theo5789
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Everything posted by theo5789
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Reilly has been out which gives the prime PP minutes to Barrie. He was rather ineffective on PP#2, a role which he likely would see here.
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Fighting rarely happens in the playoffs. You want some guys that can take some hits and certainly dish them out as well to wear down the opponent. We have added size and speed in the offseason. I'd say we have reasonable grit throughout the lineup with Miller and recently Jake on the top line (plus a fiesty Petey). Pearson and Bo are no slouches and currently a 6'3 defensive winger who may not be physical, but is a big body. Roussel on the 3rd with Gaudette that won't shy away from the tough stuff and Boeser has been playing better along the boards of late. And of course the 4th line of Sutter, Beagle and Motte is going to be playoff ready. With depth like Schaller with Ferland and Leivo on the mend, that adds more toughness up front and we are giving guys like Bailey and MacEwen looks now. On defense, Hughes and Tanev may be the "softest" players, but they're also the smartest players back there. Everyone else can contribute. And while Stecher is small, he plays with a heart of a lion. We may be adding a Tryamkin that could replace Stecher and eliminate the size issue of Stecher. We don't play that hard hitting style, but we are playing a controlled style that on paper could handle the intensity uptick. But this remains to be seen until we make the playoffs and see who shines through, which is what we want to see to evaluate the team further. I don't see much of a need to add to the team, but if there's an opportunity to upgrade, then we should consider it. Otherwise we roll in with the team we have that is playing for each other right now.
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Poile could still be part of the team in a different role (keep him in the presidential role that he's in while another GM runs the show for hockey operations). He's made some questionable decisions of late and their window appears to be closing again. Surely they will have more time with the Hynes experiment, but if this falters as well, then what else can they do if the mindset is they can't change the team and they have already changed their coach? Poile has been lucky indeed to be in the position he's been and I think he's done a fine job, but there's only so many more years where they can flounder. If ownership is okay with just keeping Poile happy rather than winning a championship, then that speaks volumes for their organization.
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I would say think of Virtanen. When he came in as a raw 19 year old, he seemed to be physically ready to play. However, he wasn't mentally prepared (they want Pod to be ready for the defensive side before giving him more minutes) and he also got injured in his first season against bigger competition than he had been facing previously. Jake probably had to back off his physicality because of this injury and realization that the NHL is at another level (just like going to the KHL from junior ranks). Some are seemingly too impatient for proper development which is about as important as finding the right player to draft.
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[Waivers] David Backes, Luke Schenn
theo5789 replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Trades, Rumours, Signings
I think there may be players that could fill his spot and succeed indeed. But I disagree that almost anybody could. The line hasn't had as much success as it does now compared to earlier in the year. LE is finding a role that is beyond pressbox/waiver fodder and is contributing to the success of the team. Might as well start supporting him as long as he's helping our team because he currently isn't an anchor. -
So he put the blame on everyone from top down. In the end, they chose to fire the coach in a desperate hope that it would change things. So far not so good. Whether Poile finds his own replacement or what not. My statement still holds true that his time is almost up, but I guess more specifically as GM. Especially since they can't supposedly replace an entire team (although a full tear down and rebuild would be an example of trying to do so).
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[Report] Tomas Hertl out for the season
theo5789 replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in General Hockey Discussion
I guess the documentary was an over-exaggeration then? They seemed to indicate surgery was the best option, but because he would miss a year, they looked for other solutions to recover faster. But I guess the options are generally different for 100 million dollar players versus average Joe's. -
At the start of the year, he was getting a front row seat as to the operations of the KHL club. He got his minutes in the MHL and VHL. They have stated they want to take the time to develop him and ensure he is ready defensively before trusting him with more minutes which is generally the right way to approach this when dealing with young players in a high level men's league. He is still only 18 years old. No one said it is a "great place for development", but they have developed many NHLers and what they're currently doing hasn't been poor or wrong. Olli Juolevi is returning from a major injury and needs the reps to gain confidence in his body and make up for lost time. Completely different scenario. Olli playing in the AHL is like Vasili playing in the VHL in which he was getting the minutes and looked good enough for him to earn his gradual increase in ice time. I reiterate that Podkolzin is only 18 years old. Trust the process.
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When the coach gets fired, they are blaming the coach for their woes. They want the team to step up, but the axe fell on the coach. If Poile truly believes it's not the coaching, then this is an even more absurd move. The fact that he is questioning the entire team would suggest he believes the team isn't motivated and who's job is to motivate the players? They made a decision and it's looking like the wrong one, just like the addition of Duchene. Have to imagine Poile's time is almost up as well.
