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Everything posted by kloubek
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[proposal] Eichel to Vancouver - “thinking out loud.”
kloubek replied to Patel Bure's topic in Proposals and Armchair GM'ing
That's an overall downgrade, imo. Eichel is a fantastic player, but Bo is no slouch and is one of the better 2nd line centers in the league. Yes, we would upgrade our center position from a scoring perspective, but our wingers look woeful. Virtanen will never be a 1st line player, and while Podz has lots of potential, I certainly don't want our futures resting on him being a high end top 6 contributor. -
You know, I wasn't a fan of these jerseys after the release. But the more I see them play in them, the more they look alright to me. Better colour combo than the original gradient jersey. It was mainly the gradient that still bothered me on these ones, but seems a bit more toned down on the real thing and the lower green doesn't take over like it seemed to in the promo material. Good game so far. Lots of effort.
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[Rumour] Predators interested in Adam Gaudette
kloubek replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Trades, Rumours, Signings
I beg to differ. Versatile. Great at faceoffs. Isn't overly physical but not afraid to get into the scrums. Leadership. Has a decent wrister. Generally strong defensively. He may be overpaid and has become injury prone but he's pretty much exactly what you expect from a third liner if you ask me. To the degree that if we don't find a replacement soon (Gaudette isn't it), I could see us re-signing him for a short term contract around 2m per. -
Why is Höglander so good? And can he win some hardware?
kloubek replied to ImConfused's topic in Canucks Talk
Hoglander would not be the same player if he had less of either effort or skill. But he has both. He is also a rare example where you can't write off a smaller guy. Put another way: If all our players had his drive, we would probably win the cup. That's high praise. -
(Rumour) Virtanen on the trade block
kloubek replied to Wayne Glensky's topic in Trades, Rumours, Signings
You can't rag on Virtanen for his draft position. Canucks picked him where we did, and nothing is guaranteed, even at 1st oa. But man - what a disappointment as a player. He has a full toolbox, but missing all the drivers. -
[Rumour] Predators interested in Adam Gaudette
kloubek replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Trades, Rumours, Signings
Even still, how does that show he's desperate? Gaudette has skills. Likeable guy. But for a center, he's poor at faceoffs. He is average at best physically, below average defensively, and seems to have difficulty finding proper positioning - especially when under pressure. (All my own opinion.) But if the return was right, I could see why Benning might consider moving on. To me, when it comes to Jake, I feel Benning has been ridiculously patient with him. To the point it's almost sad he's still hanging onto what could have been. Jake is having a horrible year statistically. Trading him now isn't a desperate move. It's a move of resignation that JV will never be the player for us he could and should have been. It's been a long time coming. It's just a shame it's happening now at an all-time low stock price. I think there are things to rag on Benning for, but I feel you are trying to develop a narrative that just isn't there. As for Myers, I've been critical of him in the past. And I still don't think he's worth his contract. But I think if you took his leaning on opponents away, our team would be far worse off. We need his size. And I see him doing more out there this season than last. He isn't horrible. Just... expensive. I wouldn't be against replacing his size with Tryamkin and having Seattle take him. -
I think some of the interest in moving Boeser was due to him requiring a 7.5m qualifying offer if we don't take him to arbitration by the end of his current bridge contract. That's a lot of money when we already know Petey and Hughes are going to be taking up a big chunk shortly. And, yes, Boeser was not himself for most of last year. The combination of both these points caused a stir in a very fickle fan base and I'm not surprised some were asking for him to be moved. Personally, Ive always supported keeping Brock, though with a hope he would find himself sooner than later. Glad to see he is back on track with his mental and physical state.
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Boeer. He's looked decent. It's so hard though with the team playing so poorly to pick anyone truly playing like an MVP. Hogs isn't quite there yet but man that kid is a difference maker.
