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AlwaysACanuckFan

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  1. Listening to him was music to my ears.!
  2. Tanev discusses changes to the blueline this year, powerplay time, Juolevi and Stecher, and veteren leadership. I feel Chris will be a great leader to not only those 2 players but other up and coming defencemen.
  3. Virtanen has his mindset focused on cracking the Canucks lineup.
  4. Found this piece on Stecher from The Province and I do feel that Canucks fans are going to love this guy. He was one of the players who stood out from the Young Stars Classic and will continue to impress at the main camp. http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-fans-are-going-to-love-troy-stecher Canucks fans are going to love Troy Stecher JASON BOTCHFORD Published: September 19, 2016 Updated: September 19, 2016 10:39 PM PDT Filed Under: The Province Sports Hockey Vancouver Canucks PENTICTON — Kyle Connor is fast, unquestionably gifted and coming off a season in which he crushed college hockey. He is among the one per cent here, one of the most talented players in Penticton. In a heartbeat, the Winnipeg Jets’ 2015 first-round pick can exploit any defenceman’s slip. He did just that when he turned Troy Stecher inside-out to start Sunday’s Young Stars game. “I turned the wrong way and I knew it immediately,” Stecher said. “He’s one of those players who is going to capitalize as soon as you make a mistake. But I got my revenge.” Stecher responded by doing what he has done all weekend. He just kept coming. Later in the first period, he pinched the puck from Connor in Vancouver’s end. A few seconds later, he had a shot on net, and on the rebound the Canucks scored. Canucks fans are going to love the never-surrender motor that drives Stecher’s game. Undrafted, and on the small side, he’s listed at 5-foot-8 here; the NHL odds are not in his favour. But there are more than a few scouts here who like his chances. “He is going to make it work, he’ll find a way,” one said. “Just watch.” When you do, you’ll see a player who is vocal, cocksure and all-in on just about every play. “He’s one of the players who always wants to be on the ice, wants to practise and loves competing,” Young Stars head coach Travis Green said. Green actually goes way back with Stecher. When he was coaching the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, the team chose Stecher in the seventh round of the bantam draft. Green was trying to recruit Stecher to come to Portland before he chose the college route instead. “Obviously, back in the day, I kind of told him to beat off,” Stecher said. Green said he didn’t remember Stecher using those words exactly. “It wasn’t that (harsh), but at the end of the day,” Green said. They can laugh about it, having now developed a really good relationship based on mutual respect. Stecher is a Travis Green kind of player if there ever was one. The 22-year-old, of course, is hoping he starts this season in Vancouver instead of Utica. With lots of NHL interest, signing the college free agent was no slam dunk for the Canucks, and what seems to have tipped the scales in their favour was the fact that Ben Hutton went from nowhere to top-four defenceman in what seemed like 15 minutes last fall. “It is important,” Stecher said. “I wanted to go to an organization that wasn’t going to sugar-coat anything. They never guaranteed anything. Other teams (came) big: ‘Oh, you’re going to play the full season next year.’ “Once you sign, they can do whatever they want with you. You have to pick and choose which people are being honest and hard-nosed with you, and that’s something I really respected about Vancouver. “They told me if I come to camp and earn a spot, then I’ll play.” Hutton said he could see in their first skate together that Stecher at least has a chance to duplicate what he did a year ago. One of the first things Hutton told the North Dakota product was, “Just don’t take my job.” Stecher has proven here he can create offensive opportunities all on his own. In Friday’s first game he snagged a puck from another talented forward, Drake Caggiula, and turned it the other way for a 2-on-1. It was a terrific moment for Stecher, who played in this town for three seasons with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. “The only thing running through my mind was, ‘This is the first game in Penticton, there is no way I’m going to pass that puck,'” he said. Stecher grew up in the Vancouver area and was back in the city in May, when he started working out every day with Canucks veterans. The organization, which believes he can be an Andrew Ference or a Mike Weaver type, was really impressed with the gains Stecher was able to make training in the summer. They also think he’s wired like a leader. Green called his locker-room personality “infectious.” “I like to work hard,” Stecher said. “With hard work comes leadership. Guys want to follow someone who is working hard. A lot of people have doubted me because of my size.” Asked what he does to compensate, Stecher said: “A lot of the smaller skilled guys can be a bit perimeter, but I like to get into corners and fight my way around bigger guys and try to use my body to an advantage. “People think it’s a disadvantage, but being net-front, people might take my weight lightly and, last second, I’m able to push them. “With every negative there’s a positive.”
