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Is Richardson the odd man out?


ROBORAT

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With the emergence of Horvat is Richardson the odd man out in the bottom 6?

Why is it when the question is asked as to who should sit out, Richardson is never mentioned?

It seems at the start of the season everyone on here was calling for Hansen to sit out but with his recent play he's vaulted up to second on the team in goals. He brings speed which this team is lacking. He's also able to play on any line and so far this season is WD's second option on the Sedin's wing(to this dismay of some on here)

First few weeks of the season, Matthias was deemed the odd man out. Playing in the Western Conference you need size and he's been very solid over the past few weeks. He's looked good on the wing.

It seems Dorsett has been pegged as a 4th line winger since Day 1. That's his role and he's been better than advertised. He also brings toughness and doesn't shy away from a fight. He's perfect for a 4th line role on a WD team.

I'm sure WD will sit Kassian at times this season if he's not playing well but he's the type of player you want on the team. He brings size and scoring ability in the bottom 6, plus he drives play. I don't have the numbers in the front of me but I seem to recalling reading that both Matthias and Richardson have better possession numbers with Kassian than without.

Vey seems like the odd man out at this point with his inability to win draws and his poor choices in the defensive zone. But he's a young player that brings skill, something this team has been lacking for years. He's also looked like a fit on the first powerplay unit. Plus management has lots of faith in him and want to see him succeed.

If you had asked me last week I would have said Horvat would be sent down to junior as I didn't see him taking minutes away from the regulars. It wasn't that long ago that his line was benched late and was the odd man out before Burrows went down. But this kid can play. He scored that beauty of a goal in the Anaheim game but his real coming out party was in the Chicago game when he showed the coaching staff he could play in this league. In the process his line took minutes away from our so called 3rd line. He can win draws(currently sitting above 60%) and is solid defensively.

Getting to Richardson it seems his play has really dropped over the past few games. Is it just me or does it seem that his line is the one that is always scored on? Plus/Minus isn't the greatest indicator but it says something when the 3rd line is -25 combined(I know there's only one minus per goal) He's also currently going through a cold streak on the draw dropping him to 47.3%. If he isn't reliable defensively and isn't winning draws why is he in the lineup? It isn't for his scoring ability. You would think Kassian would have a lot more assists at this point if Richardson wasn't his centre.

Let's not forget Richardson was LA's 13th forward. With all the talk of how deep we are, it does make you think when LA's 13th best forward is currently our 3rd line centre. Plus that's a role he's played before. Having Richardson as our 13th forward is a great luxury to have.

I don't see WD splitting up the 4th line(Dorsett-Horvat-Hansen) any time soon but if Horvat sticks around it seems he'll be given the opportunity to move up a line. I also don't see Richardson being sat out when Burrows comes back as he's gained WD trust. He's being given the most minutes out of all bottom 6 players and has a key role on the PK(most minutes from the forward group.) But it seems that WD is losing a bit of trust in him lately and if Horvat can take some PK minutes away from the other forwards it isn't inconceivable. If there's one role Horvat seems perfect for, it's the one Richardson is currently occupying.

tl;dr

My question is will Horvat take Richardson's spot in the lineup?

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richardson was good in LA--doesn't matter if he was the 13th man or not. always made the best of his time there. he's playing sick or it's just a case of **** happens. i guess you just wanted to single out richardson to hop on the backwagon of him being the "odd man out" from 3 months ago. if he was playing as bad as you think he is, i'm pretty sure coaching staff would have noticed, and not a smark online

But it seems that WD is losing a bit of trust in him lately

BOBORAT with the inside scoop!

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Linden Vey

Is second only to the Sedin's (And maybe Kassian) in raw skill

and his development is just as important as Horvat's

If it came down to a choice between the two, send Horvat back to Junior and concentrate on breaking Vey in,

Next year he can help break Horvat in.

Then Horvat can help break McCann in

And in a few years, our center ice position could be one of our greatest strengths, but if the coaches start playing Torts like head games and turning players against one another, things could go the other way really fast.

As things stand, if Horvat is kept up then I think it's time for the "Kid line" Vey and Horvat with a vet, or if we get lucky....

Vey Horvat Kassian,

Who knows? In 3 years that could be our first line,

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No one is the odd man out I think, but we do need a rotation with Richardson, Matthias, Kassian, Hansen, Dorsett, Vey Horvat.

Horvat is still our 4C, but if he keeps up that progression he will be our 3C sometimes this winter. Kassian and Burrows seems banged up and might be in and out of the line-up. And with their playing style, it wouldn't hurt to sit out Matthias, Hansen, Dorsett and Richie, even though they don't deserve it. We need to keep them fresh.

Personnally, this is something I'm hoping to see to start the playoffs (if everyone healthy):

Sedin-Sedin-Vrbata

Higgins/Burr-Bonino-Vey

Higgins/Burr-Horvat-Kassian/Hansen

Hansen/Matthias-Richie/Matthias-Dorsett

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There is a good chance that for 2015-2016 Richardson will be an odd man out. He and Matthias have expiring contracts and there's a good chance one or, more likely, both, will be moved (or not re-signed) to make way for younger players.

This season, I'd guess the player(s) to sit will depend on injuries (including minor nicks and soreness,) who isn't playing quite up to the standard of the rest, and matchups, but I wouldn't expect Richardson to sit regularly.

t

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There is a good chance that for 2015-2016 Richardson will be an odd man out. He and Matthias have expiring contracts and there's a good chance one or, more likely, both, will be moved (or not re-signed) to make way for younger players.

This season, I'd guess the player(s) to sit will depend on injuries (including minor nicks and soreness,) who isn't playing quite up to the standard of the rest, and matchups, but I wouldn't expect Richardson to sit regularly.

t

Agree, I think the Canucks would likely want keep at least one of them, but will probably be offered 4th line spot (or at least a battle for 3rd line) and they might take the opportunity to seek a guaranteed 3rd line role somewhere else.

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Was is the value of a player like Richardson? A 3rd round pick, possible a 2nd if we can get a desperate team? We’re not getting a top 4 D straight up, so unless it’s part of a package that gets us one, I’d rather keep him for the year and lose him as a UFA. Richardson provides more value to the canucks this year than the type of return we would get back. He may be replaced next year and not resigned but for this year he has an important spot, even if he ends up as the 4th line center.

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It seems to me that every time this fan base starts worrying about a logjam in the roster, an injury comes along and makes the issue moot. While I don't want anyone getting hurt, I do fully expect that we'll see another injury happen before we get to the point where we're healthy scratching a regular for more than a couple games here and there.

Having depth means having too many options when everyone's healthy. But being a fan of the Canucks means knowing that there will only be a handful of weeks during the season when we have the full roster healthy and ready to play.

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Odd man out is either Hansen or Kassian because these are the players with enough skill which we could afford to give up to get a Top 4 D and strengthen our defensive depth. Anybody look at that lately?!

Edler-Tanev

Stanton-Bieksa

Sbisa-Weber

Ummm and we wonder why our goaltending is letting in too many goals right now.... That bottom 4 is not good at all. In fact our defense can barely pass as "Okay".

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It seems to me that every time this fan base starts worrying about a logjam in the roster, an injury comes along and makes the issue moot. While I don't want anyone getting hurt, I do fully expect that we'll see another injury happen before we get to the point where we're healthy scratching a regular for more than a couple games here and there.

Having depth means having too many options when everyone's healthy. But being a fan of the Canucks means knowing that there will only be a handful of weeks during the season when we have the full roster healthy and ready to play.

At least someone gets it. It's a looong , tough , grind of a season and more injuries are inevitable

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