SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME
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Posts posted by SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME
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30 minutes ago, N7Nucks said:
Agreed. It's why I try not to get caught up in the hype. Try being the operative word. Livingstone is still the guy I would want if I had to choose. Ideally I want them both cause it sounds like Hirose is defensively really responsible. And I feel defence is an ability that translates to the NHL the easiest. If I had to guess, I assume that's maybe the idea. Take the more defensively responsible of the two. Take the Chris Tanev instead of the Justin Schultz type situation. Not to say Livingstone is Schultz. But a cool, calm and collected defensively responsible guy fits into any team. Very intrigued to see how this plays out.
Yeah, I still would want Livingstone too. Especially when you consider roster need in Vancouver. Getting a big, strong RHD would help the Canucks. I’m not sure Livingstone will ever quite have NHL grade skating, which may limit his effectiveness. But I think he’s as close as you get to a surefire third pairing guy when signing out of this year’s NCAA free agent pool. He has a pretty high floor IMO. And perhaps he’d be able to fit alongside Hughes, as a younger version of the role Schenn played.
It was never and either/or for me.
Going into NCAA free agency this year, I wanted both Hirose and Livingstone.
But Hirose is the guy I’ve been boostering in NCAA discussions for 2-3 years on these boards (and elsewhere), so I’m definitely more invested in him and have seen him as a target for longer.
Livingstone is more of a recent focus, as the hype built. Definitely a worthy target, but if he wasn’t getting this much media attention, I’m not sure how I’d have rated him. He’s good. And the size and RH shot are really appealing characteristics. But I’m not sure I see that special spark in him that separates him from other very good college free agent Dmen over the years (most of whom don’t ultimately amount to all that much in the NHL). And the skating concerns do give me some pause.
Admittedly, I’m probably underselling Livingstone a bit, because it looks like he’s not coming here. There’s a lot to like with his game. Really solid overall. And probably the most “NHL ready” Dman in college free agency this year . It’s only the upside I really question. The floor is quite good and I think he’ll have an NHL career, just not sure it’ll be more than 3rd pairing.
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6 minutes ago, N7Nucks said:
Hirose's birthday is a couple days before mine. Lock him up.
Edit: Dhaliwal saying the Canucks were primarily targeting Hirose and not Livingstone is interesting tidbit. So much the why don't they want to play here narrative some were crying about. I personally would have had him at the top of my list. But I don't have the scouting the Canucks have so what do I know? Lol. Just interesting to hear that the Canucks, apparently, weren't targeting Livingstone. Wonder what they see or don't see in him.
It’s interesting, if true, that the Canucks had Hirose higher than Livingstone on their list and view him as the primary target. It’s not the popular/hype view, at least when you look at tweets and articles in the media, but it is an assessment that a number of scouts would support. As much as Livingstone has been talked up all year as the best college free agent available (at least Dmen), there are scouts that see Hirose as the better player and the one more likely to succeed in the NHL. Not everyone agrees, of course, but those who like Hirose tend to really like him and see a ton of upside in his game. You can count me as one of those people. And perhaps the Canucks’ scouts feel the same.
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47 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:
JR/PA realized the Canucks were not going to make the playoffs, especially with Demko out long term. They started planning for next season, traded captain Bo. They brought in Tocchet early to help assess the team and build structure, an identity. Off season should be good, next season is going to rock.
Yeah, management believes they can build a contending team, or at the very least, a playoff team, around the current core players.
With that belief, it makes sense to use these games for assessment purposes, and really get a sense of how this group can perform. That will help them to better understand which players need to be moved and what pieces need to be added.
Of course, they did themselves no favours by waiting a year to hire the coaching staff they wanted and get the team playing the way they prefer.
Under Bruce, all the obvious flaws were there to see. It’s no sudden revelation that this team needed to rebuild their defence, for example. However, there was a limit to how accurate management could assess the roster while it was playing the game so differently from how they envisioned. They needed to see these players perform under a more structured system, so that they could really focus in on what’s needed, to improve the roster, and support the style of play they want.
