[Friedman] On apprend cet après-midi que Vancouver rachètera Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Il sera agent libre sans restriction.
There is word this afternoon that Vancouver will buy out Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He will be an unrestricted free agent.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 16, 2023
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electricnux
42 Comments
Wow that’s big.
Thank you Jim 🙏
Jet Black Jimmy Rutherford!
Woooooowwwww!!! Offseason is kicking into high gear! Really hope we don’t blow that cap space on an overpriced vet in free agency.
Also, the OEL trade continues to look worse and worse. One of the worst trades in Canucks history, and that’s saying something.
Wow. They’re actually going to do it. Can’t believe Aqua OK’d that, honestly.
Um…. Wow
Guess they really really needed the cap space
I don’t know if I like it but if it needed to be done it needed to be done
Long term Elias Pettersson extension incoming!
Betting on cap going up next couple of years I guess, since the penalty doesn’t kick into high gear (4+mil) until 25-26
hahahahaha That’s fucking awesome!
I wanted this so bad.
It was now or never. Not a big surprise given the organization’s posture the last year.
Jimbo’s legacy attached to that buyout cap hit until 2030-31. That doesn’t even sound like a real season.
With OEL bought out and Garland on his way out, with Guenther the way he is, that trade has been a pure unmitigated disaster…
Wow so we’re gonna be eating that till 2030 yikes
I really thought they would wait another year or two, but maybe the thinking is that the cap will go up substantially in a few years and the 2.1M until 2031 won’t hurt so bad?
Fuck Jim Benning.
The best part is Francesco Aquilini having to waste his money
One of the worst trades in Canucks history, Jesus Christ. The gift of Jet Black Jim keeps on giving. He was a boat anchor on D but those year 3/4 cap hits are gonna be tough for a guy not on your roster.
Fuck Jim Benning
Tell me the cap implications I’m scared
Awful trade once it was announced. Canucks should’ve just waited a year for their cap dumps to expire. Only bottom 5 team that was adding pieces like a cup contender.
I thought they would’ve waited to see how a healthy OEL looked next season before doing this but clearly this is a signal the Canucks are ALL IN NOW.
This is short term thinking piled onto short term thinking.
I also don’t think they would do this unless they had another major deal in place where they needed the cap space.
Should be a fun couple weeks.
Like or hate the decision, management flopped their nuts on the table for this one and I can’t help but respect it. They’re going for it.
Definitely trying to fix the Benning-era debacles and put their own stamp on the roster, rather than shrug and blame the situation they were put in by the last guy. Refreshing.
They should have kept him for one more season and seen how he would bounce back. This just screams the Canucks overpaying a free agent in trying to squeak into the playoffs. No long-term vision with this team.
Wow. I wasn’t expecting this. It makes me wonder how OEL’s recovery was actually going. What a disaster of a trade.
Gotta love how this franchise never plans further than the upcoming year. It’s that shortsighted view that keeps us competitive for that 10-15 overall draft pick!
Thank you Benning
Scarlet letter next to your name on here if you defended JB. His « legacy » is now another 9 years on the books. It’s nearly criminal.
Really surprised by this. Thought for sure they were going to wait another year or two. But they have to trim the fat and OEL was the biggest piece of fat on this roster. Respect to PA for pulling the trigger. And a big middle finger to Benning. Words can’t describe how much I despise him.
Currently Canucks defence is basically:
– Hughes / Hronek
– Blank / Blank
– Blank / Myers (?)
– Blank / Blank
holy fuuuuck.
Tbh this is probably cheaper than giving up any assets to shed salary, and it gives Rathbone a fighting a chance at getting NHL time. With cap going up 6-8m next year, shedding Myers’ 6m next off season, we wont have to worry about the next co tracts for Petey or Hronek.
We’re able to keep Boeser and Garland, and see if their value changes over the next year and then if we want to move on from them we can get an actual assett back, rather than giving up assets.
The buy out sucks though, the only way this is palatable is due to the future increases in cap. Jim Benning absolutely FUCKED this team up.
So this is happening. Benning really left Vancouver with a mess. Are we certain he wasn’t still part of the Boston organization when he joined as GM?
It is an unbelievably horrific trade, maybe the worst in franchise history, and Benning should be fired again.
I will say this is the right move right now. OEL is beyond useless on the ice and he actively hurts the team. [The cap penalties are long](https://puckpedia.com/player/oliver-ekman-larsson/buyout?s=2023-2024), but they are more preferable to keeping OEL in the context of a very large cap increase.
I know, I know, you can’t rely on the cap increases. But they really don’t have a choice if they want to build a good team. We save $7M this year and if the cap jumps the expected $9M+ next year, the $2.3M dead cap will hurt a lot less. The worst part will be 25/26 and 26/27 when we have $4.7M in dead cap, we likely will have to lose a player or two and replace them with ELC players during those years.
Look, its shit. But it does help the team. Just keep yelling from the rooftops **FUCK YOU JIM BENNING**.
I hate this, but it might be necessary. One big advantage I don’t think people are talking enough about – other teams were offering us pennies on the dollar for our assets we’re trying to move because they knew we had to dump cap. Now at least we’re able to make « hockey-trades » as opposed to cap dumps for those assets. Might mean we can do more with what we have.
I haven’t seen this mentioned yet, but this buyout could be important for future contract negotiations on the team. Particularly for defensemen.
It’d be easy for someone like Hronek to say “Pay me more than OEL, I contribute a lot more to the team than him” vs. “Pay me more than Hughes…”
I know there are broader negotiations involved, and comparisons extend to players on other teams too. But from management’s perspective, there HAS to be some value being able to point to your top performers and create an internal ceiling.
Getting rid of OEL will help anchor future defensemen contracts below Hughes. At least for players who want to play in Vancouver and acknowledge that Hughes is top dog.
Whoa, something must be brewing. They would not have done this if they did not have Step#2. But then again, we can be still be surprised. OEL just did not find his game, waiting for him to bounce back would have been agony.
Legitimately one of the worst trades in the modern era imo. Gets worse and worse
This is the best possible outcome. Everyone says he’s gonna bounce back but let’s be real he’s 31 and his foot speed is rapidly declining. He was never gonna be worth his salary even if he was a good third pair guy.
As for the buyout cost, if Minnesota can handle the Suter and Parise buyouts we should be able to handle this one
Now teams cant completely screw us in trades knowing that we dont HAVE to make them
Since the options were:
1) Keep OEL
2) Buy OEL out
3) Trade a 1st + for a cap dump
This is probably the best of the worst. We were going to have to pay to get rid of him in some way.
It’s actually the only reasonable option if you’re trying to become more competitive (now). Gives them the flexibility to add some pieces through free agency and make some trades.
One angle I haven’t heard is the kind of message this sends to the team. It’s unacceptable to give that level of play for that much money and the organization won’t stand for it. You’re sending a message that you won’t tolerate dead weight on the roster. For an organization that keeps talking about standards, it’s a lot easier to take that seriously when they take action on players who don’t meet that standard
Benning definitely deserves most of the blame, but the current management isn’t blameless either. They created this cap crunch by taking on more contracts before moving any out. They could’ve waited to trade for Hronek or extend Kuzmenko but they needed to sell a bounce back team during a lost season.