  5. Like you mentioned "Tryamkin is one Russian with ambition." Having said that, I believe Tree is going to bring that ambition along with confidence into training camp. Tree has already gotten a dose of what the NHL is like and should be an easy transition for him as to what to expect. Tryamkin will continue to improve and be a huge physical presence on the blue line. He already displayed that he's definitely not shy in dishing out hits and has a huge heck of a reach. So yeah I believe Tryamkin should fit in quite comfortably and understand what it's going to take to be a good NHL player.
  6. Some interesting words from Stecher and Green regarding the Sultan of Smooth, yeah the Sultan of Smooth. http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/sultan-of-smooth-juolevi-impressive-in-his-canucks-debut?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter Sultan of Smooth: Juolevi impressive in his Canucks debut JASON BOTCHFORD Published: September 17, 2016 Updated: September 17, 2016 8:01 PM PDT Filed Under: The Province Sports Hockey Vancouver Canucks Composed, cerebral and never out of position, Vancouver's top draft pick shows off his mature and distinctly non-flashy game PENTICTON — If you’re waiting for a moment, something grand and dynamic, before you begin pouring out your undying adoration for Olli Juolevi on social media, have a seat. It could be a while. There were essentially two wildly different reactions to Juolevi’s first game in a Canucks uniform Friday. Some, most of whom were at home watching the fifth-overall draft pick play on YouTube, were left wanting, whispering, “I don’t get it.” Others, most of whom were watching the game in the rink he was playing in, were geared up, convinced he was the best Canuck on the ice. This much is a lock, in the chaotic atmosphere that is common for Young Stars games, Juolevi played quiet, disciplined and mature. He was a Sultan of Smooth. Both on the ice, and off it. He avoided panic and contact, almost entirely. He was hit once by the Edmonton Oilers Young Stars, when he turned to make a play on a puck late in the second. “Sometimes, you have to take the hit,” Juolevi said. “I knew there was pressure coming. “I thought, ‘Why not take it? Maybe I can jam his offensive game.'” Getting hit in the back, Juolevi drew a penalty on that play, something he seemed almost disappointed in after the game. “I didn’t think it was a penalty. It wasn’t that big. It was a good hit,” he said. None of his teammates understand the nuances of his game more than Troy Stecher. They were paired together the Canucks development camp in July and again in Vancouver’s first game in Penticton. Understanding Juolevi can play near-flawless positionally, Stecher was impressively aggressive, piling up nine shots on net, by head coach Travis Green’s count. “He’s such a smart player,” Stecher said of the Canucks’ first stud defensive prospect in years. “When I wanted to go, I knew he was going to be back. “He’s so smooth. He’s so reliable. He’ll never be too flashy, but he’s not going to make a mistake. He’s going to make the hard, simple play. “You could just tell right away (when I met him). Off the ice, he’s this relaxed kid who has this swagger to him. It translates to the ice. He’s a composed player.” Stecher, you will learn, loves to talk. It’s part of what makes him such a powerful locker-room presence, and why many scouts here are saying he’s “wired to be a leader.” Juolevi said he was chattering about the game for almost all of the three periods, which ended in a 4-1 Vancouver loss. “A lot of it, I just let go in one ear, and drift out the other,” Juolevi said, smiling. Juolevi claimed he was nervous heading into his debut. When it was pointed out that it sure didn’t look like it, he volleyed back with a pretty interesting thought not many 18-year-olds would have come up with. “I don’t think you were nervous when you were asking me those questions, but how would I know?” Juolevi said. “What matters is, you love your job and I love mine.” What also matters, Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins is going to love him, even before he puts on the 15 extra pounds he’s probably going to need to compete nightly in the NHL. Any coach would. “His game is one of those where you might never look and say ‘Wow, that was some end-to-end rush,'” Green said. “It’s just going to be a nice quiet game where he controls the puck.” Asked if players like Juolevi are a coach’s dream, Green immediately said he was. “Anytime you have a defenceman who you don’t really have to talk to at all, that’s kind of what you like,” Green said, before pointing out that this tournament may be the most difficult games for Juolevi to really show what he’s capable of. “We were talking about him the other night with some of our scouts. I think those kinds of defencemen are better when the game is better, cleaner. “His game is going to be better suited for an NHL game. Where everyone’s timing is on, and it’s not as scramble-y. “He’s going to be a helluva defenceman.” Until then, it’s not going to be easy for a lot of people to pick out where Juolevi is excelling. But it wasn’t easy to see how good Dan Hamhuis was when he first arrived in Vancouver, either. “(Juolevi) has got a lot of poise. He reads the game well. His hockey sense is a premium. “Somethings you just don’t have to teach really good players. “It’s not going to be if he plays (in the NHL). It’s just when.” As soon as now? People will have to wait for main training camp before trying to answer that one.
