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bigbadcanucks

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Everything posted by bigbadcanucks

  1. Maybe you need to grow your alligator arms a little and spend some money on a larger flat screen TV. That's unless you jumped on a plane and flew to Malmo and to London to watch the games upfront and personal. In that case, maybe you need stronger prescription glasses. Though I agree Horvat didn't do anything to really wow anyone, he's still a legit NHL prospect. And you really think that Sestito, the human punching bag, is able to provide the team with the policing it needs against McGrattan, Scott, and the likes? Sestito is a better hockey player than an enforcer, and as a hockey player, he's unable to keep up and too slow to lay a hard forecheck on anyone.
  2. Candidate for post of the year. Thanks for insights Sid.
  3. Been a fan of Gaunce since his draft year...he and Horvat are man-childs that already play a pro-type game, so I would not be surprised if Gaunce adapts to the AHL/NHL game faster than most people expect. My only question I have is not so much a question about Gaunce, but one of organizational depth. That being, Gaunce and Horvat play a similar style of game, with Horvat having slightly better offensive skills (Cassels and McCann are reputed to be solid two way players, but neither match up against Horvat or Gaunce when it comes to size, so I'm less inclined to put all four into the same category of players), so does it make one or the other redundant (sorry for using that word)? With that being said, does it make sense to move Gaunce for another prospect from another team that has a high offensive ceiling? A player I have in mind would Alexander Khokhlachev, a Bruins' prospect. We're missing this type of prospect (one that can potentially be a high-end offensive player to eventually take over from Henrik Sedin), while have two similar type of players in Horvat and Gaunce.
  4. Thanks Vintage... Two immediate impressions out of this video...Jim Benning is firmly in charge...Tryamkin is a monster -- see the tree trunks for arms the kid's got? Wow.
  5. I remember a few years ago highly sought after UFAs were being jetted around in private planes by the teams wooing them...Miller and his wife are flying commercial from what I understand, albeit probably executive class in Air Canada LAX to YVR. Wonder if the Canucks are picking up his airfare and hotel expense? Anyways, I'm not sure how I feel about Ryan Miller being a Canuck...though one thing for sure...a very good goaltender can expedite the re-building/re-tooling/re-setting process. I heard there is a sub-penthouse condo that's still on sale in Yaletown, close to Rogers Arena, currently owned by some guy playing nets for the Panthers.
  6. There was talk that Miller would be open to a one year "I'll prove myself again" type of deal...if this is the case, I'm all for having Miller on board. Otherwise, I hope it hails stones and swarms of locusts invade YVR when they land.
  7. Check out the claws on this kid...and the sleeves on the jersey are short for him. I know diddly about Nikita Tryamkin, but love the vital stats on the kid and his hockey history. We're inching closer and closer to being the Big Bad Canucks.
  8. I get the feeling that Willie is a fully engaged coach, as opposed to the absentee coach we had in Torts, and the aloof "let the players control room" AV. As much as Torts was the anti-AV, Willie looks to be the anti-Tortorella who will teach and communicate in a respectful, private way with his players. WD seems to have a high opinion of the core players (singling out the Sedins today, only because he was asked)...hopefully the Canucks players live up to the high praise WD spoke with. It's on the players now...
  9. Aquillini has probably come to the realization that being the face and voice of the organization is bad for ticket sales...what's there not to like about Linden as the public face of the Canucks? Good looking, articulate, congenial dude, always sharply dressed...making good hockey moves with bringing in hard working, Western Canadian guys in Jim Benning and Willie Desjardins.
  10. Starting to like WD more and more...one thing for sure, Linden has not deviated from the profile that he's looking for in the people he's hiring. Linden's acumen, leadership and ability to run the hockey operations to date gets a high grade from me...hopefully we'll see more little successes over the next couple of weeks.
