All would be solid additions if it works out. If not, look for other UFA's or via trade. If NSH doesn't re-sign Franson he may actually be number 1 on my list. He'll probably be had for the lowest cost (2.75 mill?) and he put up 21 points in 61 games for Nashville. And he's another BC boy to boot. But realistically, how likely is it to get two Dmen from the same team.
Have there been any reports on Johnny Boychuk's contract status? I know it's unlikely he makes it to UFA but since BOS just re-signed Seidenberg they may have pushed his priority back a bit. Their biggest issue is offense and they have about 6 million (against assuming cap goes up 2 mill) to sign 4-5 players. I'd think Boychuk makes at least 3.
While it'd be good to add another young D-man to the organization, isn't Franson supposed to be an offensive defenseman? I'd be more interested in a young guy who can potentially be a good shutdown D-man, since our blueline doesn't seem like it'll be lacking in scoring for years to come.
And that's where Boychuk would be an intriguing option indeed. He had a pretty good rookie season with the B's and - with their signing of Seidenberg - might not be kept on if they're looking to upgrade their offense. I'd definitely be interested in going after this guy, except that I don't think he's worth 3 mil. Probably in the range of 1.5 - 2.25 mil.
Well if we can get Hamhuis then I wouldn't mind seeing if we can get a second mid pairing D-man via offer sheet from a team that is in cap trouble.
Cody Franson (NSH has their internal cap, guessing around 48 million. Lots depending on if they re-sign Grebeshkov and/or Bouillon)
Marc Staal (NYR has decent cap space say Staal is just a pipe dream pretty much)
Niklas Hjalmarsson (We know how cap screwed the Hawks are)
Braydon Coburn (Value will be pretty high. If cap goes up 2 mill Flyers will have just under 11 mill to sign 7 players)
Ian White (Calgary is pretty much just as screwed as the Hawks are cap wise)
All would be solid additions if it works out. If not, look for other UFA's or via trade. If NSH doesn't re-sign Franson he may actually be number 1 on my list. He'll probably be had for the lowest cost (2.75 mill?) and he put up 21 points in 61 games for Nashville. And he's another BC boy to boot. But realistically, how likely is it to get two Dmen from the same team.
Have there been any reports on Johnny Boychuk's contract status? I know it's unlikely he makes it to UFA but since BOS just re-signed Seidenberg they may have pushed his priority back a bit. Their biggest issue is offense and they have about 6 million (against assuming cap goes up 2 mill) to sign 4-5 players. I'd think Boychuk makes at least 3.
Someone remind me of the draft picks going the other way at the likely salary levels for offer sheets on these guys. Bringing it up because of our current lack of a 2nd and 3rd.
Boychuk would certainly be worth a look IMO. In 51 games he took a measley 4 minor penalties - that's impressive for a defenseman that plays a robust game, albeit against easy competition. He would add size, toughness and decent offensive tools to the bottom pairing.
Whoever is willing to bet that he can carry over his limited success from this season and pay him well could end up with a steal on their hands. It's a pretty big risk to outbid everyone else for Boychuk's services but could pay big dividends down the road. Are the Canucks in a position to take such a risk? I don't see why not - if it doesn't work out, burry him. If it does, we've got a big, physical RH shot on the backend with some skill.
I would love to see the Canucks acquire his rights and lock him up prior to July 1st. Give him Shane O'Brien's money and roster spot and move Shane out of town. Good risk/reward transaction IMO.
Let's see, the Bruins sit at 54 million in salary (includes Marchand, Hamill, Whitfield and Penner). Not sure how many of them make the team but they also have 5 of their D from last year signed. They need to re-sign Blake Wheeler who made 2.8 million last year. They'll also have either Hall or Seguin who are basically guaranteed to make the team and they'll get the rookie max or damn close to it. If the CBA doesn't get extended all those bonuses count.
Tavares has 2.850 million in bonuses on his contract, so I'm guessing that's the max. Maximum ELC contract is 900,000 again so that's 3.750 million potentially if they put Hall or Seguin in their line up next year. I really don't know how they can fit Boychuk in. If I'm Gillis I'm definitely going to call Chiarelli about trying to get Boychuk's rights.
While it'd be good to add another young D-man to the organization, isn't Franson supposed to be an offensive defenseman? I'd be more interested in a young guy who can potentially be a good shutdown D-man, since our blueline doesn't seem like it'll be lacking in scoring for years to come.
And that's where Boychuk would be an intriguing option indeed. He had a pretty good rookie season with the B's and - with their signing of Seidenberg - might not be kept on if they're looking to upgrade their offense. I'd definitely be interested in going after this guy, except that I don't think he's worth 3 mil. Probably in the range of 1.5 - 2.25 mil.
Franson is a pretty solid 2-way blueliner. He saw fairly protected time behind Webber, Suter, Hamhuis and Boullon and was a +15 (on a defense oriented team). He does have some offensive skill; he put up 21 points playing less than 15 minutes per game. But why pass on him because he has some skill? He's 6'5" 215lb and only 21 years old. If Nashville lets him get to July 1 without a contract you have the fax machine warmed up with the offer sheet.
Here's what it was the last two years. The ranges will go up with the cap increase so we won't know for sure.
The 2008-09 cap ceiling was 56.7 million and went up by 100k in 2009-10. As a result, the 2nd round ceiling went up by 400 thousand between 08/09 and 09/10. If the cap goes up 2 million I'm thinking the ceiling for for second round would go up quite a bit.