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[Waivers] David Backes, Luke Schenn
theo5789 replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Trades, Rumours, Signings
Let's get real indeed. He's currently playing in a top 6 spot and Bo and Tanner have given him credit as to why they have been able to up their play. The line is getting the job done with the EN because they are trusted defensively and they are finishing games off, something that our previous teams were not capable of as prominently. I don't think he's a long term fixture, but he's providing a role that is successful for our team this year. Something that the other big FA signings from that year are not doing. -
Melnyk, Sens Wound Up Looking Like Geniuses
theo5789 replied to Nuxfanabroad's topic in General Hockey Discussion
I'm going to say that their hardest challenge now is whether they can get out of the lowly funk. Their model seems to be a clear tank and we have seen teams like Edmonton still having troubles getting over the hump until they got a "generational" talent. I don't know if they have a solid goalie in their pipeline, but they likely need a decent one before they can take that next step. Anderson isn't going to be around forever. -
[Waivers] David Backes, Luke Schenn
theo5789 replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Trades, Rumours, Signings
You make do with what you have and it is working. What's wrong? -
[Report] Tomas Hertl out for the season
theo5789 replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in General Hockey Discussion
Would've been interesting if we could've nabbed Hertl for Demko (with some cap balancing). Of course this prior to his injury and Benning backing off on the looking for a top 6 player. -
[Waivers] David Backes, Luke Schenn
theo5789 replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Trades, Rumours, Signings
Meanwhile, our "bad contract" LE is playing a prominent role on our team still. That was a bad UFA year, but it's looking like we got the best of a bad bunch at least. -
[Report] Tomas Hertl out for the season
theo5789 replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in General Hockey Discussion
I wonder if he will opt for a McDavid type rehab or not. Whatever it takes. -
People crushed by this should be more upset with that management (or his agent) rather than Bure or Russians in general. It was a contract problem, not a player problem. If anything Bure likely has set a "standard" for Russians and the expectations for every Russian to be at this level leads to disappointment and thus not being good enough. Our drafting success with Russians could also be more attributed to scouting and development as much as it is on Russian players. In the Podkolzin thread, it went as far as people complaining about his development there, yet they have developed some of the best NHLers in the game. Some are duds, but so are many of the players from "local" leagues.
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How about Russians like Ovechkin, Malkin, Panarin, Gonchar, Kovalev, etc? Is anyone hating on Swedes because Dahlen went back? Or on Finns because Palmu went back? How about good Canadian kids like Vey bolting to the KHL rather than sticking it out in the minors here? People have different personalities and reasons for their choices. Seems unreasonable to clump Russians into this sole thinking.
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[Report] Canucks recall Justin Bailey, Zack MacEwen
theo5789 replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Canucks Talk
4:25ish -
[Report] Canucks recall Justin Bailey, Zack MacEwen
theo5789 replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Canucks Talk
I agree that MacEwen likely draws in filling in Motte's role. If Beagle is out, then I see Schaller in rather than Bailey. Although it's curious because Benning did mention he would like to get a look at Bailey (amongst others including MacEwen) at the NHL level to see what they've got. However, I just think because if we are losing out on two PKers that we go with Schalotov. I agree that it looked like a pretty nasty play. EK has a suspension history too. -
[Report] Canucks recall Justin Bailey, Zack MacEwen
theo5789 replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Canucks Talk
That's kind of what I figured, so just trying to mitigate any hate towards Bailey if he isn't blasting people left and right. That really isn't his game. MacEwen seems like the better fit in replacing what Motte did, but maybe adding Bailey adds another offensive threat with speed that could change the dynamic of the line. Whatever the case, can't see them both drawing in and likely Scahller is back in against some of the wishes here. -
Tell that to Matheson. Even Marchand has gotten into scraps occasionally. But I agree, good on Tkachuk stepping up and thus not allowing the situation to boil over. Most fighters in the league seem to know this code of backing off when a guy is down and we see two guys that were pummelling each other telling each other that it was a good tilt. It's good to see that kind of sportsmanship.
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[Report] Canucks recall Justin Bailey, Zack MacEwen
theo5789 replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Canucks Talk
Is Bailey much of a hitter? The impression I get is he's one of those big guys, but doesn't play overly aggressive. I imagine one is in the other is out. With Beagle and Motte potentially being out, that's two PK guys. Sutter slots into the middle and neither MacEwen or Bailey PK as far as I know, so Schaller should draw back in. We don't want to revert back to playing Miller and Horvat regular PK time. We slumped when this happened.