WWYDW: Markstrom Or Toffoli, Which One Do You Keep?

Happy Wednesday, folks, and welcome back to another exciting edition of WWYDW.

We’re one week closer to the return of NHL hockey and the return to some sort of normalcy, and we appreciate you sticking with us through it all.

Also appreciated? My new boss, David Quadrelli, letting me keep writing these…or, at the very least, not telling me to stop!

Recently in this column, we’ve talked flat caps, compliance buyouts, and ideal lineups for an impromptu playoff season. No matter the topic, it seems, whenever discussion turns toward next year’s roster, the same debate keeps springing up again and again.

Which UFA is the bigger priority to re-sign in the 2020 offseason – Jacob Markstrom or Tyler Toffoli?

There are fine arguments on either side. Jacob Markstrom has been the Canucks’ MVP for two seasons running, but there’s a readymade replacement goalie already waiting in the wings in Thatcher Demko. Tyler Toffoli played some of the best hockey of his career in Vancouver and instantly elevated the Canucks’ top-six to one of the league’s best, but, then again, the team also did just fine without him for the majority of the season.

Both players are due for a raise, even with the context of a flat salary cap.

Of course, there is always the possibility that both players are re-signed, but not without some roster movement elsewhere.

But, for the purposes of this thought experiment, this week we’re asking you to pick just one:

(PS: If you’d choose Chris Tanev over both of them, feel free to state that, too!)

 

Last week, we asked:

Your lineups are below!

 

I think the lineup should go a little something like this:

JT Miller- EP – Toffoli

Pearson – Bo – Brock

Ferland – Gaudette – Jake V

Sutter – Beagle – Roussel

D

Hughes – Tanev

Edler – Myers

Fantenberg – Stecher

 

I think Ferland is shut down for the season…

I like Toffoli on the Horvat line. He plays more of a 200-foot game and is also familiar with Pearson. Horvat has more of a shutdown role. Boeser is more offensive and playing on the top line gives him deployment that suites both their games better. Of course, that’s just on paper. Go with who’s buzzing and chemistry. Deploy lines two and four in more of a shutdown role. Third line gets softer minutes in offensive role.

JT Miller- EP – Boeser

Pearson – Bo – Toffoli

Leivo – Gaudette – Jake V

Roussel – Beagle – Sutter

 

Hughes – Tanev

Edler – Myers

Fantenberg – Stecher

 

Go for strength down the middle with Horvat, Miller and Pettersson – which lets the wingers either seize the opportunity or fall by the wayside. The unmentioned are disposable spare parts.

Pearson…..Miller…..Toffoli

Gaudette..Pettersson..Boeser

Leivo…..Horvat…..Virtanen

 

I think this question is a lot harder than it looks. If the entire roster is healthy, then they are considerably over the cap. With the Spooner buyout, Luongo recapture penalty, and the cap on the amount of money you can bury in the minors (i.e. Baertschi), I can’t see how Canucks can have a healthy roster with over 21 players. I tried working it through CapFriendly and 21 was the most I could get.

Given that, I would have to send three players on the current roster to the minors. I would opt then to keep seven defence, 12 forwards, and two goalies. MacEwen and Gaudette are the easiest to move down, but I want to keep Gaudette on the big club. Tough decision, but I would send down MacEwen and Leivo. For the third, I tried to avoid sending down Eriksson, because I wanted the relationship to be the best when dealing with a mutual termination rather than a buyout at the end of this season. However, that would mean one of Ferland or Roussel sent down, and I don’t like either move. So, I would reluctantly send Eriksson to Utica

With that, the roster I would set would be:

Miller- Pettersson – Boesser

Pearson – Horvat – Toffoli

Ferland – Gaudette – Virtanen

Roussel – Beagle – Sutter

 

Hughes – Tanev

Edler – Stecher

(Benn or Fantenberg)- Myers.

 

Markstrom – Demko

My take:

Miller-Pettersson-Toffoli

Pearson-Horvat-Boeser

Leivo-Gaudette-Virtanen

Ferland-Sutter-Motte/MacEwen

Roussel and Beagle extras

 

Edler-Tanev

Hughes-Myers

Benn-Stecher

Fantenberg

 

Markstrom

Demko

 

No way I’m playing Leivo or Ferland. We all know players coming back from injury take a while to get up to speed. Roussel is a prime example. Ferland does not fit on the team in anyway and the only place he should be is the LTIR.

 

Ferland doesn’t come into it as far as I’m concerned. If that guy wants a future in the NHL, he needs to rest for the longest time possible. Leivo, while a good player, probably doesn’t get resigned given the cap situation, so I sit him, too. Therefore:

Miller – EP – Toffoli

Pearson – BH – Bowser

McEwan – Guadette – Virts

Roussel – Beagle – Sutter

Motte/Eriksson

If Horvat is playing match up I might think about switching Toffoli and Boeser, as TT is the better defensive player and BBs shot will benefit from the space created for the top line in those situations.

 

Defense picks itself, tbh. My pairings would be:

Hughes – Tanev

Edler – Myers

Benn – Stech

Fantenberg could sub in for Benn but again; he’s not getting re-signed in the current cap climate (and Sautner could do his job just as well).