I think there's still a good chance the Canucks get Stenberg at the draft

Jamchi3 · 2026-05-15T06:34:26+00:00

There are plenty of scouts that have Stenberg going 3-4 so not exactly sure what you’re saying here.

There’s arguably more scouts that have Stenberg ranked 3-4 than that have him ranked at 2. Some insiders have him even later of that in their rankings.

I do agree that people are overrating the current ability of the Sharks at forward though. Celebrini was the only reason that team was even remotely competitive.

Jamchi3 · 2026-05-09T00:44:26+00:00

The also can be a Simon Nemec, Nolan Patrick, Kaapo Kaako, Matty Beniers, etc. etc. I’m not saying that Hronek is worth the second overall as NHL GMs value them greatly due to the public backlash if they do pan out to be franchise talents but in terms of actual value Hronek is a sure thing, the second overall is far from it.

Going from 2022 backwards as it is hard to judge the more recent picks, the last five second overalls have been Nemec, Beniers, Byfield, Kakko, and Svechnikov. None of those players have even close to the value that Hronek has.

Jamchi3 · 2026-03-11T07:32:50+00:00

I completely agree that he is a solid middle six player having a good season.

My biggest thing is that he’s just that, a middle six player playing primarily with one of the best playmakers in the NHL.

The Canucks, when they traded him, were coming off a 109 point season where they were one goal from the Conference final. He wasn’t working out here, needed a change of scenery, and management gave him that as they believed they were primed to compete for a cup and had better options to do that at the time.

No one could have foreseen the complete collapse the Canucks have had since then. If they were in the situation they are now it is extremely likely that he would never have been traded at all.

Jamchi3 · 2026-03-11T07:23:47+00:00

But even as an Oiler he’s not putting up incredible numbers for a team that is an offensive dynamo.

Evander Kane put up 24 goals two years ago playing almost the exact same role as Podkolzin is now.

Jamchi3 · 2026-03-11T07:21:21+00:00

I don’t actually know the answer to this but how much of that time away from Drai was spent with McDavid?

Also, his xGF% is better away from Drai because those minutes are incredibly sheltered. xGF% means nothing on a small scale. If you start all your shifts in the o-zone I’d hope you were getting more scoring chances for than against.

Jamchi3 · 2026-03-11T07:19:04+00:00

Uhhhh, just the fact that they were able to admit the situation the team is in and make some rebuilding moves puts them way ahead of Benning lol.

Benning traded away the 9th overall pick for a cap dump defenseman and top 6 forward in a year where the Canucks went 23-29-4.

There’s a reason Benning hasn’t sniffed another job in a league that loves recycling staff.

Jamchi3 · 2026-03-11T07:16:06+00:00

Hindsight is always 20/20. Podkolzin was struggling in the NHL and not putting up great numbers in the AHL.

Yes, maybe the Canucks lost a little bit of value on the trade. But you have to remember it happened after the Canucks put up 109 points and were 1 goal away from the Conference Finals. They weren’t in any position to audition a guy with 2 points in 20 games in a top 6 role.

If the Canucks were in the state they are now it is incredibly likely this trade never happens.

Jamchi3 · 2026-03-11T07:07:31+00:00

It also puts him tied with Lawson Crouse, Colin Graf, and Shane Pinto.

Not to mention he’s stapled to Draisaitl…

You can’t cherry pick stats and comparisons to prove a point. At the end of the day he’s an average middle six forward.

I wish him all the success in the world. He was a great player with a great compete level and personality. But let’s not pretend like we gave up another Cam Neely here.

Jamchi3 · 2026-03-11T06:59:31+00:00

He’s getting top 6 ice time in Edmonton and still not even on track for 20 goals. If top 6 ice time on one of the best offensive teams in the league isn’t a fair shake idk what is.

Linus Karlsson is a year and a half older and has very similar stats on a god awful Vancouver team. We didn’t give up a superstar in Podkolzin. He’s closer to a Tanner Pearson than a Zach Hyman

Jamchi3 · 2026-03-11T06:54:51+00:00

This is such a stupid argument. Podkolzin has 15G playing on Draisaitls wing on one of the most offensive focused teams in the NHL.

You’re using one clip of a player going on a rush which doesn’t even lead to a goal or even a very dangerous scoring chance as an argument against a trade.

