You got a choice...

The end is near, but the fun will continue this offseason as the Canucks host the draft. If GMJB can survive to that point, I have an idea for him. Maybe it’s time to convince Francesco to eat some salary and get rid of another bad contract.

But in this scenario there can be only one sacrifice to the hockey gods:

Loui Eriksson or Brandon Sutter.

Remember, you get one.....not both, you greedy bastards.

Let me lay out the painful numbers.

Brandon Sutter

hockey-reference.com

hockey-reference.com

Brandon never has never materialized into the 20 goal scorer we all hoped and prayed he could be. We could point to his lack of offensive zones starts or his usage on the PK and try to say his lack of production was due to Travis Green. But honestly, Sutter was never really good handling the puck and distributing it to others in scoring position. Sutter is a $4+ million a year grinder.

Loui Eriksson

hockey-reference.com

hockey-reference.com

Loui was a mistake from day one. I never liked the signing...go look it up. The idea of the Tre-Kroner line with the Sedins was nice on paper and international ice, but Benning should have realized that a $20 million slow first line was a bad idea. Throwing $36 million at a guy over the age of 30 was ......stupid. It seems like rebuilding is impossible when you have a guy like Eriksson out on the fourth line, taking time away from a young kid.

So here are your options:

1. Trade Sutter for whatever you can get, but you have to retain 50% of his salary. (2 more years)
2. Trade Eriksson for whatever you can get, but retain 50% of his salary. (3 more years)

That’s it. The situation with Sam Gagner this year and burying him in the minors will come back to haunt GMJB in future free agent markets, so thinking about doing it again with one of these two would be disastrous so I am not including that option.

GMJB has shown his willing to get rid of his mistake signings, so let’s hope he can move one of these guys in June or July.