[Report] Canucks name Travis Green new head coach

[Borvat]

8 minutes ago, b3. said:

Wow, and he moves pretty good too.

 

8 hours ago, Setyoureyesontheprize said:

 

Huge difference in Virtanen's play since going down to Utica. He looks like a completely different player, with better habits and understanding of the game. 

Wish part of the completely different included scoring and going to the net.  Maybe that part comes later. It will help if he has better line mates.

[Ronaldoescobar]

Virtanen has a long long long way to go before he is ready for the NHL again but it is good to see he appears to be on the right track. If he can be a solid bottom 6 player for the nucks in the future that is a small win in the development category. 

 

[Pete M]

I liked TG's answers to most of the questions. Good to hear him referencing the need of a top end centreman, which we desperately need along with more "D" since we lost Tram and probably Sbisa.

 

He referred a lot to the young guys and how to treat them, but the way, he spoke of the vets was similar to how WD spoke of the vets.

 

However, he did talk about accountability and holding all the players accountable.

[R35Godz1lla]

32 minutes ago, Ronaldoescobar said:

Virtanen has a long long long way to go before he is ready for the NHL again but it is good to see he appears to be on the right track. If he can be a solid bottom 6 player for the nucks in the future that is a small win in the development category. 

 

I think he is closer than many think.

 

He just spent 3/4 of a year having his game rebuilt by Green. He was directed to be physically ready to play each and every game and it started to make a big difference. His defensive awareness is underrated and really the key to his game is keeping his feet moving and not taking a shift off.

 

If he has a strong summer and a good training camp we could see him start the season with the Canucks provided he can be consistent in the areas he needs to be.

 

Right now for Jake its going to be all about consistency and confidence, if he can keep up the strong play Green had been getting out of him to end the season than the points and the hits will come.

 

I actually think a line of: Virtanen - Suter - Eriksson could be very effective. Eriksson has underrated puck possession and passing, Sutter is the defensive pivot and is good at board battles and picking off passes and if Virtanen can use his speed and size in the NHL like he was in the AHL ( to end the season ) then there could be allot of loose pucks for Sutter / Eriksson to jump on.

 

What we saw with  Horvat & Eriksson before he was injured was promising and I think is the key to a productive Eriksson, putting him with some speed.

Eriksson has an ability to slide into open space, Horvat had the speed and tenacity to create some chaos, something that a player like Eriksson thrives on as it open him up to either make a play or take a dangerous shot. Same with Sutter, he is a very opportunistic shooter. So you put those 2 ( who are both 200' players ) with Virtanen and I think if they have chemistry you would see a very good 2.b line that is hard to generate anything against.

 

With Green as the new bench boss Jake's development may be better served under his watchful eye instead of a new AHL coach who may have his own ideas on what Virtanen should be doing to see success.

 

The last think we need is for his game to be Re-Invented yet again.

[two drink minimum]

8 hours ago, Captain Azzy said:

I've been told this week that one of my experienced staff is leaving for a new job.

 

I have two choices: promote from within, choosing a candidate who loves the company, knows the job, and is eager for that next step - or bring in outsider, who will take time to get to know the job (around two years for this job).

 

It's the same for the Canucks. Green was the best hire available to the Canucks, and I'd like to thank Linden and Benning for not kowtowing to the Canucks Twitterati, but for making the correct decision for the future of this franchise.

 

Things cannot get any worse than they are right now - we are at absolute rock bottom. Fast forward two years, and I believe we will be in excellent shape with a dynamic coach, matured prospects, and a succession plan for the Sedins.

I would always defer to familiarity in that regard. I don't have a problem with the hire within strategy. However... I would've taken a good hard look at Crow. He is not a complete outsider because he coached for 7 years here and he's tried and true. He did a great job turning around the team back in 99. Alas that is behind us now and I'm on board with Green going forward. Just hope he's better than other Green's who coached in the NHL. Gary and Ted I'm looking at you lol

[alfstonker]

3 hours ago, riffraff said:

First of all "you guys" doesn't apply to me re megna.  Check any  post I ever posted re megna.

 

Secondly the optics of Labate to Utica is not what I was referring too which I thought you were smart enough to pick up on but are being obtuse here.  So to clarify:  the optics of dressing Labate and lesser players rather than making room for a re healthier lui and a brand new boeser would not look good.

 

thirdly in an earlier post you said the fans and media drove wd out and now you're saying here that JB was "at it" with Willie. So speaking of having it both ways; which is it Alf?  The fans and media or the gm who is paid to, qualified to do so, and commissioned to do the hiring and firing?....and where do you fit in amongst the two groups?