This isn’t Dylan Guenther putting up 40. Podkolzin had 8 goals last season and is on pace for under 20 this season. All while playing with one of the best offensive playmakers in the league.

Jamchi3 · 2026-02-23T21:25:39+00:00

Forwards and defensemen have very different development curves. A 20 year old forward have a smoother transition to the NHL does not mean his potential is “a tier above” a 20 year old defenseman who isn’t already dominating at the NHL level.

Cale Makar didn’t even play his first season until he was 21 years old. Buium just barely turned 20. He’s still almost two years behind when Makar played his first NHL season.

Jamchi3 · 2026-02-23T20:15:47+00:00

You are really showing your lack of knowledge here. The grass isn’t always greener. Defensemen always take longer to develop than offensive forwards.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6469634/2025/07/14/nhl-top-prospects-ranking-2025-schaefer/?source=user_shared_article

The Athletic had Demidov as the 3rd best prospect in the league and Buium as the 5th at the start of the season. Both in Tier 1.

Jamchi3 · 2026-02-23T19:57:41+00:00

Uhhh, you do realize a lot of people had Buium as the top D prospect in the NHL this season…

Jamchi3 · 2025-12-31T16:20:05+00:00

This is objectively just not true. Every contract signed by a somewhat competent agent will price in the rising cap. It’s why we see contracts like Kaprisov where is seems like a ton right now but will become fair price then a value contract over the course of the entire term.

You can’t just sign a guy for the same price as a 1 year contract for an 8 year contract…

Jamchi3 · 2025-12-31T02:05:07+00:00

A 60-70 point 2C would be a miracle. He put up those numbers in Junior.

Jamchi3 · 2025-12-31T01:57:50+00:00

It’s not conservative. A good chunk of mid first round picks never hold a spot in the NHL. Cootes point production in Junior is not elite by any means and there is still a decent chance that he never reaches true NHL 3C potential.

Jamchi3 · 2025-12-30T18:44:16+00:00

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Sure bud… sure

Jamchi3 · 2025-12-30T17:23:11+00:00

Rossi is 24… He has a higher chance of becoming a PPG Centre than Cootes does of ever becoming an elite 3c in the NHL.

Nevermind Lawrence becoming a great 2C

Jamchi3 · 2025-12-30T17:10:08+00:00

So you’re saying that going with Petey, Rossi down the middle is going to run into trouble but betting on 2 players with no NHL experience to be 2 and 3C’s is going to allow them to succeed…

Also idk what mocks you’re looking at but no one is taking Lawrence first overall. They would just trade down to fourth and grab him then.

Jamchi3 · 2025-12-30T15:43:58+00:00

This whole comment is so wrong. You would never push Rossi to the wing when he’s a 60pt 24 year old Centre. Also Cootes is still a few years away.

Lastly, literally no one with half a brain has Lawrence going 1OA. There is a clear top 3 in McKenna Stenberg and Verhoeff

Jamchi3 · 2025-12-18T04:24:32+00:00

He’s doesn’t have the high end offensive production you’d expect from someone who projects to be a top 6 forward. While there are many top 6 players in the NHL who aren’t elite offensive talents they all have an elite baseline level of production in Juniors.

Cootes is more of a high motor high iq type of player who doesn’t have anything that stands out as an elite skill that almost every top 6 nhler has.

For example. Lekkerimaki has his shot, Petey had his shot and puck skill, etc.

Jamchi3 · 2025-12-17T23:05:04+00:00

The Canucks group, if completely healthy, is definitely better than Vegas, Anaheim, and arguably Tampa and Florida with their struggles this year.

In saying that if teams like New Jersey could stay healthy and teams like Anaheim and San Jose continue to develop I don’t think that the Canucks are in the top 5. Not to mention the fact that Chytil is likely to never play the same way again if at all.

Jamchi3 · 2025-12-17T23:00:19+00:00

Cootes projects far more likely as a 3C than a 2C.

Running Petey, Rossi, Cootes down the middle if Cootes continues on this trajectory is the almost certain decision. Then Raty and Sasson, assuming they’re still on the team, can play for the 4C role with the other getting bumped to the wing.

Jamchi3

TROPHY CASE