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Francesco Aquilini says "I have no plans to make changes."
kloubek replied to AriGold2.0's topic in Canucks Talk
While I agree with this, I think it shouldn't be lost on our fans that ownership were the ones pushing to keep the window open. For the first couple of years, we were still trying to keep the Sedinery going and work with the team we had. Those years were complete write-offs, as Benning tried to refill our prospect pool that was truly, utterly empty. Eriksson was the worst of his signings, but I supported the signing at the time and in any other alternate universe, it would have been a good signing. Then he went into a mode where he wanted to support that young talent he was drafting with hard-working, meat and potatoes guys. Rouse, Ferland, Motte, Beagle, and (shudder) Prust. He did overpay in $ and term, but that was what it took to bring free agents to a Vancouver team where talent was thin. I don't consider most of these "mistakes" exactly... but one could judge their effectiveness perhaps. And now we are in the phase where we see if Benning's build pays off. Our young guys are nearing their prime, and his job focuses to supporting them with quality secondary players, and replacing the aforementioned meat and potatoes guys with cheaper, younger guys as well as continuing to draft and utilizing ELCs as much as possible. Really, besides some mis-steps I do think he has managed to push the team through the phases as he initially set out to do, and although our team has lost something over the offseason I still believe that this team is well built as a whole. I maintain he has done a fine job. Now the team just needs to figure out how to work as a unit. -
Francesco Aquilini says "I have no plans to make changes."
kloubek replied to AriGold2.0's topic in Canucks Talk
Who said it would have been only a one year deal? If he was to be signed I always kind of expected it would be about 4 years. I also felt Podz would be best penciled into a 3rd line role to start. Even that is a big expectation for a guy who's never played in the NHL. Not saying he won't be impactful right away, but I think our fanbase is getting spoiled by guys like Petey, Huggy and Hogs playing high level hockey as soon as they step onto NHL ice. With that said, I too believe he will be immediately impactful - at least in a bottom 6 role. -
Francesco Aquilini says "I have no plans to make changes."
kloubek replied to AriGold2.0's topic in Canucks Talk
I never said I disagreed with letting either player walk - as much as I liked both. I just said it is a loss, and feel it could be part of the reason for our lack of performance this season. Given what TT ended up signing for, I do believe it's on Benning that he couldn't move enough salary to at least retain him. I know it was hard to do so this year and he must not have wanted to give up the assets required to do so, but he could have and should have moved salary earlier, whatever the cost. I do agree we have Podz coming in to shore up the wing, but as excited as I am about his arrival I don't expect him to replace Pearson's scoring, who's likely gone after this season. It would be nice to have another quality winger like TT. I also agree with the money JB spent on our D but I still maintain we could have fit TT into the cap if JB had just been willing to take care of the excess in the offseason. -
Francesco Aquilini says "I have no plans to make changes."
kloubek replied to AriGold2.0's topic in Canucks Talk
We really don't need sweeping changes, and I agree with ownership. When the team is up, all the Benning and Green fans chirp up. And when we aren't, the fire everyone fans do. We are clearly hearing a lot from the latter lately. But this is still largely the team that surprised a lot of people last season. Demko was the biggest surprise, and we still have him. Tanev is a huge loss, though I maintain our defense is a better one on paper than last year. I believe it's our defensive systems that have been an issue for many years, and it remains so. Overall, I think this is a reasonably talented team... capable of doing damage on a consistent basis. But I also think we are a little fragile, and not in sync as a team this season. Fix the chemistry and get everyone on the same page, and I think this team is better than it appears now. We lost TT which I believe was just flat out mismanagement, but we do have Hoglander - which has exactly the kind of energy everyone has to look up to nightly. We also have Podz coming soon as well. By all rights, after that point I think we can reassess where we stand. I believe we will be fine. Benning has put together a talented team. He's made some mis-steps, but all GMs do. I believe it's up to the players and coach now to make it work. -
This is exactly true. Also, I can't help but think people look at his stats, and say "Those numbers are brutal". And they are. But the whole team has been brutal this season for all but the Winnipeg game so of course his numbers will reflect that. Marky's stats were similarly brought down by the giveaway machine that plays in front of him as well. Despite the stats, I think Demko has been average, as has Holtby. And honestly, that's not what I was hoping for but what I did expect. Until the team plays better as a whole, it's near impossible for either to get in a groove.