  7. Ben Kuzma: Canucks’ Tanev takes aim at generating offence Look for Chris Tanev to add a more offensive element to his game this coming season, starting with the shot he’s been working on. The Canucks’ steady blue-liner was reassured by GM Jim Benning over the summer that the team wanted to keep him. BEN KUZMA Published: September 15, 2016 Updated: September 15, 2016 7:31 PM PDT Filed Under: The Province Sports Hockey Vancouver Canucks Shot suppression is Chris Tanev. Shot generation is not. An enviable combination of skating, smarts, timing and fearlessness has allowed the Vancouver Canucks’ defensive defenceman to log big minutes, shut down top lines and draw league-wide acclaim. It also made him the subject of off-season trade rumours because who wouldn’t want a durable, dutiful and low-maintenance rearguard who plays hard? Who wouldn’t woo GM Jim Benning and offer scoring help to spring the 26-year-old Tanev, who’s a bargain with four more years at a US $4.45-million annual salary cap hit? “I didn’t really hear about it (rumour), but my brother followed it,” Tanev said Thursday following an informal skate at Rogers Arena. “I got a call from Jim Benning one day to just reassure me that they (Canucks) want me and all that stuff wasn’t true. That was definitely reassuring.” Tanev not only led the Canucks with 166 blocked shots last season to rank 16th in the NHL, he fell in front of the hardest shots at that toughest times. The Canucks were clinging to a 2-1 lead against Tampa Bay on Dec. 22, when he dropped in front of a heavy Steven Stamkos slapper. Tanev hobbled off the ice with a deep bruise on his right foot. Ironically, he had discarded a shot-blocker on that skate because he was repeatedly tripping over it. Regardless, Tanev would miss just two games. “That’s what I grew up doing,” shrugged the undrafted Tanev. “I don’t want to give up opportunities where our goalies have to make tough saves. I don’t know too much about all the analytics, but I know when Eagle (Alex Edler) and I are out there, we’re just trying to get pucks out of our zone quickly.” Tanev also excelled in his first world hockey championship experience in May at Moscow. He paired with the Leafs’ Morgan Reilly to log major minutes and it was the go-to tandem to lock down a gold medal for Team Canada. Regarded as the best defenceman in the tourney, Tanev logged 21:38 against Finland in the final, including 8:37 in the third period. He was not on the ice for a single even-strength goal against in the entire event. “Going into it, I didn’t know how it would go,” admitted Tanev. “I definitely had the time of my life and met a lot of good guys and, most importantly, we won.” Imagine if Tanev can add an offensive element this season? The Canucks generated just 23 goals from the back end in 2015-16, fifth lowest in the league, and six of those came from the departed Matt Bartkowski. Tanev scored four times and has never had more than six in any season, and the fact he has trouble getting shots away — and also finding the net — was his summer focus. His 42 shots in 69 games last season were the lowest on the club of anyone who played more than half the season. And it wasn’t just defencemen. The Canucks ranked 28th with 28.2 shots per game, and that had a lot to do with icing the league’s worst face-off percentage to go with a 29th-ranked offence and 27th-rated power play in missing the playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons. Tanev believes “getting it” offensively starts with play in his own zone. He says Erik Gudbranson will add a needed defensive presence and that Ben Hutton should be the beneficiary to pick up where he left off in his rookie campaign, placing second in assists (24) among first-year blue-liners. “We were hung up in our own end and weren’t breaking out with the puck,” said Tanev. “People don’t realize how well Gudbranson moves and how smart he is, and that’s going to help us out tremendously. “I worked on my shot a lot, but as a whole we need to be up in the play more. We had a lot of shots blocked or didn’t even get them on the net. I’ve been working more on my mechanics. You just don’t want to shoot pucks aimlessly with no goal in mind. When you work on mechanics, you can see when you do it (release) properly and when you don’t. It gives you a good mindset. “So many guys are blocking shots and you sometimes have to get it through three layers of players. You have to have your head up all the time and find the little open areas and get pucks off quicker than we did last year." http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/jason-botchford-canucks-tanev-takes-aim-at-generating-offence?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
  8. For me, not out of the question but I think he will have somewhere between 40 and 52 depending on whether if Willie has given him more defensive roles or "let him loose" offensively.
