Welcome back to WDYTT, the only hockey column on the internet that never changes, just grows.

Speaking of change, it’s the season of in Vancouver. The Canucks roster that entered the new year of 2025 is not the same that is now entering the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Not even close.

Two franchise-shaking trades have occurred, it’s true. JT Miller, Danton Heinen, and Vincent Desharnais are gone. Marcus Pettersson, Filip Chytil, Drew O’Connor, and Victor Mancini have arrived.

But when we’re talking change, we have to talk about more than just the trades. More than just the arrival of the other Elias Pettersson to the scene.

The Canucks have gone 3-0-1 since the trades, and beaten some pretty good teams – namely, the Colorado Avalanche and the Toronto Maple Leafs – in that time. More than just winning, however, the team also looks like it’s enjoying itself more. Reporters have spoken to a lessened sense of tension in the dressing room.

All in all, this certainly now looks like a team that holds a different opinion of itself than it did just a couple of weeks ago. A much more positive opinion, in this case.

But that doesn’t always translate into the faith of the fans. And, so, it’s time for an updated temperature check.

This week, we’re asking:

Let it be known in the comment section.

You answered below!

All the players that came in fill a role. I don’t know if anyone of them, or combination of them, can fill JT Miller’s role, and that is the major drawback. Id have liked to see someone with more offensive pop comeback.

With the M-Petey signing, it looks a little better on paper, but all eyes are on EP40 now to lead the offense. If he can’t carry that weight, then his legacy will always be tied to suggestions that the wrong player was traded.

The package that went out was less that the package that came in. Yes, Miller is the best player right now in this trade, but longer term, Chytil will bring more to the Canucks than he would have. Petey3 fills a gap we really needed to fill. O’Connor is a keeper, but if he is traded, he will bring back value, and Mancini fills at least a need in the future if not now. He is certainly as good as Juulsen. Losing Miller and spare parts while dumping salary is a definite win for the Canucks.

For me, this trade is very similar to the haul the Canucks received for Trevor Linden and it has the potential to start a seismic shift to the Canucks being competitive for the next decade – if they can solve the EP40 riddle by a) getting him to perform like a superstar or b) trading him for assets that will turn this team into a contender. The pieces are there. Canucks finally have an NHL-worthy defense corps, above average goaltending, a mix of serviceable forwards, and they just need Pettersson to become a star or replace him with a star and the sky’s the limit.

The problem with most of this management group’s trades is that they mostly serve to reallocate talent, rather than build it. That’s the trouble with building via trade, you have to give up something to get something. In this case, they’ve reallocated center depth (Miller and Horvat) to rebuild the defense (MPettersson, Hronek). Of those four, Miller is the best player by a good bit, so it seems like a downgrade overall. And that doesn’t factor in the opportunity cost of not trading Miller two years ago, instead of Horvat (assuming, as reports indicate, they were aware of his personality problems).

While the JT trade seemed underwhelming, the two trades together remind me of the Horvat trade. Similar return (1st, roster player, B prospect) and then we flipped the first into a defender we did need.

Honestly, it will take time to assess these moves. M-Petey signing at a very reasonable cap hit makes the trade better already. If the team continues to look like it has since we dressed those players, I consider it a win.

So far, the players brought in have made the team look faster, and our transition game has improved. Amazing what having D-men who can get the puck out of the zone with passes instead of flip-outs can do for rush offence.

I think the trades were a success overall. The construction of the team went from the top-six forwards down, with Quinn and Demmer on the backend, to the defence up. With the depth at defence in the pipeline, the Canucks could use something to improve the forward group.

I was hoping and saying in the comments that the Canucks needed to wait until the trade deadline to make the moves to get more in return (especially on Miller). Obviously the situation in the locker-room was way more toxic than I realized.

That being said, I am impressed with managements trades and especially the long-term signing of MPetey. They are definitely gifted at contract negotiations. Lots of people rip Rutherford and Allvin on here, but all I see is that since they took over, the team has had a way better long-term situation than when they acquired the team.

Cap space, good contracts, prospects hitting. Compare this to the 2022-23 team situation, it is night and day.

So far, so good on the trades but it is too soon to see if there is a lasting impact. The players coming back seem to be providing a good initial return. For now, I give the grade of ‘incomplete’ because there are one or two big deals that still need to go down to set this team up for the future.

For me, they still need to move EP40, because he is a year from signing the new deal and has not stepped up to show interest in earning it, and there are likely lingering effects from previous dressing room tensions that still require closure.

Also Boeser, he is a very good player and even better person, but you have to be able to cut ties ala Wally Buono style, and move on while you can extract great value to build for the future.

Until these things happen, my grade stays at incomplete.

I find it strange to read the experts mostly say the Miller trade was an ‘underwhelming return’ for the Canucks, when from a seeming position of weakness the team got:

– what looks to be a big young #2 centre,

– a good, big D prospect,

– a top 4 D-man with a good price through his prime years.

If that’s ‘underwhelming’, hope we get underwhelmed in all our future trades.

A week ago the Canucks had an expensive player who was talented but visibly resented being on the team and three guys who were only marginally better uses of cap space than the money they’re paying Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Now they have four guys who are excited to be here and are going to make significant contributions to the outcomes on the ice and to the atmosphere of the locker room. Anything could happen next, but based solely on this season, this is a huge improvement.

