Does Yakupov need Vancouver or Does Vancouver need Yakupov?

The rumor that broke earlier this week that former #1 overall pick Nail Yakupov was interested in signing with the Vancouver Canucks was not only exciting, but also felt surreal.

The Canucks are entering their 48th year of existence and also are in one of their biggest ruts in franchise history. A rut, that easily will turn into a valley with two or three more bottom three finishes in a row.

Now the question will become, are the Canucks interested in signing Nail Yakupow. I'll make Jim Benning's job easy, the answer should be yes. In fact, it should be a no brainier.

For one, he is only 23. Still has his prime ahead of him, the potential is still there with a team that didn't have many bright spots last year outside of Bo Horvat and Troy Stecher. The team needs someone who can spark the Canucks with exciting hockey again.

Furthermore, for a franchise that has never picked #1 before, when a #1 pick comes knocking, you have to listen. At this point, there is very little risk involved if any and anything above his dreadful three goals and nine assists would be gravy for a team that lacked scoring at the best of times last year.

 More importantly, at 23 years old Yakupov would have a chance to be not only mentored by the Sedin twins but also mentor upcoming youngsters in the Canucks system such as, Jake Virtanen, Brock Boeser and Nikolay Goldobin, all of which expect to make the team next year.

The Canucks need a spark and if they don't address their scoring issues next year, they will only be able to blame themselves if they finish in the bottom three for a third straight year. Yakupov needs a fresh start and for an organization that can only go up, Yakupov seems to be a great fit. A player that can connect the dots on a team that didn't have any dots to connect with.

Only way to do it is close the deal on July 1st. Most fans are wanting a one year deal but that doesn't sit well with me. A one year deal might trigger a Anson Carter situation like the Canucks had in 2006 where he chases a better team in the off season in 2018. Two years will provide a bandage for the Canucks until we know what we have in the Canucks top prospects like JONATHAN DAHLEN, ADAM GAUDETTE and new draftees Elias Pettersson and Kole Lind.

At that point, we will know where those prospects are in their development and will know whether or not we need to resign Yakupov by July 2019. 

The work of Jim Benning is starting to take shape despite the results being a year or two away. Everything points to this being a worth while signing. Only question remaining is will Benning be able to pull this off. 

What would make the MLS Better?

Last week I illustrated that FIFA's international competitions are top notch, awhile nothing is perfect, FIFA is years ahead of any of sport.

Transitioning into another topic of conversation is FIFA's club competitions. There is a lot of them if your wondering. Every country has their own cup tournament and every content has their own cup as. The exception is Europe and South America which have two continental cups.

Yesterday, the 2018 UEFA Champions League got under way and my guess is you hadn't heard. That's because, none of the big teams like Barcelona or Real Madrid were playing. Theses games yesterday were the opening round games where unheard of teams like Víkingur Gøta from Faroe Islands and FC Santa Coloma from Moldova started their Champions League campaigns.

To say these teams are small teams would be a under statement. In fact, an MLS side would likely have an easy time defeating them. As a semi fan of the MLS, I know there are a few problems.  First of which is the MLS Cup. This shouldn't be a league run like the NBA or NHL where there is playoffs at the end of the season.

MLS needs to get it right. Fans refuse to watch the American product because its operated like anything else in North American which takes away from why soccer is unique. The result is that fans will continue to watching the EPL on NBCSN and the Budisliga on FS1 instead.

For the sake of having more interest in the MLS, how about the winner of the entire MLS goes into the first round of the UEFA Champions League Draw. If this was the case, my fandom for the Vancouver Whitecaps would go through the roof in the hope that the Whitecaps could progress through the stages of the Champions League.

No fans dream about winning the MLS Cup or even the CONCACAF Cup for that matter based on the attendance with some teams. Therefore, both of those teams should be abolished with spots given to the UCL MLS clubs and spots given to the Copa Libertadores for the Central American and Caribbean teams.

I'm not the first person to come up with this idea. Or the last. It's not that much of a stretch of an idea either. Mexican teams already compete in the Copa Libertadores and more than hold their own.
People shoot down the idea quickly usually with the amount of travel MLS clubs have. However, flying from New York to Buenos Aires, Argentina is about the same time it takes to fly to Western Europe.

To me it's worth a try, if they can't compete in the Champions League, they will definitely hold their own in the Europa League.

