NHL teams throwing money around..

[Zorro]

It is amazing what Philly did last year by going out and building there team with CASH. Going out and getting Briere, Hartnell, Timmonen, and trading for Colburn and Biron. And I also find it interesting with what Tampa Bay is doing signing Malone, Roberts, trading for Rolston and Prospal.

But what do these team have in common?? Not that I have anything against Biron and Mike Smith, but they really don\'t have a \"great goalie\", a proven winner.

Why wouldn\'t a team like Vancouver with LUONGO, go out and buy some guys like this? You have your goalie, so go out and buy some guys that can help you score goals, ultimately help you advance in the playoffs and WIN.

I just don\'t get it, somebody tell me why Vancouver isn\'t signing anybody or making any trades?? They are a team that might make the playoffs and then lose out first round, why would you want to be like that?

If I was at the helm I would be adding these players, and I know you all won\'t agree, but this is what I would do. I would look to add Rolston, Huselius, Hagman, and both Ruutu boys.. so that is five forwards that will be able to mix and play with the Sedins, Kesler, and company. I would then like to add a puck moving d-man, maybe Rozival. I would definately forget about offering Hossa and Campbell contracts worth over $8 million per year, which is just nuts.

I only pick Vancouver just because they have Luongo and because Vancouver has really done nothing in signing any big names over the years. And I would love for another Canadian team to be a force once again.

Help me understand why Vancouver loves to be mediocre without really trying or spending cash??

[Dobber]

I think, talent-wise, Biron is a Top 10 goalie. I\'ve been a fan for a long time.

TB just wants to get into the playoffs, get to the second round, and create a buzz. After a couple of years of that, if Smith is not a star, then they\'ll go get one.

You are right though - Vancouver is not complementing Luongo well.

[Narayan]

I know your post wasn\'t to bash on Canucks but in Vancouvers defense...

1) Rolston hasn\'t signed with anyone yet, and when he does i doubt it would be with Vancouver anyways due to the Wild vs Canucks division and rivalry

2) TBY wayyyyyy over paid for Malone, hes making 8 million i believe the first season? Like give me a break. I\'m glad canucks didn\'t get him.

3) The Prospal deal STINKS... trade him to philly for some picks and then right after the play offs you get him back for peanuts? ya no collaboration happening there.

4) Roberts was someone the canucks could of went after but I doubt he would of went to the WEST anyways.


Give Gillis time he\'s a smart man... We will get SOMEONE

[jL67s]

They should have never fired Brian Burke in \'04. He was building towards something.

Ownership brings Nonis in, he gets that franchise goaltender, but not much else.

Now they have an inexperienced GM.

The Sens are a reversal of the Canucks.

They\'ve had the skaters, but never a #1 goaltender.

In the early 2000\'s, especially \'03, if the Sens say had Brodeur, they would probably have at least 2 championships by now.

[andrewklassen]

He asks the caramilk mystery...


Just an opinion, but I think this was the off-season Nonis would have pursued outside talent to bolster the Nucks scoring and team depth.

Our mediocrity has stemmed largely from the sudden fantasy collapse of Morrison and Naslund, coupled with their combined 9 million dollar salary for the past few years.

While other GM\'s were busy signing character guys like Drury to assanine contracts, Nonis preferred to simply ensure VAN had a solid 6 D and had a coach that was going to insist on responsible hockey [which made sense...building from Luongo out].

I think VAN will make some noise this off-season. Personally, I wish Nonis who had been biding his time and understood the direction he was taking with the team had been given a chance to finally spend some money.

The other reason for our mediocrity is our ineptitude in drafting well. Next to TB we\'ve got to have one of the weakest pipelines in up-and-coming talent. In this cap era teams need to have a good mix of proven and young [cheap] talent.

[Seeds of Grapes]

jL67 said:

In the early 2000\'s, especially \'03, if the Sens say had Brodeur, they would probably have at least 2 championships by now.