Especially when it comes to targeting players for acquisition. It’s not just about swapping parts, but the “fit” really needs to be considered, both in terms of player group dynamics and how a player supports and conforms to the system and playstyle. Same goes for identifying which players to trade away or let walk.
These games aren’t meaningless, when it comes to assessment purposes. It’s really the first opportunity this management group has had to watch all their core guys playing healthy together, and under the type of coach and systems they want.
It’s just unfortunate they couldn’t get here a bit sooner.
And also tough given that this team has a pattern of poor starts to the season, failing to make the playoffs, and then going on late season runs during “garbage time.”
If the Canucks can build on late season winning, carry it over to the next year, don’t struggle out the gate, and show they’re finally on the upswing, then I think even the most committed “tankers” will appreciate the process that started this year (including all these wins).
But if we have another poor start and are basically out of the race by Christmas, these wins are going to look pretty bad. As will the choice to “retool” rather than rebuild. Because if this team can’t change that pattern, it will be proof that they needed a teardown, and all the past years of waiting will just be wasted time. And it will also be proof that every spot of lost draft position will have been a failure.
I don’t think that will happen. It’s more of a worst case scenario. I feel optimistic that the Canucks will finally start putting it together next year. Management will make moves between now and next season to further improve the roster (as well as address the cap situation). And the team’s leaders will take it upon themselves to pull this group up. As long as Petey, Quinn, and Demmer (and Kuzy, Miller, etc) are healthy next year, I don’t see them allowing this team to continue to fail. But those first weeks of next season are going to be important. This team needs to have a good start to the 2023-24 season.
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18 minutes ago, Phat Fingers said:
Sounds exactly like Tanev.
Check out this article from a few years ago:
“Ice in his veins,” said Knott. “Whether that’s on a power play, whether that’s on a breakout with pressure, he does a good job handling that. He never gets too high or too low.”
Reminds me of Bieksa’s quip (about a young Chris Tanev):
“He could have played the game with a cigarette in his mouth, he’s so calm and cool out there.”
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2 hours ago, aGENT said:
"Modern Hamhuis"-esque game sound about right? Good skating, cerebral defensive player that can also give you half decent secondary offense?
Could be a really good Hronek partner down the line....
I could see him trending that way. Minus the hipchecks and 200+ lb body, of course.
Most people probably don’t think of Hirose as a defensive D, and that part of his game is a more recent addition (he’s really worked to improve), but I could see him becoming a “transitional defensive defenceman” at the next level. He has the makeup, both in mobility and hockey IQ, to play that game.
He is first and foremost a gifted offensive player. Takes the puck end to end, can PPQB, great playmaking, place shots well and gets them through traffic.
But the last year or two, I’ve really liked watching the way he defends. He’s similar to Hughes in the way he breaks up a lot of plays early, using his mobility to get in position, reading and anticipating well, using his angles, and a quick stick, and he disrupts plays before they have a chance to even look dangerous. And then he’s lightning quick on transition, with great decision making on when to pass and when to carry and skate it out himself. One of those guys that you don’t always notice how well they’re defending until you key in on them and really watch the shifts. And then you notice a ton of really smart defensive plays.
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Game onezo for Dunzo.
Hopefully just the first of many in what proves to be a long NHL career for McDonough.
Not expecting much today, however (or anytime too soon). Probably he’ll play single digit minutes and in a sheltered role. But it’ll be nice to see him finally get his chance. And informative to gauge where his skating is at relative to NHL players.
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If the Canucks can’t land Livingstone (like the rumours suggest), but want to add a bigger RHD to the system, I wonder if they’d take a look at St. Cloud State’s Spencer Meier?
Meier is a 23 year old, 6’4”, 220 lb RHD.
His scoring stats aren’t impressive (only 9 points this season), but his game really isn’t about offence. And even still, until this season, he’s actually managed closer to a half point per game in college. This year saw him get out to a slower start, fight an injury, and share the ice (and offensive opportunities) with sophomore 2nd round pick Jack Peart, and incoming transfer Dylan Anhorn (25 points in 23 games), two far more offensive minded Dmen.