I think this management group moves on from its mistakes quickly. That being said, the very high turnover of players does not create a very team-oriented environment. Creates zero loyalty from players.

I think management did a good job of making the best of a bad situation. At the same time, they were able to correct mistakes in Desharnais and to some extent Heinen.

Defence looks much better now with the two Pettersssons.

Overall, I didn’t think Miller’s contract would age well, so Canucks got out of it at the end of Miller’s peak performance, which is perfect.

Canucks will have cap space to play with next year and have an opportunity to really improve.

Management can be a tricky thing. Things change, people fail, and problems you think were gone re-emerge.

Management had moved decisively to address the malaise overshadowing the team and shore up the D-corps. Right now, they look like solid trades. I won’t assume everything goes great or that management won’t over-commit to this season’s success.

Management must also work within corporate objectives. The moves, approaching the trade deadline, made so far are solid. Let’s see how they address getting an impact forward.

A good start to the retool. The new players are puzzle pieces that make the overall team play better and more effective. Let’s see some more turnover trades by TDL.

Ask me at the end of the year! Although the initial results are very promising, it’s still way too early to know how these moves will work out.

The key for me was the MP3 extension. I felt in the case of Hronek, an RFA, there was no prior discussion on an extension (tampering aside) and it ended up costing us more in the long run –  although I am not saying I have an overall issue with his contact. A few choice words and hypotheticals with an agent and, boom, a long-term extension at fair or just under market value. Due to that extension with the centerpiece of the trades and the addition by subtraction of Miller, I am more than happy. Nice work, all involved, in the Canucks Front Office.

I incorrectly assumed that Chytil was not a legitimate top-six centre. Why else would the Rangers also give up a first round pick? Even though they say that he isn’t the best shooter, I think he is now one of the Canucks’ most dangerous forwards because he has the talent and speed necessary to beat guys 1-on-1. He has already done this 5 or 6 times as a Canuck. These types of players can create good scoring opportunities for not just themselves, but their teammates too. Quinn Hughes obviously does this well too. That is what sets him apart from other defencemen. And that’s why the powerplay is more fun to watch when he’s in the lineup.

With the addition of the speedy O’Connor, a top-four defenceman, and even a big RHD prospect, it would be pretty hard to not be satisfied with the trades. They didn’t even have to give up any of their good prospects like Pettersson or Willander.

I think it shows the management is not willing to sit on their hands when there are issues to address, holes to fill, and tweaks to be made.

How the trades work out remains to be seen. I always hope for the best.

The Canucks had virtually no leverage in the trade involving Miller. He had a NMC, meaning he ran the show. We heard of no other serious interest in trading for him except the Rangers. All NHL GMs knew the Canucks had to trade him. Ultimately Miller saw the wisdom of moving on.

Given that background, I think the Canucks did well. Chytil is impressive, well beyond my expectations. The Canucks acquired a legit top-4 LHD, an acquisition that addressed the Canucks’ greatest need. O’Connor also has also exceeded my expectations. He is a big fast 3rd line winger. I hope the Canucks can extend him. I have no idea of how good Mancini is or will be, but a big young RHD adds another potential piece to a defence already positively transformed by Marcus P and young EP 25.

The additional players traded to New York and Pittsburgh were not important players for the Canucks, except perhaps 3rd round Fernstrom, who reportedly is a poor skater and has not looked great post-draft. It will be interesting to see who the Penguins choose with the Rangers 1st round pick, and how high he is selected, but the Canucks retained their own 1st round pick. Only at the draft will we see who the Canucks traded for these four players, in addition to JT Miller. Going forward, we will see who they acquire to replace JT Miller, and at what cost.

Trevor WH:
The trades were a relief. You don’t have to say more than that, both sides have moved on and are better off.

In total, good.

The loss of Miller has left the forward lines weaker. There’s no getting around it. Chytil might turn out well, but he’ll never match Miller’s talent. But Miller is almost 32, and the jettisoning of his overly lengthy contract — lapsing when he’s 37 — relieves the club of a future problem.

The addition of M. Pettersson has made the defence far stronger, especially with the contract extension. It was desperately needed.

The return that the Canucks got in the back to back trades is quite remarkable considering that they had no choice but to trade JT. I am very sad to trade Miller but very very happy with the returns.

I loved the 2023/24 JT Miller, he was awesome, but he had to go.

This year the biggest issue was our blue line – so many games lost were because of our poor defence – so many games were so hard to watch. The Canucks biggest need is solved with the addition of M-Petey. M-Petey really does calm and balance out the backend. Now Soucy and Forbort don’t have to play over their abilities.

Not part of the trades but a real bonus: who knew that D-Petey was this good??

Chytil can not and does not replace what Miller brings. But he does bring a lot of speed and talent and is a really good addition to the Canucks.

O’Connor is a fast and heavy player which is a real need for Vancouver, I prefer him over Heinen.

To trade away the cap hits of Desharnais and Heinen was sweet. The other players that Vancouver gave up were B or C prospects that have little chance of making the NHL and Brannstrom and Desharnais don’t belong in the NHL.

I say great job by Canucks Management.

Excellent trades, the early returns are very encouraging.

Appears the management team has recognized the need to infuse more speed in the lineup. I would venture to say additional changes are coming.