There is no reason that they should not have had two cups by now. Alfredsson, Heatley, Spezza, Redden, Havlat, Phillips, Mezaros, Corvo - on and on it goes. Such high level talent! With that level of talent, you should win with decent, if not great, goaltending. Ottawa had Emery (who does have talent - he is just maniacal), Gerber, Hasek...

Honestly, no excuse for not having a cup.

[jL67s]

Seeds of Grapes wrote:

...Emery (who does have talent - he is just maniacal)...

:laugh: Very true. Too bad he couldn\'t focus his maniacalness into a strong work ethic.

Hasek flaked out on the Sens in \'06, forcing them into throwing an inexperienced Emery in for the playoffs.

In \'07, Emery did give them adequate goaltending, until the SC final. In that, he wasn\'t so good, but neither was the whole team. They just couldn\'t compete with the Ducks.

I was more eluding to the Lalime years. He was very good while he was with Ottawa, but when they needed him to produce huge, game turning stops (eg. game 7 against TO in \'04) it seemed to never happen.

I agree with you Seeds. They should have a couple Cups by now no matter who was in net, (eg. Detroit proved it this year) but having that bonifide #1 back there definately goes a long way.

[Hardyvan123]

The Canucks have had a host of problems the last couple of years, some of them are,

1)not having any salary cap room to get a top 6 forward to complement the Sedins or the Naslund/Morrison line.

2) spending 3 million over 2 years to resign Taylor Pyatt who is a 3rd/4th line type (ya i know most 3rd/4th line types can score 20 goals playing with the Sedins

3) Nonnis was really a terrible GM, besdies the perfect storm of Florida needing to move Luongo (he was entering the last year of his contract and it was obvious that he would not resign there) along with then GM Mike keenan\'s mancrush on Bertuzzi, his trading and inaction record was horrible.

4) Their drafting has been terrible, burke and Nonis really did not help that dismal situation at all

5) the great 32 game run in 2006-2007 was a perfect storm where everything went the Canucks way and Managment was lulled into overating their team inspite of obvious weaknesses. @007-2008 was more indictive of their real level

All this leaves the Canucks in a huge rebuuilding mode with other teams like LA, Chicago, St.Louis, heck everyone in the Western Conference getting a whole lot better and the Canucks spinning their wheels a 12-15th place finish is not out of the question for the Canucks in the western conference unless Gillis and Vigneault can patch something together.

In the long term a really bad finish, ah like the Leafs will do next year, would bring them a much better draft pick in a good draft for the top 5 picks next year.

[lanky522]

Narayan wrote:

...
3) The Prospal deal STINKS... trade him to philly for some picks and then right after the play offs you get him back for peanuts? ya no collaboration happening there...

Um... regardless of how much it smells, they didn\'t do anything against the rules... How is it any different than Keith Tkachuk going to atlanta at the end of 2006-07 for a KINGS RANSOME in return, and then resigning with the blues following that offseason?

Seems to me like this is just an advantage/benefit of treating your players well and having a well managed organization. If the players have a reason to come back, then they will... if you treat them like crap (sundin) they\'ll likely be gone for good.

I don\'t think this stinks... i think that if anything it proves how silly it is to overpay for rental type players...

[Maksim]

Overall, Vancouver is in deep trouble.

I think they should use the examples provided by their own past. Last time they were cup-contenders was in 1984, and a lot of the highlights were indeed provided by goalkeeper McLean. But who else was in the lineup? Bure.

I guess it\'s time NOW to consider signing or trading for an all-star offense, which could drag them into a favorable position. Why? Because Canucks play into a real tight division in which they have to step up with talent and persistance. They\'ve got a great coach, a stellar keeper and awesome fans, but you can not expect wins from a team that can compare its offense depth to Atlanta in the East.

Otherwise, I think Vancouver is a great hockey city and that they can provide their fans with a better team if Nonis can make the good decisions as for youth and UFA signings.