But like I said, Meier’s game isn’t about offense. He’s a big, extremely strong, defensive RHD. And he’s one of the hardest working guys, on and off the ice, and also one of the highest character players in the NCAA.
Meier is beloved. Seriously, the number of times I’ve seen people say “great player, even better person” is crazy. St. Cloud fans seemed genuinely more upset that Meier recently played his last game for them than they were that their team got eliminated. Folks just love this guy. And he has a trophy case full of awards for sportsmanship, leadership, and humanitarian efforts, plus all-conference and all-academic honours. Just a great individual. Gives back to the community. Runs a hockey camp for kids in the summer. Just a class act.
Meier turned down AHL contract offers last year to return to the NCAA and captain St. Cloud for a third consecutive season (and a fifth year in college). So teams thought he was at least AHL-worthy a year ago.
Since then, he’s worked on his greatest area needing improvement, his skating, with twice weekly sessions with a skating coach over the last off-season, and continued skating work during this past season. He’s also one of the team leaders in training and the weight room. Great work ethic and willingness to put in the time and effort to improve.
Here’s former NHL scout and minor league coach Dave Starman’s take on Meier from a couple weeks ago:
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13 minutes ago, GhostsOf1994 said:
Welcome to the the Canucks young Max Sasson!
Thanks to JR & PA and the scouting department
This is a good get. Sasson has been on nearly every top target list for this year’s NCAA free agent crop. And if the Canucks were looking to sign a centre, he’s probably the best one, given that he has NHL level size and skating, and a mature, complete game. Same can’t really be said for most of the other centres. Some others might have higher end offensive skill sets, but nearly all of them either lack NHL size or skating. And honestly, the college free agency crop isn’t where you generally find elite offensive forwards for your top lines, it’s where you add depth/bottom-six, and Sasson has a better chance than most of becoming that kind of guy for the Canucks.
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I’d be thrilled to see the Canucks sign Hirose. I’ve been very high on him for a couple years now. I think he might even have the best “hockey brain” of all the free agent NCAA Dmen this year. Super poised, zero panic, and reads the ice so well. Smart, smart player. Combined with his mobility and skillset, I really like his chances as an NHL player, despite being undersized. The only concern in his game might be his ability to handle larger forwards (since his 6’0” and only around 170ish), but he’s really worked on his D, his angles and gaps are really good, and he has an excellent stick, and has proven pretty darn effective already defending the bigger guys in the NCAA. Obviously the pros are a major step up, but I think he has the smarts to adjust and succeed.
I know he’s not the big, physical, two-way RHD people want, but he’s still an excellent free agent target with a real chance of making an NHL roster one day.
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Cornell to the power play. They’ll need a goal here. Halfway through the 3rd and down two goals.
On a separate note, I’ve liked Jack Malone’s game today (Canucks 2019 6th rounder). Plays direct and with a lot of pressure. Strong on pucks. He also looks closer to 6’2”, 200+ to me, so maybe he’s even a little bigger than listed. I don’t think he’s done enough with his college career to earn an NHL ELC, but maybe an Abby deal?
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Terriers score again. 2-0 BU in the third. Cornell and Malinski running out of time on their season.
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For anyone watching the game, check out #18 Jay O’Brien for BU. You’ll remember him from the 2018 draft (19th overall). Good chance he hits free agency this year. It’s been rumoured Philly won’t sign him and will take the 2nd round compensation pick.
O’Brien maybe hasn’t quite developed as well as hoped for such a high pick, but he’s still a solid player. He’s been dominant today on faceoffs and owns a solid overall FO%. Excellent skater with plenty of speed to burn. Not an elite offensive producer, but still solid, just a little under a point per game as an upperclassman. And he’s now 6’0”, 190 lbs, so decent size. RH shot centreman who might prove to be a good 3C at the NHL level.
He might be worth a look on August 15th, if indeed he goes unsigned by the Flyers and hits free agency.
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BU just scored. Cornell trailing 1-0 early in the 2nd.
