(upbeat music) We're back on K'nok Central Danaricho Satyar Shah. In the Kintec Studio. And of course, you can be a part of the show as well with the Dunbar Lumber text message in box. 650, 650 Dunbar Lumber. The Bridge Street Dunbar Lumber in Ladner has moved to progress way in Tilbury's industrial park. More room, more product, more awesome. Details at Dunbar Lumber.com. People are all over it today. Some agreeing with the takes. Others saying we've got our rose colored glasses on, Satyar. - I mean, hey, listen, we like to talk through things. To me, it's not a, they didn't have a bad day. - No. - You know, like I said, like I don't think this team is better than this team they finish a season with. - Yep. - Right? They're different upfront. - I think the team they finished the season with wasn't the team that they started last season with. - Exactly, and that's always been my point. Even when we were talking through this, even a few days ago, again, very consistent with the takes here, that even if you think the Canucks should find all their answers this summer, they're not going to do that. That even if they make the Genssel edition, they're gonna have to have some holes in the roster just because of the reality of the cap and the reality of the free agent market and what's available. That they can't solve everything, but can get close enough that you're at the point you were last year where you're looking to make a Zudorov type edition in the season and they can do that with some flexibility. So I think they put themselves in a position where they're not significantly worse and they can potentially be better if they can make more moves and they have flexibility to do so. - Let's bring in our next guest. He is always making this show better when he is on. It is Don Taylor and he is a presentation of Bassant Motors. Donnie and Dolly tend to noon on Check TV Monday through Friday and he joins Canucks Central every Monday. What's happening, Donnie? - How much is that driving? We work today, believe it or not, on a holiday. - I know, that's two. - We get a lot of time off. - I know, it is just talking for a lot of people who follow our careers, but what a day. Like, I like this. This is the 23 sunny, Canada day, free agency, man, it just doesn't get better for Canadian than this, does it? - No, it really doesn't and, you know, free agency day had made a comeback a little bit today because the salary cap finally went up a little bit and teams had money to spend. So we saw them spend a lot of money over a billion dollars spent by NHL owners today and the Canucks were a part of that. They got into it and the biggest move of the day is Jake Dabrowsk, right? They go seven years on Dabrowsk at five and a half million per. It's a big bet, but they're also betting that a 27-year-old player has more to give than what he's shown so far to this point of his career. - Yeah, and he made the point today about, you know, nothing gets the Boston Bruins, but we know there have been issues at the center exposition, at least up until today, but they got lenneled, but he made the point today about having Miller and Patterson as potential line mates. You would think one of them, at the very least, would be his center iceman and what that could mean for him. He's got 27 goals, have no mistake in a couple of times in his career. He seems like a real solid player, very excited to be here. The plug lines are good, he's a smart kid, you've heard him talking, not a kid anymore. Smart young man, you heard him talk today. And now there's a little bit, you know, with the brush joining and hiding to some extent, you know, there's some heat on, there always will be, but some heat on only as better since. He's got some solid line mates here that should be able to do something with the center that's making that very talented center that's making that sort of money. And like, you guys just said, you know, it doesn't seem like they got worse today, but by no means at the very least, they stayed the same. - You know, when I first saw the deal, I kind of thought of Zach Hyman signing in Edmonton, seven years, five and a half million per, it's the same contract he got from the Oilers when he moved over from Toronto. And look, when he signed that contract, nobody expected Zach Hyman to have the breakout that he has had since joining the Edmonton Oilers. You know, I wonder if that's the bet that the Canucks are making here, right? That's DeBrusk has shown a pretty good scoring profile to this point, but put him in the right situation with a top end center, like Elias Patterson or JT Miller, and all of a sudden, he finds another scoring gear that brings even more value to this contract. - So no pressure on him at all. You're just expecting him to get over 50 goals. Like, on this in an Edmonton, it says he's it. - Hey, I'm not saying he's scoring 50. I'm just saying maybe he's a 30, 35 goal scorer now, down. - Take that in a second, wouldn't you? You know, like, no question about it, and he could play on the power play too. And he mentioned today how he could play on that right side, right side face-out circle, and the bump response, and next front, which is Besser's domain or has been anyway. So there's a lot there. It seems to be a lot of versatility, and I don't understand he's 200 foot game is pretty good. And you know, at any time you sign a deal of that length, there's some risk to it. But maybe that is what they were thinking. Maybe there's some kind of like thinking here when it comes to what the Canucks are up to. And I, like I said, I don't mind it. You know, they've gone out and they've got, you know, Henderson, a potential winger that can do some real special things into Browsk. There's Heinen, which might be the second choice in that situation. Most of the lineups I've seen today have Heinen go on the left side on that line with Besser and Miller, that's okay. And the other, the X factor here, and look guys, you know the situation. We make a lot about lines these days. And you know, most of the lineups I've seen today have that, you know, have Bluebird Garland and Dakota Joshua as the third line, which was so good last year, who's just saying, Patterson, every once in a while, can't move into the middle with those two wingers who were so effective together. There's a lot there. There seems to be a lot of versatility there and it's just a real interesting day for the Canucks. The volume was certainly