[PGT] Sharks @ Canucks

[Jack Fig]

9 hours ago, BLU3GR33NBL00D said:

I have grown quite spiteful of reading these quotes. 

They're like the vacant campaign promises of an uncommitted politician. 

[mll]

 

9 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

That would mean whoever finishes third will pick 4th in each subsequent round.

and Vegas is guaranteed no lower than 6th in the first round.  The 28th team could end up picking 7th in the first round.

[stawns]

34 minutes ago, Creepy Crawler said:

This year's draft is loaded with forwards, Canucks lacks any real offensive depth and will get worse when Sedins retires and will likely be left with 1 decent offensive line, Canucks are already set on youth in the defense department, first liners aren't easy to get via UFA and are expensive via trades, etc.

It all depends where they end up drafting.  You take who you think is the bpa at that spot, regardless of position.  If they pick a dman and develop him right, it means they will have dmen to deal for fwds down the road.

[bohoforpresident]

26 minutes ago, appleboy said:

There are 7 or 8 at the top that look good.

 

This Mumps thing could ruin the trade deadline. Seeing Sbisa leave with "flu like symptoms" would make me nervous if I was a GM. I would not be surprised that there is zero moves. Not Bennings fault just some more bad luck.

Calm down dude. Every GM is smart enough to realize that a player having the mumps for two weeks doesn't detract from that player being a piece he would like to have moving forward. Especially with over 20GR before playoffs anyway. 

 

 

But no.. you're right. The Canucks are just cursed. 

 

The only thing that will ruin the trade deadline is your own unrealistic expectations you have probably set for yourself by the sounds of it.

[Crabcakes]

44 minutes ago, Sedintwinpowersactivate said:

 

The team is playing hard for him.  They are professional hockey players, that's their job.  It's Willie's deployment of players that people that watch this team closely have a problem with.  Remember that this team spends close to the cap so they have some players that are professional NHLers.  They are a meat and potatoes team that lacks skill but gives effort.  I'd argue that Willie has done a good job developing some of the Canucks younger players Baertschi, Granlund, Stetcher, Tryamkin.  However the PP is a disaster, Ericksson is not being used properly, his faith in Megna has not been rewarded.  He is not a terrible coach, but not great either.  Just a bad team. 

Willie does a lot of things.  Some well, and other's like deployment, cause us to scratch our heads.  I see a team that has some adversity that puts out a good effort every night.  The San Jose Sharks are on Pierre McGuire's list of 6 teams with a legitimate shot at the cup this year (San Jose, Minny, Chicago, Washington, NYR, Pittsburgh, fwiw).  They have lots of depth and as the game wore on, their depth showed and the tide turned in their favour.  

 

What I want to talk about here is team depth.  Now last off season, Benning tried very hard to improve depth on the back end.  I think that he was largely successful here.

 

It's clear to me that depth is lacking in the forwards this year.  There are a lot of fringe NHLers playing regularly.  They are the best we have in the system right now but this has to be changed.  They need real NHL players on the NHL roster.  Loui Eriksson isn't living up to his $6M salary but this isn't really the problem.  It's the bottom 6 and depth.  Who can move up when there are injuries?  I'm sorry but Jayson Megna is not the answer.

 

2015-16                                             2016-17

 

Sedin Sedin Hansen                          Sedin Sedin Hansen

Baertschi Horvat Vrbata                     Baertschi Horvat Burrows

Etem McCann Virtanen                     Granlund Sutter Eriksson

Vey Cracknell Dorsett                        Gaunce Chaput Skille

Higgins Sutter* Prust                         Megna Dorsett*

Burrows                                             Rodin*                                                 * mostly injured

 

Essentially, they have replaced Etem, Vey, Higgins, Prust and Cracknell with Gaunce, Chaput, Skille, and Megna.  There are fewer of these players and I would suggest that the quality is a little bit lower.  McCann and Virtanen should not have been on last years roster.  The theory is that prospects will eventually supplant the lower end guys but who is on their way?  