I apologise, you are right, I wasn't smart enough to pick up your veiled nuance - I blame my parents for that.

I don't think JB being at it and the fans and media leading the lynch mob are mutually exclusive, why should they be? JB and TL were already in ass saving mode by then imo.

 

I always back up the coach. I do that because he can only play the hand he is dealt and if you look around, good/great players tend to make good coaches, especially if they have a good GM at the helm and are not bedevilled by injuries every season. (when are we/management going to realise, non physical teams get injured and physical teams do the injuring)

 

Players and GMs get off too easy in the NHL. Imo Gillis should have been gone 2 years before he did and we would have had a coach like AV to take us through the rebuild and maybe a top pick to go with it. I am sick at how the Canucks operate on nepotism. I would rather people are judged on professional criteria.

 

The point was that this team WAS moving in the right direction and imo ahead of schedule. Willie signed for 4 years and he got nothing but sh-t thrown at him - BUT he was still keeping the young boys competitive on the ice. JB and TL owed him his last year AT LEAST and imo 2 more after that to see what his team was like after the twins had gone. I actually think the Club will follow the same direction under Green as we were going under Willie. If thats the case I will be sad for WD but happy we have a good coach who has kept things moving.

As I say if he can get a few breaks injury wise and get 3 or 4 more young players who are developed enough to command a place he will hopefully make it as far as the Sedin's retirement. If he does he will be home and hosed.

 

By the way one of the reasons I like Green is he made it perfectly obvious it was he who was standing in the way of Subban and Pedan. He gauged they were not ready and he explained why, in a straight forward manner with no BS. Of course the "never mind the quality, look at the size/date on the Birth Certificate brigade" on here, would never get their single cell brains round that one.

 

That was a smart move by Travis because when he doesn't play them (unless they do have an epiphanous summer) he will not be made out to be a hypocrite. In fact there were quite a few sign posts in his interview that he will be no easier on rookies who can't cut it, don't master consistency and compete and are patently not ready for big minutes than WD was and that's how it should be because any other way (Benning) is unfair to the rookies who are putting in the effort and toeing the line.

[crazee20]

Is Travis Green the right fit?  Canuck fans will find out in a few years, but I have to wonder if Jason Botchford has a good point?  Trevor LInden (rookie president of hockey operations), Jim Benning (rookie GM) do the Canucks really need a rookie coach?  That did not work for the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Eakins a few years ago.  Eakins seemed pretty good at the AHL level but did not deliver in the NHL.

[Honky Cat]

I wonder if Travis Greens poker skills (he won $345,000 at The World Series Of Poker) make him a better coach?...I don't like poker and I don't consider it a sport,but surely those skills must help you strategize better than your counterparts.

 

-Second thought....Sven Baertschi should have a great year this year (providing he stays healthy)...Green was his coach in Portland when he dominated in junior,and also in Utica where Sven started to right the ship on his career.

[smithers joe]

i hope linden has told coach green, that he'll be required to read cdc every day so he'll know how to run this team. 

[Honky Cat]

11 minutes ago, crazee20 said:

Is Travis Green the right fit?  Canuck fans will find out in a few years, but I have to wonder if Jason Botchford has a good point?  Trevor LInden (rookie president of hockey operations), Jim Benning (rookie GM) do the Canucks really need a rookie coach?  That did not work for the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Eakins a few years ago.  Eakins seemed pretty good at the AHL level but did not deliver in the NHL.

Botchford sets out to appease the pessimistic side of the fanbase (somebody has to do it)...The Chicken Little of journalism..

 

Check out how many GM's are rookie GM's in the league,you'll be surprised (Bowman,Yzerman etc)..Benning has worked as a Head Scout for Buffalo,and an AGM for the Boston Bruins (culminating in a SC win in 2011),these are executive positions...He is more than qualified for the job of GM,and has held the chair for 3 years now.

 

For every failure (Eakins),there's a success story (Cooper in TB)...Do you honestly think that Ken Hitchcock,Lindy Ruff,or Darryl Sutter are the right fit for the Canucks right now?

[stawns]

3 hours ago, Ronaldoescobar said:

Virtanen has a long long long way to go before he is ready for the NHL again but it is good to see he appears to be on the right track. If he can be a solid bottom 6 player for the nucks in the future that is a small win in the development category. 

