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Most underrated second line.


sirnoodleton

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Nick Bonino is outproducing Radim Vrbata.

Alex Burrows is proving he's a productive player without the Sedins, and/or Kesler.

Chris Higgins is an amazing utility player that's showing what he had back in Montreal.

I think the key has been Nick Bonino, but it blows me away how little praise they're getting.

So much of the focus in the media has been about Vrbata fitting in with the Sedins.

I think what this team has going for it is a second like that's almost as productive as it's first ~1 Point per game.

It's been a fantastic season so far... Really looking forward to seeing this team, and this line, develop over the coming season.

Thoughts?

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Well let's see how much Bonino wants when his contract is up.

good thing there's 2 more years on it before we all have to worry about how much he is worth

that is the most amazing thing if he can keep a pace of like 50-60 points a season for 1.9 the trade will be a steal for the Canucks it already is for the most party

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CDC has been full of trade proposals involving Burrows and Higgins, plus the thread asking if we really need Alex Burrows and the thread asking if Bonino is really a 2nd line center (and no, the poster wasn't thinking he deserved to be called a 1st line center) and the numerous posts pointing out that in the opinion of the posters Higgins is a 3rd line winger.

I don't know about how they're viewed elsewhere, but pretty clearly they get a lot of disrespect on CDC.

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I watched the Canucks play the ducks once last year, and I noticed then that this "new Bonino guy" seemed to be this huge 6'5 guy who was always a scoring threat. I was amazed to see his wiki states that he was average sized at 6'1, 190lbs. He definitely played big during that game with the ducks, and had scoring ability. Benning has got to be a psychic to have seen that talent when he was still working with the Bruins in the East.

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Bonino has more even strength points than Crosby this season.

That is all folks.

The line has been fantastic and then some on even strength. The fact they still don't have a point on the pp does bother me though. Are they just not getting bounces?

The way they distribute the puck though... They make sedin like passes.

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Over the first 10 games of the season, I was guilty of saying the Canucks were made up of the Sedin line and three third lines (implying the Bonino-Higgins-Burrows line was a third line dressed up as a second). I am glad to say, I was mayor of Wrongville.

On many nights, someone from Bonino's line has been the best forward for the Canucks. Even Linden Vey has had his moments where he's looked really good playing alongside Bonino and Higgins, so much so that I've even suggested that he may have pushed Burrows down the depth chart (FTR, I am of the opinion that the Bonino line is better with Burrows on it than Vey).

I agree with OP...going into this season, I grossly under-estimated our second line. I thought Bonino would be good, but not THIS good...I didn't think Burrows could re-discover the game he had from 2008 to 2011, but he HAS...and I've always thought Higgins was a good player so he hasn't been too much of a surprise. It's a hard-working, productive veteran line...perfect as a second line.

I've been very critical of Burrows' undisciplined penalties that has killed the team's momentum, but he's been skating away from scrums lately (evidence: Columbus game) and playing a far more controlled game since he returned from his suspension. Maybe Willie's working his magic and has got through to Burrows that he's more valuable to the team on the ice than in the sin bin.

Anyways, without the play of the second line, the Canucks would be what they were last season. The Bonino-Higgins-Burrows line makes every other line better.

EDIT: Should note that I'm SOOOOOOO glad that JB got Nick Bonino (aka Nick Foligno) instead of Emerson Etem (you know, that kid everyone wanted who is toiling on the Ducks' farm team).

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