 

Gaunce?  trying, still boarder line

Virtanen?  cautiously optimistic, not producing at the AHL level but coming along.....a maybe

Labate  physical last night, a missing component perhaps.  Maybe Willie should give him some time before the end of the season?  Willie dresses the best possible line up every night (according to his criteria) so does this leave Labate out?

Grenier 

Boeser?  hopeful but don't count on it

 

There's not a lot we can count on coming up so I would expect that we will see a make over of the bottom 6 in the offseason just like the same happened last year on defense.  

 

Do we see Hansen moved?  How would Benning replace him?  Free agency?

 

How about Burrows?  Do they move him for a pick and re-sign on July 1?

 

Benning had been looking for some top 6 help at left wing before the season started.  Let's just say some salary comes off the books this summer (Miller $6.0M, Burrows $4.5M), this could help Benning's case.  There are a lot of questions and few obvious answers.

[Crabcakes]

32 minutes ago, Where's Wellwood said:

It started off with questions about would he waive his NTC, what has Benning said, would he re-sign in Vancouver, Patrick O'Sullivan,

Basically stuff that he won't, can't, or shouldn't have to talk about, as well as lowers his value. I remember last year Hamhuis was so adamant that he'd like to re-sign in Vancouver that it probably lowered his value.

 

I hear that the After hours got better though.

You're right about the comments he made about signing with the Canucks on July 1.  He could have said that he would be open to it.  Not that he would.  It's leaves people thinking that there would be no chance of signing him longer term if they took him as a rental.  If Benning might have gotten a 3rd for Burrows, the price is now maybe a 4th.

 

Question, don't GM's know that picking up a rental is only for the rest of the season?  After that, they are free agents.  Nothing is guaranteed.

[appleboy]

22 minutes ago, bohoforpresident said:

Calm down dude. Every GM is smart enough to realize that a player having the mumps for two weeks doesn't detract from that player being a piece he would like to have moving forward. Especially with over 20GR before playoffs anyway. 

 

 

But no.. you're right. The Canucks are just cursed. 

 

The only thing that will ruin the trade deadline is your own unrealistic expectations you have probably set for yourself by the sounds of it.

What are my unrealistic expectations?

I am probably one of the more realistic fans on this site.

[canuck2288]

3 hours ago, Salacious Crumb said:

The 'stache will be the fall guy for this season. He likely gets the axe within a week of the seasons end.

 

Who would you like to replace him?

Gallant 

[Team Bagues]

12 hours ago, GarthButcher5 said:

I thought Megna had a couple decent shifts but they were few are far between.

I think Megna would be a decent 4th liner (maybe 3rd in a pinch) - other than that - it's hit and miss.

He works hard and has good speed. Just not consistent or high quality enough for what he's been forced in to.

[PhillipBlunt]

10 hours ago, LaBamba said:

Too bad you need to score more goals than your opponent to win and ultimately become successful. Nobody hates a loser, they just feel sorry for them. 

That's a fantastic summation on how the game is played. 

[gino#29]

scott oake classless campbell and the rest of cbc seemed like they troll the canucks and their fanbase on after-hours.why did oake get scott oberman to ask a question to burrows.micheal bubla sent him that canuck jersey as a joke after he went off on tom sestito for wanting to fight nolan on his beloved kings.nolan was asking for it going after the sedins,he's lucky he didn't get bertuzzi'ed.the way nolan turtled was gutless and cowardly.then oberman beaked off about being on a baseball team,HAHAHAHAHHAAA ohhhhhhh you tough.i also heard him say his dad was just like madmen,i never watched that show but from the adds its a bunch of wall street queefers who have offspring like oberman who's the toughest gay on some private school baseball team.i have WAYYYY more respect for a fighting hobo than a priveleged poindexter that got emotional the first time he watched hockey.i hate oberman. 

