How would you like the Canucks to be built? Hawks or Bruins/LA/Blues

[unknown33429]

Hello,

With the talk of Benning as our new GM and some rumbles that the ownership would like to see this team built like the Bruins, I've been wondering if we are focusing too much on a particular style of hockey. This started with our loss to the Bruins followed by the loss to LA and now we can't seem to hold our own against the larger California teams.

Before that, Chicago was our biggest hurdle. We learned form their style of play which resulted in the amazing hockey and an unbelievable season. We all know how that ended, and we lost our best puck-moving offensive D-man in the offseason.

Blackhawks are the reigning SC champs, but everyone seems to have a hard-on for the Bruins. Chicago beat that team last year, and a similarly built LA team in the WC finals. The teams share similarities like great two way players but focus of this thread is the differences between the teams.

How would you like the Canucks to be built? Here are the options:

Chicago style: Speed from the D-men (Keith, Leddy, and...almost everyone else) who can get the puck out of the zone quickly. The other team can't get a forecheck on them.

Bruins Style: Size on both ends of ice. Wear the other teams down in a long series.

CDC Style: I didn't bother reading your entire post, but I'm going to flame you for some error I found or by taking your words out of context.....

Let me know what you guys think.

EDIT:

1. There is an assumption here that that there will be a rebuild. I think the majority of our current roster is past it's prime.

2. Guys like Toews can be found (Stevie Y, Sakic...I could go on; Toews is not a generational player). Interesting Note: the top overall pick that year was a large D-man that was suppose to be the Blues' future frachise D-man. Clearly it didn't pan out. D-men are too risky to take as top picks, IMO. Some of the greatest D-men in the league today were taken in the second round.

3. It's not so much about copying their styles, but looking at what the focus of this team should be. This distinction precedes the teams I'm talking about. Focus on size on the top lines, or focus on speed/skill from top lines and d-pairings and have role players in bottom lines.

[-DLC-]

Personally, Chicago. It's a much more exciting game overall and the size/toughness thing can be offset by guys who keep the puck away and can't be caught/kept up with. Plus, the other model takes a toll on players and injuries are a given. I think Boston pulls other teams off their game and invites them into theirs...we got caught up with that (and so did Detroit). But teams that manage to not buy in to the goonery can skate circles around them at times.

[ice orca]

Chicago style.

[goalie13]

Speed and skill.

Montreal has been doing the same thing and they have looked great against the Bruins.

[Neversummer]

Brawks. Hybrid of both. Come up with your own identity.

[Bren Mo]

Bruins. One thing about the hawks is they were awful for a long time which lead to high draft picks which turned into elite players (toews, kane, keith is elite too but not sure what # he got drafted at). If you want to go that route the get ready to finish last for 3 years and cross your fingers those picks turn into toews and keith calibur guys.

With the bruins model I dont think we will have to go that route. Pay the realistic value for weber to be our chara and start trading guys and picks for size, toughness, and determination who have some skill too. Some guys who are out there and we could pick up to go with kassian, sestito, and hansen would be chris stewert, evander kane, ryan clowe, boone jenner, raffi torres etc.

[Tangerines]

Personally, Chicago. It's a much more exciting game overall and the size/toughness thing can be offset by guys who keep the puck away and can't be caught/kept up with. Plus, the other model takes a toll on players and injuries are a given. I think Boston pulls other teams off their game and invites them into theirs...we got caught up with that (and so did Detroit). But teams that manage to not buy in to the goonery can skate circles around them at times.

This

[chayne]

I like Chicago but either is going to be a total rebuild. Personally I say a Detriot style: Skill! They have amazing skill surrounded with size and speed and year after year they ice a great team. Every few years they can challenge. I think what management needs to focus on is Scounting. Find the skill in the 7th round and filling the positions available with guys like Bertuzzi, Helm and Miller. Make Canucks a country club and treat your employees like Royalty then the fill-in players will flock.