there. And let's see what they do with it. - Well, and they also have like, in terms of fan gripes, now of course, we all wanted to see them add a Genssel type but that obviously didn't happen. But one of the, a couple of things that fans have pointed to is like they want more Canadian players and that's often called for grittier players, right? And people want a more speed into the lineup. Well, they added two Canadian players that are pretty good, pretty fast and Dan Tenhain, one, that's a local boy. Fans are always clamoring for a local boy. Here's a kid from Langley, they sign. And DeBros is another Canadian kid. And in Sherwood, he's American, but man, does he play with a lot of gumption? And does he ever like to get under the opponent's skin? So I think like this team looks like they're a faster, harder team to play against today. - Well, I like what they did today in that they went and got Sherwood and Day Harnay. Two, I know Day Harnay had some healthy scratches in the playoffs. But two players that the Canucks met in the playoffs that obviously impressed them to some point. Like they didn't have to break the bank to get them or anything. But if I'm not mistaken, I think Sherwood was one of the players. Not that this is a positive for the Canucks, but it gives you an indication of how he plays. Was he not one of the players in on that sandwich hit with Hughes, where Hughes got hurt during the Nashville series? I think he was one of those guys. That's the way he plays and gets under people's skin. And he might not be Canadian, but is there a more Canadian last name than Sherwood? Like so there's that, which is completely unimportant to everybody except me. Yeah, I don't mind. Like then you just said it said the speed that they have that or they don't lose that with these players. So I'm okay at the very least they have my curiosity peak. And I think early today, when it looks like they're gonna do nothing, you know, people would take what they did in a second. But I like that they got a couple of players that they noticed during the playoffs the most important time of year. And so they have more of a book on them than they would had they not met them in the playoffs, if that makes any sense. Yeah, and they also bring a local boy, hometown boy, dancing, hiding in and right out of Langley. And you know, this is a player that's kind of had to work for a lot of the contracts, even though he's, you know, he's had a couple of 15-ish goal seasons in the league, but it just seemed like he couldn't get more than one year deals from anybody. And now he gets it from his hometown club and Patrick Levine even saying he took a little bit less to come to Vancouver than what he was potentially able to get out there on the market. That's a pretty good story to add to this team. Yeah, and for the other story with Denton and he's from Langley, minor hockey originally. So there's that, but he was on a PTO last year with Boston and ended up getting close to 20 goals. And you love a story like that, an underdog story that gets even more weight to it, receives more weight because he's from here and people are gonna pull from him. I know that it doesn't always work and not every player in the NHL wants to play in his hometown, it comes with some added pressure. But I think it's better in this situation in that he's older. And I think when you're older, you can handle that situation playing in your hometown and your relatives are there, your friends are there. Denton Heynan played minor hockey with a nephew of mine. And that's, I'll tell you right now, with my family, if you know anything about it, he's gonna be getting asked for free tickets all the time. So maybe he can handle it a little better. Now they can tell those guys to get lost. Now that he's a little bit older, so that's really good. But you know, there's offense there. There's the fact that he wants to be, and didn't work out with Curtis Lazar, and I realize that he was from BC. But I think there's a little more, a lot more offense there with Denton Heynan. He just sounded so smart and he's interviewed today. And you know, he gets the Vancouver market maybe more so now than earlier in his career. So yeah, I think all of this just be, all of this comes, most of it anyway, comes out of the category worth a shot. I know with the basket, it's longer a term, but Denton Heynan is certainly worth a shot. And there's been a lot of people that I know that have been wondering one he was gonna make his way to the conduction. Here we are. - It's really interesting looking at the team now. And I think we all understand that they may still make more additions by the time we get to the start of the regular season anyways. But I'm not sure they're a better team than the one they started this end of the season with. They are different though. The mix could be better with what we just talked about in terms of the fours they have and roles they're going to play. But how do you feel about what they look like today? Better, worse, a push than how they ended the season. - I'm gonna go right on the fence here, sat and say a push. You know, they just had that X factor, was the door of, and I know, you know, maybe some people are thinking, maybe they, Harnay, could feel that role to some extent. You know, you don't wanna lose that size on the blue one and they get some of that back with him as well. So it seems like there, I would say, at the very least, a push about the same as they were at this time last year, where they didn't really blow anybody away with their free agent acquisitions. But they played well enough where they could go out, take a chance, give up some prospects and draft picks for a playoff push and it really, really, really worked out. Now that may be the worry for kind of fence, is what if they're in a position to do something really special? Like a lot of people thought they were this past spring. What have they got to give up? If they wanna graph, I seem to be UFA, like what kind of draft picks prospects have they got left? There's not as much there as there was last year. But that would come out of the category of the pleasant problem. So I will say at the very least, they're the same as they were at this time last year, and that's not a bad thing, especially with the guy behind the bench. - Yeah, they're definitely going to be a team that's looking for opportunities to upgrade their roster as we get into the season. Nikita Zadorov