Convincing John

It’s not going to turn the season around. These guys have seen enough change. Why put TG firing on their heads? Play out the season, and start fresh. The habs are still in it, they actually have something to lose. Everyone acts like coaching systems are so complex and radically different around the league but they aren’t. The biggest difference from team to team are the players. I am personally tired of everyone blaming coaches and not holding players accountable. A lot of our losses can be attributed to turnovers and human error. How is that the coaches fault? You got veteran players like JT Miller throwing muffins cross ice leading to turnovers on a consistent basis. I don’t know what else you can do to remedy that. We don’t have the depth to scratch the guy. Do we need to put a headset in every players helmet so TG can tell them exactly what to do with the puck in real time? Then you hear things like, “roll 4 lines” ok, are you really going to play Sutter as much as Horvat and expect to win?

I didn’t think I’d ever see him in the NHL. His comeback is inspiring. I for real choked up when he scored his first goal. Give this kid the Masterton nomination.

We went from a playoff run to the basement. 10% of the voters thought it was a great offseason. Seriously, I’d love to have your optimism, my life in general would be so much easier. We just spent multiple years in the bottom 5 of the league and we have cap trouble. Doesn’t anyone else think this is absolutely insane? The only cap issue a team like us should have is reaching the cap floor. It’s not just this offseason my dudes, it’s the previous offseasons that finally caught up with us.

They say you should never change more than 40% of the water in your fish aquarium because you’ll disrupt all the beneficial bacteria and chemistry you’ve built since your little fish were introduced into their new environment. It feels like we took too much water out and disrupted all the chemistry we built. At face value, water is water, but what we don’t see is bacteria and that’s what helps the fish thrive. They’ll survive and built new chemistry but it’s going to take time and it’s going to cause stress. I don’t know how else to explain it. Lol

Sami added another layer to the powerplay. Either move in to cover him and give the Sedins more space or let him shoot and hope for the best.

Haha, no need for defence when those 2 are on, we’d be tossing the puck around in the ozone the entire time.

Isn’t this the truth, that number might even be higher. Even when we were the best team in the league we missed that piece.

Looks like we are seeing the same thing. I believe the main missing piece of the young core is a Big, strong smooth skating d man with a boomer from the point, preferably Right shot. The silver lining to the dismal power play is it might result in us finding that piece in a heavy D top 10 draft.

I’ve been following JV since Jr, I was excited as hell to pick him. I’m a very Bias JV fanboy. Even I know that he just isn’t playing to his full potential. That’s not Green’s Fault, that’s Jake’s. I don’t know where that kids head is.

We have been waiting +50 years for a D man like Quinn Hughes. If I had to pick 1 untouchable, it’s him.

OJ was totally awesome on the power play back in the day. I’d like to see him snuck into the second unit and move Schmidt onto the PP1 in favour of Miller. Schmidt actually has a fairly decent shot, it’s not hard but he gets it off and through traffic. We need to open up the middle on the PP. Another threat on the blue line will force the PK out. And give the forwards more room down low, it will also give Hughes more freedom for wizardry. It’s time to start looking ahead here. Juolevi is an extremely smart player who would probably help with zone entry. Get him seasoned on the second unit and then maybe gradually toss him into PP1. He was awesome at holding the line and zipping it in back in the day and that’s what we need.

From my own personal experience, I probably would be dead or living behind Lordco if I didn’t leave my hometown. I can’t imagine being a millionaire in that same situation. There are some pretty heavy rumours about JV. Rumours that can’t even be mentioned on here.

It’s tragic, I remember watching him dominate in Jr. he was like a dad playing street hockey against kids. I honestly believe that he never regained his shot after his shoulder surgery. It seems like a lifetime ago, but in Jr he was a puckhog with a unbelievable shot while skating at top speed. A straight line player. Another problem is that he was so much more physically advanced then his peers. Now that he doesn’t have that advantage as a pro, he lost his swagger. Everyone can’t be a savvy playmaker. A JV type player can have success in the NHL. He just needs to find another gear.

The Canucks need heavy shots at the point. The problem we have is there is no reason for the PK to put pressure on the blue line. When you have a good shooter on the blue line you force the other team to expand their box to cover him and open up the middle. I don’t know what other option they have with the players provided. None of our D can fire the puck hard enough and on target to create that space.