Thanks for that. It looks like we can't tender a significant offer sheet this year.
Edler and Ehrhoff aren't the problem. They were both big minute players this season.
The Canucks usually have at least one defenseman out of the lineup for probably 40 games a year. Assuming just one guy goes down you're left with Rome, Sweatt and Alberts occupying half of your backend - that's a huge problem IMO. What happens if 2 guys go down? I don't even want to imagine what the defense would look like then...
Ideally Gillis finds 2 defensemen in free agency and Willie Mitchell is cleared to play and given a 1 year contract. IMO this is the best way to get some balance back into the defense...
Hamhuis Ehrhoff
Mitchell Salo
Edler Aucoin
Rome
well, you've still got two defensmen in your top 6 that will likely miss significant time. and both Salo and Mitchell are slowing down. Salo, while still solid, looked slow at times this past season. and I expect this concussion will affect Willie's game if/when he returns. so you've still got Rome + whoever making up the bottom of your depth chart when they go down.
I'm not convinced Aucoin is really much of a pick up for our team. he's a solid pro, sure. but he does nothing to add to our overall footspeed, and despite all his years in the league he's only played 47 playoff games and never been out of the first round (or played more than 7 games in a season at any rate).
And what do you expect Aucoin to sign for? I think he'll be around $2m next season. pretty meh signing imo, even though I am an Aucoin fan.
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IMO something along those lines gives the Canucks much better depth. Rome is a guy that can step in when injuries hit and give you solid, dependable minutes. Aucoin is coming off a good season where he played on the Coyotes top pairing and could seemlessly slide into a top 4 role when the inevitable Mitchell/Salo injuries strike - Edler as well can take on tougher minutes...
lol, Edler will never see third-pairing minutes again, unless he plays late into his 30s. are you going to put Mitchell or Salo with Aucoin? maybe if we're playing on slush, but egads that would make a slow pairing. no chance Gillis makes 2/3 his top 6 sluggish skaters like Mitchell, Salo and Aucoin.
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I have a feeling Adrian Aucoin will be a bargain in free agency. He provides a similar skillset and game as a Pavel Kubina but probably at a fraction of the cost. I'd like to see him targeted as a possible Shane O'Brien replacement - he's the perfect anchor for the bottom pairing IMO.
sure, and Rome provides a similar skillset and game as a Dan Hamhuis but probably at a fraction of the cost. unless someone outbids us for Rome's services, I expect Rome to be the anchor for the bottom pairing next season. his play this season earned it.
I also expect we'll see Alberts back. Gillis acquired him in part because he is signed for next season. even though AA had some tough games since being a Canuck, I don't think Gillis is going to let that erase his scouts' assessments. And Alberts did show some upside.
I'm pretty confident Rome and Alberts will be 2 of our 5-6-7 dmen. maybe Gillis will bring in Aucoin or Mitchell etc, or make a trade for someone like Franson, to round out that portion of the depth chart. but Gillis's talk about prospects stepping up suggests a defensive prospect will at least have a shot at the final roster. at this point, if someone came back from the future and guaranteed a Canuck blueline prospect made the team out of camp next season, I'd think the smart money would be on it being Sweatt.
Seriously, I don't think he's there yet, aside from the +/- stats your posted.
I think Franson has some mobility issues and positioning issues. His defensive game simply isn't there yet. I'd consider him a bit of Bieksa clone right now, good offensively, can play a bit mean, has a lethal shot, but gets lost in his own zone.
I don't see how you can say, right now, Franson is a good two way defender in the NHL.
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Originally Posted by MattiO
Nice to have champions coming to camp.
especially the Sweatt played a major role in winning it..
Seriously, I don't think he's there yet, aside from the +/- stats your posted.
I think Franson has some mobility issues and positioning issues. His defensive game simply isn't there yet. I'd consider him a bit of Bieksa clone right now, good offensively, can play a bit mean, has a lethal shot, but gets lost in his own zone.
I don't see how you can say, right now, Franson is a good two way defender in the NHL.
ROFL I guess I did call out our blue line for its lack of championship or big game experience
according to most Nashville fans, Franson shouldn't even be considered a 2-way defender... he seems to be behind the play all the time looking for offense and is a poor skater overall.
By the scouting reports from Preds fans, he's the opposite of what we need - an offensive dman with size who doesn't use it, poor skater and below average in his own zone.
Why you guys talking about Franson in the Lee Sweatt thread? Or at all really? I could see before we acquired Hamhuis and Ballard but pretty moot now.
As for Sweatt, I'm expecting him to get some games this year. RHS for the third pairing and 2nd pp unit. Seems like the ideal depth guy for when Salo is out of the line up, and he's already had a solid pro career. Very interested in seeing whay he brings at camp.
I definitely could see Sweatt getting some minutes early in the year now that Salo is out, but not out of the gate. I think Sweatt should spend a month in Manitoba unless he is fantastic at camp. Ideally we have a player that can be sent down without waivers when Salo does come back. The two options being Oberg and Sweatt. With Sweatt being a RHS he could be ahead on the call up depth chart depending on his performance.
With a couple of big boy games under his belt, scored a goal, how has he looked so far?
The reporter from CBC was comparing his career path to Brian Rafalski (not saying he is as good, just that he went to Finland and came back, and is a US native)