leaves. We see Ian Cole leaves, still gets a little bit of a raise on the one year three million dollars that he got with Vancouver last year. And instead of overpaying to keep Zadorov, they go about filling their third pair with a couple of large people that are gonna play on the penalty kill a little bit and Derek Forbert and Vincent DeHarnay. Judging by some of the reaction, this is where most people are having a crisis of confidence in the Canucks and how the defense is going to look next year with these additions. But I think the thing that settles me down the most when it comes to Vancouver's defense is like I know they still have a legitimate top pair in Quinn Hughes and Philopironic. And that's something the Jim Benning Canucks never really had. - Yeah, no kidding. And how long was everybody waiting for up? You know, pairing one right handed defense but no matter what you think of, you know, the way Philopironic handled his A. And I loved it. But the end of the season, the interview. Look, I think a lot of the angst today has to do with losing Zadorov. And we were talking today about trying to figure out a player who had such a large impact, such a short amount of time as Zadorov and Kennock history. One guy we came up with was Jeff Collins, the Vrobarian. And that wasn't even close to what Zadorov did. Yeah, there's people who bought 91 to Dorov jerseys and he was here for like a day, right? And he just captured the city, you know, the imagination of the city because for so long the team got pushed around, they didn't have much edge. He just gave them such an identity. So I think if there's any angst today, it's 'cause they lost him. But again, I think it'll be really interesting to see what happens with Zadorov. He has bounced around a lot in his career. And as impressive as he was, I can't help but wonder why and what the Kennocks were thinking when they didn't buck up for him, like the Boston Bruins did. So I think that that's, to me, that's one of the big questions today, you know, on top of like, you know, what happened with Gensil? It seemed like they were gonna get him, they didn't. But, you know, are they gonna miss Zadorov, especially at the most important time of year? Yeah, see, to me, the playoffs is the best argument to make for him. And sometimes it's priceless what a player can bring for you in the postseason. Getting there also matters, right? And the thing about Zadorov that always got me, he's a player that has never truly been trusted in a top four rule by any coach before. Like he has never really played 20 minutes before in every place he's kind of wanted a bit more. And sometimes there's a reason that happens. And that's not to say that A-age 29, he can't become a better version of himself. But he's also a player that's never had more than 22 points in a season. Like, if people talked about when the connects sign Myers, similar age, right? It was 29.30 when they signed him. And they're like, well, Myers got that big contract. Why not give it to Zadorov? Well, Myers had won a call there. He had like 40 point seasons on board. He had 30 point seasons. He had like 10, 12 goal seasons consistently. He played 23, 24 minutes a game consistently. He had good playoffs. And I'm not saying the contract was good in Vancouver, but like to me, I think there was too much, I think people were too high on what he did in the playoffs because that money to me is pretty ridiculous for a player as good as he is. That doesn't have a track record or being a top four defense man. Yeah. And you know, like I made you like, I think you make a good point and no surprise there. But you make a good point and you got to get to the playoffs in order to be impressive in the playoffs. And maybe what they did today, as much as I have respect for Zadorov is going to get them there more than a big, big contract for Zadorov would in the long term. People were telling Rick that they were worried about Zadorov and what he would do if he was too comfortable, right? If he was, if he had gotten what he got from Boston here in Vancouver, what would happen then? The playoffs aside, what would happen in November and December and January when, you know, the muck of the regular season, like what would he be like, be like that? I think a lot of people would love to have found out and if the price was reasonable, I would have said go for it. But I think today, and you can help. I think these guys know what they're doing. I think today, that's what the Canucks were thinking and they stayed away from that big deal for 91. It's, it is interesting how this is all played out and, you know, they're still missing maybe that true impact forward in the top six that people were hoping for. You know, we've talked a lot about how this team is probably in a similar spot going into next year as they were a year ago. But I do appreciate this front offices. I mean, they're very clear on where they think is the right spots to extend themselves. That's what they think of Jake Dubresque, right? You know, they went the seven years there, big bet, but they believe in the player. Everyone else in free agency and even the guys that they kept, they held a firm line on Joshua, on Myers and even Teddy Blueger as far as they were willing to go. And, you know, I do appreciate that about this front office that, you know, they'll bend a little bit, but they're pretty firm on the values that they have for certain players. - Everything seems smart, it seems smart. And, you know, not, they're deciding not to go big on Gensil and they all know that, you know, the disadvantages versus the tax-free state that Florida is and what Tampa Bay could offer them from that point of view. And, I mean, Gensil is gonna have a lot of pressure often, like because of, this isn't a side, but, you know, because he's gonna be expected to produce there in the wake of, you know, the iconic Stephen Stamco's leading. But, guys, if you map out the lineup right now, the Canucks lineup, it looks pretty good. And, I mean, I'm gonna say it's Stanley Cup caliber. I don't think so, but it looks pretty solid. It seems like they have a management group. I mean, we've known this for a long time. They have a management group that knows what it's doing. If you map it out, it looks pretty darn good. - Donnie, enjoy the rest of your Canada today. I always appreciate the time. Thanks for this. - Happy Canada Day, guys. So, lots of fun and I hope everybody has