[PhillipBlunt]

9 hours ago, Nuxfanabroad said:

Been wanting this for a while now. Trade Sbis AND Slothedler..don't care. Next yr, Jake & Labate throwin fwd-hits. Gud, Pedan & Tryamkin clearing the crease.

 

Even add 1 or 2 more fwds that can rumble. We've ALL got to be absolutely tired of the polite Euro-cycle.

Exactly. Have the physical aspect present to assist the offensively gifted players. Give the goalscorers more time and space to ply their craft. 

 

Some might assume that I meant to put out a team solely comprised of grinders and fighters. Clearly that's an archaic idea in a time where speed and skating are key. 

 

[Team Bagues]

6 hours ago, alfstonker said:

Agreed but it always seems to be when he tries to do too much. He just needs to calm down and simplify his game a bit. Edler played over 27 mins. sometimes that tells on a player more mentally than physically.

I thought Edler and Hutton were real solid for the first two periods. Until the third when Edler seemed gassed and Hutton tried a bit too much, but still I saw glimpses of last year Hutton.

As for Edler on the PP I thought he moved it around well; just the matter of getting shots through - maybe we should watch some video from the Sharks D core. According to CBC they are the best in the league at it.

[BLU3GR33NBL00D]

1 hour ago, Jack Fig said:

They're like the vacant campaign promises of an uncommitted politician. 

Exactly

Can't always talk positives when you're losing. We need some more spark from leadership, which I'm hoping Bo can find within. I'd hate for him to be passive and Mr. Nice Guy. Would love to see Bo develop a bit more edge, which I think he has. 

[Team Bagues]

2 hours ago, Boudrias said:

Many fans on here complaining about Desjardin have little real knowledge to base their opinion on. I highly doubt Canuck management had any illusion about the prospects of this team going in this season. The process of rebuilding this org is in multiple years not a season. Making playoffs seems to be the end game for a huge portion of the fanbase. It has a visceral appeal but fades quickly. The surprise of the 2016-17 to date is all about how quickly the d-core has progressed in such a short time.

 

Desjardin does not get much credit but he regularly shelters players as they evolve their games. He does that by playing his vets. It can be frustrating for those who want to see more TOI going to prospects but that is what happens with young players. When the 4th line's play improved he inched their TOI up. In the same way he cut the Twins ice back to around 18 minutes. IMHO what coaching has done with Granlund's season has been outstanding.

 

Desjardin's coaching can be gauged by the attitude of his players. IMO they have played above expectation. Most nights a solid work ethic.  

I agree. The Canucks were exceeding expectations when they were within a playoff spot - now with the injuries the lack of depth and skill is exposed on forward. Granlund and Baer would be supporting cast on good teams - for the Canucks they are expected to drive offense.

It just shows where the team is in the rebuild, which we already know.

1. fix up the D - in progress

2. have good goaltending - for the most part

3. find some scoring - for this we wait....

[Pete M]

2 hours ago, Boudrias said:

Many fans on here complaining about Desjardin have little real knowledge to base their opinion on. I highly doubt Canuck management had any illusion about the prospects of this team going in this season. The process of rebuilding this org is in multiple years not a season. Making playoffs seems to be the end game for a huge portion of the fanbase. It has a visceral appeal but fades quickly. The surprise of the 2016-17 to date is all about how quickly the d-core has progressed in such a short time.

 

Desjardin does not get much credit but he regularly shelters players as they evolve their games. He does that by playing his vets. It can be frustrating for those who want to see more TOI going to prospects but that is what happens with young players. When the 4th line's play improved he inched their TOI up. In the same way he cut the Twins ice back to around 18 minutes. IMHO what coaching has done with Granlund's season has been outstanding.

 

Desjardin's coaching can be gauged by the attitude of his players. IMO they have played above expectation. Most nights a solid work ethic.  

WD is playing the hand that he has been dealt by management.  

If the hand isn't good enough, then that is managements problem...he still might get fired, but that is out of his control and in the hands of management if he keeps playing the hand.

