Ray_Cathode
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Everything posted by Ray_Cathode
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And how heck do you know he is NOT injured? You are just a jerk trying to lay blame on a player for something that MAY not be his fault. Big, aggressive, fast-skating players don't suddenly become mice for no reason.
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I was at the games in Penticton - every defenceman had a problem with pucks bouncing over their stick at the blueline on that side of the ice, when going that way - nothing more than badly manicured ice. The best defensive defenceman out there was McEneny - never out of position, physically very strong and always taking his man - nobody walked away from him - controlled traffic in front of his net. He made one mistake on the boards at the hashmarks in his own end when he flubbed a backhand up the boards - but he got back in the play and eliminated his man. He also had a nice assist on a long pass to Carcone. Unfortunately, he only got one game. He had a great year in Kalamazoo last year, being a big plus defenceman - plus 17 in 39 games and 25 points (he played very well, along with Cederholm) on a very poor team.
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There are some clips from training camp that show Carcone and D'Aoust making some very sweet moves. I'd love them to sign D'aoust as well. Both were big scorers in the Q, and D'Aoust has the advantage of having good size, and he playes centre - a position we are thin at in Utica. Very intriguing guy. Good call.
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I have watched most of the Utica games - like in this last game, Gaunce plays centre. He plays the role of a big, physical, skilled centre with decent wheels, great balance and a great shot. In the NHL he could be a two or a three. Though his defensive play is consistent, and he does well on the draws, his offense runs hot and cold - but that is true of most players. Like his OT goal, he is big and strong enough to pull through guys and has a great wrist shot. He has very strong board play and makes very good short passes - particularly in his own end. He will go to the net and fight for possession. He is much better as a centre than as a winger. His goal in OT showed a lot of what he brings when he is on his game - he takes the opening draw forward, muscles past the centre, pulls past the centre, gets loose enough to fire a bullet past the goalie. Not bad for five seconds of work, and his second goal of the game - the first was the game tying goal from in close with not much time left. He is big and powerful, and now skating is no longer an issue. He will be pushing for a spot this fall - I've no doubt he can outplay Cracknell.
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Why would he be sent down to 'work on his game with Green"? He isn't a liability on the ice, he is getting more and more chances each game, he has more and more shifts that he dominates possession in the offensive zone, and he brings something no other Canuck brings : size to go with his speed, and the power to go around guys. He also hits a ton, and next year he will be bigger and stronger.
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It would be interesting to see what he could do with Edler's opportunity to play on the first unit PP.
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Jake is not benefiting from a Horvat that is doing nothing, and neither is Baertchi - put them both out with McCann for a few shifts and let Horvat watch - Horvat is zero for this year - accomplishing nothing. He needs to get his donkey in gear. The centre is supposed to be crating chances for his wingers, and all Horvat is concerned with is creating chances for Horvat. Horvat +/- = -8. Virtannen +/- = 0. Nuff said. McCann 5 goals, more than enough said. Horvat has NOT been responsible as his -8 attests. But largely because of him Baertchi is up in the press box - even though Baertchi has the best possession stats on the team. As for "being worried", I'm not worried, I am for rewarding good play and success, not failure. Cracknell should have being playing instead of Horvat so that Horvat could have a look for a couple of games and figure out what he is doing wrong.
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Jake is not benefiting from a Horvat that is doing nothing, and neither is Baertchi - put them both out with McCann for a few shifts and let Horvat watch - Horvat is zero for this year - accomplishing nothing. He needs to get his donkey in gear. The centre is supposed to be crating chances for his wingers, and all Horvat is concerned with is creating chances for Horvat.
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Wow, did Shinkaruk make the team, and I missed it? Did Baertschi have a full season where he looked like a top six forward and I missed that too? Until they make this team Bearcheese and Shrunkpup are prospects, and so is Rodin. So far neither or Shinkaruk or Baertschi have not proven much of anything.