a great summer. July is here. - Yes, sir. - There is Don Taylor. Donnie and Dolly tend to noon on check TV and joins us every Monday on Canucks Central. He has a presentation of Bissant Motors, powering the playoff drive home of over 400 pre-owned vehicles and where the players go. There's Donnie's take on what the Canucks were able to do. It's, you know, one of those things, I don't know if you are, if anybody's sitting here today and saying the Canucks, absolutely one free agency in the way that, you know, people are saying about the Nashville Predators today. But I also, like, I don't think you can sit here and say that this is a total disaster for Vancouver. They still have some flexibility and they've made some additions that, you know, have the potential to work out for this lineup. - And we'll see what other teams in their division do. It really looks like Vegas made their moves of the deadline when they got Hanifen and they got Tomosh hurdle 'cause they let Marshall so walk and have it. They were very quiet today. - They were, they were sniffing around Genssel, they were sniffing around Stamkos and I think they were willing to make room for those guys but couldn't land them. I think the numbers were just too big 'cause they already have so many, so many guys making a lot of money there. And they pretty much have enough money to fill out their roster. And so have a little left, like they can be a team that has LTIR space in the playoff. I mean, in the regular season, a couple million, right? And so they may have some flexibility but I don't know if they're a better team. They're probably slightly worse than they were last year, right? 'Cause you're losing a guy like Marshall so. Edmonton probably is a team in the division that improved the most. - With Jeff Skinner and they resigned Matias Yanmark and Victor Arvidson as well, keeping Corey Perry. Like Edmonton, they made the most of the Jack Campbell buyout. - Yeah, you know, 'cause they didn't really lose anything else on the team, right? So they're adding a legit player in Arvidson, they're adding Skinner who can score some goals and they needed some more scoring depth up front too. The blue line, I think you can always have some questions, they lose Des Harnay but they have Broberg who they like, right? And they, I think they're about to resign Stetcher. I don't know if that's been made official yet. But so maybe on the blue line, something there, but if you look at what they needed, which was a bit more scoring on the wings, they probably addressed that today. - The LA Kings were puzzling for me. Yeah, we can get into this a bit more, a bit later, like we can dive into it a lot. Like, so that was what LA cleared all the money for? - Warren Fogel and Joel Edmondson. Like, this is the moves we're making. - Yeah, it's tough. - To make the LA Kings better than they were a year ago or any of the last three years when they were first round exits in the Stanley Cup playoffs. - That's an interesting one for the LA Kings. - Yeah, it is. I think LA, I mean, as much as Seattle made some pretty risky bets on Stevenson and Montour, at least they're higher caliber players. - Yes. - Now, unless those players are complete flops and that would be killer, right? But as long as they're what they've been the last few years, I think Seattle at least got better. - Yep. And then there's San Jose, who signed Tyler Tofoli to a big contract. So, if you're wondering why Tofoli didn't end up being a Kanaka, it was gonna cost six million a year to bring in Tyler Tofoli, another guy, 32, 33 years old, that you're hoping maintains the 30 goal pace that he's been able to keep over the course of that contract. - It's Dan Racho, Satyar Shah. We're gonna have more. Ty Anderson is going to join us. Bruins writer, the Canucks signed three Bruins today. So, we need a Bruins take on what these players are and what they could be for Vancouver next year. That's coming next on Canucks Central. - Hey, it's Big Nazaar. Have your say and join me on The People's Show with big takes and even bigger bets, weekdays, three to four on Sportsnet 650, or wherever you get your podcasts. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) We're back on Canucks Central, Dan Racho, Satyar Shah, here in the KinTech Studio. KinTech Canada's favorite orthotics provider, powered by thousands of five-star Google reviews. Sorefeet, what are you waiting for? You wanna be a part of the show? You can get in 650, 650 with the Dunbar Lumber text message inbox. Let's bring in our next guest, Canucks signed three Boston Bruins. The Bruins signed two Vancouver Canucks. So, the Bruins and Canucks were very busy with each other's potential roster players here today. Bruins writer for 98.5, the sports hub and host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast, Ty Anderson joins us now. Thanks for this, Ty, how are you? - Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me guys. I'm doing very well. I feel like I am an expert on who the Bruins have signed because I was fortunate enough here in Boston that I believe it was the Bruins were basically always playing on the opposite end of the Canucks it felt like during the playoffs. I was able to see every game. So, I feel like I'm an expert now on Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov here. And I don't know if you guys feel the same way about the players you've grabbed, but that's why we're here. So, really bizarre kind of to see three guys from one team go to the other and two guys go to the other team, but hey, why not? Right July 1, so he's madness and here we are. - Yeah, if it were just a trade, I would say, the Bruins maybe got the better end of the players, but the Canucks gained cap space in the deal. So, that's just how it works out. You know, Canucks wanted to keep Zadorov. They gave a competitive offer to keep Elias Lindholm. Ultimately, the Bruins bested whatever the Canucks were offering. What has been the reaction in Boston to these two big contracts handed out? - Yeah, so, beginning with Lindholm, this is sort of the end of what's been a multi-year odyssey for the Bruins in terms of trying to acquire Elias Lindholm. Mr. Guy, they've been a huge fan of for a long time. You know, going back to when he first broke in the league, there was this idea that he could be Bertris Bergeron-Lite, you know? And then you kind of saw that develop. He's had three top 10 Selke finishes, including a runner