Jay Beagle | #83 | C

[Hairy Kneel]

Beag's and Roussel are definitely what the Dr ordered... Sutter too!!!

[aGENT]

https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/ed-willes-beagle-digs-into-old-toolbox-to-modify-leadership-role-with-canucks

 

Quote

“There’s a lot that Jay Beagle brings to our group that people don’t see. He’s almost like a playing assistant coach.” — Jim Benning, Canucks GM

Jay Beagle is asked if he has ever been a goal scorer in his long and interesting hockey career and he begins to think.

 

There was that year with the Tier 2 Calgary Royals when he scored 28 goals, so that kind of counts. Two years at the University of Alaska-Anchorage? He scored 10 one season but that was the high-water mark. The East Coast league’s Idaho Steelheads? Small sample size but even in their Kelly Cup run, he scored once in 18 playoff games.

 

Hershey Bears? Well, there was that one year when Beagle lit it up — 19 goals after 64 games — then he got hurt. His Hershey days led to the Washington Capitals where he spent eight seasons and never scored more than 13 — and never accumulated more than 30 points.

 

So that’s the back of Beagle’s hockey card: 15 seasons and he’s topped the 20-goal mark once in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. As for this season, we’ll break the suspense. He has two goals for the Canucks after 27 games. This isn’t going to be his breakthrough year.

 

Still, it’s a funny thing. Despite the comical scoring totals, despite never being drafted by any team at any level, despite an illogical journey that should never have ended in the NHL, Beagle has played 498 career NHL games, while winning a Stanley Cup in Washington and cashing in with a four-year, $12-million free-agent deal this summer.

If ever there was a player who does things that don’t show up on the scoresheet, it’s the 33-year-old Albertan. And that’s good because if he was going strictly by the numbers, he’d be back working at his dad’s garage in Calgary.

 

“Even when I was a kid I was a defensive guy, a third- or fourth-line guy,” says Beagle. “I was never on the top line. I always had that defensive mindset. It’s what I’ve done my whole life.

 

“At every level I’ve loved coming to the rink and playing. Whatever role the team needed, that’s what I did.”

 

And it looks like he’s carved out a role with the Canucks.

 

“There’s a lot that Jay Beagle brings to our group that people don’t see,” says Canucks GM Jim Benning. “He’s almost like a playing assistant coach.”

 

While conveniently ignoring the Canucks’ collective sheet soiling Wednesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, Beagle’s presence has been notable on a couple of fronts since returning to the lineup after missing 24 games with a fractured forearm.

 

For starters, he’s centred a reliable fourth line with Loui Eriksson and Tyler Motte (working title, the Motte-ly Crew. Thank you, I’m here all week!) that can handle any matchup.

 

In the Canucks’ 3-2 win against Detroit on Jan. 20, that line played more than 14 minutes and was instrumental in shutting down Dylan Larkin and friends. Two games before that, Beagle and Eriksson both played more than 17 minutes in the shootout loss to Edmonton while seeing a lot of Connor McDavid.

 

If the concept of a solid fourth line is unfamiliar to Canucks fans, it’s because they haven’t seen one in 20 years.

 

Beagle has also helped solidify a penalty-killing unit that has blown hot and cold all season but had killed off 15 straight and 46 of 51 over the 20 games before Wednesday’s whipping.

 

But his larger contribution — and the reason he was offered both term and compensation this summer — is in those vague, ill-defined areas on which Beagle built his career and reputation. The Canucks wanted his leadership and professionalism for their rebuilding team. They wanted the example he’d provide for their young players.

 

As it happens, the Canucks were 8-13-3 in the 24 games Beagle missed. They’re 12-7-3 since his return. Turns out you can put a price on those qualities, and if $12 million sounds a little steep, you don’t hear the team complaining.

 

“He’s a great teammate, a good example for our young guys,” says coach Travis Green. “He’s not the only one, but there’s a difference between a guy in his second year and how he gets ready to play, and a guy in his seventh or eighth year.

 

“And he’s won everywhere he’s been. That means something.”

 

Beagle, in fact, is the only player in NHL history to win a Kelly Cup, a Calder Cup in the AHL and the Stanley Cup. Think about that for a moment. As for the roots of that success, you don’t have to dig too deeply into his backstory to understand its origins.

 

If ever a player’s personality reflected his game, it’s Beagle, who’s older than old-school. Growing up in Calgary, he worked in his father Al’s garage and actually dug ditches for a spell.