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I think that line would be just fine, under normal circumstances. Petey is very responsible defensively when he needs to be, and Boeser has improved his d dramatically.
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Yeah - I know what "typical" sheltering is, and he certainly isn't that. He is just having his minutes controlled, which isn't unexpected.
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Watching him again tonight, even when you think he is covered and down and out, he manages to dig the puck away from most opposition players. He is a relentless forechecker, and I see NO problem with his size, as he's very strong. His passing is usually quick and accurate, and again, that motor is phenomenal. What a true gem of a pick. Hard to say right now, but taking Hoglander at 40oa strikes me as being about equal, if not *better* than the steal that saw us taking Boeser at 23rd.
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Sheltered not necessarily by competition level, but more just limited minutes. Not your "typical" sheltering.
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[Report] Coyotes fire AGM Steve Sullivan
kloubek replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in General Hockey Discussion
Good lord - how did I not know the details of this?? I remember an ownership problem, but obviously never kept up to date. Yeah, that's pretty wild. Though it all surrounded one guy, and was short-term. Whereas now, the entire Coyotes organization has been mired in multiple controversies for some time. Like it is engrained in the fundamentals of the franchise to make bad decisions and fail. -
(Rumour) Virtanen on the trade block
kloubek replied to Wayne Glensky's topic in Trades, Rumours, Signings
I've rooted for Jake for his entire career. His tools are obvious, and he is literally *right there*. Just needs to put his mind in the game, but he ain't gonna do it here. And it's going to suck, because even if we get general consensus "fair value" for Jake, he will probably finally realize he needs to get in the game and become a strong 2nd line guy elsewhere. All because management held fast with the belief it would finally click for him. It's quite a tragedy for the Canucks - but for Jake himself. -
That actually IS pretty decent, considering how brutal our overall defensive game has been. Green is still sheltering his minutes pretty heavily though, so he's going to have to prove with increased responsibility he can keep it up. We absolutely need that kind of steady presence - especially to replace what Edler brings if he is going to leave us. I do hope I'm wrong about Juolevi, in that I really don't think he has as high a ceiling as many of you seem to think. But this is coming from a guy who thought Pavel Brendl was going to be a star in the league, and that Iginla wasn't going to be as great as he was, so...
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Girl who stupidly used Gorilla Glue for hair has hired a lawyer: TMZ
kloubek replied to Dazzle's topic in Off-Topic General
The outcome of this case would set a precedent if she were to win. I hope this gets thrown out immediately. That woman singlehandedly brings down the average American IQ. -
[Report] Coyotes fire AGM Steve Sullivan
kloubek replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in General Hockey Discussion
Wow, it's hard to recall a franchise ever in such disarray. I mean, there have been some implosions but this is on an impressive scale. -
In the interviews with Green, he's made a point of the team having little practice together. He stopped short of blaming their poor performance on it, I think, but he really does have a point. You have very well liked, key guys who left, and key guys coming in. The locker room has changed. New guys and new systems for them to learn. Covid doesn't help the feeling of general uncomfortableness. Things are just f'd. Now, this isn't a sufficient excuse. Everyone is dealing with the 'vid, and these are all professionals being paid a lot of money. But I do get how it could all be challenging. Doesn't explain away poor performances from our returning players either. At least Hoglander continues to impress every game. Maybe it's just that he stands out as one of the only guys with hustle out there...
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Hughes isn't a problem. His size is a detriment to defending, but his smarts and skill offset that. What he is, is an elite offensive defenseman who we are lucky to have. He just needs a solid defensive partner who can cover when he pinches. Tanev was that guy - and now, who knows.