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Boy, Hutton looks like a big man out there. An amazing skater - he just blew by players - his stride and shot reminded me a lot of Paul Coffey - including the fact that he started from his left defensive position, crossed over through the middle of the ice, came in on his off wing and blew that shot past the goalie. This guy really has great offensive instincts:
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Yeah, in 2014,hockeysfuture.com had Baertschi rated 8.0 B - higher than any of our current prospects. Had he played one less NHL game he would still be eligible as what hockeysfuture.com defines as a prospect, and he would have been our highest rated guy. Anyway, his stock plummeted when Burke took over Calgary - apparently Baertchi is not truculent enough for Burke. Still, he will go to Utica, and get some great coaching and get to develop with a great bunch of players learning to play like Canucks. If Kenins, Corrado, Biega and Markstrom are indications of what we are developing down there, things look good.
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Gaunce is a very smart player, always seeing a move or two ahead. This was apparent in his first Canuck training camp. He quick, short, clever passes coming out of his own end. Very strong on the forecheck once he got there, but in his first camp he took a while to get there. He is much quicker now, and much stronger - kind of like Horvat that way. He has a strong defensive game already, and conscientiously improving. By comparison, Jensen, has retreated this year. Gaunce is fifth in Utica scoring and a very solid +6 as a rookie. Jensen, by comparison, is a team worst -11 - the next worst is Shinkaruk - tied at -5. Now, Shinkaruk has an excuse - it's his first year in the AHL, he still has some filling out to do, missed most of last year due to his injuries being repaired. Not sure Jensen has an excuse at this point. He should be competing for an NHL job - unfortunately he still doesn't seem to be learning how to take care of his defensive play. Gaunce, on the other hand, as others have commented, should probably get a look at that fourth line on the Canucks next year. Problem is, he might have to fight his way past Kenins!!
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I don't think so, I think the problem is the guys they brought up that didn't get to play even a single game - Biega and Sanguinetti. If you bring them up, play them, that motivates the minor league team - to bring them up and only let them watch and hope breeds dissatisfaction.
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Just saw this on Yahoo Sports re WJC’s top 10 NHL-drafted prospects. Virtanen ranks number 9 on this list https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jrhockey-buzzing-the-net/sam-reinhart--william-nylander-top-2015-wjc-s-top-10-nhl-drafted-prospects-035124336.html
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Matthias is playing left wing, not centre, and you are talking about replacing him and Richardson - except that that line; Richardson, Matthias and Vey has just as many goals (18) as the supposed second line - with NO PP time - maybe keep them and get rid of Burrows and his cap-eating salary while someone still might want him.
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[Report] Canucks wont ask Alex Edler to waive NTC
Ray_Cathode replied to AriGold's topic in Canucks Talk
Getting Tortorella away from the Canucks will do wonders for the D, especially Edler - they can get back to playing man on man, instead of that stupid zone that none of them understood and ended up half the time with both D in the same corner and no-one in front. -
Wrong guy is fired, should have fired Tortorella and the owner who interfered and hired him. Leave the hockey decisions to the hockey guys. On the other hand, if they keep Torturella nurturing his stars with excess minutes, they've an even worse year next year, and the 2015 draft would be a great time to pick first overall. Of course the owners have been so hoodwinked by Torturella that they will make him GM, and he will blow a first overall pick in a great draft.
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Jason Garrison potential buyout candidate
Ray_Cathode replied to missioncanucksfan's topic in Canucks Talk
A change in coaches and coaching philosophy will do wonders for all of our D - they didn't all fall off a cliff in play in one and the same season for no reason whatsoever. They fell off a cliff because of Tortorella and his assistants. You can't play in the west with three forwards behind the other teams net, have your defence pinch, and give up the ridiculous number of 2 on 1s and 3 on 2s that we do. In there own zone the D play zone some of the time, but half the time you will see two D checking the same guy. The D are lost because of how they are instructed to play, and the most lost are Edler and Garrison. After he adjusted under Vigneault, Garrison looked just fine. Not a single D, including Hamhuis has, has been close to previous year's performance - except Tanev - who has been often injured blocking shots. There is no need to get rid of Edler or Garrison, for God's sake some people have even talked about trading Tanev - because he has a no-trade clause! Just dump the stinking coach. -
Province Article - is Daniel Sedin Done...
