The Canuck Way Mailbag: Podkolzin, Ryan, trade talk, more

Another week has gone by and the Vancouver Canucks are still in a holding pattern. That means more discussion and questions for the mailbag!

As the unprecedented NHL offseason continues into the last week of September, the Vancouver Canucks still have not made any changes to their lineup. Tyler Toffoli is seemingly closer and closer to an extension, Jacob Markstrom remains in a holding pattern with management and Chris Tanev appears to be entering free agency come Oct. 9.

General manager Jim Benning has also not made any moves to clear out any cap space, either.

All of this means more speculation and more questions for The Canuck Way mailbag, so let’s get to it!

Bobby Ryan, who just won the Masterton Trophy for his perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, was a bit of a surprise as a buyout. The Ottawa Senators do not need to clear salary-cap space. In fact, they probably need help to get to the floor now.

Ryan has been with the Senators since the 2013-14 season when he came over in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. Despite some up and down campaigns, he has proven to be a consistent threat in the goal column. His last 20-goal season came in 2015-16 when he scored 22 goals en route to a 56-point season. It’s unrealistic to expect another 30 goals from him, but 20 goals is entirely possible.

With the right linemates, he could return to 20-25 goals, especially if he’s thrown on a line with Adam Gaudette or Bo Horvat. He won’t be expensive either, as he likely could be had for less than $3 million in average annual value (AAV).

Given that he just won an award for perseverance and dedication, I’m sure he will fight tooth and nail to prove that he can still be an impact player in the NHL. Long story short, I would definitely throw my hat in the ring to add depth to the top-nine and second power-play unit.

Keeping with the theme of buyouts, the Canucks definitely have some candidates. Brandon Sutter, Sven Baertschi and Loui Eriksson are all possibilities. However, I think that route should be a last resort. Benning should explore all trade scenarios before going down that road since it’s always better to get even a small asset than eating a salary on a buyout. What’s more, Eriksson does not save you much money anyway, and he’s the biggest moneymaker on the books.

If they do buy someone out, I see Baertschi as the one getting that treatment. Sutter has value around the league as a checking line center with leadership and penalty killing attributes, so he could be moved in a deal with some retained salary.

Benning attempted to move Baertschi last season with no luck, so I don’t really see that changing in the future. There are plenty of players like him available in the free-agent market that I don’t see another team giving up an asset to get him.

As I mentioned earlier, the Canucks would be better off doing exactly what you’re suggesting. They need to attempt to move one of these players for an asset of some kind. Eriksson’s agent is already calling around trying to gauge interest, so hopefully, his work bears some fruit.

Unfortunately, they will still need to add some sort of a sweetener like a draft pick, prospect or retained salary to entice another team to take on his contract.

The same can be said for Sutter and Baertschi. I just don’t see another team taking any of them outright, especially when there are pending buyouts and free agents that can do the same job without giving up an asset to acquire them.

Podkolzin and Miller questions

The latest effects of COVID-19 on Vasili Podkolzin’s team, SKA St. Petersburgh, has afforded him the opportunity to get more ice time and subsequently become an impact player. It’s not an ideal situation, but the fact that he’s finally getting that ice time should be cause for celebration. However, given head coach Valeri Bragin’s propensity to limit him to fourth-line minutes in normal circumstances, it will be interesting to see how he’s deployed when everyone is healthy again.

Regardless, Podkolzin is taking advantage of it. In his first game following the outbreak, he played over 17 minutes, had three shots on goal and a blocked shot. In the next game, he had a similar amount of ice time and was noticeable again with a number of scoring chances, and even engaged in a spirited fight. He didn’t produce any points in those minutes, but if he keeps that up, the points will come eventually.

Unfortunately for Podkolzin, no matter how much of an impact he makes during the COVID-19 induced lineup change, I just don’t see Bragin changing his tactics when he gets all his regular players back. The KHL just doesn’t seem to develop its players when they know they are destined for the NHL next season. Having said that, it’s good to see him perform when given the chance.

https://twitter.com/bkursel23/status/1309571894778028032?s=20

J.T. Miller was simply a revelation for the Canucks in 2019-20, leading the team in scoring and having a career season in goals and points. He also teamed up with Pettersson and Brock Boeser to form one of the best top lines in the NHL. He’s going to be hard-pressed to repeat that performance, but I believe he can do it especially with the continued improvement of his linemates.

Miller is still only 27 years old and clearly in the prime of his career. His leadership and character combined with his offensive skills make him a difficult player to bet against. I really believe he will have a repeat season in goals and points, but he will not lead the team in scoring, that will be Pettersson’s job. With how he’s already working hard on the ice at Rogers Arena and remaining in Vancouver instead of returning to Sweden makes me believe he’s going to come out of the gates firing next season.

If Pettersson is going, his whole line will follow suit. That’s the primary reason why I think Miller will continue to produce at the same rate he did in 2019-20.

With that said, another The Canuck Way mailbag has come to an end. Thank you for your questions and be sure to watch out for the Tweet announcing our next one! Until then, let’s hope the Canucks make some noise with some trades or re-signings in the next week!