  11. Check him out, surtur...messed up his 80s hairdo, water-stained his tie, got his virgin-wool suit wet...all good reasons to flip out on one of your top players who's obvious not happy with what just happened on his last shift. That's just real good coaching -- beating down your player when he's obviously upset with himself...doesn't an intuitive coach lift his guys up when they're down and bring them down a notch when they're too high on themselves? Nice coaching job, Eakins. Back to the "A" you go, Dallas.
  12. Desjardins strikes me as an honest, tax-paying Canadian citizen...assuming the rumors are correct, he'll will probably settle into a nice $1.5M townnhouse on Marinaside so that he can walk to Rogers Arena. This way he will be able to spend lots of time at the office (another hard-working guy, just like TL and JB)...seems like the Rog is a place the players like to hang out, so hopefully that means lots of face time between coach and players. I'd be lying if I said I knew much about WD, but he apparently had a team that played an up-tempo, puck possession, strong on transition type of game...sounds like a hybrid of Winter Crow's WCE/AV's puck control style. If that's the case, a new question arises...do we have the right players to play this style? The team that I saw last year looked old, tired, and slow (with the exception of the Boston game).
  13. Sort of like this, peaches? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuoBs8QD6HI Disturbing behavior from a disturbing AHL coach pretending to be a big-league coach. Eakins cracks me up.
  14. Seems to me the only connection between the two was that there grew up in the same part of the world and spent a summer on the ice together trying to discover some off-season on-ice chemistry...can't visualize Kesler joining Booth in a bible study group or prayer session; or Booth joining Kesler on off-ice hunting expeditions for felines. I'm like a few others who have said that they are not surprised, but yet surprised...I thought that with this being the final year of his contract, the way he elevated his game near the end of the season, and the fact that he's a big-bodied/fast forward who would be useful in the Pac Div, he'd be around for one more year.
  15. Didn't realize that JS could polarize the CDC board like he did, but what was I thinking? This is the CDC. Here's my 2 cents worth...JS is at best, worth a qualifying offer. He's done little to show that he can be a bona-fide, full time NHLer, but IMO, it's too early to give up on him. He's had his moments where his skill has shone through, but for the most part, he's been inconsistent for whatever reasons -- shoulder and ankle injuries that needed to be repaired surgically being one -- as most young players are. Pros for re-signing him (to a qualifying offer): potential of skill and speed (something you can't have enough of); something to prove (let's hope he has this attitude); and youth (23/24 is still pretty young). Cons for re-signing him: 2 major surgeries in less than 12 mos.; lack of size; lack of grit (he ain't no Brendan Gallagher); falling rapidly on the depth chart. At the end of the day, the only risk to having JS signed is that he takes up one of the 50 contract spots. If he's not good enough, to make the NHL, waive him...if he gets picked up, so be it...there's always the ability to buy him out or loan him to and European team.
  16. As an add-on, Dale Tallon has shown a likeness to deal with the Canucks (though it's arguable that it was Gillis that he enjoyed dealing with)...at the very least, there is lots of trading history between the Canucks and Panthers. Let's hope that the tradition continues.
  17. Where are these countless "fans who think Van is one player away from being a 'contender'" that you speak of? Last time I checked, there are numerous fans here that believe the team needs an overhaul of the core and give greater responsibilities to Kassian, Jensen, Tanev, Matthias; provide roster spots for Horvat, Gaunce, Corrado; and make a play for emerging players such as Evander Kane, Ryan O'Reilly, and a youngish Paul Statsny. I'd say the number of fans who are satisfied with status quo and adding a couple of pieces, vs. making significant changes to the core and adding youth into the lineup is split right the middle. I must be following a different board than Boudrias.
  18. C'mon Googs...it doesn't matter if fans cast aside players -- that has zero bearing on whether a player plays or not. Your post sounds a little like the dude grandstanding that it's the fans to blame for all that ails the Canucks because of the negativity and rumor mongering that gets talked about here on the CDC. I like Schroeder...I hope he's re-signed, stays healthy, cracks the lineup and shows that he belongs in the NHL on a regular basis. I think he's got the tools to play in the NHL. IMO, we have a disproportionate number of third and fourth line prospects under contract (other than Horvat, Shikaruk, Gaunce) in guys like Lain, Kenins, Archibald, Friesen, Mallet, Grenier, etc., so why not have a smallish skilled guy with unfulfilled potential in the pipeline?
