Welcome to the second straight Thursday edition of What Would You Do Wednesday. The first of its kind to follow the season’s end. 

The Vancouver Canucks held their year-end press conference, for players and management alike, and gave the city plenty to chew on. Canucks general manager, Jim Benning, alluded to the impact injuries had on their ability to compete this season and what their plans will be this summer to address them. Trevor Linden, on the other hand, sounded much more willing to fathom an extended rebuild. I’d like to think their philosophies are more closely aligned than most, but what do I know?

Anyways, assuming Benning was alluding to fighting the good fight and battling it out for the playoffs, while Linden was playing the long game… where do your allegiances lie? Are you committed to an extended rebuild, growing pains and all, or trying to make the post-season, next season.

So, how do you feel about Andrey Pedan at forward? Would you continue this experiment into next season?

f it helps Pedan keep a spot on the 22 or 23 man roster, why not improve his versatility?

I suspect he is going to be in the same spot as Corrado was this past September and that he will be exposed to waivers if other players are more deserving of a roster spot.

And based on the track record of the young players Benning & Willie have kept as opposed to the ones they have dumped, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I think andrey needs to play D paired with the hammer and told to let loose his shot everytime he gets a chance. You know that he would do it because this is a kid that wants to play. You wait this kid is going to be our best D in a couple of years. I have to take offence in calling him a lumbering Lithuanian. He is anything but: Andrey Pedan is the surprise star of Canucks 2016 SuperSkills – See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis/andrey-pedan-is-the-surprise-star-of-canucks-2016-superskills-1.2143460#sthash.3Gli838r.dpuf

Doesn’t make sense. This team needs serviceable young dmen for the future. Both Biega and Bartkowski are bad and near 30, groom the talent you plan to utilize in the future. Also Pedan adds size on the back end they need. Also this team has too many contracts on books. Need to start bringing in more quality players and leave some of this garbage out to be collected.

Not sure why converting another D-man to forward would be a smart thing to do with the Canucks thin at defense, but swimming in waiver-eligible non-star forwards.

I’d like to see them mould him into a goalie, personally.

So let’s see. We get to the start of next season and have Edler, Tanev, Hutton, Sbisa, Tramykin, Biega and Larsen all signed, with all of them with the possible exception of Larsen ahead of Pedan on the depth chart. Chances are the Canucks sign a 4-6 slot veteran UFA and might take one of the best D-men available in the draft. Then there is a shot at NCAA free agents or someone discarded from a cap-impaired team.

Oh, and some folks want us to re-sign Hammer as well.

And people wonder why the team is experimenting with Pedan getting some minutes as a 4th line winger?

People should be HAPPY about this. It shows the team is looking at every possible angle to keep a waiver-wire eligible player around and not lose him like we did with Corrado.

Personally, I say we let Weber, Bartkowski and Hammer walk. I don’t think Hamhuis will sign as team friendly a deal, especially on term, as we would like. Try and sneak Biega through waivers at the start of the season. Utica could use him as a veteran presence (and if he’s claimed, oh well) and run with 8 d-men with Pedan getting some occasional minutes on the 4th line against big, nasty teams.

While I don’t mind deploying a big bodied defenseman as a forward from time-to-time to screen the goalie on the power play, Pedan’s forte is on defense. So let him stand or fall based on his long-time position.

I, for one, think we could use much more size on the back end – and don’t think he would be a bad fit as a seventh or eighth defenseman next season.

i don’t think it’s a strategy beyond the fact they are short forwards they want to dress, and would rather give pedan the ice time than call someone up. he definitely makes them tougher up front.

strudwick broke onto the canucks as a #8 dman playing the wing. there was never a plan to make him a forward but he made the lineup tougher and got some playing time so why not?