Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Welcome back to Canucks Talk here on Sportsnet 650. Jamie Dodd, no drance on the show today or tomorrow. He will be back on Monday. We're live from the Kintex studio. 650, 650 is the Dunbar Lumber text line. Trusted by contractors and DIY champions. across Metro Vancouver for generations. Find them at three convenient locations or visit Dunbar Lumber online today.
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And momentarily hoping to be joined by Cara Gardner-Morris. She is the general manager of the Vancouver Golden Eyes. Lots to chat with Kara about after the inaugural season for the Vancouver Golden Eyes in the PWHL. And of course, they will be picking first overall in the PWHL draft, which is very, very exciting. Meanwhile, we'll dive into the Dunbar-Lumber text line here.
as we try to connect with Kara Gardner-Morey. And I threw it out there for you. Pitch me. I'm picking first overall. Pitch me on the deal that would get me to trade that pick as the Vancouver Canucks if I'm picking first overall. And unsurprisingly, and I should have anticipated this, Because it makes sense.
A lot of you went directly for one player, and that is, of course, the local kid, North Van Zone, Conor Bedard. And... There's a wide range of suggestions here. I'll say this, right? Some are saying straight up, first overall for Conor Bedard straight up, which I do not think comes close to getting it done.
Somebody else put in Elias Patterson and first overall for Conor Bedard, which, I mean, sign me up, but I don't think Chicago is doing that. I like the optimism here. First overall plus Jonathan Luckermackey. For Connor Bedard, again, I think you might be overrating Jonathan Leckermackie's trade value a little bit there, but I appreciate the optimism.
A few more started to load it up on the Vancouver side here. This one, unsigned offer from Chicago. Bedard for first overall this year. and the Canucks' 2027 first-rounder, and Ziv Booyam. I don't think, and this is the sticking point, right?
If you're trying to do it for Conor Bedard, I don't think you can include the 2027 first-rounder as well, given how important that would be to trying to add a running mate for Conor Bedard. I like this one as well.
Knucklehead from the Kootenays said, Conor Bedard is the obvious one straight up, although that just puts the Blackhawks further back in a rebuild and could possibly move the Canucks up a year or two. I think I just talked myself out of it as we would probably then try and rush the rebuild.
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Chapter 2: What insights does Cara Gardner-Morey share about the Vancouver Goldeneyes' inaugural season?
They are not frequent, and there's no reason to think that the Canucks would really seriously think about doing it. And I appreciate all the people that texted in saying, you know, I don't even want them to consider, even if it was this incredible deal, because that would just be a sign that that they're looking to rush the rebuild. And I get that.
Again, you look at what Conor Bedard was doing before his injury this year and the way he was producing, the gains he'd made as a two-way player, how young he still is, his status when he was a prospect, all of those things. I think you at least have to have those conversations. And I love Gavin McKenna as a prospect. He's a winger versus a center. All of those things come into it. I like it.
I like where everyone is going. I'm at least thinking about it. I'm at least having those conversations if I'm the Canucks. Fish Dancer texted in. Hey, GM Jamie, I'm offering you free Baconators for life in exchange for Gavin McKenna. He signed it. Johnny Chica. That's interesting. I'm not going to lie. I love a Baconator. Throw in some spicy chicken sandwiches in there.
Maybe you've got yourself a deal. Keith also on the Conor Bedard train. He says Bedard for the first overall, the mini first, the 2027 first and Braden Coots. And he says, even then the Canucks probably have to add one more high end piece. Yeah, and again, that's the sticking point, right?
Because realistically, when you look at somebody who was on track to succeed like Conor Bedard was this year before his injury and is that age, even though you know you're giving him a new contract and it's going to cost a lot, the price is absolutely sky high. And when you start to talk about, you know, the Minnesota first round pick, Braden Coots, whatever.
But really, you're looking at that 2027 Canucks pick. and then I don't know how much sense it makes from a Vancouver Canucks perspective. I did appreciate Big Lunch texting in with a non-Conor Bedard proposal for the first overall. He says, Seattle, pick 6, 26, and Shane Wright for first overall. Big Lunch, you know I love your name. That's not close.
Not close to getting it done for the first overall pick, 6, 26, and Shane Wright, but I appreciate the thought, and I appreciate... The effort. 650-650 is the Dunbar-Lumber text line. This one from Marty the Red. I'm not even going to play your game, Jamie. If we win the lottery, this will be the first time ever we pick first, so no way I'm moving off McKenna.
