Issues with the Canucks

[sassbs]

Hello, although this is my first post, I've been reading the boards for quite sometime now.

Its gotten to the point where I just cant read anymore! Canucks are becoming more frustrating per game!!

I'll start at the top. Gillis. This man had an opportunity to trade Luongo to the Leafs for Kadri and Bozak before the season began. Gillis refused due to the lack of Gardiner. Kadri is now leading the leafs in scoring and Bozak is not to far behind. Imagine Kadri centering Raymond and Hansen.

The coach! Why does he keep messing with a good thing!! When a line has finally "gelled" he seperates them! It seems to me that the second a goalie looses (lu or schnieds) the other will start the next game! Wtf!? Every other starter in the league plays easil 75 to 80% of the games. You cant split 50/50!! Are they going to split the job come playoff time? No! They need to keep one playing and thats that!

Players.... This team was a passing sensation. I remeber they PP use to be the most feared in the league...thats before they cheaped out and let Ernhoff go and Salo!! Garrison is far too inconsitent. Ballard is Ballard. The Sedins are upsetting me as well. Yes they are great, yes they are all time leaders for scoring, but where are they when it matters?? Playoffs they disappear faster than a prostitute in church. And why is that!? Cause everybody knows if you shut down the twins, you shut down the only consitent threat this team has as far as scoring is concerned.

After kessler, the only other players i find of any scorin theat is raymond and hansen.

However, is raymond playing hard for a contract now that its up? For a 28 yr, im not impressed with his stats year after year. How much time do the Higgins, the Booths raymonds need!??!

Fans!!??? Why are they so patheticly quiet!!! Its like they are watching a movie! What happened the last few years? They use to be so loud!!! Its sad really.

And to settle this debate. Schneider is the better goalie.

For years now, luongo relied on his quick reflexes and acrobatic saves whereas schneider is sp technical and well positioned he does not need to rely on flopping around. Schneider will make a save look like a basic save where luongo will make the same save seem like the save of the game due to his poor positioning. Now that lu is getting older he is becoming slower, also, when he lets in a terrible goal thats it, he looses his composer and folds like a lawn chair! Schneider is maintains composer!

You'll see him steal games too if they played him more than 2 games in a row!!!!

This team needs a shake up! They need a corey perry! Or somone with that caliber!

Sorry for the long rant!

Btw, ive been a canucks fan for the last 19 years.

[John Tortorella]

Amen to most of that. However i think both goalies are equal and we need to trade one and at this point i play no favors. Just commit to one

[tas]

the issue is they aren't a good team.

[nuck nit]

No PP.

No PP d man.

Gillis needs a sauna in the owner's room.

[shazzam]

1) many teams will not acquire Luongo's contract

2) Luongo has a NTC

That leaves us with maybe 2 or 3 teams to trade with

MG was asking for king's ransom and he messed up. This should have been dealt before this season started.

Also this team still doesn't have a third line center. WTF?

[gamasutra]

Buy low. Sell high. Unfortunately, Canucks are low and need to sell.

[van_ws]

May as well blow it all up... the core is aging and does not have the passion/heart or ability to move this team forward. Start by firing Gillis and the coaching staff. Trade or get rid of the bad contracts (Booth, Ballard, etc.), and any other dead weight to get something in return (draft picks and prospects). Luongo or Schneider needs to be traded (keeping them both is not a benefit).

As much as it hurts to say this, but it is rebuilding time. A complete rebuild is a must.

Simply put, the Canucks need to get younger, faster and more skilled. They need a coach that will actually develop prospects properly. If you look around, most of the West has improved but the Canucks have taken some big steps back this season.

[bohonos76]

seems like the canucks suck... it's the coming of a sad era for vancouver...

[AllEyezOnMe]

yuppp the sedins are the only consistent offensive threat so you can't really be upset with them if they get shut down or don't produce for a game or two, we should be pressuring the 2nd and 3rd line for our lack of offense in particular games. And AV's line changing every game doesn't help the chemistry of the 2nd/3rd line.

[rambo1515]

First off, has there ever been an official report that Kadri and Bozak were being offered for Luongo, or was that just speculation? And to add to that, most fans were laughing at that deal. No one wanted Kadri and Bozak was questionable... Unfortunately, GM's dont get to live life in hindsight like fans do. Also, Let's not be so melodramatic and start claiming we need to blow this team up and start from scratch. Take Montreal for example. Pretty much last place last year, still have the same core, and now they're first in the East this year. Sometimes what makes a good GM is the fact that they're not planning the parade one day and then blowing the team up the next. Patience my fellow fans...patience. They'll get it together.

[wallstreetamigo]

First off, has there ever been an official report that Kadri and Bozak were being offered for Luongo, or was that just speculation? And to add to that, most fans were laughing at that deal. No one wanted Kadri and Bozak was questionable... Unfortunately, GM's dont get to live life in hindsight like fans do. Also, Let's not be so melodramatic and start claiming we need to blow this team up and start from scratch. Take Montreal for example. Pretty much last place last year, still have the same core, and now they're first in the East this year. Sometimes what makes a good GM is the fact that they're not planning the parade one day and then blowing the team up the next. Patience my fellow fans...patience. They'll get it together.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Question: Why does every single one of these threads say 'Kessler?'