  9. Loved what I heard here, Bo's confidence is indeed growing,
  10. Pretty sweet interview with Olli.
  11. Getting stoked to seeing how he does at training camp.
  12. It’s mind over matter as versatile Gaunce pushes for roster spot BEN KUZMA Published: September 12, 2016 Updated: September 12, 2016 5:08 PM PDT Filed Under: The Province Sports Hockey Vancouver Canucks Timing is everything and it may finally be right for Brendan Gaunce. There was a time when the Vancouver Canucks weren’t sure Brendan Gaunce was going to be a player. And there was a time when the versatile forward was in awe of the National Hockey League. Not anymore. No more wide eyes. More like a steely-eyed resolve. Not only is Gaunce physically and mentally prepared for a serious roster shot after being one of the final camp cuts last year, his ability to play centre or either wing and bring a better compete level caught the eye of Canucks coach Willie Desjardins. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound 2012 first-round draft pick has always had the size, but not the edge to project as a consistent bottom-six performer at the NHL level. It’s what brought about the switch from centre to the wing in the minors and made a major improvement in his game because his frame and feistiness are perfectly suited for the Pacific Division. And while you could pencil the 22-year-old Gaunce into the opening-night lineup — or bring out the eraser and see him as the 13th forward or back with the Utica Comets — one thing is clear: Gaunce finally gets it on and off the ice. It wasn’t just making his NHL debut in October at Dallas and scoring his first career goal the next night in Arizona. It wasn’t amassing five shots in a March game at Winnipeg or even playing 20 games at this level. It was about the calm resolve that developed in knowing he can perform properly in a demanding market. It’s a stark departure from hoping to play and giving the opposition too much respect. Last year was a big mindset change for me,” Gaunce said Monday following an informal skate at Rogers Arena. “It’s not ‘I think I can do it’ anymore, it’s ‘I know I can do it.’ That was a big thing to get over and I’m ready for it. “I’m a lot more confident in myself and that’s going to help. That time at the end of the season made me feel like I’m a part of the NHL now and not just watching form the outskirts.” Gaunce endured injury problems from November to January, playing with a cast on his thumb for four weeks after falling. Playing defence-first comes naturally to him and it will make him more valuable in the NHL. As for the goal scoring, it’s an ongoing process and Gaunce isn’t the first 30-goal junior sniper who has had to tailor his game for the pros. Bring a 200-foot game and an attitude and Desjardins will punch your ticket to the NHL. Anything less and it’s Utica again. What also helps Gaunce is knowing the Canucks must trend younger and that the tough tutelage he got with the Comets under coach Travis Green was worth the grind. His 17 goals in 46 AHL games with the Comets and his plus-12 rating both ranked third on the club, which speaks to productivity and responsibility. It’s also why Green was interviewed for NHL coaching vacancies in Anaheim and Colorado. “He (Green) really pushes you to be a complete player and help your team win in different ways,” added Gaunce. “He was good for me for that and he also respects you when you do things well. If you work hard, you get ice.” In the final year of his entry-level deal, you would expect Gaunce to be feeling some level of pressure. Even though his age, size and versatility suggest a no-brainer extension, you never know how it could play out. The fact Gaunce hasn’t even thought about it, speaks to growing maturity. “It’s not pressure, it’s more excitement,” he stressed. “It’s having a chance to prove yourself and that can pay off at the end of the year and something you can build on. It’s going to be a fun year.” You can picture Gaunce being a third- or fourth-line left-winger. You can also picture a lot of scenarios depending on camp performances, priorities and injuries. Gaunce doesn’t picture anything, even though there are so many floppable wingers. How the left side plays out could be intriguing. “I’m just worrying about myself,” he said. “Every guy just needs a chance and that’s how you break into the league. I’m trying to work for my chance and not just get one for free out of the blue. I think I’ve done that and I can help the team win in a lot of different ways. http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/its-mind-over-matter-as-versatile-gaunce-pushes-for-roster-spot I think he's going to come into training camp with full of confidence , with fire in his belly, and have an outstanding showing . Will it be enough to crack the roster, we shall find out.