If we pick second or third and McKenna is there, we pick McKenna. Good vibes only. We can't afford the next 20 years of what-ifs. No way. And yeah, I mean, I agree ultimately with Marty the Red. Don't overthink this. Unless there is this dream sweetheart deal for some reason that falls into your laps for a guy like Conor Bedard for the first overall. You're not trading it.
You're happily stepping up to the podium and making Gavin McKenna the new face of your franchise, and you're not overthinking it. So I get it. KD texts in, would Mitchkoff be someone to consider? I don't think so. I mean, realistically, the list of young players you'd consider trading this pick for, it's like Conor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, Matthew Schaefer.
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Chapter 3: How is the PWHL draft preparation process unfolding for the Goldeneyes?
And then you're looking at it not so much as a rushing the rebuild. You're trying to kind of extend the timeline of the rebuild and increase your chances of landing Landon DuPont, giving yourself the most shots at Landon DuPont. in next year's draft. Again, is that a little too galaxy brain? Probably.
But those are the only two scenarios where I could really see it even making sense to consider trading the first overall pick. And again, I do not think it is going to come to that. 650-650 is the Dunbar-Lumber text line. Still trying to connect with Vancouver Golden Eyes GM Cara Gardner-Morrie.
Hopefully we'll be able to get her on the line momentarily here because there's an awful lot I'm curious to chat with Cara about. But while we wait to do that, again, 650-650 is the Dunbar-Lumber text line. And we can go back in there because I was asking people earlier what your level of optimism is. given how this Canucks GM search process is currently unfolding.
And we got a lot of texts in on that. I'll read this one. Zero optimism as nothing will change without a change of ownership. This issue is not talked about nearly enough. And that was a common theme that came in. Lucas the Fuel Guy texts in.
The process sounds good, but I'm extremely skeptical that this ownership group won't just choose whoever tells them that they can get there quick because that is what they want most. To here, another one, unsigned. The cynic in me, says Francesco Aquilini, keeps bringing in new applicants till he finds the one that says it's a one-year turnaround.
Curtis in T-Town says, zero out of 10 optimistic because of the history of this owner. Interviews mean nothing. If they make the right hire, then I'll believe in the process. Until then, they are what they have been for 20 years. And I'm not going to argue too strongly against that line of thinking because, of course, it's totally justified.
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Chapter 4: What is the current state of the NHL playoffs and the Canucks' performance?
You know, we have a long track record. And I wouldn't say it's the whole 20 years, right? Because there was a time under this ownership group when the Canucks were looked at as a model franchise. That's obviously a long time in the past now. That's more than 10 years in the past. So we have more than a decade of extremely frustrating process going from the Vancouver Canucks.
And I get why, you know, 10 days of from the outside positive process is not enough to counteract that. That is a totally fair, totally valid point that all these textures are bringing up. If I was to make the case that a certain degree of optimism is warranted, despite that 10-year track record that everyone is pointing to, one thing that stands out to me is
Well, you're looking for signs that it's going to be different. Well, it already has been different, right? This process is different.
How many times have we talked about the track record of this ownership, bringing in the next, having the next guy ready to go, whether it's a coach or a GM, before you even make the decision, there always just seemed to be this hang up, this block of, no, no, no, we can't do a search. We got to have the guy lined up and then boom, we'll just do it.
Fire one guy, hire another guy right away, have the press conference, great. And Drance and I have talked a lot about how frustrating that's been. Well, if you want at least a little bit of a sliver of a reason for optimism that things are going to be different, this is different. The process itself is different. And again, I'm not trying to be a blind-eyed optimist here.
But again, is it possible that ownership has decided, at least right now, to try to do things a different way? Was this essentially a moment of clarity season for the Vancouver Canucks?
A rock-bottom moment of clarity season for the Vancouver Canucks organization that forced them to ask some really difficult questions about the way they've been doing business and maybe forced them to change the way they do business going forward. It's way too early to say, yes, definitively, that is the case. That's what has happened. But if that was the case... Right.
If this disastrous, miserable season that saw you have to trade your captain and best player halfway through because you knew he wasn't going to stay. If you came through that season and said, man, we got to look in the mirror and do some things differently. This is what it would look like at the start.
It would look like doing a search unlike anything you've ever done in your ownership's history. It would look like talking to a wide range of people from around the league and asking the right questions about your rebuild and about how long it might take for you to be competitive again. So yes, that skepticism is 100% warranted.
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