Giants Acquire Daniel Wapple From Pats; Waive Taylor Crunk

[Lucic]

The Vancouver Giants announced on Thursday that the hockey club has acquired overage goaltender Daniel Wapple from the Regina Pats in exchange for a fourth round pick in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft. As a result of the trade, the Giants have also waived 20-year-old forward Taylor Crunk.

“We’re excited to welcome Daniel to our hockey club,” said Giants Head Coach Lorne Molleken. “He’s an accomplished goaltender at our level that has been a big part of Regina’s success over the last couple of years. He’s also a goalie that I believe gives you a chance to win each and every night. We would also like to thank Taylor for his time with our club and wish him all the best going forward.”

Wapple was a fourth round pick of the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft. The Saskatoon native has played in 128 career WHL games split between the Pats, Warriors and Medicine Hat Tigers. The 20-year-old puck stopper has gone 5-3-1-0 with Regina this season, putting up a 3.20 goals against average and a 0.907 save percentage.

[Lucic]

Just when Lee thought he won the starting job. I have no idea what is going on here. I'm not thrilled with Crunk leaving but I expected it once they claimed Peterson. Now I imagine Peterson will eventually be waived too. Then again who knows what the hell is going on.

[Lucic]

Well that didn't take long. Lee has been dealt to Edmonton. Unfortunately for him he'll be a back up there as well.

[dondo]

What the? These guys have lost their minds, lost control of the team and now are just making dumb "anything" decisions to I guess make the playoffs, where they will be eliminated 4 straight again (if they even make the second season). Talk about desperate acts of a broken team. Time to clean the whole slate, management-wise. The very last thing we need is an overage goaltender. What a complete waste. So we lose Porter and Lee and still don;t have an OA D-man our real need. This is really ridiculous. Feels like Toigo pushing from behind the scenes and no-one able to control him. What a freaking mess.

[Priceisright]

I'm speechless. Just sad. Sorry I have nothing to contribute.

[Knuckles Muldoon]

This has gone full gong-show mode.
One thing is clear: this management group miscalculated on the assembled players so badly going into training camp that they should all be fired. There's nothing else to say. Complete incompetence.
I guess Wapple is a good goalie, perhaps he can provide in a way like Adam Morrison did as an OA. As for Lee, he had so many chances to grab the reigns....he just isn't good enough. This move has Molleken written all over it. He probably told Bonner he has zero confidence in any of the goalies. Can't say I blame him. But could any goalie look good behind that ragtag defence?
As for Crunk, he started the season playing well, but he has faded like everyone else. He's a decent grinder, but I was hoping for more. But losing him just makes the Giants even softer...and that boggles the mind.
I still think they will settle on Cox, Wapple and Popoff as OAs. I still feel Petersen is just dropping by for lunch.
And I'm kinda wondering why I even care about this anymore.

[Lucic]

Wapple is certainly an upgrade on Lee but that doesn't say much. The Giants are clearly desperate to make the playoffs and a move like this might help in that regard but there are still so many holes I really don't know what the long term plan is. Obviously Menell and Roach will have to be moved, Peterson will be waived eventually once Cox is healthy but the real question is what the Giants hope to get for Menell and Roach. Hopefully a defenseman and some size up front. Although I'm not counting on the latter. Bonner has been saying he wants that for years and never seems to follow through. This team constantly seems small up front. I'm sick and tired of it.

I will say I am happy to see Lee gone. I wanted this to happen two years ago. Obviously he didn't have much trade value but at least he's gone. Best case scenario, maybe Wapple can help mentor Kubic for next season. If the Giants manage to sneak into the playoffs good, but I don't have those expectations.

[scrunt]

Holy crap, is this a train wreck or what? The level of denial in management is now of epic proportions. All of these latest moves reek of desperate attempts to make the playoffs, as if the team was a player or two away from making an impact, even in the face of mass desertions by players. What a joke.

As much as Adam Morrison and Dalton Thrower were great players for the Giants, I felt that both were a determent to the long term direction of the team by giving management visions of playoff success. Rather than rebuilding, management has always derailed a plan to develop young talent by f*cking up the lineup in the hope of a playoff miracle.

Is this the clusterf*ck that will finally implode the team and force a major upheaval? Sadly, I still don't see it happening. Toigo and Co still seem to be living on acid here... Tyler Benson... Top Prospects Game... Yes indeed, the Giants are on the brink of a miraculous turnaround that will culminate in a Memorial Cup win win Red Deer later this season...Take that WHL, you should have awarded the 2016 Memorial Cup to Vancouver, we are a power to be reckoned with... Look how smart we were to jettison Vlad Bobylev and replace him with Rado Bondra; Wapple is a goaltending GOD, HAHAHAHA I am Ron Toigo, the king of the World... The ghost of Pat Quinn will inspire this ragtag team of discontents to a championship finale worthy of a Hollywood film! HAHAHAHA!! Take that Jackson Whistle, you loser, think of where you could be now if only you were good enough to still be a Giant!! HAHAHAHA!

Sorry, I went a bit crazy there, but it felt good to vent a bit.

Seriously though, these latest moves make no sense and do nothing to address the real issues. How can any player still in the dressing room have any motivation to want to be a Giant?

[Priceisright]

Wow we lost to Kamloops! Lowest of the low. . Oh nevrmind. They must have a few games in a row? Last time I looked Kamloops was at the bottom. Guess they picked things up.

Was anyone at the game?

[johnnyradiant]

Well that didn't take long. Lee has been dealt to Edmonton. Unfortunately for him he'll be a back up there as well.

Lee for a 6th round!?! Was he really only a 6th round player? I don't think he is like sliced bread but I didn't think he would rank that low, in my mind it is just another symptom of what all is being said here about the brain trust.

I wonder if Toigo even knows Benson's first name yet, or if anybody is prompting him to run his name through is head by saying it out loud a few times before the media shows up for the Top Prospects game.

IF Benson is game enough to stick it out, I wonder if whoever drafts him will allow him to return if they don't keep him themselves.