A soccer website, https://www.transfermarkt.com demonstrates how much each team in the world's players are worth. While it is truly clear why the teams that dominate Europe dominate, it also points out that the MLS is equal in level to the bottom half of Europe.

Toronto FC holds the highest worth team at 25 Million where FC Astana from Kazakhstan competed in the Champions League Group stage two years ago has a team value of 17 Million.

The Champions League is in need of a cinderella story which hasn't seen much since APOEL which resides in Cyprus made the quarterfinals in 2012.

The dream is probably years away from coming to reality but the move would benefit MLS with the potential to provide storylines in the Uefa Champions League.

What Do the Las Vegas Golden Knights Loook Like?

The Las Vegas Golden Kings completed a very important task in becoming a NHL roster when they picked their 30 players from the 2017 Expansion Draft on Wednesday and their unheard of 12 Draft picks at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft this weekend.




The other 30 NHL teams were able protect only a certain number of players last Wednesday which meant that there were good players on the board last Wednesday in Las Vegas.




Here is the 30 player list that the Golden Knights took:

Draft results

#	Player	Drafted from
1.	Calvin Pickard (G)	Colorado Avalanche
2.	Luca Sbisa (D)	Vancouver Canucks
3.	Teemu Pulkkinen (LW)	Arizona Coyotes
4.	Jon Merrill (D)	New Jersey Devils
5.	William Carrier (LW)	Buffalo Sabres
6.	Cody Eakin (C)	Dallas Stars
7.	Tomas Nosek (LW)	Detroit Red Wings
8.	Jonathan Marchessault (C)	Florida Panthers
9.	Brayden McNabb (D)	Los Angeles Kings
10.	Connor Brickley (C)	Carolina Hurricanes
11.	Chris Thorburn (RW)	Winnipeg Jets
12.	Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (RW)	Philadelphia Flyers
13.	Jason Garrison (D)	Tampa Bay Lightning
14.	Jean-Francois Berube (G)	New York Islanders
15.	James Neal (LW)	Nashville Predators
16.	Deryk Engelland (D)	Calgary Flames
17.	Brendan Leipsic (LW)	Toronto Maple Leafs
18.	Colin Miller (D)	Boston Bruins
19.	Marc Methot (D)	Ottawa Senators
20.	David Schlemko (D)	San Jose Sharks
21.	David Perron (LW)	St. Louis Blues
22.	Oscar Lindberg (C)	New York Rangers
23.	Griffin Reinhart (D)	Edmonton Oilers
24.	Alexei Emelin (D)	Montreal Canadiens
25.	Clayton Stoner (D)	Anaheim Ducks
26.	Erik Haula (C)	Minnesota Wild
27.	William Karlsson (C)	Columbus Blue Jackets
28.	Trevor van Riemsdyk (D)	Chicago Blackhawks
29.	Marc-Andre Fleury (G)	Pittsburgh Penguins
30.	Nate Schmidt (D)	Washington Capitals

Don't get me wrong, this team has some players but I don't think this team will be making the playoffs next year. Despite, a handful of quality players there is no one that spell fear in the rivals eyes. Here is how Las Vegas might line up in its depth chart next year.


RW                                          C                                           LW
James Neal                            Jonathan Marchessault            David Perron
Chris Thorburn                        Erik Hula                               Tomas Nosek
Brendan Leipsic                       Oscar Lindberg                       Teemu Pulkkinen
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare          William Karlsson                  William Carrier




D parings
Jason Garrison                    Luca Sbisa
Marc Methot                         Clayton Stoner 
Griffin Reinhart                      Deryk Engelland


Goalies:
Marc-Andre Fleury
Calvin Pickard


As I stated above, this team is a below average team, they left a lot of good players on the board. They went with youth instead of experience which is a risky move considering annalists don't think the team will stay in Vegas for more than a dozen years. Personally, I feel I could have drafted a better team.