up to Bergeron in 2022. So, this was a player that the Bruins were really caught for the last couple of years. And actually, you know, they felt at times that they're close to acquiring him or that they had the goods to pull it off. But, you know, later into Lindholm's Calgary tenure, they didn't really have the goods to try to acquire him. And they didn't have anything that Calgary really wanted. And as well as the fact that Calgary for a while was hoping they could extend him. And so, this was sort of a culmination of again, a multi-year effort to try to acquire him. And then once he hit for agency, it was sort of understood around Boston that he was gonna be their number one target. And when you looked at how top heavy that center market was, especially, you know, if you weren't a big believer in Sean Monahan or Chandler Stevenson, especially with them being a lefty center. And when the Bruins written you know, right shot center, Lindholm just made all the sense in the world to the Bruins. And that's how it came together, honestly. Just basic sort of, you know, connecting dots, if you will. With the door off, it was definitely different. I'm not a player that I thought would be on their radar, but, you know, talking with them today, they're very impressed with his strides in recent years. It kind of began under Darrell Sutter. But they loved what he was able to do in Vancouver. And really his game taking flight, as you guys know, like just becoming a more impactful defenseman in all three zones. And so, I think his playoff performance kind of sold them. But overall, it's just, one guy they've had an eye on for a long time. And another who I think they were sold on officially based on his postseason run. - Yeah, there were a lot of people enamored with Zadorov and the postseason. The question with him is, can he be better in the regular season and play more minutes? And that was the question the Canucks were grappling with. But the Canucks made a big push too. Like, I don't think the Canucks offered 30 million, but I don't think there were too far off of that. So, a lot of competition for Nikita Zadorov. Now, the Canucks obviously signed three former Boston Bruins today. And let's start off with Jake DeBrusque, the big signing. And of course, I know DeBrusque didn't always have a comfortable time in Boston. There was some ups and downs. Perhaps we was on the trade block, then wasn't. Ultimately, did he become the player they wanted? And if he did, how come they couldn't work it out long term? - Yeah, I think it's important to note with Jake DeBrusque is that he gets lumped in with that first round, obviously, because he was the middle pick Zavoral and Seneshin around him. But DeBrusque wasn't a bust, right? And he hated being lumped in with that group in the sense of like, "No, you would say to you, no, I've scored, I'm a productive player in this league. I'm not a bust, I'm a good player." And so, it just felt like when you're part of that group, and people in Boston still talk about that 2015 first round and you understand it, but I think just being lumped in with that group for as long as he was, you're never gonna win in the court of public approval, just because it's just not gonna happen based on all the other players that went after those guys. But I think he became a more complete player. He's a very polarizing player by nature because he's either white hotscore in 10 goals in 10 games or he goes a month without a goal. But I think what was impressive about Jake DeBrusque to me was that he rounded out his game and was finding other ways he more impactful. If he wasn't scoring, he was killing penalties. He was hard on the forecheck, he was winning battles. At one point, the Bruins internal analytics said that he was winning over 50% of his loose puck battles, which when you're not scoring, you're providing value in another way. So, I think that his game overall got better, but this is a player that, to get the most out of him, I think you have to put him with a star center or a center that makes his life easier. You sort of look at his best hockey was with Priest Bergeron and Bergeron can make a lot of guys look good. But I think with DeBrusque, you need that veteran guy or that center that just makes his life easier and simplifies the tasks in front of him. And so, I respect the way that he ended his Bruins tenure wasn't easy, got a broken hand the second half of the regular season wasn't yield until the playoffs, but he's a polarizing player. And so, it'll be interesting to see where the Canucks slot him and how Rick Talkett can get the most out of him because he's also a player whose confidence sometimes needs their pairing or needs encouragement versus punishment. - Yeah, the initial plan as we heard today is to play Jake DeBrusque with Elias Patterson. So, that alludes to what you mentioned about his career playing with, with Patrice Bergeron. And, you know, he, I know he had the 19 goals this year, but he scored a bunch in the playoffs as seemingly has been, you know, a career thing for him is always at least helping a little bit on the score sheet when it comes to the postseason. But before this year, he had the 27 goals, 25 goals, pretty consistent in that sort of range or at that rate for his career. I wonder if you think, Ty, that there's maybe, like we see a 30 goal, Jake DeBrusque sort of emerged as he really enters the prime of his career here. - I absolutely think so. He probably would have hit 35 last year, if not for the injury he suffered at the Winter Classic two years ago, I'm sorry, not last year. He suffers a broken leg basically and a broken thumb in the Winter Classic. He scores two goals in that game or he's involved in both goals in that game rather. And so he probably hits that level in 22, 23. And, you know, when it comes to Jake DeBrusque, it's important to note that I've probably never seen a player who was more affected by the COVID lockdown and the COVID restrictions as Jake DeBrusque. He's an affable guy. He's very sort of socially driven, if that makes sense. Like he's a guy who's a personality and infectious, right? And I think having to be inside, be in the hotel room, you know, you're not out and about, like your mind is focused on hockey so much. When it's not going the way you want it to, it's tough to get out of that headspace. And so, you know, his bottoming out, so to speak, was in 2020-21 and he didn't have a good playoff