The Canuck Way Mailbag: Flying banners, expansion and Miller’s leadership

More mailbag Q&A

Like the Fast and Furious series, many Canucks fans’ contempt for Jim Benning was meant for the skies. For those that have the pleasure of taking part in Canucks Twitter, you’ll know this was a pretty charged discussion over the past week.

For starters, I think it’s hilarious. This isn’t the first time sports fans have gone this far in publicly voicing their displeasure for management, and it certainly will not be the last.

Real or not, watching the phrase “Fire Benning” glisten over the Vancouver skyline would, in the very least, garner a quiet “exhale through the nose” laugh from any passerby in the city.

Second, if $1600 is the cost to fly this thing over Metro Vancouver, you can’t argue that there aren’t at least 160 disgruntled Canucks fans who would contribute $10 to see this glorious idea come to fruition.

This fanbase is way too proud for that not to be true, and for all intents and purposes, it is.

The fundraiser has generated $2,600 thus far, with the rest of the money supposedly going towards Canuck Place Children’s Hospice (I’ll add the donation link to their website if anyone would like to donate there).

So, whether this thing takes flight or not, one would like to hope that money goes to the children who need it most while generating tremendous buzz in the process.

There are not enough good things I can say about Vasili Podkolzin. He is impactful at all ends of the rink. He can forecheck, make plays, kill penalties, and provide veteran leadership at a young age.

After setting multiple records as a 19-year-old at SKA St. Petersburg, Podkolzin will join Russia for the 2021 World Championships in Slovakia.

Knowing this, Podkolzin’s long-awaited arrival in Vancouver will come next season, and I expect the Russian forward to play meaningful minutes straight out of the gate. Given the team’s current composition, the Russian winger is the perfect fit alongside Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson.

While Nils Höglander has proven himself to be effective in a top-six role, the insertion of Podkolzin into the Canucks lineup adds much-needed versatility to the team’s forward group.

Podkolzin’s rigid defensive play bodes well for a matchup role, and his high offensive IQ should give whatever line he plays on a much-needed boost.

Further, while head coach Travis Green may not hand Podkolzin the reigns to the Canucks penalty-kill right away, I expect the future rookie to log minutes on both special-teams units.

To offer a more firm projection, I can see Podkolzin finishing in the 30-point range as a top 10-15 rookie by season’s end.

While Podkolzin might not appear in the Calder Trophy conversation, he will provide tremendous utility to the roster for many years. Canucks fans should be excited for the Russian’s addition to the lineup.

After Tryamkin’s KHL team Avtomobilist Ekaterinburg was eliminated from the Gagarin Cup Playoffs, Elliotte Friedman mentioned that the Canucks would reach out to his camp to touch base.

Tryamkin finished this year’s campaign with three goals and 15 points through 60 games. On the defensive side, while the Russian giant finished the season as a -3, he ranked third in the KHL with 122 blocked shots.

Given the Canucks defence core’s state right now, there is certainly enough room to at least give Tryamkin a look. Though, it doesn’t seem that he would be willing to come over to North America without some sort of commitment from the Canucks, as a lack of such lead to his departure previously.

Knowing this, Tryamkin is probably looking for at least a two-year deal. So, unless the 6’8″ defender is willing to accept a deal of around or under $1.5-million, the fit may not be ideal. As the Canucks look set to spend to the cap this season, Benning can’t afford to add a relatively unknown commodity at more risk than he needs to.

I think that Tryamkin could boost the Canucks defence core, but realistically if it comes at too high a price tag, it’s best just to let the Big Russian hit the free-agent market.

It’s crazy to think that we’re close to another calamitous expansion draft season. Luckily, the Canucks aren’t in too dangerous of a position overall, but they look poised to lose one of their younger forwards to the Seattle Kraken.

While I would love to leave as much dead weight exposed as possible, I will take a (mostly) practical approach to my selections. Since the forward situation is a bit more complicated, we’ll start with goaltenders and defencemen first.

Goaltender: Thatcher Demko

Not much more needs to be said here. Disregard any opinion other than this as lunacy.

Defencemen: Olli Juolevi, Nate Schmidt, and Tyler Myers

Given that Quinn Hughes is exempt from expansion draft protection, Nate Schmidt and Olli Juolevi are locks. Further, as a pending UFA, there’s no way Alex Edler would agree to move across the border, adding extra flexibility to the Canucks’ plans.

As mentioned, Benning’s acquisition of Bowey means that Myers (and his contract) will likely be protected this summer. This move probably comes to the dismay of many Canucks fans, myself included. While Myers provides flurries of offence at times, to say his defensive play is suspect would be an understatement.

Lackadaisical penalties and careless giveaways characterize Myers’ time as a Canuck thus far. With his appalling $6-million cap hit, Myers will handicap this team on the ice and the books for the remainder of his deal.

Myers’ protection doesn’t come from a desire to protect him, though, but more so the lack of options.

Also, considering that Benning likes to protect his free-agent signings, don’t expect Seattle to have the opportunity to select him unless management brokers a deal for cap space — which is also unlikely.

Forwards: Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, J.T. Miller, Tanner Pearson, Tyler Motte, Elias Pettersson, Kole Lind

Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, Horvat, and Miller are locks for expansion draft protection for obvious reasons.

But, the last three selections are subject to more thoughtful debate.

After an excellent sophomore campaign, Kole Lind has taken another step in developing with the Utica Comets, scoring eight points in as many games this season.

Despite a COVID-19 outbreak in the Comets organization sidelining the forward for about a month, Lind may get his first chance of NHL action, after receiving a call-up following the Canucks’ own COVID outbreak.

As a pending RFA this offseason, Lind will hopefully add positive value to the roster on a cost-effective deal next year, something the Canucks desperately need.

Second, Tyler Motte has demonstrated an unmatched drive to compete as a Canuck. As management rewarded him with a two-year, $2.45 million extension in the offseason, his penalty-killing abilities should merit a protection slot as well.

While Pearson recently inked a three-year contract extension, it would seem counterintuitive that Canucks management would expose him. But, considering his deal offers no expansion protection, the idea that the winger is left available for selection doesn’t seem farfetched.

Between him and Jake Virtanen, I am convinced that the Canucks leave one of their cap hits available for Seattle to choose from. As of right now, Pearson is the better player, and even as he ages, his defensive play will still likely give him an edge over Virtanen.

As a Benning draft pick, I will concede that he falls into the same category of special preference from the GM. But, something has to give, and if recency bias means anything, Pearson looks like he’ll get the nod ahead of Virtanen. He’s had enough chances, so maybe a move to Seattle is for the best.

One side note: While Zack MacEwen looked ready to take the next step before the start of the season, he looks to have fallen out of favour with the Canucks coaching staff, as he has spent much of this season in the press box.

In conclusion, unless Vancouver figures out a deal with the Kraken to clear salary a la Eriksson, Holtby, or Myers, I predict Virtanen will be the Canucks’ expansion draft casualty.

So, what do you think about these topics Canucks fans? Will either of the Canucks’ deadline acquisitions make an impact? Who do you think they will expose to Seattle this summer? Let us know in the comments below!