Here is a list of Las Vegas prospects who are "in the system"
Picks from 2017 Draft

Draft	Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	W	L	T	OT	GAA
2017	1	6	Glass, CodyCody Glass	Canada	C	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—
2017	1	13	Suzuki, NickNick Suzuki	Canada	C	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—
2017	1	15	Brannstrom, ErikErik Brannstrom	Sweden	D	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—
2017	2	34	Hague, NicolasNicolas Hague	Canada	D	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—
2017	2	62	Leschyshyn, JakeJake Leschyshyn	Canada	C	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—
2017	3	65	Rondbjerg, JonasJonas Rondbjerg	Denmark	RW	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—
2017	4	96	Zhukov, MaximMaxim Zhukov	Russia	G	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—
2017	5	127	Elvenes, LucasLucas Elvenes	Sweden	C	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—
2017	5	142	Dugan, JonathanJonathan Dugan	United States	LW	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—
2017	6	158	Campoli, NickNick Campoli	Canada	C	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—
2017	6	161	Patera, JiriJiri Patera	Czech Republic	G	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—
2017	7	189	Jones, BenBen Jones	Canada	C	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—

                       

The In's and Out's of Tonight's NHL Draft

Here we go again, the Canucks are picking 5th overall. I have been dreading this day since the NHL lottery was reveled and the Canucks ping pong balls didn't go the way fans were hoping. However, with Tanev on the trading block, things will should get might interesting in a matter of hours.


Last year, the Canucks picked London Knights defenseman Olli Juolevi. While I predict he will bloom into a successful NHL Defenseman, it was a bittersweet pick as he hasn't played in a NHL game yet and the player I wanted went the next pick after to a divisional rival.


This year, Jim Benning needs to address the Canucks abysmal scoring problems. My fear is that Benning will pick a Defenseman again if the player he wants is already off the board,


There is plenty of hype to this years draft as the Top six picks seem super wide open because of Nolan Patrick's injury concerns.


Realistically, the Canucks will have their eyes set on Forwards Casey Mittelstadt, Gabriel Vilardi  or Cody Glass. Which, baring a unforeseen turn of events at least one will be on the board when the Canucks pick at #5.


There's also a chance the Canucks trade up accruing a Top 3 pick and getting the player they want. The Dallas Stars have their eye on a Defenseman and Chris Tanev might fit the bill but Benning's asking price does seem quite high.


My gut feeling says that if Top D-man in the draft Miro Heiskanen  is still on the board at #5 that's who Benning will take. That would seem to indicate they would trade Tanev for the offense that they desperately need.


If they don't trade Tanev and draft a defenseman that is the worst case situation for the Canucks. If Dallas takes Miro Heiskanen at #3 than that scenario won't be possible anymore.


Here's how I believe the Top 5 unfold:

Round one[edit]

#	Player	Nationality	NHL Team	College/Junior/Club Team
1	Nico Hischier		New Jersey Devils
2	Nolan Patrick		Philadelphia Flyers
3	Miro Heiskanen		Dallas Stars
4	Gabriel Vilardi		Colorado Avalanche
5	Cody Glass		Vancouver Canucks

I would be happy if this is the way the Top five unfolded. If Dallas goes with a Defenseman at #3 that will mean we will still Tanev to deal for another asset.


Looking forward to tonight, how everything unravels tonight will surely determine Vancouver's success in the next 2-3 years. This night could a huge tipping point in the Canucks organization. If Benning strikes out tonight it could spell disaster.  
 

My 2017 Mock Draft

As a kid, the NBA draft was one of my favourite days of the year. I grew up a Vancouver Grizzlies fan. Despite the team being a laughing stock for their entire existence in Vancouver, the draft was always potentially exciting day.

Potentially the key word in the sentence because things never always came out the way that I envisioned them. This years draft is loaded with star studded talent. Therefore, if your picking in the Top 5 it might be hard to screw up. Knock on wood.

With the Vancouver Grizzlies departure from Memphis, I cheer for the Phoenix Suns now. It's no secret, the Suns were terrible defensively and still need a lot of help. Their young core is promising but will take some time especially in the deep talent of teams in the Western Conference.

The good news is the Suns will add a important piece to the puzzle of getting back to the playoffs. I'm really excited to see who they pick. I didn't like their pick last year but I do realize he will take some time.

