Gillis writes to season ticket holders, admits losing was unacceptable

[Grapefruits]

unless he is planning on lowering ticket prices or giving people rebates for having to watch such a dismal effort last year, I don't care to read it.

I'm sure this is all part of the plan to raise ticket prices AGAIN. Remember, commitment isn't cheap!

[oldnews]

Tanev was not drafted so really putting him in the "draft" discussion does not make any sense.

Also, say what you want about Burke (who I really am not a fan of actually) but:

Moves to get franchise player Sedins >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> anything Gillis has done.

Gillis is severely overrated as a GM imo. Burke had less hits than misses for sure but then again so does Gillis so far, don't you think?

[wallstreetamigo]

Raymond was the player Roy played the most powerplay time with, so obviously AV felt they could be productive together - but might not have liked the pair together playing without the puck 5 on 5.

Funny thing is that CDC was raving mad when AV wasn't playing HIggins with Roy - they were so sold by their early chemistry.

All of a sudden Higgins is a prime whipping boy around here....He suffered a knee injury that had him out five games before the playoffs, had him hobbling through the playoffs, and then was unable to play for team USA at the WHC.

Call Hansen and Higgins grinders or dump and chasers if you will - they produced over 80 points last year and again over 40 in this shortened season - Higgins knee problems obviously hobbled him (folks here who weren't paying attention preferred to chalk it up to a "lack of heart"). To suggest that Hansen isn't dynamic or productive enough to play with a guy like Roy, imo, is selling him short. 27 points this year in 48 games was pretty damn good for a "grinder".

40 point players who play third line minutes, marginal pp time and draw pk duties are elite NHL 3rd liners.

The fact is that the average NHL second line winger scores 37 points (average over three years) - good 2nd line winger production is in the 42-45 point range.

The average NHL 3rd lind winger scores 19 points, the better ones average 23-24.

Higgins and Hansen produced 82 points as third liners last season.

[wallstreetamigo]

Who are you a fan of Wall Street?

[oldnews]

Hansen and Higgins are not in a typical or average 3rd line role on this team though. They are used more in a 2nd line type role than a traditional 3rd line one. But neither are consistent or creative enough offensively to be true 2nd liners consistently. And both are much more valuable in a 3rd line role anyway if you ask me. They are GREAT 3rd line players when they are used in that role.

[oldnews]

I am a fan of the Canucks doing what is necessary to win a Stanley Cup in my lifetime.

[Plaguez]

I don't believe a word that fat sweaty man says to be honest. Here are some other words from him or his team:

I will make bold moves.

We are going all in.

We need to improve our drafting and scouting.

When he can deliver on those, then he can start working on all the other lip service he offers.

[goblix]

Fire AV

Is that understated enough for you?

[wallstreetamigo]

Come on Wall Street. For someone who talks such a big game and is so critical of all decisions-Canuck, you sure resort to some pretty convenient avoidance/not quite as courageous when it comes to stepping up and taking a position.

Who is so much better than MG?

Flavour of the week seems to be Doug Wilson. The irony being...a whole lot of post season disappointment in the Sharks wake. All of a sudden he's a genius.

Mike Babcock characterized it perfectly.

[Day one]

My concern when I add up different things he's said in the past days is very simple. First, he's publicly stated he 100% backs AV. Second he's stated changes are coming.

Two years ago I figured we still had a 3 year window to get another shot at the cup with this group. Looks like not only did the window just close, but the hurricane shutters have been latched and the plywood has been nailed over. Sigh.

I read this as shuffling players and personnel under AV but not letting go of AV. If this is the case, it's going to be a year of dismantling before a change in coaching (and at that point, GM as well). We've lost the last two years of the potential this core group brought. Av, with his hands off "let the players make the decisions" coaching style has led to no anwser the past two years while almost every team in the league has read the book on how to play this team. With no coaching leadership it now appears the next move will be to move core members rather than provide the coaching they need.

At least if the decision is being made to do some dismantling, let the coach who will lead them for the next 5 years be involved in the decision making process. We all know AV has a one way ticket, what's to be gained by this point in keeping him an extra year, making radical changes, and then handing the result over to someone else?

[Canuck Surfer]

Right to the point DeNiro!