[Canuck Surfer]

Well, it's the wrong time of the month for someone who just got their K wings to rant for a start?

But I suppose that's when a Kessssler first gets u excited and thinking irrationally...

Question: Why does every single one of these threads say 'Kessler?'

[Bodee]

I think the OP hits it on the head when he points out that this team's passing was one of the foundations of their success.

So what was MG thinking when he signed Booth? Anyway I also thought part of our success was the consistency of team selection and the core brotherhood of the team.

No one can legislate for injury and we have taken quite a few since game 7 Kesler, Booth, Raymond, Edler, Bieksa, Manny, Ballard, Salo, Higgins, Volpatti. We have never seemed to get to a stage where the team was all fit. Combine this year's injuries with the compressed season and you get lack of recovery time and in effect more onerous game absence.

Having said all that I must now come to how NOT to overcome these adversities.

AV first. I like AV as a coach..........or should I say I LIKED him as a coach. I now think his propensity for favourites can and most likely is affecting this team's stability.

I'm sure he thinks he is being rational but when it amounts to constant chopping and changing the lines and particularly the D it reaches a stage where it is harming this team's prospects for success.

It's as if a new coach turns up every second night and each one has forgotten what the other learned.

I don't want him fired because other than taking a chance on an up and comer, the alternatives with his record are not available.

Now we come to MG.

Let me say first of all MG was one of the things/people who attracted me to the Canucks. I liked how he used values of strong character and Community spirit to help shape the team and the organisation.

However, over the years I have come to suspect that MG works from a tick list when scouting for players and the top of that list is "Can this player be rehabilitated?"

Next is "Will he fit under my ludicrous salary ceiling?"

Followed by. "Is he a player I will have to compete for?" ........if yes, don't waste time.

Notice that although this list is probably 3 or 4 pages long with just as many ludicrous profile requirements, nowhere on the list exists the condition. "Is this player what the team needs?"

The guy just loses focus when it comes to what the team needs, in fact I don't think in that respect he has ever had a focus. He has had over 2 years to give this team a minimum of 2 quality (by that I mean not only what he sees as quality but someone he genuinely fought to bring here) standout physical players. One to "backstop" the defence and afford some protection to our goalie and the other, a game changer, guaranteed to show up in the playoffs and be able to protect the Sedins. That was a MINIMUM.

I am not going to go through some of the woeful decisions he has made as a GM they are listed elsewhere by myself and others suffice to say I genuinely think MG is on his last "warning"

His goalie fiasco and his attempt to spin it must have fans AND GM's laughing their socks off all over N. America.

[BedBeats™2.0]

The Canucks issue is lack of depth down the middle.

Offensively the concept of the team starts with the draw, puck possession sprinkled with all lines able to grind out a relentless forecheck.

Defensively it also starts with the draw and the ability to break out quickly, and very sound defense from the red line to their zone in which they would kill teams with transition with speed. Teams were generally kept to the outside, and the forwards always read plays in their own zone very well with puck support enabling easy options for good first passes. Team D promoted potent offense

Special teams are key. No need to ramble on about it. But it also starts with the face off.

To me those are the absolute hallmarks of the winning Canucks we are used to. Along with the high powered goal scoring of course.

The team is hampered by not having 2 lines with proper centers, it makes it difficult to slot players where they can succeed to their strengths.

And so far i see only a few of those elements in every game, but not ALL of those things that the team can bring every single game.

This is not about coaching whatsoever. This is about MG supplying the coaching staff with the correct players to see the team concept thru.

Im very encouraged to hear that MG is actively pursuing a center. The team does not need another winger for chrissakes.

[Legend Killer]

teams have figured us out and we're not changing. that's the issue.

[WL Canuck Fan]

May as well blow it all up... the core is aging and does not have the passion/heart or ability to move this team forward. Start by firing Gillis and the coaching staff. Trade or get rid of the bad contracts (Booth, Ballard, etc.), and any other dead weight to get something return (draft picks and prospects). Luongo or Schneider needs to be traded (keeping them both is not a benefit).

As much as it hurts to say this, but it is rebuilding time. A complete rebuild is a must.

Simply put, the Canucks need to get younger, faster and more skilled. They need a coach that will actually develop prospects properly. If you look around, most of the West has improved but the Canucks have taken some big steps back this season.

[tas]

this year is merely a stat correction for last year, when they won the presidents trophy by playing like an 8th seed team.

[Angry Goose]

The CDC drum-roll goes on

[snucks]

The play lately is a result of management. That starts with the owners who are not complaining as far as we know. Gillis as mentioned on here is a joke, that is he didn't trade Luongo after signing Schneider, then AV plays Luongo according to his shaky psychy. Schneider must be wanting a trade now but they needed to let Luongo wear the Millionaire jersey and look what happened. This coach and this manager have ruined and keep ruining any good prospects that come their way by playing their favorites. Garrison came here with his big shot but they play the aweful Edler on the power play. On and on does the weird coaching go. The other teams come in here wanting to beat the "coach of the year" and "Presidents trophy team". It also is very noticeable that the Rogers Arena has become very quiet since it became Rogers.