 

he has some work to do, but he's not far off, at all.  I think he starts in Utica, and he may well stay the year, but he could easily come into camp and be a difference maker too.

[IBatch]

4 hours ago, Captain Azzy said:

I would rather be the boss of a small company than a middle manager of a large company. I hold no reservations over Green's loyalty. He's a life-long Canucks fan, after all.

You got that right. We grew up in the same town two years apart in age... Castlegar is proud of him ( and at the time Bozak) and even though he left early to follow his dream and never did much for his home team for us it's all right in the Universe that he finally made the team for real.  His parents still live there, and if you ever go to one of B.C.s nicest valleys you will find some of the hardest core fans there, Greens family included.

[Honky Cat]

4 minutes ago, stawns said:

he has some work to do, but he's not far off, at all.  I think he starts in Utica, and he may well stay the year, but he could easily come into camp and be a difference maker too.

Stawns...I know that you still have faith in Jake ,but oh boy..the bar is starting to get set pretty low on this player....

[stawns]

31 minutes ago, crazee20 said:

Is Travis Green the right fit?  Canuck fans will find out in a few years, but I have to wonder if Jason Botchford has a good point?  Trevor LInden (rookie president of hockey operations), Jim Benning (rookie GM) do the Canucks really need a rookie coach?  That did not work for the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Eakins a few years ago.  Eakins seemed pretty good at the AHL level but did not deliver in the NHL.

the Oilers problem was they put the weight of the franchise on the shoulders of their kids, and they couldn't handle it.  The Canucks, wisely, have brought their youth in slowly and kept them sheltered by their vets.

[stawns]

Just now, Honky Cat said:

Stawns...I know that you still have faith in Jake ,but oh boy..the bar is starting to get set pretty low on this player....

I watched him play 40+ games this year.  From january to the end of the year, he was noticeable almost every shift.  The points may not have come, but he made an impact almost every time he was on the ice.

 

I don't understand how looking at his many positives is setting the bar low, he's 20 years old, of course he's going to need development time.  But, he has elite level speed, his forechecking was very very good and his takeaway skills are excellent.  The only thing missing from his game, at the end of the season, was being a high level scorer and a big part of that was probably the personnel he was playing with.  I saw plenty from jake to make me optimistic about his future with the canucks

[Honky Cat]

Just now, stawns said:

I watched him play 40+ games this year.  From january to the end of the year, he was noticeable almost every shift.  The points may not have come, but he made an impact almost every time he was on the ice.

 

I don't understand how looking at his many positives is setting the bar low, he's 20 years old, of course he's going to need development time.  But, he has elite level speed, his forechecking was very very good and his takeaway skills are excellent.  The only thing missing from his game, at the end of the season, was being a high level scorer and a big part of that was probably the personnel he was playing with.  I saw plenty from jake to make me optimistic about his future with the canucks

Good to hear...Also,if any coach is capable of getting him to the next level,it would be Travis Green.

[stawns]

12 minutes ago, Honky Cat said:

Good to hear...Also,if any coach is capable of getting him to the next level,it would be Travis Green.

I agree completely.  Who they hire in Utica is going to be critical

[mll]

32 minutes ago, stawns said:

I watched him play 40+ games this year.  From january to the end of the year, he was noticeable almost every shift.  The points may not have come, but he made an impact almost every time he was on the ice.

 

I don't understand how looking at his many positives is setting the bar low, he's 20 years old, of course he's going to need development time.  But, he has elite level speed, his forechecking was very very good and his takeaway skills are excellent.  The only thing missing from his game, at the end of the season, was being a high level scorer and a big part of that was probably the personnel he was playing with.  I saw plenty from jake to make me optimistic about his future with the canucks

Green was asked about Virtanen yesterday on TSN1040.  He sees a guy that should play in the NHL but didn't know if he was offensive enough to be a top-6.  He says he doesn't worry about that and went on to explain that there are other ways for Virtanen to impact the game.  He says in ways he's lucky, he does not need to be a 25 goal scorer to be effective, he can be a 10 goal scorer and be one of the most effective guys on the team.  He gave the example of how Kassian impacted the series early on by his aggressive play. 

[spook007]

1 hour ago, smithers joe said:

i hope linden has told coach green, that he'll be required to read cdc every day so he'll know how to run this team. 

Post of the day. Thank you.

[PhillipBlunt]

1 hour ago, smithers joe said:

i hope linden has told coach green, that he'll be required to read cdc every day so he'll know how to run this team. 

If he wants Green to quit? Sure.