iceman64

Sorry hate to burst the bubble of those who think Nills is a sub par goalie, we haven't deserved to win as many games as we have with our D playing like shi_ as usual as it's been for YEARS but figures that stupid people blame the goalie even though he gets hung out to dry by our D more often than not, nothing new though here. Same ole... meh..

So you'd be incredibly great after hardly playing at all in the last 15 games?

Im actually surprised that any goalie would willingly come to a team that doesn't have much of a D to help him out...

Ummmm as i remember most people knew Lack was a career back-up that at times played great but never on a consistent basis to be a starter for any amount of time...

This season is the same, our defense "sucks" and it will take the whole team to play a great 2 way game as it seemed to last night holding a Jets team of the scoreboard most of the game for even a remote shot at the playoffs and it'll be probably the same for next season unless Benning pulls off some crazy magic and improves the D drastically and this team stops being a goalie graveyard...

What if he actually starts playing? Hmmm hey? Lmao!

Yes i agree and i think that's the biggest part of maturity is know when and where to use his speed and finess then if he gets out of position here and there or on the end of a shift he can rub a guy out and send it back into the o-zone and get off the ice and not be a liability enough for a turn over for a goal either so it's both and that takes time and he has that since he's still really yound and processing it all and he'll get the hang of it the more he plays we hope right?

The last part you mentioned is what his skillset has always been there but as most power forwards it comes with a lot of experience but most of the Jake haters here from the very beginning were not smart enough to get that part. However it was the same way with a certain previous young man on the oiler's team by the name of Messier and many like him given enough chance to mature.

and he would not look out of place on top six..

goon that can go "off the bar and in" repeatedly... punch or score... genius jim... wish we would have gotten him for the sedins yrs back and not eriksson... not granlund.. not even burr because of bigger guys take more liberties and burr wasn't a fighter so schaller with the twins would have been killer. no one would have laid a glove on the sedins... schaller isn't 4th line or 3rs line talent, he's scored wicked goals and will thrown down with nearly anyone... gotta love that, especially with new sedins.. Brock and Elias and hughes is on the way. for once we have someone that you really wouldn't want to make mad and he would be if someone ran our boys... if anyone can't get how important this signing was, need to take a second look...

schaller against maroon now...

Hopefully #1 will be Demko... working his way into it.. i can see nils being traded since he did so well at the worlds and Demko being #2 behind mark for a yr or 2 depending how it works out

I just hope OJ becomes Salo 2.0 Hopefully Hughes bulks up on weight and muscle and get's even faster but if Hughes is even on the same field as Dahlin it's one less spot on the roster to be concerned about.. in spades... However i like a line Greener could use for late game pushes for goals... Guddy and Hughes, Bo, Brock, Elias... but have Elias second line usually to spread offence...

Saw a lot of dahlin's highlights and he's the real deal... sucks we missed him! If he shows even somewhat close to Bobby's skill set we'd all be more than happy with that...

we're bored...

Too young to judge yet... power forwards take the longest to develop, people fault him for consistancy but that's his age showing. developing players is new to vancouver for the most part, either picks have been traded usually. We've had some come through but not near enough... some "busts" too but with this many young guys, some are bound to make it. I think gadgetman will make it....

Read things here that astound me.. In the games we saw him play last season he did not look out of place.. I can hardly wait until the usual adjustments the younger player need to make once their in the big show but seems like canucks fans expect every player to be a superstar or benning screwed up or the player has a label but boeser had that coming in too. I'm not saying Adam is a Brock Boeser but obviously he has a lot upside and could easily fit a number 2 center description with some work but people forget it's actually fun to finally get to talk about prospects like this. Some of our old core came through development but never this amount. Usually we traded our picks for a win now situation instead of loading up with both and slowly after getting rid of a boatload of ntc's and nmc's contracts sure helped. benning made a cpl of mistakes trying to put something competitive on the ice but what gm hasn't but he's makes more good moves than bad but we're getting there. No we don't have to be all rose colour glasses about the new guys but at least it's a step or two in the right direction for a change. hopefully louie E can get back to his 20-30 goal seasons again but he's the only bad contract we have left if it doesn't change. Gaudette lowest is a good 2 way 3rd line center and a season or two away from being able for 2nd line center duty when injuries hit as usual so nothing wrong with benning's pick on this kid...

