It’s hard not to be impressed. He’s scored at around a point-per-game pace, he’s outpacing most of NCAA players in his age range, and he’s averaging 2.2 shots a game. Northeastern isn’t as deep as it once was, so he’s also had more opportunities than some other notable drafted prospects playing collegiate hockey this season, but he still deserves all the praise he’s been getting. Generally speaking, Judd Brackett and the rest of the scouting staff have done a good job finding talent in the U.S., and Madden’s no exception.

I have varying opinions on Adam Gaudette, Tyler Madden, Will Lockwood, and Jack Rathbone as players, but they’ve all turned out to be higher-value players than you’d expect based on where they were selected. That’s really all you can ask for. I’d imagine Madden will earn himself a contract by the time he decides to turn pro, and may even have a future in the NHL. He looks primed to follow in the footsteps of fellow Northeastern alum Adam Gaudette and they may even play on a line together one day. They seem like they would get along.

No.

I think it’s far more likely they just send Alex Biega down than waive a forward. Biega is probably good enough to stick with the team, but they’ve had no issues sending him down and calling him back up in the past. He’s made it through waivers enough times now that the team probably feels confident that he’ll go unclaimed. You’re correct to point out that Gaudette will be the first sent down when Sutter returns, but as far as another forward goes… maybe Markus Granlund? Regardless, I don’t see it happening.

I could see Matt Brassard getting a contract. They’ve signed less impressive defensemen to ELCs in the past and he’s shown just enough to indicate there may be something there. The system isn’t especially loaded with defensive prospects, so I won’t be surprised if they take a chance on him, even if I don’t think it’s especially likely.

Gunnarsson I can’t see them signing. He somehow managed to play 46 games in the SHL last season without registering a single point. Even for a defensive defenseman, that’s hard to do. He’s also already 21 years old and hasn’t really done anything notable since the time he was drafted. Unless they see some untapped potential no one else does, I would pass.

It has to be Scott Couper, doesn’t it? He is, to the best of my knowledge, the only notable person of Gaelic descent to play American football in the early ’90s. Unless you were talking about soccer, but I’m sure you weren’t. Otherwise you would have just called it that, right?

I know this is probably a controversial take, but I think the best case scenario for the Vancouver Canucks this summer would be winning the draft lottery and drafting Jack Hughes.

There’s no reason to overthink this one. Until the lottery results are in, it’s the scenario every fan should be rooting for.

I understand why people like Tyler Motte. I really do. He’s fast, he hits people a lot, and as you mentioned, he’s a decent penalty killer (at least relative to what the Canucks have had to work with since Brandon Sutter’s injury). He also clearly works really hard, which means he probably has value in a rebuild as a role model for some of the younger guys.

That being said, as far as what he’s bringing to the team at even-strength, he leaves a bit to be desired. He gets massively out-shot, out-chanced, and out-scored compared to his teammates. He’s a fine fourth line option for now, but probably not any better than a number of players they could have had on waivers at any point since he was acquired, and without the added negative value of taking a salary dump back in return.

As far as whether or not they got value for Thomas Vanek, I guess it depends on how you look at it. Tyler Motte has played NHL games in his career, which might be more than you can say for whatever pick or prospect many were hoping for at the time of the deal. How much value does that hold for a rebuilding team, though? When you consider some of the diamonds in the rough this team has been able to find in the middle rounds of the draft, I’d probably take my chances on finding a better player than Motte is now, and getting him in the lineup at a time when the team’s on-ice performance actually matters.

Consider this: the Canucks just traded Michael Carcone, who has never played an NHL game, for Josh Leivo. Leivo has more points over a shorter career than Motte, and already looks like a fit in the team’s top-six. Thomas Vanek, for whatever warts he may have, should probably be worth more in a trade than Michael Carcone.

I’ll give them credit for the fact that Motte looks more like an NHL player now than he did when he was acquired. But I’m hesitant to praise them for it.

I’ve been impressed with him so far. I expected him to be able to step into the lineup and contribute right away, but not for his game to look as well-rounded as it does. The underlying numbers have been good, albeit over a very small sample, and he looks well-suited to playing up and down the lineup. My hope would be that when Baertschi returns, Leivo will give them enough depth on the wings to give Adam Gaudette a chance to play in a more offensive role. He’s probably going to be sent down when Brandon Sutter returns, and I’d like to see what he can do with a pair of offensively-gifted wingers before he returns to Utica.

As far as the second question is concerned, I think the Canucks actually still have a bit of time to figure that out. Their entire right side is locked up until next year, when Alex Biega and Chris Tanev’s contracts expire, so they don’t have to go out and make a move this summer if it’s not there. Tanev’s value has greatly depreciated from where it was a season or two ago, so they might as well hold onto him until next year’s deadline. Troy Stecher’s not going anywhere and looks poised to be given an expanded role next year, so that gives them some stability. I may not be the world’s biggest Erik Gudbranson fan, but he is, at the very least, a hockey player, and he’s locked up until 2021. So it could be a lot worse. It looks bad now but at the very least they have some time to figure it out.

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone is on the move to make room for Tyler Myers this summer, too. It’s not something I’d advise, but it would probably improve their outlook slightly.

Their first priority should be getting Alex Edler to waive his NTC.

I don’t care what his record is, Jacob Markstrom needs to throw that mask where it belongs: in the trash garbage. It has to be the worst mask in the league.

I don’t really understand it. When they brought him up, he was apparently good enough to play on the first unit and on Bo Horvat’s wing. Now he’s not good enough to play in the NHL. It just seems like a very poor way to handle him. If they want to be rid of him, they should put him in a position to succeed for long enough to create a trade market. If they think he can provide offense on the power play they should keep him up with the team. If they don’t think he’s good enough to be in the NHL, then why bring him up again so quickly after being demoted, only to send him down again? And when your AHL team is struggling, why loan him to another organization? I can understand the attempt to do right by the player, but he’s already out of the NHL, and the PR damage has already been done.

If nothing else, it just seems strange to single him out. The Canucks have many other players who have been struggling more than Gagner has who have been getting the royal treatment. If the organization harbours such intense dislike for him as a player that they’ve already demoted him to the AHL twice it makes you wonder why they were in such a hurry to sign the contract in the first place.