Kevin Bieksa you are really...

[XX_canucks33_XX]

uggghhhh!!!! we could have won this game, many missed opportunities (like that one in PP where Kes missed and hit the upper bar). if we won, will this thread come to existence? yea for sure coz Bieksa played under Average, as 1st line D, HORRIBLE. i wish we were able to trade him and used the $$$ for Mitchell. when we traded SOB i think most of us somehow had the idea that we will be stuck with KB plus AV and MG seems to kinda like this guy.

[Callicles]

1. He makes a great first pass, much better than 50/50.

2. He can go on the rush.

3. He has grit. Maybe doesn't hit as much as he used to in his first season, but defense doesn't always mean hitting. Defense means getting the puck away from the opposing players and defending the goalie.

4. Other than the penalties in tonight's game, what did he do to piss you off?

5. He can and has fought on occasion.

6. He brings leadership qualities in the dressing room.

I don't know who you've been watching, but perhaps watching the games more than listening to the media will help you out.

1. He coughs up the puck in his own zone on a regular basis due to casual play or bad passes. He also enjoys killing a rush behind the net.

2. He does have some speed on occasion and can contribute on the rush, but usually doesn't due to (1)

3. What grit? He makes an angry face, that's about it. He doesn't throw many good hits, he doesn't fight, and he doesn't clear out the front of the net, so what is grit?

4. Nothing. He did relatively nothing. And when you're eating up the salary he is, you shouldn't be given a passing grade for doing nothing. In fact, I thought tonight was a pretty good game for him and the only notable things he did were take two stupid penalties.

5. I don't really care if he fights. In fact, paying someone his salary to fight seems silly, but I keep hearing he's tough and 'has grit,' so I'm wondering what it is. It's definitely not fighting.

6. I don't know what he brings to the dressing room. I'm sure he's a nice enough guy and the other players probably like him just fine. He's wearing the A, so maybe he does have some leadership. But, you know what, so do a lot of other guys and I would hope they would bring it on the ice, not just in the dressing room.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Bieksa isn't an NHL d-man. He's just not a top four d-man on most teams, and definitely not on this team. Is he really better than Edler, Erhoff, Hamhuis, and Ballard, not to mention Salo when (if) he returns? So, if he's not a top four guy, why is he making top four money when that could be spent elsewhere and and why is he eating top four minutes (doing things like taking penalties in overtime). You could say that was a tough call in OT and maybe it was, but they've been calling the pick regularly in the NHL for years and it was obvious that Bieksa knew it was a penalty the moment he did it. He's just not a smart player. Add that to his list of skills I guess.

[The Lock]

was alrite, nothing unexpected...

i dont know why he was given a letter..

*cough* leadership qualities *cough*

[bananian]

I thought Kesler played avarage tonight especially with that late penalty in the neutral zone.

[The Kes-Bomber]

you are really frustrating.

[MagicMunkle]

He was Bieksa I didn`t see anything new from him and he still tooks his dumb penalties. Same things weve seen for years, why wasn`t he traded?

[scratch_hdcp]

I don't know if atrocious is better or worse than terrible, but he was atrocious tonight. He looks like he could care less every time he steps on the ice...

[Raph]

*cough* leadership qualities *cough*

A good leader would realize that you should only be on the ice when you are helping the team.

[The Lock]

1. He coughs up the puck in his own zone on a regular basis due to casual play or bad passes. He also enjoys killing a rush behind the net.

2. He does have some speed on occasion and can contribute on the rush, but usually doesn't due to (1)

3. What grit? He makes an angry face, that's about it. He doesn't throw many good hits, he doesn't fight, and he doesn't clear out the front of the net, so what is grit?

4. Nothing. He did relatively nothing. And when you're eating up the salary he is, you shouldn't be given a passing grade for doing nothing. In fact, I thought tonight was a pretty good game for him and the only notable things he did were take two stupid penalties.

5. I don't really care if he fights. In fact, paying someone his salary to fight seems silly, but I keep hearing he's tough and 'has grit,' so I'm wondering what it is. It's definitely not fighting.

6. I don't know what he brings to the dressing room. I'm sure he's a nice enough guy and the other players probably like him just fine. He's wearing the A, so maybe he does have some leadership. But, you know what, so do a lot of other guys and I would hope they would bring it on the ice, not just in the dressing room.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Bieksa isn't an NHL d-man. He's just not a top four d-man on most teams, and definitely not on this team. Is he really better than Edler, Erhoff, Hamhuis, and Ballard, not to mention Salo when (if) he returns? So, if he's not a top four guy, why is he making top four money when that could be spent elsewhere and and why is he eating top four minutes (doing things like taking penalties in overtime). You could say that was a tough call in OT and maybe it was, but they've been calling the pick regularly in the NHL for years and it was obvious that Bieksa knew it was a penalty the moment he did it. He's just not a smart player. Add that to his list of skills I guess.

Well I'm not going to say he's better than the other dmen on this team, but that's not due to him not being a top-4. We have 6 top 4 defense on this team when Salo's not injured. The others might outplay him sometimes, but other times he might outplay one of the other defensemen. Players make mistakes.

As for killing the rush, I would imagine sometimes you want plays to be made casually, especially if the other team's on a rampage. Slows the other team down. He has patience with that and that's a virtue. His turnovers tend to be singled out from his good plays mostly because everyone has him under a microscope, especially since he wasn't traded.