`Here too... media folks are vastly underestimating Zack because they simply can't clue into something about him that i experienced myself at his age. I'm almost as tall as he is and it WAS NOT easy to get used to. They also said he was 2 years behind in his development and big surprise that it took me a cpl of years to adjust to my height as well but once i got used to it and trained hard it got so much easier and it was even another year or so before it all came together (speed, skill, and thinking) all balanced the same will make loads of difference to him as well. Under achiever as they call him? I doubt it highly but it's even better he hired a skills coach and skating coach for the summer to work on his game... yes i'm praying he works out too because besides Guddy and Archie, nucks are a pretty soft team.

Macewen (6'4) is the dark horse i'm hoping for to make the team, t i hope we go after Dobson (6'3) in the draft and/or Tkachuk (6'3) Dobson/Tkachuk bring good size and SPEED plus scoring touch that makes a whole package like a young Messier brought to the oilers that helped with scoring but also a deterrent from anyone going after Gretzky. Do we need the same thing? Certainly! I think after that we could be a force to be reckoned with BUT our new stars like Bo, Brock, and Elias need to be protected... That can't end up like how the Sedins got ran so badly!!!! If that happens we can totally throw away any notions of deep cup runs anywhere in the near future... Oh and IF we trade Vanek for a lower tier draft pick, i'll be pissed. Vanek has no problem with going to the net to score and i hope we sign him for 2-3 more seasons to model that to the new guys, if he can help guys find that skill and tenacity "consistently" then we're a foot up in development! I said that from the first time i saw we signed him, if Brock can make his slap shot like Vaneks (accuracy) coming in from his side like his wrist shots then whoa! i'd almost feel sorry for the opposing goalies but Bo is also having the benefit of having Vanek around BUT i like the way he gets dirty goals too when needed in front of the net and willing to take a bit of punishment OR give it to get the puck and score. Vanek is a rugged pure goal scorer to say the least and i was stoked when i saw he was now on the team, a great teacher for Brock and Bo! short sighted people want him traded while his stake is high to get the most return but his stakes are higher here for a cpl more years as a teacher and a guy who can put pucks in the net too but teaching our young core is where we win the most return in the long run, not just the next 2-3 seasons if we re-sign him.

Team toughness on the canucks? ahahahaaa we're one of the easiest teams to play against physically... as long as this is the case don't count on seeing a cup EVER!

Horvat is the closest, but his numbers (52 pts) and his general style of play at the level of a very good 2C, not a first liner. No he's a first line player and there is enough support for that statement around the league, HOWEVER with him playing with guys who don't have complimentary skills then no he isn't but he obviously has first line talent Sedins, yes again first line but without a BIG skilled line-mate to compliment their style they don't have a chance to have the open ice for their magic. Add a Dustin Buff or a Lucic to that line and we have winners. (is management capable of doing that?) well not since Anson Carter and i doubt we will ever see it, worst waste of players i have ever seen in my life. Eriksson, Yes again but he isn't built for a 1st assignment with the Sedins like Carter was. Does he have first line skill? obviously so but with needs the right players on his line. Boeser, yes of course but he will have to make the adjustment to the NHL but he will do this next season. Baer, again yes but he needs to improve on over-all strength to get there. 10-15 pounds on his frame and a month or 2 training plus maintaining would get him there but that's up to coaches and management to help. We certainly DO have enough skill on the team to do some serious damage BUT until it's properly managed and deployed and a couple of changes, it won't right away. Finally the Sedins need to go after the seasons end next yr, have been loyal to them as a fan for years but that's over. As a franchise, the canucks have paid them MILLIONS since they arrived and started to put points up so are they owed something? Absolutely NOT! have they put up with a lot of $&!#e here? yes but not enough to pay them to stay unless it's for peanuts and even they don't deserve that so time for them to move on (with all the money that a person could ever want)

Not nearly enough skill? Sedins, Horvat, Eriksson, Sutter, Baer, Boeser, all have no skill?

Well Virtanen is young and needs to be "tempered" upstairs as in maturing as in any power forward does but i'm not dis-agreeing with you, without Gud, Sbisa and Dors... This team would be softer than a cream puff and it's not that far off now, and you screen name reminds me of how much this team misses rick ryp

Well Virtanen is your stereo typical big power forward which is a stark contrast to smaller speedy forwards that are a dime a dozen that we've had lots of over the years. At least Virt is over 6' tall... opposed to Mason Raymond etc etc let's say...