Ray_Cathode

This team also did a lot for Horvat. It’s still early, but it looks like not being surrounded by the likes of Pettersson, Hughes, Miller, and Kuzmenko or Boeser can affect Horvat’s point production, just as much as it has enhanced Beauvillier’s.

You might at first think that something rising because of a lap dance is because of becoming lighter… but it’s not… it’s shelium.

They were fine till they moved to Calgary, ask Huberdeau and Kadri.

I can’t think of anybody who enjoys every day more than this guy. It’s hard to even imagine him having a bad day - give him a banana and a cup of Cola and he’s happy.

He and his crew have been great. Probably doesn’t hurt having the twins on the ice working with them either.

I think I’m more likely to win Max millions.

Jordan Peterson diagnoses you with a severe case of munchies.

Yeah, Abby is making a strong contribution of tank destruction.

There is a good one available near where we are likely to pick -Pellikka. But with Hronek, Bear, (Hoping we can move Myers), Burroughs, Juulson, Johansson, and hoping we can sign college free agent Livingstone, we might be okay on the right side. I think right now we are thinner at centre than right D - if we draft on organizational need. Also,it’s thin at left D after Hughes, Wolanin and Brisebois. The only one who might be close right now, is Rathbone. A couple of years off we have Pettersson, Jurmo, Kudryavtsev, and Prescott.

If you are worried about our draft position, you have to blame ownership, you can’t blame the coaches or players - they are paid to win on the ice. Ownership is responsible for telling management what to do long term. Management is responsible for executing ownership’s desires. Who the heck would want players and coaches that didn’t play to win? Much as I’d love to have a proper rebuild, I can’t cheer against players and coaches doing everything they can to win. How do you think we could keep Pettersson and Hughes if we don’t make our best effort to win while they are here?

All of those have improved since OEL took a vacation and the young guys came up. Youn can’t just look at stats from before they came up and pretend they are responsible for them. None of them are minus players and two are +2. The great OEL is -24, eliminating him is addition by subtraction. If your players are committed to a strong system, younger, inexperienced players can be fit in and keep your cap down. As the get experienced and demand more money, you move them on and bring in more inexpensive replacements. It’s one of the ways good organizations stay under the cap.

Yep, both the guys wrapped around Pettersson are doing well. Bo suffering from not having the bumper spot on the Canuck pp. Beauvillier and Kuzmenko sure fit nicely on that line, though, like the element of pace that Beauvillier brings (underestimated on his ability to finish).

I don’t know about that, we were winning with Silovs too. Teams have goalies for a reason, to stop the chances that the D let through and all of them let something through.

Well the ‘ucker part was right.

There is some video of Peedie D playing effectively in the SHL as a 19 year old, gaining more and more responsibility and ice time. Kudryavtsev played at young stars and was the best D we had as an 18?? Year old. He was calm, cool, and collected and controlled play - which he now continues to do in junior with at least another year of junior eligibility to get even better. The key thing for me is not their obvious skills, but their calm demeanour and willingness to engage physically.

I originally saw it from a soccer coach and adapted it to coaching hockey (I didn’t know that I had seen it before, but recognized it), sent the first forechecker in angling the opponent toward the boards, leaving only one play to go forward, with the back forward looking to pick off any pass - easier in hockey because the defender is bounded on one side by the boards. Looking back to Scotty Bowman days, it’s not that far removed from the left wing lock - always pushing the opponent to escape on the left side, then closing it off. Like so many inventions, not new, but new applications and variations. Nevertheless, it is effective. Some teams defeated it by reversing and going back the other way. Even then, it slowed down their escape and grants one’s own D time to pick loose players and reform.

It’s always possible that no-one’s prospects play in the NHL, yet it’s a certainty that somebody from somewhere will fill those rolls. That’s the nature of the game - if results were certain there would be no game. You draft as well as you can, develop as best as you can, then see what you have got. It’s a lottery of educated guesses where you are able to polish your bets. That’s why I said that it’s possible that a couple of prospects will rise to the task. If picking players was a science, Tanev, Edler, and Bieksa would have been first round picks - based on perfect hindsight. Personally, I think Kudryavtsev and Pettersson are going to play in Vancouver within three years, and at worst be journeymen - we shall see.

The players we are looking at ridding ourselves of, particularly, OEL and Myers won’t be missed that much. The wings are not the problem in Vancouver. Right now, the problem is left D after Hughes, and another centre - preferably one that is strong defensively and on the draw that can supply some offence. They don’t grow on trees, and there really aren’t any in the system that can force themselves into the lineup. We have wingers to spare, but can we turn them into our needs? Left D can probably be found in the system - in two or three years: among Wolanin, Pettersson, Kudryavtsev, Jurmo and Rathbone

Colliton and Agnew have done what Tocchet and Foote have done in Vancouver: they have implemented structure and a team first work ethic. Both teams appear to have seriously improved their system and cut down on opponent scoring chances. I also really like Tocchet’s forecheck first guy pressurized with a second F about four metres behind him. The pressurizing forward forces the play to one side, and the second forechecker picks off lots of forced plays. We generate tons of chances off our forecheck under Tocchet- gotta love it.