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1 hour ago, 48MPHSlapShot said:
Don't really get the Barbashev rumors. Good player, but starts mostly in the Ozone and has a poor faceoff percentage. I'd rather target someone who maybe doesn't have the offensive prowess, but plays in a lot of defensive situations and has a good FO %. There are a couple of older Cs that should be available that fit the bill, would be cheaper, and would require less term.
Cool with Gavrikov though.
Yeah, I’m not sure I see the fit, unless it’s for the wing (and maybe occasional injury relief at centre), and we’re moving some wingers out on trades.
Barbashev can play centre, but I’m not sure he’s a fit for 3C. His faceoff percentage tends to be in the 30s or 40s, he’s not a really great skater and doesn’t necessarily play with pace, more complimentary than a play driver, can be used in checking/defensive situations but he also generally has quite poor defensive analytics. On the positive side, he does play an aggressive style (his 162 hits this season would put him only behind Joshua on the Canucks), can offer energy/physicality, and has a strong offensive skillset, albeit with some inconsistency.
If we were to move out a couple higher salary wingers, it could make sense. Barbashev can play all three forward positions and might prove a good fit to compliment one of our lines. On a roster without Boeser and Garland, and with the Canucks trying to develop a future 3C (in Räty or other), he could be a good stopgap player. He’s certainly faster and more physical than Boeser, and obviously bigger than Garland, while potentially offering a similar level of points production to either of them.
I just don’t really see him as an ideal fit for the 3C spot, in a lineup where he’s playing behind Pettersson and Miller, but I could be wrong. Pettersson is becoming a Selke caliber centre and Miller seems to have a much better 200ft game under Tocchet, so maybe the third line doesn’t need to do all that much heavy lifting defensively, and can be more of a scoring line, with some crash and bang.
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Just a reminder that Malinski and Cornell play today versus Boston University in their NCAA regional final. Winner punches their ticket to the Frozen Four.
Game time 4pm ET, so 1pm local in Vancouver.
The game should be available on TSN+ and the TSN app (likely with a stream of the ESPN broadcast).
TSN+ will have the entire tournament:
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22 minutes ago, 6of1_halfdozenofother said:
S5, heard it here first, Max "Vidal" Sasson is prime target for the Canucks.
He’d be a pretty good addition. Speedy two-way player (he’s a plus-rated skater by many scouts) with average/decent size (6’1”, 185 lbs) who centred one of the top lines in college (I think McAllister-Sasson-Polin combined for the most goals in the nation this season) and can play in all situations. Logged really big icetime in the NCAA (some games pushing 24-25 minutes) playing on the top line and on both special teams.
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1 hour ago, 6of1_halfdozenofother said:
Does Milstein handle NCAA prospects?
He does indeed. Gold Star offers NCAA family advisement (basically acting as an “agent” before they’re allowed to have agents) as part of their suite of services.
Max Sasson (rumoured Canucks target) is one of his clients.
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2 hours ago, stawns said:That's probably 3-4 years off
Häman-Aktell is 24 years old, so he’s probably a lot closer than that.
He’s the third highest scoring Dman in the SHL this year (and the 2nd leading scorer on the first place Växjö Lakers) with 36 points in 51 games, plus another 4 points in 5 playoff games so far. A former 4th round pick by Nashville, his development was disrupted by injuries/surgery and he went unsigned when his draft rights expired. Finally healthy, he’s been making up for lost time and has exploded this season as a late bloomer. He’s a two-way Dman who can play all situations, uses his size to play an aggressive, physical game, and can chip in some scoring, with good puckmoving and a heavy shot that he’s able to get through to the net.Canucks have been rumoured to be pursuing him as one of their top European targets, but it’ll be a while before we hear anything. Depending on how deep they go in the playoffs, Växjö could be playing late into April. The important date will be June 15th, the signing deadline for European free agents under the transfer agreement.
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Anyone listen to the Donnie and Dhali show this morning? I never listen live (will occasionally catch the pod later) but a couple random Twitter people are reporting that they heard Dhaliwal just say that the Canucks are now out on Livingstone.
