C.Schneider

Looks like this will be JB's best draft pick in his Canucks' history. People still complaining about this pick can go stuff their behind with meat and potaters.

My god am I thrilled with this pick. Never thought JB had it in him to take Juolevi at 5. Was almost certain he would take Tkatchuk. Was praying for JP or Juo, and we landed with Juo. He is our OEL, not a Maatta. Rest assured CDC nation, Juolevi is going to be one heck of a player for a very long, long time.

Nah. We should really send Matthews next year as well. WD won't be giving him much ice time anyways.

It isn't so much that his physical assets have diminished, but more his mental confusion. He is trying to become a player he is not, over-thinking the game and trying to make plays above his level. Virtanen is a player that performs well when he keeps things simple, and just plays hard. Right now, he is neither, which is why it looks like his development has been put on a halt.

Not going to try and justify all that. However I will say this. What Virtanen lacks compared to guys like Larkin, Ehlers, McCann, etc... is IQ. He doesn't have the ability to think and process the play as well as his aforementioned peers. Virtanen is a player that will never be that, so he has to rely heavily on proper coaching. He needs to be defined an exact role on the team, and he needs to follow exactly that until he is fully accustomed to his role in the NHL. For me, his role should be a hard-nosed body banger who fights hard on the board and also loves to crash the net. He needs to simplify his game and just do this. He is physically gifted and has a pretty decent hand. He shouldn't have a hard time finding success in the NHL if he just becomes that, nothing more. It is the hometown boy tag followed by unreasonable prime Bertuzzi-like powerforward expectation that is killing Virtanen. The more he tries to do, the less he outputs. This guy needs few years of really good guidance and coaching.

I wouldn't really associate dirty with Shea. I mean reckless, fearless, blunt, monstrous... yes. But dirty? I don't know... for me dirty is more like Cooke, Ruutu, Marchand etc... Little a-holes who do things in the shadow without wanting to own up to their behaviour and action. Even that GIF right there, just shows Shea doesn't give a f***. Right in plain sight, for everyone to see. Just reckless, but strikes fear in his opponents. He'd be more than happy to square off with any Detroit incomers, if they chose to. But I completely get your point.

Nylander has yet to prove anything at the NHL level. Looks good, but won't judge until he has a NHL season under his belt. Larkin is having a terrific season, but no one was expecting him to perform at this level. He is, however, on a much better development course playing with much more productive players. That being said, I am extremely happy with McCann's display of skills. He really isn't showing any sign of disappointment for a 1st rounder... unless he was picked in the top 3, which he wasn't.

Everyone should just relax and watch Virtanen develop. Just pretend we drafted Jared McCann 6th overall and Jake Virtanen 24th overall. This will ease a lot of you. We can't win all the time, but at least this time, we drafted ok if you just swap their drafted order.

If anything that playoff performance plummeted Vrbata's deadline value. A pick-up at deadline means the team is wanting extra help for the playoff... and Vrbata doesn't bring that. We could probably get more from a team wanting the extra push to make the playoff.

Check if the human cloning machine is ready. We need to duplicate more of me and get more of these guys. Oh, and duplicate me one more time and actually keep me this time.

The bigger the better! And he played faster as well... what a beast.

Let's see, - Bo Horvat 6'0 205 lbs / Rod Brind'Amour 6'1 205 lbs - Both drafted 9th overall - Both extremely good two way center - Both excellent on face-off - Both leaders on and off the ice - Both extremely strong - Both fitness fanatics - Both have great on ice vision - Both have excellent work ethics And I didn't say Bo Horvat was the next Rod Brind'Amour, I simply said he could be our Rod Brind'Amour... as to hoping Bo will become our next captain and lead us to a Stanley Cup.

I'm starting to think he could be our Rod Brind'Amour. Am I wishing for too much?

No we're not. We just want a Corey Perry. Is that too much to ask?

So my question to you again then... if Jake Virtanen serves us to the bottom feeders in 5 years, who could we have drafted as the savior? It wasn't a choice of Jake Virtanen or Nathan Mackinnon, to which Canucks drafted Virtanen for the sole sake of him being a beloved hometown boy. It was between Virtanen, Ritchie, Ehlers, and Nylander. 4 young kids, each with their own upsides, but all with question marks. You go into any meeting to choose between those 4 and you'll hear the clear cut business decision of hometown Virtanen. This isn't rocket science.

Did we not draft Virtanen?

He looks so excited!

Avs third line center. A pick that fits the Avs. Canucks need to pick towards higher potential / higher risk player.

When that is the treatment he receives everywhere, all the time, he probably feels more comfortable than hearing applause.

Subban V2.0?

Great pick by Tampa. He'll be properly groomed.

They may, or never reach stardom. I'm not saying someone will. What I'm saying is we had the 6th overall. Which player was labelled the clear cut 6th pick? They all had their ups and downs, they all had their risks. Virtanen was the management choice as he was in that ball park, and had the hometown factor.

What are you talking about? If you want to quote something, make sure you understand the context that is being discussed. I said you can't ignore him being the hometown boy, and how that would have an effect on managements' decision on drafting Virtanen. This is business, and every selling point counts when you're making a business decision. Of course winning is a selling point, who said it wasn't? But if you're comparing, let's say, Virtanen to Ritchie, who would management lean towards? If they really are similar, and there is no way to determine who will be the better player in the future without a crystal ball, do you not think hometown factor would play a MAJOR role in Vancouver's selection?

It is split 50/50, and in case you want to refute that, discontent is louder . And did you know probably 95% of Canucks revenue is generated by people who don't roam the CDC board like you and I? Just because you reside on this board you seem to foolishly think CDC members represent the majority of Canucks fans. On the contrary, it is a very minimal percentage of die-hard fans who are on this board. The majority of ticket / merchandise buyers are casual fans who won't even know who Aaron Ekblad or Jake Virtanen is. They don't care who they are until they reach stardom. The one point that will sell to them is the fact that the Canucks drafted a home town boy from Abbotsford.

? Marketing. Puts fans in seats. Gets the media hyped. Before the Canucks is a sport to you and I, it is business to the owners and management group.