Shameless plug to my suggestions regarding how to do just that?

/topic/345252-lets-get-it-all-done%3B-lou-cap-relief-get-younger-get-better/">http://forum.canucks...ger-get-better/

Everybody of course will have their own opinion on which signing, line pair... But after cap dumping the bottom line is use cap space for veteran, athletic, proven depth players and load up on young talent who hopefully will force themselves up the line up! (including on D pairs)

Like I've said for a awhile now, if this team wants to be a real cup contender, guys like Higgins or Hansen need to be on thr fourth line. That's the type of depth we need.

Every winger and center should be good enough to move up a line if we need them to. We had that with Demitra - Sundin - Kesler, and even with Raymond - Kesler - Samuelsson, but since then our 2nd line has failed time and time again.

It's time that our 2nd line had actual 2nd liners, and our 3rd line had the same. We're going to have to free up some cap space to do that though.

[Mikey795]

Talk is cheap, and so are memorandums issued to save face.

What we have seen from MG is a stunning ineptness in handling personnel, trades and acquisitions, aka losing Hodgson, failing to re-sign Torres and Ehrhoff, failing to trade Luongo/Schneider.

Ownership should send a very clear and strong message by issuing several one-way plane tickets out of Vancouver.

[Bodee]

You don't look at NHL reality in a relative or comparative perspective.

These guys are among the most productive 3rd line players in the NHL.

Their numbers put them amongst the better 2nd liners in the NHL - production they managed playing two-way third line minutes.

I personally want them on the third line - where in fact they play virtually all the time and certainly when the entire 2nd line isn't absent with injuries.

But the criticism they face on these boards is extremely near-sighted and the complaints of fans who have no idea how good they have it.

[Neversummer]

Does anyone know how much AV is getting paid? I wonder if that is a factor because letting him go will incur some big $$.

[oldnews]

I have already given my opinion on who some good candidates to replace him are and the reasoning behind my opinion.

I am not really much of a Doug Wilson fan actually.

My top choices would be Ron Hextall from the Kings or Paul Fenton from the Predators. The main reason in both cases is that given the current roster of the Canucks getting older and the amount of inflexibility contract-wise, it will take a GM who can REALLY improve the drafting and development to start being able to get the team on the right track. Gillis has marginally improved the drafting at best but the impact needs to be more pronounced.

Both Hextall and Fenton had key roles in both areas for two teams that are excellent at drafting and developing their own talent. And both guys are trusted to the point they have a place with their GM's in all aspects of the business. They are experienced too which helps a lot and respected around the league.

[oldnews]

If it's NOT the playoffs, it doesn't count.

I thought we had established that. The reason we are crapping the bed in the playoffs is that not only are we in deficit in the top 2 lines but our 4th line SUCKS, is a liability and contribute the cube root of FA.

So maybe we get more out of the 4th AND the team if these two playoff "invisibles" are shoved down a line and we upgrade all the way up from there.

The trouble with most of the people on here is they are just as bad as Gillis. They set their standards too low and then wonder why we disappear in the playoffs.

Look about the threads just now. Half the "fans" are STILL putting these 2 on the 2nd LINE!!! Do they even watch other hockey?

[wallstreetamigo]

While I don't necessarily agree with the premature judgement of Canucks drafting in the past five years, I think your reasoning for liking these two is fairly sensible.

It's just hard to picture the Hextall, who in the mind's eye of many of us old folks was a stick swinging, fairly incendiary guy, being the braintrust of an organization (which is not to say he woudn't do a good job).

[oldnews]

As a fellow old fogie who remembers Hextall's legendary temper and aggressiveness, it is difficult for me to reconcile that as well to a certain degree. I mean, you have to love a goalie who can crack 100 PIMS 3 straight seasons and end up with 584 career regular season PIMS and 115 career playoff PIMS. But you also have to wonder if he has the ability to hold back that reactionary approach as an exec.

I think the thing with Hextall is that he really did mellow a lot in his later years as a player and has done an excellent job as Assistant GM of the Kings (and GM of the Monarchs too, an important consideration). I have never gotten the impression that he is rash in his decision making and approach as an executive which is a good sign.

He would be a sharp contrast to Gillis for sure though.