Virtanen straight up hasn’t earned that opportunity. I’d move Motte or even Mac to the top line before JV.

It’s both, VGK didn’t change their Identity when they changed coaches. How many different coaches did the Devils have in the 90’s? Even the Red Wings. The identity starts with the GM, he builds a plan with the scouting staff, they pick these players on the draft floor. Then you need coaches that can coach the brand that you’re building. The GM then adds players that complement the core he drafted and the system the coaching staff has in place. Like I said before. Who are we? If you could coach us into an identity then tell me what that identity would be?

Fair enough, who wouldn’t like to see even distribution? It’s hard to watch a game on TV and know exactly what TG is seeing and why he is doing it. IMO The biggest issue with our team is we don’t have an identity or brand. Successful teams have that. The VGK are heavy, yet fast and pretty assertive. The players they have fit that style. The Wings and Hawks were puck possession teams and they drafted and acquired players that fit that mold. The Devils of the 90’s were a smothering trap team and they also built to that style. Our style is almost based on what line is on the ice. That’s not really Travis Greens problem thats Jim Benning’s. Like What the hell is Canucks hockey anyway? Lol. Quinn Hughes is the only D man we have that can carry the puck. The rest break out from passing. Pretty hard to get out of the neutral zone when you only have one option. Then you throw Beagle, JV, Mac, DR, Sutter out there and expect to have O zone possession time? Then you have Mario Gaudette who spends half the game chasing his own turnovers lol. The key to rolling 4 lines is multiple D men who can break out effectively and hold the line when the bottom 6 dump it in. It’s also nice to have some shots that can get through back there cause that’s how a bottom 6 scores, rebounds, tips, garbage goals.

Clarke and Hughes would be an unbelievable pairing. I know everyone says it’s not a big deal, LHD can play the right side, blah blah. Positionally on defence it’s actually easier to play the right with a left shot along the boards. When in the offensive zone it’s a completely different dynamic. Those 2 would have a mini cycle going on at the blue line that would cause a great amount panic to the opposition. EP, Brock shooting down low, Clarke, Hughes at the point, they can all interchange during a cycle. It would be so awesome. Right shot on the left, left on the right, up and down and around.

Brandt Clarke is a RHD ranked at #3. With this weird season it’s hard to keep track of who is who in these rankings. Because of how poor the scouting is going to be this year, I bet a lot of great players will slip into the later rounds. We should seriously pick a RHD with every pick we have until we find Hughes a partner lol. I agree, it’s the last Core piece.

It takes a special player to put up those kinda points next to Benn. Imagine if he had a semi competent RHD with a cannon. A defensively responsible guy who can throw it up ice and lay the body. He’d win the Art Ross. Imagine a Hughes, Ekblad pairing. An Ekblad light is what we need.

As much as I wish we were the VGK, we aren’t. We don’t have the depth to roll 4 lines. The season has become a larger version of being down in a must win hockey game. We are in a hole and Travis is coaching to win games. I’m sure that if we start putting some wins together and creating momentum, the ice time will be distributed accordingly. Mac is the only real exception in my opinion. I think he has played well enough to earn more ice time but he just doesn’t have the line mates to insulate him. Gaud has actually been one of the biggest disappointments for me this season. He looks like a chicken with his head cut off most of the time. His hair looks like his game.

What’s the rush?

Exactly, as much as we want to see this team dominate the league, our core isn’t even close to their prime. We are still watching the trailer to the movie.

Ask the last 9 Oiler coaches if developing elite talent means something. Everyone thinks Hughes, EP, Boeser, Hogs just jumped in and became pros with little guidance. A coach that can develop these young guys is far more beneficial then learning from some washed up overpaid 4th liner. When I look back at my hockey playing days, I remember coaches and how they helped me correct things I was doing wrong. I don’t remember lessons from other players that I was in direct competition with for ice time. Don’t underestimate what TG has done with the young core.

Travis Green has done an excellent job of developing the young talent on this team from his Utica days till now. Who are we to judge his deployment of young players. Hogs is getting ice time, let’s just let the man do his job.