Avi (Posted 2008-05-26 22:01:06)
A captain should ever get traded there almost the best players on team or can be the best players on the team.marcus shouldn't get traded I don't agree with anything.

Craig (Posted 2008-05-21 16:57:35)
I'm all for trading Bieksa, Pyatt or Shanon. we can't trade Naslund, Isbister (not that there'd be any takers), Morrison or Sanford as they are all unrestricted free agents, and as such no longer Canucks "property". I'm not sure I would want to get Latendress, or any of your defencmen. Hate to deride your passionately crafted list. But Hedican is quite long in the tooth now. Neither Allen has ever been very impactful, they are capable depth guys filling in the 4th or 5th spot. Barret Jackman is not bad, but his play, stats and effectiveness dropped off after McCinnis retired which leads one to believe that the Hall of famers may have been carrying his young counterpart a bit. I actually would love to see Jovanovski back, he is a high risk, high reward player, who at his best can shift the momentum of a game, but he needs a consistant stay at home partner who will back him up when he drives into the opponents end, something that Pheonix is unable to offer. Otherwise I like the Canucks D-corps, and think it has the right mix of savy veterans and youth to ensure that the young players are appropriatly mentored (it's what Detroit has done for the laSt decade, same with Jersey, Dallas, and Colorado; ever notice which teams have consistantly competed?) I'd like to see the Canucks target some of the younger, underappreciated forwards who should emerge in the next couple of years (Drew Stafford, David Booth, Dan Winnick or Louie Erikson) all of whom are a gamble as they could just as easily go the Kyle Calder route and regress as the Henrick Zetterberg route and improve. Which is why it wuold be so important for the team to aggresivley persue some smart, hard working veterans (Rolston, Stillman, Langkow as FAs or Jon Sim, Steve Reinprecht or Robert Lang via trades) I would still like to see them resign Naslund, he is another great player that could help develop the up and commers. I'd also bring back Morrison, there is somehting to be said for a veteran that has his heart and soul invested in a team; that sort of passion can be inspiring for a locker room. Getting the Slovak snipers Dimitra and Hossa off the free agent market would be fun but highly unlikely; if it could be pulled off it would give the team the upper hand in signing Gaborik next year when his contract is up. This is one of those ridiculous fanboy dreams though, which I always hate. The best way to build a consistantly strong franchise as opposed to a flash in tha pan is to allow youth to develop in a winning environment under the tutelage of proven competitors. Yzerman, Shanahan and Federo learned from some guy named Howe, then taught some fellers named Zetterberg, Franson, Holmstrom and Datsyuk. In Anaheim, for all their skill, it was the presence of Neidermayer, Pronger and Selanne helping to guide the youngsters like Beauchemin, Perry or Getzlaf. Dallas had Modano, Guerin, Zubov and Hull tutoring Morrow, Hagman, and Miettnen. It's the recipe that got those gone in 60 second teams like Carolina and Tampa their cups. The presence of veterans like Stillman (on both teams) Andreychuk, Brinda'mour or Recchi can't go overlooked. This is the same reason Vancouver has been able to develop quality if unspectacular blueliners for so long. Hedican, Babych and Lumme were there to teach Ohlund, Aucoin and Strudwick, who were able to teach McCabe, and Jovanovski. Beiska, Krajicek, Edler, and even Bourdon have benefitted from the wealth of experience provided by Ohlund, Millar, Salo and Mitchell. That, since you asked Pawl is how I would rebuild the club.

