The Official 2013/2014 Canucks & NHL Thread

[highfive]

Originally Posted by MR_BIGGS

Rangers have the pieces to be a good NHL team and they showed that this year. I mean, look at their forwards and their d line, not to mention the goaltending they get. Some smart moves from them (i.e., not buying out Richards, trading that bitch Callahan for St Louis, hiring AV, resigned Giradi, traded for Carcillo [yes this was a good move. Last two teams he played on were Hawks, Kings], waived Taylor Pyatt). Not crazy big deals, but smart moves along the way, tinkering an already good team.

If anyone is familiar with the King and Hawks its AV.

That Gaborik trade (brassard, moore, dorsett) helped and signing Dominic Moore is a big one too.

Plus they are deep on centres which the Canucks are not.

Stepan, Richards, Brassard, Moore, Boyle. I think Kreider can play centre too. They can run a 4 line team. AV was only able to run a 3 line team here in Van.

Look at LA and Chicago, they are deep on centres too.

[Spoon]

Originally Posted by MR_BIGGS

Rangers have the pieces to be a good NHL team and they showed that this year. I mean, look at their forwards and their d line, not to mention the goaltending they get.

(now that they're in the cup finals)

You know what, I'd say they have a 50/50 chance to win the cup.

[Mike Oxbig]

Mike richards was playing on kings 4th line too.

[m3thods]

Originally Posted by Big Earl

Mike richards was playing on kings 4th line too.

Is it me or did his play drop off significantly? Him and Carter are the same age, but I always remember Richards being the guy who was all over the place. Or is it the fact that Carter is finally playing to his potential in LA and Richards is the same as before? Or maybe too much blow is affecting Mike? lol

I remember a time when all you would talk about was Richards on those Philly teams, and that Carter was mercurial. Now watching them play, Carter is an absolute beast while Richards has been relegated to "a really good player that does all the little things better than everyone else".

[jeedee]

Richards is being utilized as a shut down guy while Carter is getting essy competition versus the other teams 3rd and 4th lines

[6o4__boi]

Originally Posted by m3thods

Or maybe too much blow is affecting Mike? lol

Richard's LA Beach morning routine

Spoiler!

[tonyzoomzoom]

Originally Posted by will068

I've said it throughout the 90s after '94 and I'll say it again. Fuck the Rangers.

Since 94, I didn't hate the Rangers. But I hated Messier. Hated him even more when he was with the Nucks.

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by jeedee

That's my point exactly

Everyone's going "omg why did we fire AV" "shouldve kept AV" "he's 4 wins from becoming the cup winning coach we want"

His "shelf life" was done with the Canucks.

Move on

Torts shelf life was 2 months, I wonder how long the shelf life of the new coach will be?

[Mike Oxbig]

I never hated messier until he came to the Canucks, making Wayne Maki's unretire his #11 for him. That's quite disrespectful

Death of a player # retired should be lift after 40-50yrs.

[Noir]

Originally Posted by Simulated

lol all this talk last summer of hiring Torts because he's a "cup winning" coach and will know how to motivate the canucks. we're only 4 NYR wins away from firing a "cup winning" coach who was already with us.

i'm happy for AV and i hope he gets the stanley cup this time around.

In my case, I'll be rooting for NYR because I want Lundqvist to get a cup; AV getting one is just a bonus.

[XplicitLuder]

That crowd looks nutty

[murd0c]

Originally Posted by Noir

In my case, I'll be rooting for NYR because I want Lundqvist to get a cup; AV getting one is just a bonus.

no man, St. Louis winning the cup while going through the death of his mom is a perfect ending to this years playoffs

[XplicitLuder]

Wow

[Not really racist!]

mirin the resiliency of these two teams,

that pace and always attacking

CHI needs to take this for a G7

[murd0c]

yes cause I want hockey on Sunday dammit!!

[XplicitLuder]

Kane's a beast

[Tim Budong]

<---------

CATRICK KANE!!!

[SkinnyPupp]

SO close at the end there too

[dyan]

game 7 !!

[Mike Oxbig]

[AzNightmare]

Getting kind of nervous now. Although I did predict Kings in 7 to begin with.

But that was on the basis they would be clawing back, like their last 2 series.
Not sure if it will play out differently now, cause its the Kings that are being chased down now.
Even though it's game 7, doesn't sound appropriate saying the Kings have their "backs against the wall" this time.

[Not really racist!]