  13. Iain MacIntyre: Forgotten Brandon Sutter is the Canucks' third big summer addition IAIN MACINTYRE(Vancouver Sun) Published: September 11, 2016 Updated: September 11, 2016 9:25 PM Filed Under: The Province > Sports > Hockey You know about the first-line scorer the Vancouver Canucks signed in free-agency and the bruising defenceman acquired in trade, but you may have forgotten about the key two-way centre they’re also adding this season. Brandon Sutter played very little for the Canucks between his two major injuries last year. And his final game, Feb. 9, was so long ago, it’s easy to forget he’s still on the NHL team. When he was obtained 14 months ago from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sutter was regarded as a core piece in general manager Jim Benning’s rebuild, a two-way centre who would play in all situations, streamline the workloads for Henrik Sedin and Bo Horvat and bridge the professional gap between those two centres near the opposite ends of their careers. Then Sutter played 16 games before requiring hernia surgery. Then he played only four more upon his return before breaking his jaw. The 27-year-old missed 62 of the Canucks’ final 66 games as the team plunged toward the bottom of the standings and missed the Stanley Cup playoffs by a mile. It was difficult to remember which of the many Sutters he was when some commentators declared in June that the Penguins “won” the trade because former Canuck Nick Bonino, who had scuffled through a mediocre regular season, had a brilliant playoffs setting up Penguins sniper Phil Kessel as Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup. Perhaps we should at least allow Sutter to compete in the who-won-the-trade competition. Winger Loui Eriksson, who has three goals in two warmup games skating with Hank and Danny Sedin for Sweden at the World Cup, cost the Canucks only money when he signed with Vancouver on July 1. Defenceman Erik Gudbranson, who provides the top-four size and physical presence on the blue-line that the Canucks have largely lacked since Willie Mitchell was allowed to leave in 2010 and win his Stanley Cups elsewhere, was acquired from the Florida Panthers in May. But Sutter, fully healthy, should still be near the Canucks’ epicentre this season. He’ll get many of the defensive matchups that overwhelmed Horvat, 21, at times last year and take a least a couple of shifts a game away from Henrik Sedin, who turns 36 in two weeks. Asked if he felt he’d even had the chance to show people here what kind of player he is, Sutter said: “I guess after eight years, you hope people know what to expect from you. I know what kind of player I am and nothing was really going to change. Everyone wants to score more goals, get more points, things like that. But after being in the league eight years, you realize the biggest thing is just winning and losing. That’s all it comes down to and nothing else matters.” Even with Sutter, Eriksson and Gudbranson, the Canucks will still be mightily challenged to win enough this season to make the playoffs. Absolutely they will be better than the 28th team that went 11-21-2 the last three months of the season and finished with 75 points. But will they be 20 points better? “If people are picking us for the bottom, that’s perfect for us,” Sutter said after his first informal skate with teammates in Vancouver last Thursday. “That’s great. Our expectations in the dressing room are very different. “I think we’ve got a core group that looks at last season and thinks we’re very underrated coming into this year. You start with Hank and Danny and look down the list and there’s eight of 10 of us with experience who can play at a high level, and we’re all two-way players. Especially at forward, we’re all two-way guys. “Every year in June you watch a team win the Stanley Cup, and you get kind of a sick, jealous feeling watching someone else win. You just wish so bad it’s you one day. That’s what we’re here for and there’s really no reason for us not to go after it.” It was strange, Sutter admitted, watching his former team win the Stanley Cup in June. He spent three seasons in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins under-performed in the playoffs. “Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “When I was there, I think there was a whole different feel to that team than what there is now. I think there are maybe only nine of 10 players still there. There’s a new coach. The way they started last year was the way we finished the previous year. Something was missing, something just not clicking. They made a coaching change and it seemed everything flipped from there.” Sutter’s spring was far happier than his winter. He got married – his wife, Giselle, grew up on a farm about a mile from the Sutter place outside Red Deer, Alta. – and travelled to Africa. Still, it was the longest off-season of his life. The Canucks “shut down” Sutter on March 20, which he says is when his summer training program essentially began. It seems like forever since he has played. That’s about how long the Canucks’ dismal season lasted without him. http://www.theprovince.com/sports/vancouver+canucks/iain+macintyre+forgotten+brandon+sutter+canucks+third/12185595/story.html