 

He and his wife Ashley — his high-school sweetheart, of course — have three kids and he’s blissfully unaware of social media. Another shocker, he loves hunting and the great outdoors, which was one of our city’s selling points for the Beagles.

 

Being a mechanic’s kid, he has a dream a car, an ’86 GMC Jimmy that he lovingly restored with his dad, and it will be a working vehicle on the farm he just purchased north of Calgary.

 

Leaving Washington wasn’t easy. In eight years he’d grown tight with Braden Holtby, another Westerner who battled long odds, and formed a relationship with Alex Ovechkin, who singled out Beagle’s contributions in the Caps’ Cup run last season.

 

But, as a UFA, he’d also priced himself out of the Caps’ budget.

 

“It was my family,” he said, with emotion in his voice. “But I’ve found a home here.”

And the Canucks found something in return.

 

[Kootenay Gold]

1 hour ago, aGENT said:

https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/ed-willes-beagle-digs-into-old-toolbox-to-modify-leadership-role-with-canucks

 

 

Great post agent!

[Ghostsof1915]

Beagle started off strong in the regular season, and wasn't the same after the injury. I think it's the wear and tear of a Cup finals, and a short offseason. 

Having an offseason without the playoffs, will allow him time to heal up properly. He may not get you 50 points. But he's a good guy in the locker room, and plays the PK well. 

You see him on the ice. He gets chances, and does a lot of the heavy lifting. I'm hoping he's going to be a reliable 20 point guy next season. 

[GoldenAlien]

 

[ItalianCanuck1]

 

[Westcoasting]

2 hours ago, ItalianCanuck1 said:

 

Who is this guy?

 

[kloubek]

Don't get me wrong - I like Beagle and appreciates what he brings to this team. But given his price tag, I feel we need to see more scoring from him. 

 

He had his worst ppg output in 6 years with us. He is obviously good defensively and on faceoffs but I feel it is important to get scoring from your bottom six, and a line just can't do that properly with a center who can't contribute on the scoresheet.

 

Here's hoping he comes back next season fully healthy and pots some 25 points for us. If he can do that, you can expect an improvement from his linemates as well.  An extra combined 20-30 player points may not seem like much but sometimes that is the kind of small boost required to get those few extra wins to make the playoffs.

 

[-AJ-]

1 hour ago, kloubek said:

Don't get me wrong - I like Beagle and appreciates what he brings to this team. But given his price tag, I feel we need to see more scoring from him. 

 

He had his worst ppg output in 6 years with us. He is obviously good defensively and on faceoffs but I feel it is important to get scoring from your bottom six, and a line just can't do that properly with a center who can't contribute on the scoresheet.

 

Here's hoping he comes back next season fully healthy and pots some 25 points for us. If he can do that, you can expect an improvement from his linemates as well.  An extra combined 20-30 player points may not seem like much but sometimes that is the kind of small boost required to get those few extra wins to make the playoffs.

 

I actually exactly share your mindset, though some user (I think it was @oldnews?) actually enlightened me to the fact that the numbers imply that Beagle is even better defensively than he was later in Washington, which I think covers a bit for his lacklustre offense.

 

As much as people like to rag on Sutter these days, when Sutter was more healthy, he was producing a lot more points than Beagle, which makes me think Sutter may be a better 3rd line centre while Beagle is best suited as a 4th line guy of whom we require less offense.

[kloubek]

6 hours ago, -AJ- said:

I actually exactly share your mindset, though some user (I think it was @oldnews?) actually enlightened me to the fact that the numbers imply that Beagle is even better defensively than he was later in Washington, which I think covers a bit for his lacklustre offense.

 

As much as people like to rag on Sutter these days, when Sutter was more healthy, he was producing a lot more points than Beagle, which makes me think Sutter may be a better 3rd line centre while Beagle is best suited as a 4th line guy of whom we require less offense.

I agree. But this season he was pretty awful.  Cant rag on the guy TOO much due to injury, but if this is the "New Sutter" there is just no room fornhim here.  Plus Gaudette will be better and hopefully suitable for that 3rd line role.

[J-P]

I think Beagle actually created lots of offense from hustling etc this year, but he’s not a playmaker nor a finisher so he needs other guys to do those parts. A 4th line of Rousell - Beagle - Virtanen could both score and drive opponents crazy. 

[aGENT]

12 hours ago, kloubek said:

Don't get me wrong - I like Beagle and appreciates what he brings to this team. But given his price tag, I feel we need to see more scoring from him. 