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1 minute ago, VancouverHabitant said:
Dhali is pretty good for info....
Okay, I'll pretend Livingston is a no...
1 NCAA free agent = good
2 NCAA free agents = great
Those are my standards
I get the sense that Livingstone knows he’s got nearly the entire NHL as options, and his camp has been pretty tight-lipped about his intentions, so most “insiders” from other NHL cities would have similar reports right now. Probably no one is “hearing” that a deal is currently in the works for their team and that an announcement is anywhere close to imminent. That will likely change soon, but I’m just not seeing any emerging favourites or shortlists reported yet. So while the Canucks aren’t currently poised to sign Livingstone, neither are any of the other teams. Vancouver isn’t out yet. Seems like it’s still a “sweepstakes.” This could change at any moment, and front runners could emerge. But it seems right now, Livingstone is just listening to offers and letting each of the NHL teams have their opportunity to woo him. So maybe the Canucks still make a successful play. We’ll see what happens.
But even if they don’t succeed with Livingstone, the rumoured list of players Vancouver is targeting is a long one that includes many excellent options from the NCAA and Europe. I expect the Canucks to be busy and to sign several free agents, including a couple from the higher tiers. Livingstone has been the “big fish” for a while but there are a handful of options out there in the college/Euro free agent pool that could be just as positive additions for this team, and dozens more that might be lesser known, but could surprise and prove to be just as impactful.
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Add Ohio State RHD Cole McWard to the list.
McWard hit a late growth spurt and it now 6’1”, 200+ lbs (205 lbs per Ohio St).
He’s listed around 5’10”, 160 lbs in many of his scouting reports and college recruitment profiles.
Like the tweet says, he was compared to Quinn Hughes (albeit a slightly poor man’s version, but also the RH shot version).
Still, he was ranked as a 4 star prospect as a teenager, even though undersized. Initially was committed to Michigan and then eventually went to Ohio State.
I’d be a little surprised if he left college after two years, given that he’s a finance major who’s done summer internships and even keeps a LinkedIn page, but pro hockey is his dream, so he might jump at the opportunity, if offered a deal. Also, seems like he might be a bit of a rich kid (his dad owns an architectural supplies and consulting business), so he might be more willing to put his studies on hold to chase the hockey dream, knowing he can always go back, and probably doesn’t need an athletic scholarship.
I think he’s attended camps with a couple NHL teams in the East.
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1 hour ago, coryberg said:
Ryan McAllister please!
He’d be a great add. I sorta have a feeling he’s coming too. Could be wrong. We’ll see soon enough. If he signs, it’ll be a three year ELC. Which is rare for college free agents. He’s still only 21 years old and won’t be 22 until after the cutoff. Lots of time for club control and development.
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Häman-Aktell and Berglund play for Växjö and Örebro, who each lead their current playoff series 3-1 and look set to go to the next round, and possibly even the championship (they finished #1 and #4 in the regular season).
I think the SHL finals could go as late as April 29th, if there’s a game seven, so it could be a bit of a wait before these guys get signed.
On the positive side, that schedule means that they play in Sweden past the end of the 2022-23 NHL regular season and can’t sign and burn this year, unlike the NCAA free agents.
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[rumours] Canucks NCAA & Euro FA targets
in Trades, Rumours, Signings
Posted
Rare, but not unheard of. I think there are about 75 current NHL players who were acquired via college free agency. Sure, a good number of these are depth guys who’ve just played a few games, but there are also a lot of really good players unearthed from this pool (I wrote a list in another thread but too lazy to do that again
).
Agreed that we need to not get too hyped about any players signed this route. I tend to view them as similar value to mid round picks, with a similar (low percentage) chance of NHL success.
Admittedly, in most of these threads I’m generally talking about college guys from my own shortlist of college players I’ve followed and I like, so I tend to talk about the positives. That may give a false impression that these are surefire NHLers, which they’re not (and I would never try to pass them off as such). But that all said, there are a number of college (and Euro) free agents this year that I like, and I’m happy to see the Canucks linked to a few of them.