  14. Absolutely loved what he said here.
  15. This Erik guy is a real gud guy!
  16. Here is a nice piece on The Bear! I believe he is going to pick up from where he left off from last year, and a little hungrier. http://thecanuckway.com/2016/08/05/vancouver-canucks-evolution-sven-baertschi/ Vancouver Canucks: The Evolution of Sven Baertschi by Connor Cullen 3 days ago Follow @cullencb The Vancouver Canucks will be looking to their younger players to make big strides in their development in 2016-17, in order to reach the playoffs after a dismal season. If the Vancouver Canucks want to make the playoffs in 2017, they will need big contributions from their youngsters. After scoring 15 goals in 2015-16, the spotlight will shine brightest on Sven Baertschi. Can he take the next step and continue to evolve? As far as reclamation projects go, there’s always going to be an element of risk. That level of risk is greater depending on where the player falls on the age spectrum, since youthful players who have yet to peak can always bloom late, but nonetheless reclamation projects require teams to gamble. It’s safe to say now that Sven Baertschi has become a fairly successful one for the Vancouver Canucks. The 23-year-old from Bern, Switzerland was originally drafted in the first round (13th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Canucks’ division rival, the Calgary Flames. Attached to him were the loftiest of lofty expectations and, after failing to meet them to the satisfaction of Calgary’s management, Baertschi quickly became a former star child left by the wayside. Calgary gave up on Baertschi and flipped him to the Canucks for a second-round pick. Once again, he showed up on a team that had high expectations for him. His fresh opportunity in Vancouver started off rocky: he wasn’t scoring, he vanished mid-game from time to time, and his confidence was at a very low level. For a young player with such a high pedigree, Baertschi’s poor start to the 2015-16 season was worrisome. He wasn’t getting it done and coach Willie Desjardins called him out for it. More from Editorials Then things began to turn around for Baertschi. He developed some nice chemistry with Bo Horvat on the second line, he strengthened his defensive awareness, rounding out his overall game and becoming more of a two-way player. This, in turn, led to Desjardins giving him more opportunities to skate on the power play. Everyone knows the rest of the story. So, after setting career highs in almost all offensive categories last season, where does Baertschi go from here? He has a history of prolific production at the WHL and AHL levels, with the Portland Winterhawks and Abbotsford Heat, respectively. Even looking back at his earlier days in various Swiss leagues, it’s apparent that Baertschi can play and, specifically, can score. He went on notable hot streaks last season, during which he looked extremely confident carrying the puck, created some beautiful and nifty plays, and, most important of all, he shot the puck at the net. If he’s even a tad more consistent in 2016-17, Baertschi can easily score 20 goals. He certainly has the talent and it seems as though he now possesses the confidence to succeed. He scored 15 goals in 2015-16, averaging 13:27 on the ice per game. Therefore, it’s likely that the addition of a few more shifts per game will see that goal total climb. One of the more prevalent debates this offseason was the lack of scoring depth for the Vancouver Canucks. GM Jim Benning addressed the need for more scoring by signing Loui Eriksson to a big, shiny contract but it won’t be enough to propel the team back into the playoff race. Baertschi’s evolution as a scorer will, of course, help address the scoring woes, and so will developmental strides made by the other youngsters but Benning stated multiple times that he was — and presumably still is — looking to acquire another winger to help take the pressure off Baertschi. Here’s what Benning said exactly, as per the Vancouver Sun: “We’d like to add a proven scorer who brings some grit to take the pressure off Sven, so he can keep developing at his own pace. He took a big step last year and wants to prove to people that he has more to give. But I don’t know where he’s going to end up (next