Cup Loss making Gillis do things he shouldnt

[Baggins]

There was a similar topic to this on HF boards, and I though id bring it here.

Basically since losing to Boston in the cup Finals the Canucks have been drafting big and tough guys time after time this year and last years draft. Its stupid. We were one of the best teams and still are for now, because we had so much skill and that got us to the Cup Final. Gillis is so bent on changing the make-up of the team, and it's really unnecessary. There are so many players that the Canucks could've gotten in this years draft and last but he was so concerned that he must draft someone is atleast 6'2 200. It's stupid

[Burrows91]

Top 15 NHL Scorers:

Evgeni Malkin - 6'3"

Steven Stamkos - 6'1"

Cluade Giroux 5'11"

Jason Spezza 6'3"

Ilya Kovalchuk 6'3"

Phil Kessel 6'0"

James Neal 6'2"

John Tavares 6'0"

Henrik Sedin 6'2"

Patrik Elias 6'1"

Erik Karlsson 6'0"

Marian Hossa 6'1"

Ray Whitney 5'10"

Joe Thornton 6'4"

Marian Gaborik 6'1"

Two guys out of 15 are under 5'0". And only another two guys are 6'0". You don't see little twerps ruling the league. The league is getting bigger and bigger. Boston started this, LA continued it.

[Bodee]

I don't quite see it that way and I'm not sure Gillis does either.

I think he has realised that big, small or average, the pick has to have push back in his locker. Bure was not big (he was solid though) but he had a nasty side to him which told the opposition "ok you are bigger than me but I can be a nasty SOB"

I think there is no doubt that size does not guarantee toughness, grit or pushback...............that is a mental thing..........look at Rick Rypien.

We have spoken a lot about Jensen on here and frankly he is one who has yet to convince me that he has this quality. But that is not to say there is not a place for a "Sedin" type on the team. By that I don't mean to insult the twins, I think they are very tough but they don't push back...........I am inclined to see Jensen like that...........the opposite of how I see Kassian in other words.

One player in our prospects who is constantly passed over when possible 3rd/4th liners are mentioned is Alex Freisen, 5'-10" and 186 lbs. This kid is a battler.

2011-12 Niagara IceDogs OHL 62 26 45 71 106 39 20 8 14 22 18

Named the best faceoff performer, defensive forward, penalty killer and third-hardest worker in a poll of OHL coaches, the Canucks may have found their third-line centre of the future once Friesen hones his pro game with the Chicago Wolves.

“He’s going to impress the people in Chicago so much that he’ll get his opportunity in Vancouver,” predicted Ice Dogs general manager and coach Marty Williamson.

“[Wolves head coach] Craig MacTavish is going to be raving about him and he’ll get a guy who will always be there for important situations. He really thrives on that. He was our best player throughout the playoffs and is absolutely a heart-and-soul guy. Not the most gifted goal-scorer, but the hardest worker and hardest hitter.”

I look forward to seeing him with our "more illustrious prospects" in Chicago.

[JohnTavares]

Size and skill is the rarity. You can teach skill but not size. That's the philosophy - draft as many big players who display decent skill and potential, and hope a couple of them become impact players.

[Mclean1]

Gritty, grinding and hardworking teams win the cup.

[nuck nit]

Different era of hockey. Nice try, but quite useless.

[mtwideen1]

I actually think its necessary, I'm tired of being pussies. The history of this team has been big and strong, we've gotten away from that. We need balance between size and skill and we need to add size to keep it even. This is a terrible draft year for skill so you might as well draft some muscle.

[Phamda]

I don't quite see it that way and I'm not sure Gillis does either.

I think he has realised that big, small or average, the pick has to have push back in his locker. Bure was not big (he was solid though) but he had a nasty side to him which told the opposition "ok you are bigger than me but I can be a nasty SOB"

I think there is no doubt that size does not guarantee toughness, grit or pushback...............that is a mental thing..........look at Rick Rypien.

We have spoken a lot about Jensen on here and frankly he is one who has yet to convince me that he has this quality. But that is not to say there is not a place for a "Sedin" type on the team. By that I don't mean to insult the twins, I think they are very tough but they don't push back...........I am inclined to see Jensen like that...........the opposite of how I see Kassian in other words.

One player in our prospects who is constantly passed over when possible 3rd/4th liners are mentioned is Alex Freisen, 5'-10" and 186 lbs. This kid is a battler.

2011-12 Niagara IceDogs OHL 62 26 45 71 106 39 20 8 14 22 18

Named the best faceoff performer, defensive forward, penalty killer and third-hardest worker in a poll of OHL coaches, the Canucks may have found their third-line centre of the future once Friesen hones his pro game with the Chicago Wolves.

“He’s going to impress the people in Chicago so much that he’ll get his opportunity in Vancouver,” predicted Ice Dogs general manager and coach Marty Williamson.

“[Wolves head coach] Craig MacTavish is going to be raving about him and he’ll get a guy who will always be there for important situations. He really thrives on that. He was our best player throughout the playoffs and is absolutely a heart-and-soul guy. Not the most gifted goal-scorer, but the hardest worker and hardest hitter.”

I look forward to seeing him with our "more illustrious prospects" in Chicago.

