Mike Gillis Letter to Vancouver STH

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Quincy Egg

I wasn't talking about prospects, I was talking about roster players. The Canucks have players on the roster behind the Sedins that can be traded for either picks or good young prospects or players which will help accelerate the rebuild. The Flames had one player that held a lot of value (Bouwmeester) and they essentially got scraps for him.

I wouldn't call Poirier scraps as he has 43 goals in 61 games in the QHL showing very good year over year progression. He has a better chance of being an NHL point producer than Horvat.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Quincy Egg

Wrong. The Flames had no assets worth any great value behind Iginla and Kipprusoff (except for Bouwmeester, but Feaster got fleeced.) Vancouver has a few.

Who do the Canucks have?

Sedins are going nowhere
Burrows no goals is untradeable and a buyout candidate
Edler is having a horrendous year with back issues
Hamhuis likely won't waive to leave his hometown, Garrison as well

Kesler is a great trade chip but that is about it. Bieksa has value similar to Regehr.

Let's not forget that Gillis is TERRIBLE at trades and will likely get fleeced like he does on every deal. Look what he wanted for Lu and look what he ended up getting. Hodgson was a brutal trade, Booth, Ballard just horrible deals

[FAN]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

He has a better chance of being an NHL point producer than Horvat.

I disagree with this. To me, Horvat is a sure-fire NHL player while the jury is still out on Poirier. Poirier is likely a top 6 player or bust guy, while Horvat is going to produce like a Manny Malhotra if he can't be a top 6 guy.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by FAN

I disagree with this. To me, Horvat is a sure-fire NHL player while the jury is still out on Poirier. Poirier is likely a top 6 player or bust guy, while Horvat is going to produce like a Manny Malhotra if he can't be a top 6 guy.

Top 6 or bust?? What?!? He has the size, speed, and grit to slide easily into a bottom 6 role. Honestly why would you think top 6 or bust?

[sun]

Yep, I see bottom six potential in Poirier as well.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by FAN

I disagree with this. To me, Horvat is a sure-fire NHL player while the jury is still out on Poirier. Poirier is likely a top 6 player or bust guy, while Horvat is going to produce like a Manny Malhotra if he can't be a top 6 guy.

Well you didn't read my post thoroughly as I said better chance at being an NHL "point producer" not role player. That said Poirier has acquitted himself as quite the penalty killer and with his speed he should be able to contribute bottom 6 if his scoring doesn't translate. Horvat is well rounded but there's nothing exceptional about anything he does.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by FAN

I disagree with this. To me, Horvat is a sure-fire NHL player while the jury is still out on Poirier. Poirier is likely a top 6 player or bust guy, while Horvat is going to produce like a Manny Malhotra if he can't be a top 6 guy.

How is Horvat a sure fire NHLer but Poirier is a question mark?

[JiriHrdina]

The similarities between the states of the two clubs also includes how some fans are unrealistic about what return the vets will net.

It is all very enjoyable.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by FAN

I disagree with this. To me, Horvat is a sure-fire NHL player while the jury is still out on Poirier. Poirier is likely a top 6 player or bust guy, while Horvat is going to produce like a Manny Malhotra if he can't be a top 6 guy.

Poirier has speed, grit, hands and an NHL shot. In other words, he has all kinds of NHL skills.. He also leads the Q in PK goals, which is a pretty good indicator that he can do more than play top 6.

To say he is top 6 or bust is way off.

[Sylvanfan]

The fact that he pens the letter talking about having 11 million in cap space, only to have a report come out and suggest it will really be 8 should only inspire the fans confidence in him.

[Stay Golden]

Gillis, Torts or both will get canned next year if the Sedin lead team fails to make the playoffs this year and especially if it happens in 2015 also.
As a Flames fan it has made this season slightly more enjoyable.
It would be great to now see Bongo get FLA winning so the Flames can get an even better draft position.

[FAN]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Well you didn't read my post thoroughly as I said better chance at being an NHL "point producer" not role player. That said Poirier has acquitted himself as quite the penalty killer and with his speed he should be able to contribute bottom 6 if his scoring doesn't translate. Horvat is well rounded but there's nothing exceptional about anything he does.

Actually what I meant was that if Poirier isn't a top 6 player in the NHL he'll be a role player while Horvat is going to be a core player even in a 3rd line role.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by FAN

Actually what I meant was that if Poirier isn't a top 6 player in the NHL he'll be a role player while Horvat is going to be a core player even in a 3rd line role.

What?

How do you figure the dividing line between "role player" and "core player" in this instance? And by what metric have you determined this supposed obvious difference between Poirier and Horvat, both of whom have yet to play at the pro level?

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Quincy Egg

I wasn't talking about prospects, I was talking about roster players. The Canucks have players on the roster behind the Sedins that can be traded for either picks or good young prospects or players which will help accelerate the rebuild. The Flames had one player that held a lot of value (Bouwmeester) and they essentially got scraps for him.