pawl (Posted 2008-05-16 19:39:10)
i said jovo earlier but after looking at hiis stats hes in the minuses not what you want froom the defense id keep mitchell you know listen craig I was and am a big naslund fan hes great but after bert left so did his ability to score .hes a great trading pawn thou to the ducks if hell go .who knows anymore .daniel and henrik are the only two players in the whole league that are joined at the hip and their not that great on thier own.also the canuck are totally left winged shanon was the only right winger and hes a shimp the last GM head was in his ass and the gm from the ducks screwed are team when he left you can say what you like but the canucks really do need too rebuild craig what do you think of my fix up chooses do you have A list

pawl (Posted 2008-05-16 18:39:15)
Ok gillis here its is my wish list trade keep and get bieksa burrows cowan kesler edler krajicek Isbister luongo morrison pyatt miller mitchell naslund salo ohlund now the gets pettinger brian allen ritchie garth murray sanford viktor kozlov raymond guillaume latendresse d sedin sergie kostitsyn h sedin milan lucic shannon bobby allen weaver bret hedican brandon bocheski ryan carter kyle turris eric godard david backes barret jackman christian backman and the back up would be tyler plante from florida

pawl (Posted 2008-05-16 15:42:28)
the coach of the cantoo's was trying his hardest to find scoring out of them the sisters like playing in the corner .youd think they lost something there and yes they have a few tricks but to build a team on that.No thanks that not hockey.i like nasy but what can you do with him .Hes lost it and what will inspire him again. A Move ,him and Bert were great together but berts gone .If I could Id get rid of these players and some I cant think of .Shanon gone the sisters gone naslund ,morrison gone ohlund ,mitchell,gone No trade policy ,crap on that .The hot head Bieksa great a defensmen who likes getting penalty's .just what the team needs ,hes gone .Linden retired,thanx trev.Edler and schnieder gone. The guy that was supposedly to replace the nutzoid cooke. the hardest working cantoo and he gets traded//// number 20 cant remember his name . take a look around the NHL at all the great players weve traded away over the years .Does anyone in the canucks rosteer have vission .Hopefully Linden will be hired for that JOB "finding great players to bring home"need a new coach also vinnault or what ever his name is .Is only good for one year .Up until the players figure out he has no idea of what he's doing .I am a canuck fan even when they suck and they do suck.Gillis I could care less of your past . Canucks need an overhawland the Only Canuck Im sure of is you and that only cause you just got the job that gives you at the most 3 years to come up with something or a month after the season starts if your an idiot nothing but love for ya Gillis get it done.Or else.see ya

felix i. thomas jr (Posted 2008-05-15 16:20:36)
the canucks took one step when they fired nonis, step 2 fire the head coach, and get an offesive bench boss. step 3 stop signing right wingers that play with the sedin's for only one season.the list can go on and on they have the players , they just dont have the gm proper (or stroung enough) to make the trades when the time comes they just sit on the side lines and watch the other teams make the push. i mean look at all the 16 teams that made the playoffs, atleast half had a former canucks player from the past 5 seasons. point is they dont know how to sign, or make the trade for the club, or the fans that are frustrated with them. so to end this rant off , my next season wish is that they sign a winger long enough to play more than one season with the sedins(also hopeing that they sign them long term befor next season is over) sign naslund because i know he can still put up the number's under the right coach(fire vignault hint hint) sign or trade(no first rounders though) for a top center to play with naslund.

Craig (Posted 2008-05-12 17:48:48)
Martin Erat just got a 7 year deal for his strong performance of 57 points! yet another example of how Naslund is being unfairly judged.

Vinced (Posted 2008-05-04 23:28:02)
Having just moved from Van back to the east coast after five years, I agree with elements of what Craig has said here...mostly that Naslund could have a bounceback season. However, they are now one of the most boring teams to watch and the fans might be lining up on the Lions Gate bridge as well having to watch them play the Wild eight times in a year. Markus will never recover from L'Affaire Bertuzzi and no one has pointed that out. He will never be the same player and as much as he will always be the answer to the 'biggest steal in a trade' trivia question, he's done his time and needs to move on. The Canucks need to be blown up big time. At least it only happens every few years and not every five minutes with my Leafs. Gillis, in closing, better sign the Sedins. Who do I blame for the Canucks scoring mess ? Anson Carter. He had a career year and took the money and ran. He might have been heading towards journeyman status, but that year with the Sedins was magic. I guess it's another reason to think some agents aren't that bright !