run. But since then, like, there was a light that went off in his head where he became a much more impactful player. And again, sort of what I was saying earlier, like finding ways to be an impact player every single night. And I think for Vancouver, you get the most out of him, it's like, hey, just hound pucks. Go to the net, win your battles. Like his second and third chances, his ability to generate those and capitalize on those, like it's a definite weapon. And playing with top tier talent with the Canucks, like you're gonna get the best out of his game. And I think what's especially valuable with him is you can play the left and the right side. When the Bruins kind of lost faith in him, they tried to make him a right wing. And it didn't really work out. But when they went back to it a couple of years later, he proved to himself and the team that he could play the right side. And really, I thought that changed his overall demeanor. He didn't look at it as an emotion. He looked at it as they believed in me, they trust me. So I'm gonna go out and do that. - And in terms of his pace, he's known as a player that moves well. Every time I'm watching him, he moves fast. Is it consistent, the pace? - It was more consistent this past year. There were times where he would kind of look like he was sleepy, and he wasn't overall engaged. But I think that as you get older and you understand what you gotta do to stick in this league, to stick in a top six spot in this league, he can snap himself out of that funk easier. And I think that pace is noticeable. And you mentioned it earlier, like the playoff numbers, like that's one thing that you're not gonna have to worry about with him. And I think that's why people like myself and other people here in Boston were saying, "Hey, well, don't shut the door completely on him "because he plays in the playoffs." And I think that a fan base can live with a guy who can go quiet for a couple of weeks here and there. If you know you're gonna get his best in his most consistent efforts in the playoffs, and I think for three years in a row now, you've seen that object to brusque. You saw that in 2018 when he put himself on the map during that post-season run, really up until 2019 when he suffered a concussion on that hit from nozzle and cadre, and he just wasn't the same for the rest of that run. But the confidence and the production is back to that pre-concussion level in the playoffs. And I would argue that it's actually hit another level. So this is a guy that I think you're gonna be happy with him, with what he does in April and May. - Yeah, and the Canucks made the big bet. I guess we'll see how it now plays out. But there's a lot to like about Jake Dobresk's profile. Canucks also signing a hometown kid to the Vancouver area in Dantanheinen. He showed up to Boston on a PTO last year and scored 17 goals, which was a nice find for the Bruins over the course of the year. What did you like about Dantanheinen's game in Boston? - Dantanheinen is a player who will never actively make a line worse. He won't make every line better, but he doesn't drag a line down. And the Bruins utilize him as a fourth line right wing and they utilize him as a first line left wing. And he performed the same in every role. And there's actually a moment during the season where they put him on defense in overtime. And they won the game with him on defense. Like this is a guy that you can put all over the ice and he knows his role, he understands what he brings to a team. I think being a hometown kid, he's really excited. He would always tell stories about, hey, I remember, I think he was in the building. I wanna say for game seven and 2011 as a Canucks fan. So like he, who's weird for him all of a sudden playing for the Bruins, he not broke his heart as a 13, 14 year old lever was back then. So he's the guy that like you can put all over your lineup. And those guys as we know have tremendous value. Like there's gonna be injuries, there's gonna be suspensions, whatever. Like when you have the comfort in putting him anywhere and like the best spot for him this past year for the Bruins was playing with Pablo Zaga and David Pasternock. And another player who will kind of play a simplified game, but he'll dials with you with some puck plays and some vision and his smarts. And so I think that's what you have to like about him, right? He can move all around your lineup, plays left and right wing, just like Jake de Brosk. So it's a good player. He kind of got, he got dinged up late in the year, didn't need surgery, didn't need anything like that. But it did limit his playoffs impact. So if he's healthy, you know, that's a good weapon, I think and a player that the Bruins are gonna miss and you know, sneaky, valuable kind of guy for dance night and as for sure. - Well, and he's one of those guys earlier in his career, like if you're not scoring, what else can you contribute? Has his four checking and his play along the wall and those dirty areas improved as well? - I think so, like he's never gonna be a, he's never gonna put a guy through the boards, but he uses his stick and his body and his hockey IQ to win the puck back to, you know, to provide proper support for his line mates to get down low, to get a little bit greasy. Like that's one thing where he definitely improved, I think from his first Boston run to the most recent one, he was much more physically engaged, impacting the game in all three zones. Just, and I think that's a, you know, that's part of desperation, right? Like he basically had a loss season in a lot of ways playing in Pittsburgh in 22, 23, where, you know, he's playing eight minutes a night, some nights he was there 11th forward and kind of just fell out of favor, you know, would be bench for the second half of the game, whatever the case may be, you know, when they would shorten their bench there. And so it was tough for him. It was definitely tough. And I think Jim Montgomery and the Bruins did a great job of repairing his confidence, highlighting what he did well and saying, there's no reason you shouldn't be this kind of player. Just go out and be that kind of guy in everything else falls into place. And so you respect that part of it, but it really was Heinen doing the job. Like he went out and did the work. And so to see him go home and to have that chance to play in for him his family, it's a really cool thing. And it's nice that he has some security