Donnie & Dhali: Rick Dhaliwal and Don Taylor on the Vancouver Canucks blue line and two pending UFA defensemen – Nikita Zadorov and Tyler Myers.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Dhaliwal: “People have to realize the Canucks issues are on the right side, not the left side. They’re loaded on the left side. They’re not loaded on the right side.
If Myers leaves tomorrow, hey have to go now hunting on July 1st to get a right-shot defenseman. That’s very expensive. Go look at Chris Tanev. The amount of teams that were after him at the deadline and look at his stock now. They just jacked up his, his price now. He’s going to be on July 1st, Donnie, he’s gonna get a crazy number.
Right-shot defenseman, they’re hard to come by. You want to go shopping for a right-shot defenseman on July 1, you’re gonna have to pay.
Taylor: “Well that, what about Filip Hronek and what he…”
Dhaliwal: “That’s it.
Taylor: “… is reportedly going to demand.”
Dhaliwal: “Yeah. And the problem for Zadorov is the Canucks are set on the left side with (Quinn) Hughes and (Carson) Soucy next year. They’re under contract. So if you bring him back, is your third pair guy. Milstein is looking for term. Milstein is looking for money.”
Taylor: “Dan Milstein is his agent”
Dhaliwal: “Dan Milstein is licking his chops. If he does not sign to Vancouver, he’s gonna go to July 1st, he’s gonna get his money. There’s gonna be a ton of teams after Zadorov. Take that to the bank.
Taylor: “Zadorov right now, cap hit $3.7 (million). He’s not 28-years old.”
Dhaliwal: “And he ain’t going down to one Donnie and he’s not going down to two. If you think Zadorov’s going for $1 or $2 million, you’re out to lunch.
Taylor: “Are you going to have lunch with Milstein later?
Dhaliwal: “No, he’s never in town.
Taylor: “Six, pardon me, Myers cap hit is six even. Well, well documented. He is 34 years old. You know, we didn’t put the particulars in there but if Myers comes what, well, he’s going to he’s not going to get $6 million a year again, but if it’s reasonable, because of what you said, and I’ve said this from day one, you can say what you want about Tyler Myers, nobody’s ever questioned his work ethic.
Also three coaches with Vancouver.”
Dhaliwal: “They all love him.”
Taylor: “Plenty of ice time.”
Dhaliwal: “They all play him over 20 minutes, PK time. Travis Green played him second unit powerplay back in the day, Boudreau played him and now Rick Tocchet. You just heard Tocchet, he loves him.
So the thing with Myers is, he has told his agent J.P. Barry that he loved to re-sign to Vancouver. He’s got a house in Kelowna. Makes a lot of sense. J.P. Barry came on our show and said obviously we’re not going to get the term of money we got in the last year, the last deal which is six by six.
I think the Canucks would like to get Myers on lower term to be a placeholder for who? Tom Willander to come here in a couple of years. He’s the top right-shot prospect. If you can get Myers for two, three years at decent low money and just kind of hold that spot till Willander gets here, then they’re fine. They’re set up.