Old article (2 weeks), and a Botch article, so to be taken with a grain of salt

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Bo...348/story.html

Botchford: Ryan Kesler may not want to be a Penguin now

Pens’ post-season collapse may take them out of the running for Canucks centre’s services

Even before the Pittsburgh Penguins had burned to the ground, scavengers around the NHL were setting out to pick through the debris.

Nothing attracts a crowd quite like an NHL team making a pig’s ear out of their postseason.

Reactions went from the reasoned — Dan Bylsma is about to get canned! — to the insane — Evgeni Malkin is on the trade block! Get him!

Bylsma is, of course, a hot topic in Vancouver, a city that knocks its collective knees in nervous excitement at the mere mention of any name coach who could help it forget the wretched John Tortorella era.

Save us, Trotz. Save us, McLellan. Save us, Bylsma. And it will go on.

If Bylsma does hit the open market, he instantly becomes the best available head coaching candidate. Though, considering the apparent distance between the Canucks and the teams currently wearing the big-boy pants in the Pac Division, the next coach may not be the most meaningful decision the new management group has to make.

The Canucks sit staring at a crossroads right now, and which path they travel down depends entirely on what they plan to do with Ryan Kesler.

There are those of us who believe it isn’t much of a choice.

Kesler is 29 years old, has a couple years left at an affordable ticket price, and is coming off a season where he played monster minutes and scored 25 goals, leading an offensively inept Tortorella team which, well, couldn’t score goals.

His value is never going to get much better. And trading him is one move that could lead to the assets needed to move the needle on a Canucks rebuild.

Kesler has already given the Canucks six teams he’d be willing to waive his no-trade clause for: Anaheim, Colorado, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Chicago and Pittsburgh.

Unfortunately for the Canucks, there were only fits with two of those teams heading toward the March trade deadline — Anaheim and Pittsburgh.

Kesler’s list meant three key teams were out of it — Columbus, the Rangers and Philadelphia — which created a soft market two months ago.

So, the teams who were in it, the Penguins and the Ducks, tried to get a premium player at Sears prices.

To heat up the marketplace, the Canucks needed desperation from one of those two teams, and wouldn’t you know the Penguins fell to pieces because they lacked a shutdown centre who can also add some secondary scoring.

Funny how life works sometimes.

Refusing to put Derek Pouliot in a Kesler package at the deadline starts looking like a critical misstep by Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero right about now.

But before you get carried away with your fantasy trades, be warned ... the Penguins’ collapse may actually have been too excessive. Kesler is not going to be eager to walk into any tire fires.

Is he still going to be willing to waive his no-trade clause for a Pittsburgh team that lacks depth, a decent blueline, an above-average goalie and is coached by, say, Mike Keenan, a name being thrown out there Wednesday?

Yeah, didn’t think so.

Sure, any team with Malkin and Sidney Crosby is going to be appealing, but Kesler will be re-examining his options leading up to the draft, the next likeliest date for a deal of this magnitude.

If Pittsburgh is actually crossed off Kesler’s list, and Anaheim continues to prove it doesn’t need him this postseason, the Kesler trade landscape threatens to shrivel up like a worm on a hot stove.

Then, the Canucks’ path could be chosen for them.

That’s not to say keeping Kesler is necessarily a second choice for the incoming Vancouver general manager.

While many outside the organization believe trading Kesler is the way to go, there are those who work at Rogers Arena who think keeping him and getting him an elite winger to play with is the quickest way to turn around this depleted supertanker.

But, if you’re looking at it from Kesler’s point of view, that’s been the plan for years.

And it’s easier said than done.

jbotchford@theprovince.com

twitter.com/@botchford

© Copyright (c) The Province

Benning said he would meet with Kes after the combine stuff, so it wouldn't be surprising if he submits a different list again, or says he doesn't want to leave assuming his problem was with management.

Pratt is reporting the same, so it should be true even though he's normally full of crap and a shit starter

[rsx]

Rather keep Kes and trade the Sedins.

[SkinnyPupp]

I have a feeling most of the "locker room issues" are from Kesler to begin with. Totally baseless of course, but it has to be from somewhere.

Or they can keep firing Stanley Cup calibre coaches, every year after they "lose the locker room"

[MR_BIGGS]

The Kings/Hawks series has been epic. These two teams have their core locked up for a while and they are still in their mid-20s.

Can't wait for game 7. Justin Williams is gonna go HAM in game 7 like he always does.