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Canuck Surfer

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Everything posted by Canuck Surfer

  1. Thanks for posting this. LOL, love the untranslated caption; PANG! Snacka om raka rör från Jonathan Dahlén! Would make a great siggy line...
  2. Think a few years ago he was a guy said that Florida would not part with to help get Lou? Circa time frame he was for sure on his way to Toronto... He was a very well thought of prospect at one time. Production at lower levels as well. Is it a problem processing at NHL speed? Lifestyle or fitness issue?? The skills are there. For him it's an audition. Maybe in the past he thought he was going to be the scorer like he was in junior. And did not do all the smaller things that would have kept him in the big leagues. Till he found his scoring touch? If he plays with desperation. Demonstrates that he will battle for every role, for every puck as Burrows would say? He's just as likely to be in the NHL next year as Megna for example. Then its up to him, now its up to him, as to what he makes of this. But its only a contract this year, for the moment.
  3. Billabong posting discussion of possibility Boeser may play in Utica the balance of this season?
  4. Cue Neil Diamond? Ok, lets use Smash Mouth... To get things back on track. FTR, I am a believer. I remain of the opinion that there is a way to turn a draft pick with Jake's athleticism into a no brainer solid NHLér. Its more a question of how much upside can we coax out of him, by getting back to prioritizing development, than whether he will make it? Any comments of mine above, should be viewed as how to gain that upside, versus any impending sense of doom. Just my opinion.
  5. Arggh, 2 minutes late. Beary had a good response above. Stolarz will likely be in Philly next year & Lyons is a decent college UFA pick up. They have goalies coming. But Philly is just now working its way into being defensively solid. And its starting with Provorov. At one point I think they had 6 hot shot, most acquired via expensive trade or UFA, left handed D. Plus Luke Schenn. LOL. hot Swiss Cheese. Some of their goaltending woes, actually a lot, related to guys like Mark Streit, Del Zotto or Streit, despite some offensive skill, simply coughing up the puck too much in their end. But Morin, Sanheim, Hague and Myers all will most likely make their way to the NHL and join Provorov. Philly decided to start drafting D, and are also doing their hard yards developing them.
  6. At the end of the day the real secret is simply to make a consistent habit of drafting D. Partly because there is risk. Nobody knows 100% how a guy will react to NHL speed and pressure? But you can mitigate risk with good scouting. Here are the three biggest pillars, just my opinion (and everybody please, chime in), when drafting D; > Poise with the puck! > Speed > Athletic ability Yes the electric agility and puck handling of Eric Karlsson is desirable. But more commonly its a priority in a forward. Take it when you can get it. I could have put in size? But strength is (can be anyway) a component of athletic ability. I'll take size if you have the above three. But guys can go to the gym. See Brisbois who went 3rd round because he was 167 lbs his draft year. And looking a great pick. Or a massive shot? Ultimately the team will also need 2 or 4 guys who contribute these other features... Guys picked early in the first round probably have the fundamentals above, plus difference making skills. That's what should differentiate an early pick. But the first three are non negotiable. Draft guys with something exciting, hell several things, but no poise, and you end up with Cody Franson. Or Mathieu Schneider. (I might be being too harsh here to make a point.) And the mistakes are made when guys like Luke Schenn don't actually have big time NHL speed. A guy with close out speed, who can cut down angles and track down pucks is paramount. If they have the ice in their nerves? Will make a play under pressure, when they reach the puck while a huge hit is coming, it also routinely exits our zone. And we head up ice to play offense. That poise is the hardest to teach. But yes, a guy who gets the puck out of his zone 50% more often should get noticed by scouts. As does a guy who does not bail under a heavy fore check. Competes to win pucks.
  7. Coulda been the whiskey? Mighta been the gin! Or the three or four six packs, I don't know... Coach Willie bag skates me, and I think I'm gonna die! Telling me, oh me oh my. Get yer stuff... Just kidding BTW...
