivers if you had to. So this isn’t as much a ‘keeper’ contract, as one that maximizes the opportunities to get rid of him easily.

That’s the kind of contract this team needs more of going forward.

No.

Intangibles aren’t worth $4 million, hitting people isn’t worth $4 million, and I question this whole “leadership” thing, since his way of leading seems to be blaming those around him for not performing.

We could probably buy everything positive he brings to the team for $1 million in the off season. I’m also worried about the precedent this deal sets for future defense negotiations. Imagine, hypothetically, there were a better defenseman than Guddy on this team… how do you extend them for less than $4 million?

Combining what the front office thinks of him with his draft pedigree, I’m readying myself for the announcement of Captain Gudbranson.

Part of the problem of this conversation is that it cannot be separated from the assets given up to get Gudbranson in the first place. If this was just a simple UFA signing, that’s a different debate. So let’s leave that aside.

Part of my concern about retaining Guddy is that he takes up a valuable defensive spot that now needs to be properly sheltered. I like grit and toughness as much as the next person, but do we need that from defense at the cost of bona-fide defense. So now, you have to play Guddy with Edler to shelter him, since no other pairing, maybe for Pouliot, works. So now this forces you to make key roster decisions about keeping Edler after next year. You sure as hell will not put Joulevi with him (maybe after a few seasons). So this is one aspect of the domino effect that Guddy’s presence causes.

Now, from the Canucks perspective, I see it this way: Yes he needs to be sheltered, but with Edler, he could form a good top 4 pair. And yesterday, in even-strength, as well as a few previous games, they would say, there is promise. So in other words, with the right partner, their hope is that he effectively can become a top 4 Dman. This is by far IMO the key to their reasoning. Because if to this you add what appears to be his genuine popularity in the dressing room, and all the other leadership intangibles, him being RD in a system that basically has none, then they feel $4M is suddenly not bad. And with no trade protection and not too much term, they can more easily extricate themselves from this contract. And in the end, he is the devil you know as opposed to any other UFA that may or may no be there in the summer so you can save yourself a few millions.