I’m pretty sure that’s mostly humour with a solid dose of irony, but though GMs understand tanking, I don’t think coaches and players like it much. Pretty sure Hughes, Pettersson and Demko would hate it. If we can get our cap straightened out with a judicious Myers trade, we look to have an interesting lineup for next year, and a really competitive camp. I don’t see how returning Poolman or Dermott will improve over the kids we have playing right now. Even if he gets healthy, i don’t see how Pearson can make the team. It’s pretty clear who the centres are, unless we have a miracle at the lottery (since the new draft, miracles in terms of pushing seem to be restricted to the east - like it’s some kind of algorithm the NHL has permanently built in. No wonder the drop of the ping pong balls happens in secrecy. Unless we have one more horror show of a schedule, we should be a playoff team next year. Interesting to see how much improvement has been built into next year’s D. The pressure is really going to be on for wingers - we have an army of them on either side. Centre ice is thin - an injury to Pettersson would likely torpedo a winning season. The remainder of the season in Abby is going to be really a harbinger of Canucks future. Lot’s of promise: Raty, Karlsson, Hoglander, Bains, Klimovich have all showed considerable growth. Kravtsov will have to show some finish to keep his job. Then there is, what do we have in McDonough? If there are a couple of promising pivots among the college free agents, the Canucks may want to take a flyer on a couple.

Juulson is making a case for that 7/8 slot. Yeah, I cam see Myers being gone - just makes so much sense to clear all that cap. I guess we also have to wonder about Poolman, but that is looking more like more or less permanent LTIR - the guy just can’t seem to get healthy. I won’t miss Dermott, either, just too hard to keep him in the lineup. Another guy really benefitting from the improved development in Abby, is Woo. I can’t believe some of the explosive hits he’s made this year - totally blowing up bigger guys. If we manage to pick up Livingstone, the right side would be outrageous depthwise. The left side is more of a question mark after Hughes. OEL in my humble opinion, is just awful, and should be a buyout - because that is likely the only way we can get rid of him. He has to approve of any trade, which makes him virtually unloveable no matter how much salary we eat. Wolanin looks like he has a foot in the door, Rathbone has really had a setback this year. Dermott plays either side, but he makes this team, it does not speak well of our left side D. Not a lot in Abby, and it seems too early for some promising prospects in Jurmo, Pettersson, and Kudryavtsev. The college kids aren’t ready yet, but there is an interesting college free agent in Akita Hirose ( but he likely needs some AHL time. Burroughs has played a lot of left D even though he’s a right shot, and I suppose could be a passable 6/7/8. I’ve probably overlooked someone, but I hate the idea of overpaying for anothe4 free agent.

Most scorers are streaky, for sure Brock had been in the past (and present). But at least now he is generating opportunities. Speaking of opportunity generators: Kravtsev and Beauvillier generating chances without a lot of luck the past couple of games. Speaking of finishing, Hoglander with a goal again to night 6g4a in his last ten games and often dominating in Abby.

Well, he’s sure not giving them any reason to send him down, and each game he gets in the show just adds to his experience and gives him a chance to earn the confidence of the coaches and management. A reliable six or seven D that costs what Brisebois costs helps to cover the salaries of your stars. Kind of like what Schenn was for us. Schenn had been a great value for teams in the twilight of his career. I hated to see him go (so did Hughes). But with the right side D we are accumulating, you have to wonder whether we can bring him back. Under Tocchet, and without OEL as a ten ton boat anchor, Myers has played pretty well for us. Then there is Bear and Hronek, and Johansson coming next year. If we manage to sign Livingstone (and with Juulson and Burroughs, we have really built some depth on the right D - the toughest spot in the lineup to fill. All JB managed to do was not retain Forsling and lose Tanev. Gotta give the new management some credit..

Yeah, JB put a couple of massive sinkholes in the road for some of the young guys, and OEL is the biggest hole in the ground. I can’t see anybody taking him without a massive incentive - I think we are pretty much stuck with a buyout (bad deal that that is for sure). Those payments for Luongo were a chokehold on the ‘Nucks for years - and Luongo had given us great service, unlike OEL. Bettman really stuck it to us with that move.

I seem to recall we have brought kids over in the past and then come to an agreement with them about where they played and could best develop.