Not sure if anyone else got to the reception before the game on Saturday but there was a Q&A with GM Mike Board and he had a few interesting things to say.
The Vancouver franchise is actually in better shape than it looks. They have a great deal with the Langley venue and although they lost some money this year it wasn't nearly as bad as when they were in Everett. The arena holds about 5500 and at 5000 is about the break even point. Once they gain some popularity in the area they should be OK. Also, many of their players are from nearby and travel costs are much lower now. There were other expenses mentioned as well that had decreased because of the new location.
Going forward, Board wants to increase the size and speed of the team. Unfortunately because of their success in recent years, those types of players were usually gone in the draft by the time they got to pick.
Personally, I'm OK with smaller players as long as they are effective. Dobie and Evans can be on my team any day.
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