Donnie & Dhali: Rick Dhaliwal and Don Taylor talking about the Vancouver Canucks and how they could approach the trade deadline, and how they could target if they’re wanting to spend.
Dhaliwal: “This is a big thing. The trade deadline Donnie is two months away.”
Taylor: “The trade deadline is a big thing.”
Dhaliwal: “It’s a big thing and the Canucks are one point out of first place overall, Donnie. They passed Colorado night for the most goals scored.”
They gotta make a big decision. Do you go and go big at the deadline or do you take it easy?
You got the young kids that are, you finally got young kids in the system – (Jonathan) Lekkerimäki, (Tom) Willander and (Elias) Petterson doing well at the World Juniors Don.”
Taylor: “Thanks to the refs,”
Dhaliwal: “Thanks to the refs. They screwed Switzerland. There was a horrible, bad, bad, bad call on Switzerland. But anyways Don, do you move, you finally starting to get some good kids in Abbotsford, good kids in the pipeline? Are you really going to trade them all the way just for a shot to go deep in the playoffs this year? I, that’s going to be the million dollar question.”
Taylor: “Yes, but you know Jim Rutherford. Oh keep in mind Jake Guentzel plays with the Penguins.”
Dhaliwal: “Yeah.”
Taylor: “So he it must be the right move, right?”
Dhaliwal: “Yeah.”
Taylor: “You’re agreeing with me? I’m being a little tongue-in-cheek.”
Dhaliwal: “Okay. So there’s a lot of talk about Jake Guentzel out there Don and the Canucks because connecting the dots.”
Taylor: “Because he plays for Pittsburgh.”
Dhaliwal: “He plays for Pittsburgh. Here’s another one for you,”
Taylor: “The only, the only players the Canucks should acquire and it’s worked out. I’m being a little bit sarcastic here but are players from Pittsburgh or Swedes and that’s it. Okay. Those are the only players you can acquire.”
Dhaliwal: “Okay.”
Taylor: “So you just don’t want to, you can’t say anything.”
Dhaliwal: “What do you want me to say?”
Taylor: “Having some fun here.”
Dhaliwal: “I know you’re having fun. You’re just ripping them because all they do is go after Penguins. But I will tell you this Don, Jim Rutherford signed Guentzel to a five-year, $30 million deal in 2018.
I’ll be very surprised at the Canucks are not in on him, IF the Penguins make them available. Someone else had told me that the Canucks are on his no-trade list but players can waive and go anywhere. Canucks are on a lot of players no-trade because they’ve done nothing but lose for the last 10 years.
So that’s not a surprise but I’m hearing that it’s not going to be an issue in this case. There is a relationship with Guentzel and Rutherford.”
Taylor: “Well, of course, he just said he signed him.”
Dhaliwal: “Yeah, there’s a relationship. I’m telling you, between the two of them. He signed him, that’s right.
But the price for this player Don is going to be very, very high.”
Taylor: “Well, he’s having a great year.”
Dhaliwal: “He’s having a great year. He’s got 76 goals in his last…”
Taylor: “Who’s his center? I can’t remember.”
Dhaliwal: “A guy named Sidney, Sidney Crosby.”
Taylor: “42 points in 36 games.”
Dhaliwal: “But you gotta be, you gotta be careful here if you’re the Canucks. Do you want to give a ton up for a rental Don? Do you, for a rental? He makes $6 million a year. So where do you see the Canucks signing Guentzel next year if they acquire them?”