With the grit, of course he could be grittier, but consider that he also created the most takaways from any of our defenders last season. Another interesting stat: Ehrhoff had almost double the giveaways last season as Bieksa.

EDIT: Edler also had almost as many giveaways as Ehrhoff.

[Common sense]

Well we didn't lose the game because of that penalty anyways, im sure he will smarten up.

Kesler on the other hand was in the box when they scored, no comment on that huh? Just because he's Kesler.

First game; I'm sure he'll smarten up.

Whether the KB penalty led to a goal or not is one point; my point is that KB took a penalty in OT, and you just don't do that.

[c0medyClub]

Well I'm not going to say he's better than the other dmen on this team, but that's not due to him not being a top-4. We have 6 top 4 defense on this team when Salo's not injured. The others might outplay him sometimes, but other times he might outplay one of the other defensemen. Players make mistakes.

As for killing the rush, I would imagine sometimes you want plays to be made casually, especially if the other team's on a rampage. Slows the other team down. He has patience with that and that's a virtue. His turnovers tend to be singled out from his good plays mostly because everyone has him under a microscope, especially since he wasn't traded.

With the grit, of course he could be grittier, but consider that he also created the most takaways from any of our defenders last season. Another interesting stat: Ehrhoff had almost double the giveaways last season as Bieksa.

Salo is the one truly hurting the team with his cap. Three and a half million to sit in the press box and play half a season. Statistically, he's similar to Bieksa in the defensive aspect meanwhile Kevin has better offensive numbers while playing 20 less games approximately; unavoidable freak injuries.

[biduzi]

Ya Bieksa hit the cross bar and missed his chance in the shootout........oh no that was a different player....it is possible someone else contributed to costing the game?

[Grapefruits]

Seriously

I thought KB had a fairly solid game out there tonight. Yes, that penalty was stupid (was a weak call to make to begin with) but he was NOT terrible. But he is the CDC scapegoat so really I should expect nothing less.

I agree, both calls were pretty brutal, the second call in OT was really bad. I thought he played rather well after the first period. Had some good hits and a couple good chances. But yet this is CDC and the haters will hate... even though he didn't cost us the game.

[marinated.pea]

For everyone saying KB 'deserve' being paired with Hamhuis... I fail to see your hockey reasoning.

Making up defensive pairs does NOT solely depend on 'who's best' and counting it down. You have to match up what type of player they are and who they will play best with depending on their styles.

Let's look at Bieksa's style. Gritty, prone to mistakes, offensive instinct. If you take time to realize this, playing him with Hamhuis is the best possibility. Hamhuis is a workhorse, and is defensively responsible enough to cover for KB if he happens to get caught. And playing him with Bieksa will give Hamhuis the opportunity to play offensively as well, if presented the chance that we get possession.

Edler and Ehrhoff compliment each other in that they're both offensive guys. Alberts and Ballard compliment each other in that they are both punishing d-men and can clear the net.

You need to have players styles that compliment one another to create a successful defensive pairing. And honestly, I really do think Bieksa - Hamhuis will be for the best.

[SuperReverb2]

Bieksa needs to be better than average. Tonight he wasn't! Neither was Kesler.

[CANUCKLELION]

Yawn another Bieksa thread.

Did he lose the game for the Canucks?

He took away their ability to win by taking a bonehead 2 minute interference penalty, with 2 minutes left in OT.

If it were not for Bobby Lou's lights out penalty kill, a loss was in the wind.

[Schroeder's Wrister]

He took away their ability to win by taking a bonehead 2 minute interference penalty, with 2 minutes left in OT.

If it were not for Bobby Lou's lights out penalty kill, a loss was in the wind.

Lu, Malhotra, Ballard and Hamhuis??? were phenomonal on that PK

[Brad Marchand]

Lu, Malhotra, Ballard and Hamhuis??? were phenomonal on that PK

It was a team effort, something that was lacking on last season's PK. Positioning was perfect.

That sequence almost gave me a heart attack.

[Raph]

With the grit, of course he could be grittier, but consider that he also created the most takaways from any of our defenders last season. Another interesting stat: Ehrhoff had almost double the giveaways last season as Bieksa.

EDIT: Edler also had almost as many giveaways as Ehrhoff.

As Garry Valk likes to say, stats are for losers. If you watch enough games, Bieksa tends to give the puck away at the most inopportune times. Givesaways and takeaways should not be treated equally.

Also, Bieksa tends to play with better forward units (ie. Sedin line) where he racks up plenty of 2nd assists.

[wallstreetamigo]

My take on Bieksa tonight:

The Bad

- a few key turnovers.

- two bad penalties that thankfully didnt result in goals but also seemed to switch momentum to the Kings.

- made some interesting defensive reads and let guys walk around him a few times.

The Good:

- made good offensive pinches for the most part and was moving the puck pretty well. He did overdo it a few times and went deep into the offensive zone when he didnt really need to, but not often enough to complain. Others covered or him pretty well there.

- communication with Hamhuis seemed good.

- got back to a more effective physical style of play.

Overall not a bad night for Bieksa, imo. He wasnt great and I would honestly rather see Edler or Ballard with Hamhuis (especially considering how good Ballard played tonight), but Bieksa was solid. He needs to concentrate on not taking bad penalties for sure. But lets give the guy some credit here. He wasnt horrible tonight.