Ray_Cathode replied to cabinessence's topic in Canucks Talk
The Sedins have declined more because we don't have coaches who can coach a power play - in fact they don't even try to. But then they don't try because they don't know how. In addition, a true trigger man on the wing wouldn't hurt - but we haven't had one of those since Naslund - though Samuelsson sort filled that role. Burrows being hurt and now suffering being out of shape and wearing a shield doesn't help either. -
[GDT] Chicago Blackhawks vs Vancouver Canucks - Jan 29, 2014
Ray_Cathode replied to canucktican's topic in Canucks Talk
I don't think a team can look this bad without making a conscious effort to look exactly that bad. I think they should just pay Daniel his 28 million right now and tell him to go home. Now I really like Bieksa, so he should just be told he is going on the LTIR until he is healthy again. Edler should be put there too until he recovers from his concussion. He doesn't have a concussion? Wow. I have no answer to that. Well, maybe he should get one to explain hi play. Higgins should be traded because he is making the others look bad. Burrows should be sent home until he doesn't need a face-shield anymore. Kassian should be kept away from the Sedins at all costs - we don't want him to catch whatever it is they have. Hamhuis should go fishing and stay the heck away from Russia. -
How many times are they going to dump it in and have Smith retrieve it? And keep doing it, and doing it, and doing it, and doing it, and doing it, and dong it, etc. etc. etc. you get the picture. The very definition of stupidity. Have these players and coaches no creativity whatsoever?? Judging by our power play, apparently not. Maybe that's why we don't practice power plays or shoot outs - apparently skills can't be learned. from practice. I wonder why we have effing coaches?
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There are things I love about this team, and there are things that frustrate me no end. I take solace in the fact there are no shoot-outs in the playoffs - if we get there. When our goalies or our talent gets run I'd like to see a much more vindictive response - a response that is not concerned about winning the game in hand, but winning the season.
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Why the Canucks Need a Dustin Brown Type of Player
Ray_Cathode commented on stetty2's blog entry in Canucks Blog
Finally, someone who gets it. Brown shouldn't have been able to get up after running Luongo - at least not with all of his teeth. In the game where Buttugly and the other goofball both slew-footed Luongo while cutting through the crease. The next play should have seen every Canuck on the ice doing the same thing to their goalie, plus punching the lights out of their best player. Legitimate injuries are bad enough, but deliberate acts (or anything that looks like it might be a deliberate act - in the absence of referee or league justice) should be responded to with vigilante justice. There was a reason Semenko played with Gretzky, and that Gretzky demanded that McSorley be included in the LA trade. When the league will not enforce the rules or punish players for injuries deliberately inflicted against Canadian teams, it is time for a little frontier justice. -
Don't Worry, It's the Back-up Goaltender
Ray_Cathode commented on stetty2's blog entry in Canucks Blog
Lack will not look good if our first two lines continue to not show up. The Sedins, in particular, have been pathetic since they signed their big new contracts. The Kesler line, like the D other than Hamhuis, looked like they had far too much fun on New years. The last two lines looked like they wanted their jobs. The Sedins looked like they were searching around for deck-chairs at the beach, and that their retirement had already started. This useless peripheral play of theirs on the PP has to stop - if this team is going to win. -
Sutter is just trying to destroy the confidence of a Canuck prospect. I think Gaunce is everything you have said plus strong behind the opposition net, strong on the wall, makes smart short passes coming out of his own zone - is nowhere near as slow as many have alleged, and what he does lack in quick acceleration he more than makes up for in anticipation.