as well. I think you're gonna get the best out of his game, not the security. And he's not fighting for that next contract and the, you know, 'cause it then weighed on him. It weighed on him a lot to not know where you were playing. Are you playing in the NHL? Are you going to the NHL? Are you going to Europe? Where are you going? So I think to have that comfort now, I think it's gonna help his game overall. - The other Bruin that the Canucks side today is Derek Forbert. He fits the mold of size and PK-er that the Canucks were looking for to fill in the key to Zadorov's spot. Doesn't have the high end, obviously, that Zadorov can bring. But, you know, you just look at some of the numbers, you look at what he is as a player. Stay at home third pair guy with some toughness that can really help on the penalty kill Derek Forbert. - Yeah, absolute warrior. What he went through this past year, he had two separate surgeries on his groin. He had a thumb ligament repaired as well. Limited him greatly, I thought, before the surgeries. He worked his way back. He came back for a playoff game or two. Overall, a guy that he does the dirty work. And I think what's important to note, his teammates love him. And so there are gonna be times where Canucks fans are frustrated with him because he's gonna be on the ice for a lot of goals against because of his deployment. Typically, PK, hard minutes, and he's gonna block shots. And they're not always gonna get blocked or they're gonna get blocked to the wrong area. But a guy that really, you know, he found his calling young. When he was a teenager, he had a coach in Minnesota who basically told all of the kids. These are 13, 14-year-olds. You gotta block shots. And he would just fire pucks at them. And they all had to sort of muscle up here and block pucks and block shots. And like that forged his identity as a player. So you're gonna get his best value on the PK. But help is the main thing with him. Like he's gonna get hurt probably just because of the style he plays. But overall, as a guy that teammates love, the good locker room presence, very dry sense of humor. But he's an absolute gem. And that's something that I think is telling, right? That he's good for a locker room and guys rally around him. So expect a PK specialist, for sure. But he's never seen a shot. He does a lot of block. And so if that's something that Rick talk and appreciates out of his, out of his defenseman, he's gonna appreciate their full berth for sure. - So you think there is some bounce back value there for a guy who's 32, but only signed for 1.5? - I think so. You know, like where the Bruins made their mistake with full berth was thinking that he could be a top pairing guy. They spent half a season putting him opposite, Charlie McAvoy, and saying you can be the top pairing guy. And it just, that was never his game. The Bruins got the most out of Derek Fulbert two seasons ago when they paired him opposite Connor Clifton. So I would put him with a third pairing type who can make some puck plays. Because when you ask Derek Fulbert to make puck plays, it's just not as 4K, right? Like he is known for, again, blocking shot, providing some stiffness in front of the net, denying some high danger looks. Like when he's on his game, he's good at that. And, but when you ask him to play on the top four regularly, you either have to put him with a super mobile guy who is gonna cover up all of his mistakes, or you have to keep him on the third pair. And again, PK, usage, things of that nature. So he's a good bounce back candidate, but you can't ask him if he's something he's not, which is a top four defenseman, I think, based off the injuries he's coming back from, based off the way the game is trending. He's definitely a good specialist though, for any team's PK rotation, for sure. - Ty, if there's anything we can tell you with complete, you know, one thing that I know as a fact, I'll say, is Nikita Zadoraov will be your favorite quote next season in Boston, as a welcomed addition to your radio hits, your podcasts, whatever it may be. - Dude, he already is. He was like, he came in and he was like, "Don't call me Big Z, that nickname is over, I'm not Chara." And everyone's like, "Love him." Everyone's like, "This is great, he knows." Because people have been Boston for years. You know, 'cause he's in Buffalo, he's in Colorado. We'd always see like the tweets or whatever from those broadcasters and those teams saying, "Big Z." And the reaction in Boston was always, "You're not Big Z, there's only one Big Z, and his name is Chara." And he comes in off the jump and he's like, "I'm not that guy, don't call me that guy." Everyone's like, "Yes, we love you now." And so he's definitely a great quote. Like he had some gems off the jump already, and he's excited to be a Bruin, it's actually funny. His second NHL game ever was against the Bruins, and he said today, "I remember playing against Lucie, Chinchara, and Gintla, and these guys," and saying like, "This should be a cool spot for me someday." And so, some, you know, almost 11 years later, that is now his home in the NHL. And so, we'll see what happens there. You know, but he seems like an absolute personality. So, that'll be a lot of fun because the Bruins lost a lot of that in the last few years. You need a good quote every now and then, so if the Doroff brings the heat, we're gaining for sure. - Yeah, somebody's gonna take a little bit of the pressure off Marshawn to be the one answering all those questions all the time. Ty, we really appreciate that. - He's a captain now. He can't be, it's weird. Like, he's got to be professional. And it's dope as art, 'cause it was so used to like, Marshawn being like goofy, but he's got to have that demeanor now. It's kind of funny, but yeah. He'll take the heat off him for sure. - Ty, we really appreciate the time and the insights. Thanks so much for this. - Absolutely, thanks for having me, guys. Appreciate it. - There's Ty Anderson, Bruins writer for 98.5, the Sports Hub and host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast. - Yeah, great stuff from Ty. A real nice breakdown on all the players the Canucks have added. And the former one, I mean, it's true. It's like, you're not getting him to playing up the lineup. You're getting him to play a role for you and the Canucks lost a PK or an Ian Cole, right? And as the Doroff can play on the PK, so they needed that element. - Yeah. But