  8. For the record, although we def need an infusion of talent up front, we also need a fully stocked cupboard on D. Juolevi is considered blue chip, Brisbois making a case for himself. But there is not a generation of D waiting in the wings. It won't hurt to continue to draft D. Where I advocated we had a void in our D to be attended to in recent years > At this stage I'm arguing BPA?
  9. Juolevi = meat and Zhukenov potatoes.? Tryamkin & Boeser = gravy...
  10. What I did like was three booming shots from Ovechkin's spot in that last minute. Would love to see him roatating and cutting through the slot, semi-routinely, at high speed when he does not have the puck. Looking for feeds to bang on net!. It may be too much of me to have, more or less, described a play maker & puck handler. But a guy who scores like Jeremy Roenick used to? And sets up for one timers? There is also other ways to become dangerous.
  11. I watched that video. My observation is that both with his shot, and carrying the puck > Jake is simply trying to power straight through people. Considering his physical tool set, that's not a completely bad thing. But its easy to read when he has the puck. He needs to develop a slight of foot, of hands, some deception. Practice aberration in pace, explosiveness, lateral motion, evasive agility, shifting the puck side to side (and protecting it with his body, I almost said his big ass). It goes hand in hand with core strength. There is almost no juke and jive, no finesse to his game?
  12. First the back check! Then the WHEELS! Man what a motor...
  13. Kesler is the bar in forwards... I'd be happy with a 15 year career. A guy who makes several all star games, the Olympics & is underlined by most every opposing coach on his game plan. It will also be more fun if its because he is scoring goals?
  14. Nice stat work. Probably over states Tanev's value to the team. But it's dramatic and clearly Tanev has a positive effect on the team! What do you think @Alf ?
  15. Yes! OJ did not score 6 points in his first two WJC games...
  16. We waited out Nichushkin when it first appeared he was a better pick. When we passed on him to grab Bo. It's too early to condemn or even engage a question on OJ. And for all I care, I hope Tkachuk does become a good player. But we still owe every pick the patience they deserve.
  17. Tomatoes has a great post below echoing what I would think. Gaunce is on the team, because he has speed, size, and an infectious work rate. Probably does not have the god given nift some have to dangle, score goals? I just watched, a day late but not a dollar short, the Minny game. Gaunce was creating chances. He went to the net for rebounds. Had a tip that went wide. Took the puck to the front of the net from Gretzky;s pocket behind the net, to try a jam it in. Made a behind the back pass from the same spot back to Megna who just missed it. He is creating chances! Some productivity will come. Just needs time to get all his decision making, his skills up to NHL speed. To develop. He did do the same at the AHL level. Started slow, then found his place. But in the meantime he's also solid defensively. Back checking, fore checking hard. An effective match up body. He's not even a risk, a guy who coughs up pucks, or gives up chances against. I have lots of time for Gaunce. The big key with Rodin will be what speed & agility he returns from his leg injury with? He also plays a responsible game. And learned to play in the "dirty" areas, to score tight goals, in Sweden. Was showing he could operate in similar more confined spaces in the pre-season. And had the instincts when he did get the puck, the skills to do something. But did not quite have the speed to always get where he needed. That was probably his injury? If he is dexterous, can explode in different directions with the puck? Like we see in his Euro highlight reels. He is going to be fine. It's all about whether he return with his speed...
  18. That's a nice thought? Play off's... At the moment my two biggest concerns are simple. No. 1 we compete extremely hard. No. 2 we, regardless of it being on the hunt for the puck or dangling with it, that we try and make plays. We should all play like Stecher. He tries to make plays. And he uses every ounce of his speed and agility. If he loses the puck he fights twice as hard to get it back. That's also a change in thought for me in some ways. Two years ago, even this summer, I would yell at my tv when Sbisa lost the puck. "Let someone else handle the puck!" Well Sbisa is playing better. He's learning to use his strength, protect the puck, and keep his head up. So he can see a play. We have more young guys with speed, with skill. They just need to know everyone will fight like Stecher, like Burrows, to get the puck back. Back them! And everyone can have the confidence to give it a go when they get the puck. Rodin will be one more guy that can beat a defender, bury the biscuit. I hope he does not come in conservative!