Rob M (Posted 2008-05-03 20:37:37)
Craig, if you read Legwand's stats which I am sure you didn't, he had 44 points in 65 games. Not 44 in 82. Also Legwand makes no claim of being a superstar. Just because you are awarded a large contract does make you a superstar, lots of GM's make bonehead moves. Case in point, Todd Bertuzzi, Dustin Penner, the entire Maple Leafs roster and the list goes on. For a superstar like Naslund, a 55 point "fairly decent" season doesn't cut it whatsoever.

Craig (Posted 2008-05-02 19:39:05)
I didn't selective compare him to anyone, my choice wasn't arbitrary, I compared Markus to Hossa and Richards because they were considered to be the two best players available at the trade deadline. Not picking up Richards is one of the reasons Dave Nonis is now unmemployed. I then was pointing out that his stats are comparable not because I believe he had a fantastic season but because I believe that the fans in Vancouver have been ridiculous in tearing the man down. These same fans were lined up on the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge ready to jump when the team failed to pick up Richards at the Deadline. As for Vanek, you don't think he benefitted from having the opposition's top defenders more concerned with Briere and Drury, regardless of wether they were always beside him or not? Even if he got "stuck" playing with Roy, Stafford, Connoly or Pominville he had better line mates the Naslund. And would you really tell me that you think Isbister, Shannon, Cooke or Pyatt are better then Dumont, Radulov, Hartnell or Erat? And as I stated, I'm not blaming the fans for all the missed shots, and blown opportuinties I'm holding them accountable for being irrational gits. These are the same people who booed Luongo when he had a Bad game, and made Bure so miserable he demanded a trade. If your happy planting you tuckus firmly on the Badnwagon, that's fine, but I stand by my remark that Fans in Vancovuer have not been objectively judging Naslund for quite some time. As for Mr. Rob M., former first round pick David Legwand just turned a 44 point season into a hefty new 6 year contract on a team that usually won't shell out for parking, so Naslund's 55 looks fairly decent.

Rob M (Posted 2008-04-30 19:09:00)
I agree with RedToronto, Naslund's age is irrelevant. Sakic is approaching 40 and still viewed (by me too) as one of the best in the game. Selanne is 38 and in my opinion should have been MVP last year and came in midway through the season this year and had 26 points in 26 games. I think Naslund should be given one more year on a line with an elite player ( who Vancouver should pick up in the off season ) and if he fails again ditch him. Or ditch him now and pick up some solid young guns.

RedToronto (Posted 2008-04-30 17:09:23)
And the age thing is just a big excuse and hogwash, Naslund is only 34, Sakic put up 100 points last season, Lidstrom is going to win another Norris, Selanne had a tremendous season last year and won the Cup, Sundin just had his best season in years (without great linemates) and they are all older than Naslund.

Marcus (Posted 2008-04-30 14:38:18)
Why would dealing the Sedins mean moving them both in a multi-player deal? Do they have language in their contract that says that if they are moved they must be kept together?

whatsthatsmell (Posted 2008-04-29 20:37:51)
Hossa and Redden. The Canucks could easily do it.