I think I got off base. And yes I do believe we have the skill in the system.

[Go Faulk Yourself]

Whatever wins us a cup sooner rather than later.

[Rey]

It'll have to be the Bruins. No way, this team is going to find a Toews or Patrick Kane type. We'd even be lucky to find anyone like Hossa or Sharp.

[tas]

somewhere in between.

primary focus on possession and puck movement with solid commitment to team defense with a secondary emphasis on high energy physical play.

[smithers joe]

i think linden was talking about how boston's 4th line can be so dominating.....he isn't looking for goon hockey....you need 4 lines that can play effective.....if we rolled 4 lines last year, the sedins wouldn't have wore out and kesler wouldn't have been injured as much...we have higgins, richardson, hansen, matthias, santorelli (?), kassian and booth who can be effective on the 3/4 lines....our focus should be on a second line, with or without kesler....and our D.......i say det/chi/bos/mon style...we'll call it van style

[Merci]

Canucks fans are delusional if you think we have the personnel for chicago.

The sedins are some of the slowest players in the league.

[BanTSN]

Option 1. Acquire Shea Weber and retool the team around him.

Option 2. Draft McDavid or Eichel and rebuild the team around him.

Option 3. Trade for Evander Kane and pretend like that's a real solution.

[Merci]

Option 1. Acquire Shea Weber and retool the team around him.

Option 2. Draft McDavid or Eichel and rebuild the team around him.

Option 3. Trade for Evander Kane and pretend like that's a real solution.

option 4 : Demote the Sedins to 2nd liners and acquire a top and bottom 6 that's full of actual talent instead of pseudeo talent like Higgins, Booth, and Hansen

[YummyCakeFace]

Brawks. Hybrid of both. Come up with your own identity.

. +1. This.

[MRAY]

Not Boston please. Last thing we need is to be known as "divers". *Ahem* Boston

[70seven]

The common denominator between the 4 teams listed: Franchise d-man.

And yes, I think we need one as part of our future.

Ultimately Id like a hybrid style like Anaheim and SJ.... The biggest difference between these two and the previous 4?

You guessed it, a franchise d-man.

WHile it may be a significant risk to take Ekblad at #1... WOuldnt the evidence of being a successful playoff team suggest its worth the risk? If he doesnt turn into that elite franchise d-man, hes still a safe bet to be a legit 2 way top pairing heavy minute eater as good as any d we currently have at the moment, and would certainly give us strength on the right side with Tanev and Corrado maturing.

Dont get me wrong, this team is still reasonably solid on d, and they could definitely use some elite offensive weapons moving forward.... But I digress, we still wont have the horse on the back end like the elite of the NHL.

[etsen3]

Who says we have to copy anyone? What matters most is not what style we pick, it's how well we play that style.

[thad]

What we need more than anything is a great coach who recognizes the skill sets our young players have and puts them in positions to succeed. It takes a bit of patience but I'd rather see players like Schroeder sink or swim on the second line than promote hands of stone Hansen because he had a couple good forchecking shifts in the first period.

Hansen is a premier bottom six guy so play him there and get guys like Kassian Shredder and now Jensen stapled into the top six. All the sudden we're rolling 4 lines again.

They won't all succeed but some will surprise for sure and consistency will come with experience. The good thing is you have great 3rd and 4th lines like Boston that can carry the weight and steal games when the first or second line is having an off night.

If we did absolutely nothing this off season I'd like to see lines like

Sedin Sedin Jensen

Schroeder Kesler Kassian

Higgins Matthias Burrows

Booth Richardson Hansen

That's a solid bottom six that's going to steal a lot of games. While the kids in the top six develop into the players they can be. Is it a contending line up? No, but neither is playing 3rd line ceiling players in the top six for 20 minutes a night and a bottom six chef's salad of miscast skilled guys for 2.

Maybe Schroeder does bust, maybe Jensen does, but at least you tried. Waive em, call up shink and see what he's got.