  19. Sbisa is playing well enough to protect at this point??? Biega needs to be given his 18 games, or whatever it is... And let Edler know at the deadline that he's going to be exposed unless he accepts a trade. Boom, off to a contender he goes and we get a return! Plus over $5 mill in cap space. Trading Edler makes so much more sense than Tanev. We already have Hutton, Tryamkin & Sbisa as good young LHD. Brisbois (on topic) & Juolevi on the way. Stecher + Guddy do not mean we have that same flexibility to trade Tanev. You are correct, its now about post Sedins! But Sutter wont command RNH. Just my opinion. Although I'm not opposed to a Sutter package to acquire the guy we do want.
  20. I know, I know. If They offer RNH, or hell Draisaitl who has not yet cemented a big payday, I'm in. I hold out a slim hope on RNH because of his contract. But its slim. Edmonton does not have pressure from expansion. They'll protect D Sekara (NMC) Kelfbom & Larsson. Then forwards Eberle, Nuge, Lucic, Draisaitl, probably Maroon & they'll still have two guys to"spare" when they have 4 or 5 contracts they really would not care if they lost. Hendricks? Kassian? Who really cares. Then set Pouliot packing to Vegas... Even if they trade for a D man, example Tanev as you propose on an ongoing basis? They can protect 4 D and 4 forwards. They actually hold the cards. More likely they'll notice Anaheim stands to lose either Fowler or Vatanen. Protect Lindholm and cough, NMC, Bieksa. They can pick off Fowler for a good hockey trade exchanging a forward. If they want a defensive D man > Detroit cannot protect big young Russian Alexei Marchenko. He could be had cheaper in contract and assets than Tanev. And he's actually pretty good! LA cannot protect Doughty & the three M's > Muzzin, Martinez & McNabb. McNabb would be cheaper than Tanev. But also add's a big shot and some toughness. Dumba, Brodin or Scandella will likely be floating around. Minny will protect Suter & Spurgeon plus _____. I could go on? My point is there will be a ton of teams under the gun to offload good D. Or lose them to expansion. I can assure you they will have opportunity to add both talent and depth. Without paying a premium to us.
  21. Good luck with that. Even with expansion draft isuues > there will be a list of suitors 25 teams deep for Draisaitl. Better chance, by far, of getting a discount on RNH.
  22. I think he'll get more. But there is some very respectable logic in your reasoning. Mine is that Tanev signed with 3 years remaining to UFA eligibility. Gubranson is only taking one year off the board. And the general inflation of contracts. I'm still projecting $5.1, $5.2 mill. We can track it? Gentleman's bet for a Coke if I ever visit Calgary again...?
  23. I do agree he should not trend to the middle of that group. I also agree that we should not over adjust to UFA signings. But Gudbranson's, I believe, trump card, is a 1 year arbitration deal. Which might / should end south of these RFA here. But then he is UFA the year after? So he does hold some leverage. And a 6'5" 220lb skating big man coming into his prime is more attractive than Tanev was when he signed his current deal. I think we may see a deal just over $5 mill, and long term to help sell all to Gudbranson and the market. If we lock him, say 7 years, till he's 32 and through his prime? I'm fine with that.
  24. I concur / concur & my fingers are crossed. In a lot of these cases guys were just so gifted, they did not have to have the work ethic. Then their pro career hinged on whether they could develop it? I always bagged on Shinkaruk. For having pee wee Herman arms at his draft. Gave me a sense of foreboding and dread that he took it for granted. And always believed Gaunce would make it. Less talented he showed up at the draft combines and had the best fitness scores. Plus played a coaches game, was coachable. You are right; there is a sense of what is coming to be had?
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