The Canuck Way Mailbag: Playoffs, Virtanen, Tryamkin, more

More questions and answers

There has been a ton of buzz surrounding the NHL Draft Lottery and the results that followed. A mystery team has earned a 1-in-8 chance of winning the first overall pick in the 2020 Draft. The Canucks have a chance to win the pick, but there is debate as to what Benning should do with the pick if the team does, in fact, win it.

Another interesting question and one that takes a considerable amount of thought. I feel my answer won’t please everyone, but as tempting as it would be to trade the pick away, Jim Benning and the Canucks need to make sure they do well in drafting Lafreniere first overall.

Don’t get me wrong, there could possibly be an offer worth listening to, but unless it has Loui Eriksson coming off the books as well as a pick or two still inside the top-five, I wouldn’t bother picking up the phone.

The Ottawa Senators have pick numbers three and five of the first round, and a possible swing for those two pieces might be tempting enough. Benning could possibly favour having both a forward and a defender over just Lafreniere, and considering how deep the talent pool is this season, it might be worth looking at.

Still, everything considered, the perfect deal would have to come along and I just don’t see that happening. if the team is lucky enough to snag the first pick, it’s a win-win situation for the Canucks no matter what.

I find the fact that we’re still talking about Nikita Tryamkin somewhat laughable. I mean, I get that Benning loves his physical abilities (he’s a sucker for bigger players), but the Canucks have plenty of better options to choose from. His first go-around in Vancouver didn’t go as well as everyone would have liked.

The giant on skates showed promise, but his lack of willingness to be a team guy was obvious. He fled back to Russia with a noticeable distaste for BC and his efforts continued to slip overseas. He was stripped of his captaincy early on and by the end of his contract, he was nothing more than a third-pairing player in the KHL.

Now, I haven’t personally watched much film on Tryamkin since he left the Canucks, but from what it sounds like, he’s a player who doesn’t like to work hard. He’s jumped back and forth from the NHL and the KHL, and I just don’t see him being successful in the NHL again. He skipped out on his prime NHL development years when he went back, and it’s not the smartest move to give him a big dollar figure.

Realistically, he’s definitely worth a $1 million dollar deal on a one-year “show me” contract, but nothing more. I’m all for giving him a chance if he’s willing to do it the right way, but if it comes at the price of walking away from an important UFA, no thank you.

With the latest report of the NHL salary cap situation pointing towards a flat cap for next season, the Canucks (and a lot of other NHL teams) will be in deep trying to dish out new contracts for all their expiring players. CapFriendly says that the team will have just north of $18 million dollars to get it done.

Jake Virtanen is one of those players in need of a new deal and if Benning needs to make room, Shotgun Jake should be worth a pretty penny. It’s tough to say exactly what he’s worth to other teams, but considering how much time and effort the Canucks organization has put into Jake, he’s not going anywhere for the wrong price.

If Benning actually gets to the point where he needs to move Virtanen out, he’ll likely want a young and proven defender in return. The forward depth is thick and there’s no way Benning moves Virtanen for picks. Expect a top-four defender in return, not a game-changer, but someone worth the swap.

The only other possible scenario that makes sense to me, would be attaching a bad contract to Virtanen to create cap space for extending a big fish. The return wouldn’t be as big, but the cap space could be valuable. If it meant getting rid of the $6 million dollar anchor that is Eriksson, Benning might just pull the trigger.

With those highlight-reel goals feeling like a weekly occurrence for Nils Hoglander this year, there’s no doubt as to why Canucks fans would want to see him make the team next season. Does he make the team though? Personally, I feel comfortable placing my money on no, and here is why I feel that way.

He’s flashy like Pettersson, but he’s not owning the Swedish League as the Alien once did. In a league that’s a step or down from the NHL, Hoglander was below half a point per game and his physical presence wasn’t very noticeable. A few flashy goals are exciting, but it isn’t enough to guarantee him a main roster spot out of camp next year.

The right thing to do now that he’s officially signed to the Canucks is to let him develop his game at the AHL level. Hoglander’s style of play bodes well on the bigger European ice surface, but if he has any chance at pulling off those incredible Michigan goals at the NHL level, he better earn his stripes first. Starting the season in Utica is the perfect way to do that. If everything goes well, he could prove to be a mid-season callup for Travis Green and never look back.

Final thoughts…

That pretty much does it for the return of the mailbag. It was an absolute pleasure to answer questions from our readers. You can expect a weekly edition at the beginning of each and every week moving forward. Look for us on Twitter to get involved!