 

He had his worst ppg output in 6 years with us. He is obviously good defensively and on faceoffs but I feel it is important to get scoring from your bottom six, and a line just can't do that properly with a center who can't contribute on the scoresheet.

Perhaps try looking at it as 'offense by proxy'. Do you think Petterson scores as much as he did this year (or in future years for that matter) without heavily tilted ozone starts (70% this season)?

 

Who do you think supplies that % of ozone starts?

[Zhukini]

15 minutes ago, aGENT said:

Perhaps try looking at it as 'offense by proxy'. Do you think Petterson scores as much as he did this year (or in future years for that matter) without heavily tilted ozone starts (70% this season)?

 

Who do you think supplies that % of ozone starts?

Isn't that what Sutter is supposed to do? Maybe if we had more offensive options down the middle, Pettersson wouldn't have to start 70% of his shifts in the ozone? Maybe he doesn't score as much, but he wouldn't have to if we didn't have 2 pure shutdown lines like we currently do. 

[aGENT]

2 minutes ago, Zhukini said:

Isn't that what Sutter is supposed to do? Maybe if we had more offensive options down the middle, Pettersson wouldn't have to start 70% of his shifts in the ozone? Maybe he doesn't score as much, but he wouldn't have to if we didn't have 2 pure shutdown lines like we currently do. 

Him and Beagle yes. With Sutter injured, it fell even more heavily on Beagle (likely some of the reason his PPG was 'down'...that and being on a lesser team) and Horvat (who then also becomes less freed up to create offense).

 

Eventually we won't have two 'pure shutdown' lines (I prefer to think of them as hard minute/match up lines) but we're still a rebuilding team with a VERY young and green (not to mention shallow) top 6. We're not a contender with 4-5 legit top 6 guys in their prime as people seem to insist on comparing us to. As such, we're not going to have the same makeup as those teams and will have match up lines that help shelter those young guys and allow them more frequent, easier, offensive starts and opportunities.

[oldnews]

12 hours ago, -AJ- said:

I actually exactly share your mindset, though some user (I think it was @oldnews?) actually enlightened me to the fact that the numbers imply that Beagle is even better defensively than he was later in Washington, which I think covers a bit for his lacklustre offense.

 

As much as people like to rag on Sutter these days, when Sutter was more healthy, he was producing a lot more points than Beagle, which makes me think Sutter may be a better 3rd line centre while Beagle is best suited as a 4th line guy of whom we require less offense.

well that was the intention.

In fairness to Beagle - his 18.5% ozone starts is about as strictly shutdown/dzone start specialist as it gets - so 13 pts in 57 games = 19/82 - is not bad at all, particularly when you also factor in that his minutes came for the most part while attempting to "foundation" a relatively depleted lineup. 

I'd be surprised that he's still so insanely under-rated around here, but players like him tend to be sandbagged the vast majority of the time.

Edited April 23, 2019 by oldnews

[JM_]

1 minute ago, oldnews said:

well that was the intention.

In fairness to Beagle - his 18.5% ozone starts is about as strictly shutdown/dzone start specialist as it gets - so 13 pts in 57 games = 19/82 - is not bad at all, particularly when you also factor in that his minutes came for the most part while attempting to "foundation" as relatively depleted lineup. 

I'd be surprised that he's still so insanely under-rated around here, but players like him tend to be sandbagged the vast majority of the time.

why? defensive play has always been undervalued here, and with our crack Vancouver media.  Suttrz Corzi don't you know? 

[rekker]

1 hour ago, oldnews said:

well that was the intention.

In fairness to Beagle - his 18.5% ozone starts is about as strictly shutdown/dzone start specialist as it gets - so 13 pts in 57 games = 19/82 - is not bad at all, particularly when you also factor in that his minutes came for the most part while attempting to "foundation" a relatively depleted lineup. 

I'd be surprised that he's still so insanely under-rated around here, but players like him tend to be sandbagged the vast majority of the time.

Not me. Loved the signing from the get go. Beagle is the exact kind of player the Oilers are lacking and we are lucky to have him. 

[Rob_Zepp]

On 4/24/2019 at 5:57 AM, rekker said:

Not me. Loved the signing from the get go. Beagle is the exact kind of player the Oilers are lacking and we are lucky to have him. 

Exactly what the Capitals were missing in their series against the Canes.

[Mrwipeout]

Yup we are definetly lucky to have a guy like this. Always does his job well and a player that i want on the ice when facing oponents best lines. 

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]