I don't think Domi is a good solution for 3C, but we definitely need one. That and another good defenseman (LHD or RHD) would go a long ways in improving the team.

We are set up well to move Myers along with a 3rd or 4th in the offseason to open up cap space. That along with moving out one of Boeser or Garland as you did should allow for the flexibility to address the two needs stated above. Hopefully they can bring back Schenn on a cheap deal (2 years around 1.5M) to play the spot you have Myers in.

Beauvillier has been awesome since arriving, better than I expected. He's fast, athletic and disciplined in making the right plays. He's got a good stick defensively and his processing is quicker than I thought, which has allowed him to be an effective complimentary offensive guy. He should stay in the top-6. Podkolzin and Kravtsov should both be in the top-9, which means they'll be on the 3rd line with hopefully a new 3C. Aman has been an effective 4th liner and will likely be there again next year, probably pushing Hoglander out of the lineup. We haven't seen Hronek yet but I would imagine they keep him and Hughes on separate pairings to balance out the offense and keep a mobile puck-mover on the ice more often.

Canucks aren't trading Garland, otherwise, they would have shopped him at the deadline as they did with Boeser and Miller. He's been one of their best forwards this season at both ends of the ice and is on a pretty reasonable contract for a 50-point two-way winger. If he's traded, it'll be for a higher price than that — an upgrade at center or on the blueline.

Plugging two young guys on the third line wouldn't be ideal IMO. The wings can always adjust but this way it's spread out. Beau is shooting well beyond any career avg and hugely benefiting from Petey. Domi is one of the few FAs worth pursuing.

As much as I like Schenn, I wouldn't count on him to continue to be the same player. He's pretty slow now and the GM continues to speak to speed and puck moving. I'm not sold Myers is as simply moved as many suggest. Does Aqualini want to pay a $5m bonus to ship him out? Teams like AZ are already close to cap floor now with teams aggressively shipping money out early at the TDL this year. It'll be costly, definitely more than a 3rd/4th, but I'd be thrilled if it were less. If they do move him, I'd hope they pursue a top 4 RHD and push Bear to bottom pair.

Aman is a 13th/14th forward at best. He's terrible in the faceoff dot and doesn't provide much of any offense.

I have similar feelings about Hronek but I'd rather seem him with Hughes than OEL. And I don't want Bear on top pair. Overall, our defense is pretty terrible outside Hughes offensive game and Bear is a 5/6 on a good team.

I don't really see a problem with Podkolzin and Kravtsov both on the 3rd line provided they have a decent 3C instead of Dries. I see more of a problem with one of them on the 4th line.

Fair enough on Schenn but if brought back he would be lower on the depth chart than he was previously with Hronek and Bear ahead of him. He should be solid enough as a bottom pairing guy and Alvin has spoken highly of him on numerous occasions.

Dhaliwal has suggested in the past that there is a market for Myers in the offseason once his signing bonus is paid. Out of all the cap dumps that a team could receive, taking back a big RHD is probably the best one given they can retain and flip him at the deadline. Anaheim specifically needs size on the back end to clear the crease and to not get pushed around, so they'd be a prime destination for the dump. Myers is more likely to waive for the nice weather and possibly joining a contender as well. Nobody really knows what Aquilini is thinking but the bottom line is shipping out Myers improves the odds of making the Playoffs next year, so I can't see why he'd be against it.

If they can find a RHC to take the role that Lazar was supposed to then sure Aman is off the team most likely. Its a relatively minor move and could go a lot of different ways.

I think people overreact to the idea that "Bear is a top pairing defenseman on our team." It's not that he's a top pairing guy, its that he's a solid, cheap partner for Hughes. We would reach the point of diminishing returns by playing a top pairing caliber guy with Hughes since Hughes is the one with the puck pushing play all the time. His partner just has to competent in supporting him, which Bear is. Plenty of Cup contenders pair their top pairing guys with lower caliber players (Hedman with Bogosian/Rutta, Slavin with DeAngelo/Burns, Rielly with Holl/Schenn now, etc.) including Rutherford in PIT who won a Cup with Letang and scraps and then another Cup with just the scraps. Ideally you get a pretty good top-4 guy for your #1 and because they play with prime minutes with a #1 caliber partner in a strong system they are elevated to being a top pairing caliber player (like Toews with Makar).

I think the roster still needs more talent. If Bear is your 5 and another skater can pair with Hughes, then we're talking strong team. Similarly, Pod and Kravstov have shown flashes but little really to show they are players that make a top 9. And if they are, Van will need a C that can make them better vs Dries. If the aim is to contend now, I won't be surprised to see another RHD on their radar. Despite Hughes ability, he isn't Hedman or Slavin as a whole. His dynamic needs a Toews so they should just go all out and find one. Hell, Burns would have been a nice add had he had any interest in Van. If the FO is in the gas, just keep pushing for more players now because the team won't suddenly be a strong playoff team just cuz demko is back. They need more imo.


Hopefully they can shed Myers cheaply and get another dog at RHD for Quinn or OEL.

Well I agree that if we find another good defenseman and push Bear down that can only be a good thing. The biggest problem is I don't think there are any good options for 3C or RHD this offseason. For 3C I think Gaudreau, Blueger and Johansson would be the best options for 3C (Domi is probably too expensive) and for RHD it's probably Dumba or Severson. I don't think any of those options are particularly nice. I like Graves or possibly Gavrikov more depending on price to push OEL down to the 3rd pair.