Comedy BRONZE out of Vancouver

[jstewismybastardson]

Not to my knowledge.

/Willie D is a Sasky boy, not born and raised in the Hat like Lord Linden.

He spent enough time there so he has the taint

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

From 30:

8. Vancouverites went loco last weekend after Sportsnet’s Luke Fox published a Q&A with Trevor Linden. Linden took heat for one particular comment, saying about the Sedins:

“I don’t know how I walk into the room and tell these guys, ‘Strip it down.’ I’m not sure it’s fair to these guys.”

Here’s where I think he’s going with that. When Linden and GM Jim Benning took over, I believe the plan was to make one more run with the Sedins at the end of those contracts — next season. Now, you can certainly make the argument the team is not good enough, but that was the goal.

Except that flies in the face of literally everything they've said since they took over, Elliotte.

 

[dash]

Also some speculation from Elliotte about how much the Ducks have to sweeten a Bernier for Miller swap for Vancouver to consummate that trade.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

like Botchford said in the provies, the team would have been in a much better place today if they stripped the team down (and kept the sedins) when Benning was hired

/or if Benning wasnt hired at all

 

[jstewismybastardson]

the about face

BIGGEST BOMBSHELL

The big trade deadline deal where Vancouver exploits some ridiculously desperate playoff contender and uncorks a top pick or a top prospect — or both dammit — for a vet on an expiring contract is never going to happen, is it?

There’s no point in re-visiting last season, except to say you can start expecting this one to go similarly,

That’s the way it seems, as Jim Benning vowed here in New Jersey this week he would not be trading any of his players who have no-trade clauses, unless they initiate the move.

“I’m not doing it. I’m not going to any one of them to ask them to waive their no-trades,” Benning said. “If they come to me, I will accommodate it and find a trade.

“But otherwise I’m not going to ask any of them to waive.”

This is a game changer and definitely alters the speculation which was surely going to engulf the team as it approached the deadline this year.

The Canucks have eight players with either NTCs or no-movement clauses. They include the Sedins, Alex Edler, Jannik Hansen, Ryan Miller, Alex Burrows, Brandon Sutter and Loui Eriksson.

They are all staying unless their agents go to management and ask otherwise, Benning said.

Many of us have opined that Burrows could be a good chip, and trading Hansen is something the team may want to explore, because he’s over 30 years old, has great value and as it stands now the team will not be able to protect both Granlund and Baertschi in the expansion draft.

Then there’s Edler, who is 30 and still represents one of the Canucks better options to get some more offence.

“We need him in this lineup,” Benning said. “We need Hansen’s speed. And you’ve seen what Burrows has done playing with Horvat and Baertschi. He’s been really good for them.”

When asked if this represents a philosophical shift for a GM who has asked Bieksa, Hamhuis, Vrbata and Garrison to all waive NTCs in the past, Benning said it was not. He is still willing to do it, just not this year.

“It’s about these players. These are the guys we want to keep and build our young players around,” he said.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

like Botchford said in the provies, the team would have been in a much better place today if they stripped the team down (and kept the sedins) when Benning was hired

/or if Benning wasnt hired at all

Botchford was quoting Ferraro

Of all the reactions to this, I think Ferraro had the best angle on TSN 1050 in Toronto Monday:

“A couple of years ago, when they came in, they signed Miller and Vrbata. The Sedins had just re-upped. My opinion at the time, and it’s been re-enforced by what’s happened since, is that they needed to start to rebuild then, instead of signing Miller and Vrbata.

“They thought they could contend but the distance between Vancouver and Chicago and the California teams had already started to spread.

“Had you gone to the Sedins and said ‘We’re going to tear this down and you’re going to be the last pieces. We’re going to get younger and faster and we hope by year three we’re considerably different.’

“You wouldn’t have had to deal with anything with them. They would have gone to work. You think they go out there and think they’re Stanley Cup contenders?