[nuck nit]

Stan Smyl fits onto any team in any era and he was five - eight.

No try for you ,so just ignorance is what we receive.

Small guys make it into the NHL as they are elite players,without some big guy holding their hand.

Bobby Orr was 5-eleven and Doug Harvey was 5-eleven.

The two greatest D men in history.

Pound for pound I want Bure and Smyl on my team and they are top five Canucks - all time.

When you are a foot and even eighteen inches smaller than a lot of your opponents and still pound them into the ice at every opportunity the era is irrelevant.

It is all heart,determination and soul.Beats 6 foot whatever,parenting, IQ levels or whether you are going to Harvard or Yale.

[EricMurphy]

You can't teach skill.

[hudson bay rules]

I guess GMMG should just draft the biggest monsters he can find and just teach them to play hockey as we have a "skills coach" lol.

[ThaBestPlaceOnEarth]

Last two seasons the bigger teams have won it, so not sure how you reckon this as a mistake. Gillis and the staff have been building a team based on the assumption that speed and skill would rule the day after the last lockout, with obstruction and trapping getting phased out. Now that looks less certain, they need to reverse course. Kassian for Hodgson, Samuelson for Booth, let Ehrhoff walk but keep Bieksa, and the last couple of drafts reflect an understanding, one I think is accurate, that the Anaheim/Boston/LA model is in the ascendent and the Detroit model in decline.

[DownUndaCanuck]

There's no point comparing the size of guys who played in the 80's. In TODAY's NHL, size wins you championships. Why? Because the bigger you are, the harder you hit and the softer you get hit. Big guys like Kopitar, Penner, Lucic, Zubrus, Kovalchuk, Ponikarovsky and Carter were rarely hit and beaten up in the playoffs, which is why they survived and the smaller forwards were injured.

Physically, it's a game of forwards VS defencemen, and these giant forwards not only survived being hit by defencemen, but they were the ones wearing down and injuring other defencemen. Look at the Boston series - Chara/Seidenberg/Boychuk etc. were physical monsters who destroyed the Sedins and Kesler, meanwhile big forwards like Lucic and Thornton pounded our defence until they were injured like Ehrhoff, Edler and Hamhuis. Once you're injured you make bad decisions with the puck, more turnovers and are much worse defensively. THAT's how you win the Cup.

LA kept the physical pressure up all playoffs long and never faced a large, bulky, physical defence which is why they breezed to the Cup.

[RIPRYP]

[Guest gumballthechewy]

Two guys out of 15 are under 5'0". And only another two guys are 6'0". You don't see little twerps ruling the league. The league is getting bigger and bigger. Boston started this, LA continued it.

[Special Ed]

I don't think anyone on CDC is in a position to be knowing what Gillis should or shouldn't be doing.

/end

[Line Juggler]

There was a similar topic to this on HF boards, and I though id bring it here.

Basically since losing to Boston in the cup Finals the Canucks have been drafting big and tough guys time after time this year and last years draft. Its stupid. We were one of the best teams and still are for now, because we had so much skill and that got us to the Cup Final. Gillis is so bent on changing the make-up of the team, and it's really unnecessary. There are so many players that the Canucks could've gotten in this years draft and last but he was so concerned that he must draft someone is atleast 6'2 200. It's stupid

[ArmchairCanuckGM]

Hodgson = smallish compared to the next players (Beach, Myers) but was considered the Best Player Available at that time. Schroeder = small but was expected to be drafted much higher, and was considered the Best Player Available at that time.

Jensen = big player who was considered the Best Player Available at that time.

Gaunce = big player who was expeceted to be drafted earlier (17-20 pick) and was considered the Best Player Available at that time.

For defensemen and goalies the norm is too draft big players for those positions. Plus I think it's too early to look at a drafting trend considering Gillis has only drafted 30 players in 5 years. (four 1st rounders, three 2nd rounders, three 3rd rounders, four 4th rounders, etc)

[etsen3]

Perhaps Gillis Is just trying to balance the team out a bit, add more size to complement the skill that is already in the lineup. Also it's not like these guys are complete plugs either, for example Kassian and Jensen have scoring skills in addition to being big, which many NHL GM's drool over. Now I agree that there were some questionable picks in this years draft, but at least our first round pick (the most important) was very good as Gauce has some good skills and was the BPA or close to it when we drifted him.

[skyfall]

I would lean going towards skill and coaching to maximize the talent of everybody, big or small. I actually though LA had good skill and picked their spots when to use it.

having skill gives teams the flexibility on whether to play an attacking style, defensive style or hybrid. Washington had ton of skill but used it in bursts. LA was defensive although I think they were a hybrid. The cup winning Chicago team liked to attack but they too picked their spots.

The key is coaching. I'd always lean towards keeping skill. It's not the NBA where size gives you a huge advantage. What I see though is the team is confused about whether they are an attacking team or defending team and aren't fully coordinated team wide. The cup winning teams had a strategy that was consistent among 4 lines and was constantly monitored do adjustments could be made.

If the team is going to squander skill I'd say that's a huge mistake just because the coaching can't use it properly. Even when big guys come like Bernier, Oreskovich and Kassian they still aren't used effectively so what's the point.