  19. Not sure why AV gets knocked for failing to play young players...last time I checked, Kesler, Burrows, Hansen, Edler, Tanev, Schneider, Rome, Pyatt, Cook, Bernier, Raymond, Cook, etc. got their fair share of ice time in their early/mid 20s under AV's watch. Short term memory, I suppose.
  20. I'm going to have to disagree with your perspective on "group-think" of the Canucks fan base...I'm inclined to believe that the vast majority fall into the collective thinking that they will cheer on their Canuck heroes regardless of how well or poorly the players perform as individuals and as a collective bunch. The critical thought process is to remove home team biases and look for ways to improve the team for the present and future, given the realities of current circumstances. And that means moving players that the fan base has a sentimental attachment to (i.e., the players you cheer for, no matter what), and rationalizing these ideas with rumors (substantiated or not), speculation, and personal opinions. And obviously, posters making these critical points aren't going to be popular with everyone (and be accused of being band-wagon fans, anti-Canuck, trolls, or as the OP states, "the problem with the team", etc.)...other than unsubstantiated rumor mongering, what's wrong with expressing a critical point of view? I find 40%-50% of the opinions expressed are well founded and insightful...but according to OP, the vast majority of the fanbase do nothing more than perpetuate the rumors spewed by Eastern media, which, IMO is far from the realities of CDC. Telling the contributors of an open forum to take a hard look at themselves for fear that what gets exchanged here will somehow filter to the players themselves and players outside of Canuck-nation and will result in an inability by the team to attract players is nothing short of fear-mongering, which to me is laughable. Nice try at grandstanding and being a soap box hero, OP. Failure on both counts, pal.
  21. Wouldn't it be something if JS developed a whole lot of snarl over the summer and came back in the fall to be our answer to Brendan Gallagher? Ahhhh, the senseless musings of early June. At the very least, JS will have a whole summer to train and should be ready to go hard in training camp (assuming he's re-signed).
  22. I suppose that is the million dollar question, JR...IMO, JS is a guy that you can move up and down the lineup, including sometimes being in the press box. I view JS as a smaller, more talented (but unproven) version of Chris Higgins. Higgins has been a pretty good utility player for the Canucks. I'm hopeful that JS can emerge to become that kind of player. I thought JS showed his skill set at times last season and prior, but was inconsistent and derailed by injuries. I believe he's got a lot more to show, but unfortunately for him, he's only got this coming year to show it. He'll soon be falling down the depth chart if he is not able to stay healthy and show that he belongs in the NHL on a consistent basis.
  23. As far as I can see, JS is a depth player with speed and skill. At a q-offer of $660k, you can never have too many of these guys. Where JS ends up on the depth chart is going to be entirely dependent on what JS has to say and show (sorry for being Capt. Obvious). Re-signing him to a q-offer or a slightly better deal (say $750K to $900K) is a risk I'd be more than willing to take on a 23 year old who has yet to show what he can or cannot do. It's a no-brainer for me.
  24. Linden is a pretty modest dude...with all the money he's got, he's driving a Cadillac SRX that any middle class dude or dudette can lease. Love that about Linden. Benning comes across as a quiet, efficient, understated, hard-working guy...great personality traits shared between Linden and Benning. Though I wonder how long it will take them to have their patience tried by the inane questions the local media will throw their way.
  25. You mention the Sedins and Higgins, but omitted Edler...granted, Edler hasn't played well the past few seasons and I've laid out my fair share of Edler criticism, but he looks to be working every bit as hard as the Sedins and Higgins. Sometimes you gotta give a little credit where it's due...kudos to Edler for banging away in the gym with some of the boys.
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