[Team Bagues]

2 hours ago, Jam126 said:

Martin Jones had to also make good saves. Goaltender is the most valuable position in sports. 

Yeah, Jones was solid.

Corey Crawford is my go to example for the importance of a goalie.

When I first saw him, I thought he was an average sieve, just lucky to play behind a world class team.

Then as time moved on, I saw him make the big saves when it mattered.

Reminds me of Captain Kirk, pretty solid, but able to make a big save when needed - like a sweet old school kick save....

[hearditall]

15 minutes ago, Team Bagues said:

I thought Edler and Hutton were real solid for the first two periods. Until the third when Edler seemed gassed and Hutton tried a bit too much, but still I saw glimpses of last year Hutton.

As for Edler on the PP I thought he moved it around well; just the matter of getting shots through - maybe we should watch some video from the Sharks D core. According to CBC they are the best in the league at it.

Ya it's called Brent Burns...

[Team Bagues]

Just now, hearditall said:

Ya it's called Brent Burns...

Yeah, he's pretty good, eh..

The rest seemed good getting pucks through as well - Dillon, Braun, Pickle, etc...

[Pete M]

1 hour ago, Crabcakes said:

Willie does a lot of things.  Some well, and other's like deployment, cause us to scratch our heads.  I see a team that has some adversity that puts out a good effort every night.  The San Jose Sharks are on Pierre McGuire's list of 6 teams with a legitimate shot at the cup this year (San Jose, Minny, Chicago, Washington, NYR, Pittsburgh, fwiw).  They have lots of depth and as the game wore on, their depth showed and the tide turned in their favour.  

 

What I want to talk about here is team depth.  Now last off season, Benning tried very hard to improve depth on the back end.  I think that he was largely successful here.

 

It's clear to me that depth is lacking in the forwards this year.  There are a lot of fringe NHLers playing regularly.  They are the best we have in the system right now but this has to be changed.  They need real NHL players on the NHL roster.  Loui Eriksson isn't living up to his $6M salary but this isn't really the problem.  It's the bottom 6 and depth.  Who can move up when there are injuries?  I'm sorry but Jayson Megna is not the answer.

 

2015-16                                             2016-17

 

Sedin Sedin Hansen                          Sedin Sedin Hansen

Baertschi Horvat Vrbata                     Baertschi Horvat Burrows

Etem McCann Virtanen                     Granlund Sutter Eriksson

Vey Cracknell Dorsett                        Gaunce Chaput Skille

Higgins Sutter* Prust                         Megna Dorsett*

Burrows                                             Rodin*                                                 * mostly injured

 

Essentially, they have replaced Etem, Vey, Higgins, Prust and Cracknell with Gaunce, Chaput, Skille, and Megna.  There are fewer of these players and I would suggest that the quality is a little bit lower.  McCann and Virtanen should not have been on last years roster.  The theory is that prospects will eventually supplant the lower end guys but who is on their way?  

 

Gaunce?  trying, still boarder line

Virtanen?  cautiously optimistic, not producing at the AHL level but coming along.....a maybe

Labate  physical last night, a missing component perhaps.  Maybe Willie should give him some time before the end of the season?  Willie dresses the best possible line up every night (according to his criteria) so does this leave Labate out?

Grenier 

Boeser?  hopeful but don't count on it

 

There's not a lot we can count on coming up so I would expect that we will see a make over of the bottom 6 in the offseason just like the same happened last year on defense.  

 

Do we see Hansen moved?  How would Benning replace him?  Free agency?

 

How about Burrows?  Do they move him for a pick and re-sign on July 1?

 

Benning had been looking for some top 6 help at left wing before the season started.  Let's just say some salary comes off the books this summer (Miller $6.0M, Burrows $4.5M), this could help Benning's case.  There are a lot of questions and few obvious answers.

Unfortunately, this is only magnified when your top line isn't able to play like a top line and the PP sucks.

More fingers should be pointing at the top line.