Here is how I think the draft will unfold tonight:

Rnd.	Pick	Player	Pos.	Nationality[n 1]	Team	School / club team
1	1	Markelle Fultz			Philadelphia 76ers (from Brooklyn via Boston)[A][B]
1	2	Lorenzo Ball			Los Angeles Lakers
1	3	Josh Jackson			Boston Celtics (from Sacramento via Philadelphia)[C][B]
1	4	De'Aaron Fox			Phoenix Suns
1	5	Jonathan Isaac			Sacramento Kings (from Philadelphia)[C]
1	6	Jayson Tatum			Orlando Magic
1	7	Dennis Smith			Minnesota Timberwolves
1	8	Malik Monk			New York Knicks
1	9	Lauri Markkanen			Dallas Mavericks
1	10	Harry Giles			Sacramento Kings (from New Orleans)[D]
1	11	Luke Kennard			Charlotte Hornets
1	12	Zach Collins			Detroit Pistons
1	13	OG Anunoby			Denver Nuggets
1	14	Frank Ntilikina			Miami Heat
1	15	Donovan Mitchell			Portland Trail Blazers
1	16	Edrice Adebayo			Chicago Bulls
1	17	Jarrett Allen			Milwaukee Bucks
1	18	Justin Patton			Indiana Pacers
1	19	Tony Bradley			Atlanta Hawks
1	20	Justin Jackson			Portland Trail Blazers (from Memphis via Denver and Cleveland)[E]
1	21	Frank Jackson			Oklahoma City Thunder
1	22	Terrance Ferguson			Brooklyn Nets (from Washington)[F]
1	23	Jonah Bolden			Toronto Raptors (from L.A. Clippers via Milwaukee)[G]
1	24	TJ Leaf			Utah Jazz
1	25	Anzejs Pasecniks			Orlando Magic (from Toronto)[G]
1	26	Josh Hart			Portland Trail Blazers (from Cleveland)[H]
1	27	Jordan Bell			Los Angeles Lakers (from Boston via Brooklyn)[A][I]
1	28	D.J. Wilson			Los Angeles Lakers (from Houston)[J]
1	29	Ivan Rabb			San Antonio Spurs
1	30	Jawun Evans			Utah Jazz (from Golden State)[K]
2	31	Johnathan Motley			Charlotte Hornets (from Brooklyn via Atlanta Hawks)[L]
2	32	Caleb Swanigan			Phoenix Suns
2	33	Tyler Lydon			Orlando Magic (from L.A. Lakers)[M]
2	34	Frank Mason			Sacramento Kings (from Philadelphia via New Orleans)[D]
2	35	Kyle Kuzma			Orlando Magic
2	36	Dillon Brooks			Philadelphia 76ers (from New York via Utah and Toronto)[K]
2	37	Alec Peters			Boston Celtics (from Minnesota via Phoenix)[N]
2	38	Derrick White			Chicago Bulls (from Sacramento via Cleveland)[O]
2	39	Semi Ojeleye			Philadelphia 76ers (from Dallas)[P]
2	40	Sterling Brown			New Orleans Pelicans
2	41	Cameron Oliver			Atlanta Hawks (from Charlotte)[L]
2	42	Isaiah Hartenstein			Utah Jazz (from Detroit)[K]
2	43	Monte Morris			Houston Rockets (from Denver)[Q]
2	44	Devin Robinson			New York Knicks (from Chicago)[R]
2	45	Chris Boucher			Houston Rockets (from Portland)[S]
2	46	Isaiah Hicks			Philadelphia 76ers (from Miami via Atlanta)[K]
2	47	Kennedy Meeks			Indiana Pacers
2	48	Edmond Sumner			Milwaukee Bucks
2	49	P.J. Dozier			Denver Nuggets (from Memphis via Oklahoma City)[T]
2	50	Damyean Dotson			Philadelphia 76ers (from Atlanta)[K]
2	51	Wesley Iwundu			Denver Nuggets (from Oklahoma City)[T]
2	52	Thomas Bryant			New Orleans Pelicans (from Washington)[U]
2	53	Dwayne Bacon			Boston Celtics (from Cleveland)[V]
2	54	Jeremy Morgan			Phoenix Suns (from Toronto)[W]
2	55	Mathias Lessort			Utah Jazz[K]
2	56	Aleksandar Vezenkov			Boston Celtics (from L.A. Clippers)[X]
2	57	Sindarius Thornwell			Brooklyn Nets (from Boston)[A]
2	58	Derrick Walton Jr.			New York Knicks (from Houston)[Y]
2	59	Davon Reed			San Antonio Spurs
2	60	Kadeem Allen			Atlanta Hawks (from Golden State via Philadelphia and Utah)[K]