Craig (Posted 2008-04-29 16:24:20)
No "Bluetoronto" it's the fans fault for holding Naslund to a different standard then other players. A 25 goal, 50 point season would be considered stupendous for most players. Canucks fans aren't to blame for Naslund's decline, but they are at faut for declaring it a failure. Even a Ferari can't go over 50 during rush hour traffic, if the team shifts gears to a slow trapping, system then it's high flying attack Captain will undoubtedly see a scoring drop off. To suggest that great players dont need line mates seems to overlook the disapearance of Kariya in St. Louis, or Vanek in BUffalo. Or why (what I presume to be your) Maple Leafs continued efforts to find Sundin a line mate (and wasting millions onj Jason Blake). I'm not blaming Vancouver fans for causing Naslund to stuggle, I'm blaming them for being some of the most pathetic fair weather, band wagon fans in sports who won't support a man that has done everything possible for a team that in thirty plus years has had so very few truly talented players. I'm blaming them for shamelessly defending Bertuzzi when he pummeled Steve Moore, yet refusing to even consider that Marcus Naslund might be scoring less because he is now in a system that does not encourage offensive creativity. I'm a Canucks fan, have been my whole life, and I distinctly remember a half empty building in the late 90's before all the "fans" came pouring back in to see the exciting and promising Marcus Naslund. It would be nice to see them act with even a modicum of the class this stalwart swede has shown, and give him the respsect and gratitude he deserves.

Rob M (Posted 2008-04-29 14:15:54)
Naslund is not the problem here, the problem is no defense. I think that Vancouver is in desperate need of a goal scorer don't get me wrong there, but they really need some top blue liners to compliment Luongo. If the Canucks don't start helping him out in their own zone, look for Luongo to ask for a trade.

Fredrik Vilborg (Posted 2008-04-29 06:12:36)
All you guys need is a real goalscorer to play with the Sedins.

thedeke (Posted 2008-04-29 02:41:09)
I fully agree with Craig. The rest of you Canuck fans, back of Naslund. So what if he isn't the player he was 4 years ago? That's not his fault. All he does is get blamed for the decline in his production due to him aging and not having a good supporting cast, two things he has no control over. He does his best to lead the team, changing his playing style to suit Vignault, trying to backcheck and play defense. Last year he had every player on the team on his line, and he never complained about it or blamed those players. Canuck fans (and I am one of you), get some rational expectations of what Naslund can and will do. Don't expect a 100 point season, but look for leadership and effort, which is something he is expected to provide.

Craig (Posted 2008-04-28 18:30:53)
Naslund does not need a bounce back season, he needs a "back off" season, as in Canucks fans need to back off. The much maligned Canucks captain had a fine season, and well his numbers might be in steady decline, he matched the performances of the highly touted trade deadline snipers Hossa and Richards. On top of which both players finished with far worse plus minus ratings (the measurement of how often a player is on the ice when his team scores as opposed to how often he is on the ice when his team is scored on) and unlike these two "snipers" Naslund did not get to play with anyone named Kovalchuk, Crosby, Malkin, LeCavlier, St. Louis or Prospal. Marcus has demonstrated class and character time and again, shrugging off a ridiculous share of the blame for the teams failings, defending team mates riled in controversy and serving as the face of a franchise for almost a decade. Lesser men have buckled under such strain (Note Messier and Bure fled from Vancouver, Jagr has regularily struggled when saddled with the team spotlight. Forsberg couldn't take the pressure in Philly, and Ribiero had to leave Montreal to succeed) yet Canucks fans want Iginla (who has also never delivered a cup) and nothing less. To that end they are willing to deride one of the all time greatest Canucks on a team painfully short on storied players, and demand he be shipped part and parcel out of town. Naslund in half as many seasons ans the Vaunted Trevor Linden (and No I'm not chastening Trevor the Great, so all you over eager bloggers that are overly eager to jump on any grenades thrown at Mr. Linden can chill) has scored more Goals then anyone, more points then anyone, and brought this franchise back from the brink, yet he is resented for not being one of the 5 gretest players in the league. If Naslund failed at anything it is his perceverance, that he would continue to work hard night in and night out for a fanbase that has so quickly, and unreasonably turned on him because he cares that much. To pin the lack of scoring (Naslund doesn't build the roster), rash of injuries (Naslund doesn't lead the conditioning) was grossly unfair, but then these are the idiots tht turned on Luongo at the first bad goal. They might as well blame him for the Canucks inability to clone Bobby Orr. I hope Naslund returns, and makes everyone of the nutcase fans in this city eat every last word of criticism.