“They’re not idiots.”

 

[dash]

Well, we had the same issue with Iggy and Kipper in Calgary (especially Kipper who covered up a lot of holes in the Flames roster with stellar goaltending). It didn't help that Flames ownership at the time wanted the team to make the playoffs and Jay Feaster was essentially a yes man to ownership whims.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

At some point does it maybe make sense to question if the Sedins themselves are the ones forcing ownership to keep trying to win when it makes no sense to do so?

Also, Benning's no-trade comments make no sense whatsoever.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

At some point does it maybe make sense to question if the Sedins themselves are the ones forcing ownership to keep trying to win when it makes no sense to do so?

Also, Benning's no-trade comments make no sense whatsoever.

i dont think so ... Aquilini is a hot head and hears it from his associates in town and sees it in the attendance ... very short term focus

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Well, we had the same issue with Iggy and Kipper in Calgary (especially Kipper who covered up a lot of holes in the Flames roster with stellar goaltending). It didn't help that Flames ownership at the time wanted the team to make the playoffs and Jay Feaster was essentially a yes man to ownership whims.

I think its different here ... canucks did not have to sign Miller and Vrbata and the sedins would have been professionals ... iirc at that time they intimated they wanted a tear down so as to be in a position to be second line guys 3 years down the road

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Happy 27th birthday to Philip Larsen ... almost didnt make it

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

i dont think so ... Aquilini is a hot head and hears it from his associates in town and sees it in the attendance ... very short term focus

Don't doubt that at all, and TBH re-signing them for such big money when both were in the midst of down seasons in their mid-30s kinda proves that but if neither is intent on leaving, and nobody enjoys losing, and they've been around long enough that it's safe to assume they have a pretty solid relationship with Aquilini...

I dunno. It wouldn't be a shock.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I think its different here ... canucks did not have to sign Miller and Vrbata and the sedins would have been professionals ... iirc at that time they intimated they wanted a tear down so as to be in a position to be second line guys 3 years down the road

You're obviously more in tune to it than I am but I feel like if they were really of that opinion and made it known guys like Ferraro and Friedman would be using that as proof rather than things like "if they had gone to the Sedins..." or "I believe the plan was...".

 

[dash]

I guess they were going to talk to Jim Benning, but he refuses to talk about other teams' players

No trade help coming for Canucks - Article - TSN

 

[jstewismybastardson]

That takes skille

 

[mooger_35]

Skille: 2
Megna: 2
Gudbranson: 1

Didn't see that coming...

 

[dash]

Skille: 2
Megna: 2
Gudbranson: 1

Didn't see that coming...

Apparently, neither did the Lightning Mooger...

 

[jstewismybastardson]

i dont think this ever made its way into this thread ... it was in the provies a couple weeks back and again last night

Not too long ago, Megna’s tweets were unearthed by some resourceful, always thinking Canucks fans. Suddenly Megna was reminded of something dumb he did years ago, something he knew he’d have to talk to the Sedins about.

He was going to have to tell them about the time he called the Sedins sisters. That could not have been fun.

“That was an interesting day,” Megna said. “I grew up in Chicago, a huge Blackhawks fan.

“It was definitely an unfortunate tweet.

“I apologized to the Sedins.”

How did they react?

“They had a good laugh about it. They just thought it was the funniest thing. They were like how old were you?” Megna recalled.

“They knew I was a huge Hawks fan. I wasn’t drafted by anybody. I was just a hockey fan. I was really upset my favourite team lost and I took it out on twitter and it was regrettable.

“They were dying about the whole thing.

“It’s just one of those stories I’ll tell down the road.”

If the Sedins can laugh about this one, maybe you can too?

 

[dash]

lol - Pratt's drinking on air again this morning.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

lol - Pratt's drinking on air again this morning.

xmas cheer?

grampajake just said maybe Skille is going to turn his career around and live up to his 1st round pick potential ... lay off the spiked nog!