season). At some point, that (second line) is where he’s going to be, but maybe he plays on the third line with the capability of playing on the power play and potentially scoring 15 to 20 goals for us.” Benning has yet to bring in that player and some of the other wingers on the team are surrounded by question marks. Will it be disastrous if Baertschi begins the season on the second line, eating up those minutes and trying to pick up the offensive slack after the Sedins? No. Would it be ideal to have someone in front of Baertschi on the depth chart, so that the young Swiss forward can, as Benning said, develop at his own pace? Maybe, maybe not. There’s always the chance that Baertschi worked harder than ever over the summer months and will roll into camp, raring to go, ready to take on that bigger role. Some players thrive under pressure. Now that he’s comfortable with his new team, now that he’s gained the coach’s trust, now that he has recovered some of that swagger, perhaps he’s relishing the idea of being the guy to depend on. It’s assumed that Eriksson will play with the Sedins but what happens if the Canucks don’t bring in another scorer? Would the Canucks be better off playing Jannik Hansen with the twins (who formed a pretty decent top line last year) and spreading out the goal scoring by lining up Eriksson alongside Baertschi and Horvat or Baertschi and Brandon Sutter? Regardless of how it all shakes out, Baertschi should be put in a position to succeed, as long as he is willing to work hard and keep learning, keep developing. He should be given every opportunity to run with the second power play unit and he should stay with Horvat, at the very least. Never underestimate the importance of chemistry. Baertschi’s future with the Canucks looks bright and they certainly need all the scoring help they can get their hands on. Scoring 30 goals in the near future is not unrealistic, provided that he is surrounded by good players who can maximize Baertschi’s impressive play-making abilities and provided whichever coach is manning the Canucks’ bench gives him the opportunities his high pedigree alone merits. Since he’s had a rocky road from the start, it’s easy to forget that Baertschi hasn’t even hit 25, let alone the 26-29 mark that is generally a player’s peak. Players who are reclamation projects are usually quite easy to root for. Baertschi is no exception. In his case, however, what started as a minor reclamation project has blossomed into something entirely different. Baertschi is coming into his own as a NHL player and he’s showing that he belongs. He has a future with the Canucks as a key contributor within the top six. A realistic expectation for Baertschi would be 20 goals and 20 assists per season. His offensive dynamism should also bring the Canucks’ much underused second power-play unit out of relative obscurity. Being 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Baertschi is never going to physically intimidate the opponent but no one expects that. That’s not his game. His game is to make things happen on the ice, whether it’s smoothly feeding his linemates with crisp passes or using that wicked shot to his advantage. All he needed was a fire lit under him and coming to Vancouver for a clean slate seems to have done the trick. If everything turns out well and Baertschi keeps progressing at the rate he is currently, the Canucks might be reaping the rewards for years to come.
  17. Absolutely loved the video. Not only is Bo a good player but he's also a humble, hard working confident individual.
  18. Well now, that sure looks like a blast! That kind of teamwork will help patch the team up!
  19. Yes he might be the funniest Canuck but with his dancing, he might give Hutton a run for the money whenever they are participating in a lip syncing contest together.
  20. A real good video from Olli Juolevi blog #2. http://canucks.nhl.com/club/m_news.htm?id=888703
  21. Exciting news! Good job on Benning getting the deal done. Eriksson is going to be a great fit with the Sedins. That's going to be one sick line.
  22. Wow do the Lions look so sharp in those new uniforms!
  23. I'm very excited we got Juolevi, he's going to look real good patrolling our end.
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