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Everything posted by PhillipBlunt
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I can see that happening. If it's for a legitimate top 2 defenseman, would it be worth it?
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[Report/Rumour] Ethan Bear Contract Talks
PhillipBlunt replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Trades, Rumours, Signings
There's this angle to consider as well. Buidling a defense based on puck-moving and speed without any consideration for how the games change in the playoffs is a mistake. The checking gets tighter and more brutal, and the stuff in between the whistles escalates as well. This defense should have a decent component of size to combat that. Size that can play though. -
[Report/Rumour] Ethan Bear Contract Talks
PhillipBlunt replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Trades, Rumours, Signings
Bear probably tops out as a 5/6 defenseman. I think it would be best at this point to give him a one year deal. I'm hoping that AILvin will be active this summer actually dealing with the defense and providing both Hughes and Hronek will long term defensive partners that will finally solidify the top 4 spots on defense, preferably with defensemen who're more defensive and possess size and a nasty disposition to the opposition. I also hope that Schenn will return in the off-season. Perhaps Bear could be partnered with him? -
Teams have to respect his shot, so he’s capable of faking a bomb and then hitting a teammate with a shot pass. Good reads with the puck come naturally to Hronek, who can walk the line pretty well too. Hronek is really adept at pinching up the wall to keep plays alive in the offensive zone. None of those are highlight-reel plays on their own, but the benefit accumulates over time. A defenceman’s ability to register points is often tied to opportunity though, so don’t be surprised if his production tapers given that 16 of Hronek’s 38 points have come on the power play where the Canucks already have Quinn Hughes (unless they go with two defenders on PP1). We don’t know yet if Hronek will slot with Hughes at five-on-five or on a second pair so that the Canucks can split their two best defencemen up and maximize the amount of time that at least one of them is on the ice. But Hronek will at least surely get some shifts with Hughes when the Canucks are trailing. That’ll be really exciting to watch because Hughes has never had a partner with Hronek’s offensive versatility. Conclusion Hronek profiles as a jack-of-all-trades two-way defenceman. He wasn’t quite as dynamic leading breakouts as I anticipated but was far more reliable defensively than I expected, especially now that his matchups and minutes have been scaled more reasonably. He checks the boxes of a quality No. 3 defenceman to me — somebody who can either caddy a legitimate No. 1 like Hughes or be an effective driver on his own pair, provided he has a competent partner. Regardless of how he’s deployed, Hronek is far and away better than any right-shot defencemen the Canucks have employed this season and should be a core player for some time. (Photo of Filip Hronek, Ville Husso and Andrei Kuzmenko: Bob Frid / USA Today) A couple of the vids wouldn't paste Thank you, @Playoff Beered
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Do a brother a solid and copy and paste, brah!
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I don't get the want to throw a huge contract at a player who's not even played a game with the team. What if, heaven forfend, he doesn't develop chemistry with the team? Would those premature contractulators be happy with that? Exactly. The last thing a player should be is rushed. I think they're movable, especially if Boeser keeps up with his level of engagement, and Myers continues to use his size to bring chaos to the opposition instead his own team. With Rathbone and/or another player, he could bring back some defensive depth. Graves could very well go to UFA, as NJ looks to be eyeing Luke Hughes being integrated into the lineup for next season, and could get a small haul if they trade Graves. Pettersson has now proven to be elite and will probably end up having the largest contract in team history.