You're not even that new, but you should really know who our captain is, and the bit of worth he has.


* Better than any defensemen on the Canucks.
* Outstanding contract value.
* And most importantly, something your team doesn't have:
***** A loyal, tough, captain.
***** Yep, we've been privileged enough to have had two in a row. (at least a dozen in our franchise history)
*****You've had one in your entire franchise history.

[YogiBerra]

Originally Posted by FAN

I disagree with this. To me, Horvat is a sure-fire NHL player while the jury is still out on Poirier. Poirier is likely a top 6 player or bust guy, while Horvat is going to produce like a Manny Malhotra if he can't be a top 6 guy.

He has more short handed goals then pp goals and is gritty if his offense doesn't transfer he is a perfect 3rd liner. His scoring is more impressive than horvats this year too he doesn't play on a stacked team

[Tinordi]

Hard to point and laugh at Vancouver for having a bad prospect base when we're the team that's lurching to now 5 straight seasons out of the playoffs.

[Tinordi]

If there ever was a team that was primed for a re-tool it's the Canucks. They still have a bunch of useful pieces, they just need to restock with talent. They could theoretically do a two year mini-rebuild and get back into the playoffs instead of the protracted painful route the Flames and Oilers have taken.

Sedins are likely no longer first liners but they have a ready made second line in those two for the next four years. They're also a great line to develop young scoring talent on. Up and down the roster there's a bunch of solid NHL players. Sell some of them off, keep the others, get some picks, bottom dwell this season and next and they could be back in short order. Biggest priority for that team is in the motivation and re-energizing the roster. They need some new leadership to emerge and to start pushing the play. That will be accomplished by dishing off some of their veterans and critically by drafting/acquiring good hungry young players.

[playmaker]

Originally Posted by Quincy Egg

I wasn't talking about prospects, I was talking about roster players. The Canucks have players on the roster behind the Sedins that can be traded for either picks or good young prospects or players which will help accelerate the rebuild. The Flames had one player that held a lot of value (Bouwmeester) and they essentially got scraps for him.

Emile Poirier
2013-14 Gatineau Olympiques QMJHL GP:62 G:43 A:42 PTS:85 PIM:127 +27

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by FAN

Actually what I meant was that if Poirier isn't a top 6 player in the NHL he'll be a role player while Horvat is going to be a core player even in a 3rd line role.

So even if the two players end up in the same role, Horvat will be a core player and Poirier will be a spare part? It is nice of you to admit that Poirier has the obvious higher potential, but you're still going to have to explain how Horvat would be considered a core player and Poirier would not. How is Horvat the superior player? Can't be scoring. Poirier leads his team in every catgory and Horvat doesn't crack the pinnacle spot in any category. Can't be defensive play. Horvat is 12th on the Knights in +/- while Poirier is 2nd on his team. Why is Horvat this sure fire player and Poirier a question mark? Because of his draft position? What is it? I would personally say that Vancouver picked two of the bigger raft disappointments from the 2013 draft class.

Originally Posted by Tinordi

If there ever was a team that was primed for a re-tool it's the Canucks. They still have a bunch of useful pieces, they just need to restock with talent. They could theoretically do a two year mini-rebuild and get back into the playoffs instead of the protracted painful route the Flames and Oilers have taken.

Sedins are likely no longer first liners but they have a ready made second line in those two for the next four years. They're also a great line to develop young scoring talent on. Up and down the roster there's a bunch of solid NHL players. Sell some of them off, keep the others, get some picks, bottom dwell this season and next and they could be back in short order. Biggest priority for that team is in the motivation and re-energizing the roster. They need some new leadership to emerge and to start pushing the play. That will be accomplished by dishing off some of their veterans and critically by drafting/acquiring good hungry young players.

For the longest time I've been trying to figure which team you were a fan of, but this post finally let your guard down. Only the biggest Canuck fan would believe for a second that they have the assets available for a quick rebuild. A Flames fan would be able to look at the mistakes made here and see the exact same situation, only worse. The guys that are core players have been hurt or are on the downward slope, yet they have big ticket contracts that make them unmovable. The guys that would be available for trade have NTCs and are coming off of disappointing seasons. Did I mention big ticket contracts that make them unattractive based on performance? But you look past that and make a claim those players have big value. Even after the goaltending debacle and how it was handled. You would have to be a blind optimist to see past the very obvious problems facing the Canucks, and that only comes with being a huge fan of the team and insulating yourself from reality.

[Tinordi]

Or I could be just some other guy with a different opinion than you that isn't blinded by fan hate. Either way, they have pieces with value that if they're proactive with the can recharge the rebuild quickly. Don't see how that's controversial ore how that makes me a Canucks fan. Oh yeah, I'm Canucks fan because it's not divers and 7uongo every sentence.