the thing about Cole is his puck skills were maybe underrated. - They were better. - And you're not getting that before. - Well, that's why I hesitate to say that it's a better blue line than they started the season, but it has more depth, right? It's kind of similar. What they lose in Cole, they may make up and having the extra guy in Deharnay too, right? Where they didn't have, even Friedman, for instance, like they traded for him in the season. They didn't have guys that could give them credible minutes really. I mean, Kita Herosi, like you mentioned, who got injured too. Cole McQuarbe was getting a real low. - Kita Herosi was on the opening night roster. - You know, and you're not in that, unless injuries happen, which obviously can happen, but as long as you don't have devastating injuries, like your depth is better. But yeah, they could really stand to find a guy that can move the puck a bit better on that third pair. - And Forbert is gonna have to prove a little bit that the injuries haven't, you know, lessened his game to an extent. As Ty mentioned there, you know, it's been quite a goal for him. - It has been. It does, however, explain how limited he was last year. 'Cause like when he was playing, like he played 35 games, just still spent over 100 minutes on the PK. - Yeah. - That's a lot. Like, you know, he was, even despite all that, he was a guy that they use on the PK quite a bit, right? So if you can be healthy, at least he has a real tangible benefit in that sense. But he's a guy you kind of have to shelter. Like you can't, you got to be careful with how you deploy that third pair. - And you got to play him with somebody that can move the puck, as Ty mentioned. Or that would be the preferred option. And who is that player with the Canucks right now? - Well, so I think Julesson was drafted as a first round pick, right? Now, I'm not saying no Julesson's this great puck mover, but like his first pass is okay. - Yeah. - And that's one of the things he's done a good job of. Like his biggest issue has been his reeds defensively, right? And he leaves a lot of spots. - At times he'll hold onto the puck too long. - He'll do that, yeah, he'll do that. But generally like, he can move the puck. He has a decent amount of puck skills, right? Like they're better than Deharnay's. - Yeah. - But Deharnay has him in the other aspects of the game, right? So I think in terms of moving the puck, but again, neither guy's a solution. He'll get me wrong here. Like I think they're both depth type of guys. But yeah, like the connects don't need a D-mat. I'm okay with starting the year this way because they showed last year they can find Zadorov typing. You can always make an addition in season. - As for Nikita Zadorov signing, six years, five million per already endearing himself to the Boston media, as you heard there from Ty. Nikita Zadorov just did everything humanly possible to upgrade his status in the free agent market, his status in this market to the point where the Canucks really pushed the limits of how far they were willing to go to maybe keep him here. - They did, like I think, you know, for all the talk and you know what, like I can't understand some frustration from fans or people texting and it'd be like, you know, you guys are letting the Canucks off the hook for letting Zadorov walk, just pay him the money, like I always hesitated on the numbers, we both did, on the numbers, Zadorov. - It's a big number for him, man. - But I don't think the Canucks were that far off. - Yeah. - You know what I mean? So we got 30 million, would I be shocked if the Canucks had offered anywhere from like 27 million or so? - Yeah. - Like I wouldn't shock me. So I think the Canucks really got out of their comfort zone, right, like maybe they would have preferred to have it around four million for four or five years, like 20 million, but that was never realistic. - Yeah. - And as we've seen in the market, unless you were willing to get uncomfortable, you're not gonna sign guys. Even to brusque, you have to go with seventh year, right? Like you have to get uncomfortable in this free agent market. Otherwise you can sit at home and not sign anybody, right? And maybe some people say that's a better pathway, but you can't just hoard cap space and not do anything with it, right? Like you still need to make some additions, but that's gonna be the thing for me more than anything. It's like the Canucks even themselves got uncomfortable with Zadorov and it still wasn't enough. And they just, I don't think could justify going that extra step. - Yeah. - You know? And I think that's what it took with Boston. They go six years, right? - Well, they were also saying like, you gotta give us a little bit of a break here. Like you wanna stay in Vancouver as much as you're saying, you wanna stay in Vancouver, you gotta give us a bit of a break. - Yeah, and Zadorov clearly wasn't willing to do that. - No, and I mean, what, so. - Not like he signed for six by six. He signed pretty close to the number we think Vancouver was at. - I don't know if Milstein said it was reported or something that the Canucks offered five. I don't know if the Canucks offered five over six. - Yeah. - Like maybe the Canucks offered a couple of different types of deals, right? Like where it's like, well, we'll give you five, but four years or five years or whatever, but if we're, like, I wouldn't be surprised if the Canucks made a six year offer. And again, like I don't think they were that far off, right? So this ultimately I think came down to Zadorov just wanted to get the contract you wanted, you know? And I think even the contract the Canucks would have signed that they were offering would have been a bit too rich for my blood to begin with. - Well, I can't fault Zadorov for going and taking the bag as he did, but you know, that whole quote of him being like, I don't know where you guys are getting these figures from these, this money in the trees. Well, I mean, you signed for the biggest contract you could have got. So at the end of the day, what was that all about? All right, a lot's told to get to. The Canucks made their big moves. They head into the off season now and into the summer with some needs still to fill. We can go through some of those and what they might be and how they could address them moving forward. Also take some of your questions in the Dunbar Lumber text message inbox, 650-650. That's next on Sportsnet 650.
