Jump to content
The Official Site of the Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Community

oldnews

Members
  • Posts

    53,830
  • Joined

  • Days Won

    186

Everything posted by oldnews

  1. You're still making excuses for him though. 'Clogging up the neutral zone' does not dictate his giveaways. Ironically, that first pass to Tanev that's allegedly no longer there - is still there - if he moves the puck to Benn. No, Benn doesn't have Tanev's first pass - he's the #8 D on this team in the linep because #5 is injured (and #7 is a rookie). But let's not patronize Benn here - he's not a useless empty shirt - and he has played well (and has commited 3 mere giveaways). If the stretch pass is not there because teams are taking it away - and he's under pressure from the forecheck, which is always seeking to get a body on him - give the fn puck to Benn - who is not in the neutral zone - he becomes your first pass. But regardless, the fundamental point, again, was not to complain about Hughes - it's to stop complaining about who is no longer here. And really, I'm as justified to make that point as anyone on these boards, because no one advocated re-signing Tanev as much as I did. Tanev moving on is no excuse for trying to cheat the game - trying to force stretch passes that aren't there, constantly/predictably - and always trying to carry the puck in one on one situations inside your own blueline. There may be few players as capable of doing so as Hughes - but nevertheless, there are NHL forwards - some of them pretty bloody good players - that are going to beat you/take the puck from you on occasion. He needs to simplify - at least often enough that he isn't exceedingly predictable - or forcing what's not there.
  2. Hypothetically - take Hoglander out of the lineup - insert Toffoli - and take either Sutter or Beagle out - and insert Gaudette. Do you think the team performs better? I sure as hell do not. The reality is that the team intended to re-sign Toffoli - and it should be needless to say - things changed - radically. The other reality - is that while they had Hoglander - and Podkolzin - they have absolutely no one to step into those critical bottom six center roles - not effectively anyway - and when you have a group this young - at forward, on the blueline - and even half the nights in goal - that 'foundation' is critically important - and highly under-rated around here. If Beagle hasn't been the best Canuck thus far this season it's only because that GM who has made so many mistakes and miscalculations - stole Motte.
  3. those are just a couple of my personal 'favorite' targets.... Jenner, imo has been subjected to the Tortorella-effect devaluation, with misleading outcomes (which doesn't necessarily mean his market value would be low - but potentially. Nick Paul - it may be getting to late to act on acquiring him - at least at a reasonable value. My main point here is that a top 6 or bust, small to middleweight winger - isn't necessarily a team need - actually, I'd consider that near or at the bottom of a list of team needs. If I'm spending young assets - I want a RHD, or a natural center, and if they're acquiring a winger - they already have EP, Boeser and Hoglander in the top 6. Imo whether a forward is for the 2nd line, or the 3rd - I want some heaviness to their game, ideally at least a natural center (winger conversion is ok, but with a natural centers' development/game, and some versatility - so they have value regardless of where they play in the middle or bottom six (and having Podkolzin in cue also impacts perceived team need imo. I may really like Sven Baertschi as well, but even had he not suffered concussions, and having a good skillset, particularly once he started applying himself, is he the type of player that complements a Horvat Hoglander pair on the 2nd line? I'd look for a different type of winger there. I really like some of the aspect of DeBrusk's game - he has good speed, he can finish, and in spite of relatively poor/weak grit outcomes, his game is a bit grittier than those may indicate - but nevertheless, he wouldn't be a target - and additionally when it comes to his contract/terms, they reflect production on a contending 2nd line - in other words, he's at market value - when I think this team needs to target guys that are less costly and yet to emerge. That is the real value of solid pro-scouting - to identify guys that will uptick.
  4. well - when you propose a 'thought exercise' for 'everyone' but can't be bothered to read what anyone else has posted - the smarm might be earned.
  5. mushy minded stories are what are filling this media market. the idea that the expansion draft (which precluded re-signing Markstrom, or alternatively would have resulted in the end of Demko here), or covid cap stall (precluding re-signing Toffoli) is all Benning's fault - and laughably - has reduced their chances of "winning a cup in their careers" - is exactly the kind of drama I'm talking about. For me - the real loss was Tanev (and Leivo) - but the fact remains that the core are primarily 20 and 21 year olds - with some potential core still on the way - so their 'real' window is when these guys are closer to the 25 range....If the team sustains it's ability to produce young talent - this past offseason sure as hell did not represent any kind of closing window on this team - that strikes me as borderline absurd.
  6. that you believe Benning had no intention of re-signing Toffoli when that deal was made....shows you haven't changed a whiff. welcome back Mr Sunshine.
  7. then there would be no one else to credit then - 100% to his credit - when this core grows up - if this team were to win a Cup. that - of course - would also be nonsense. The reality is that Linden deserves credit, Gillis who acquired Horvat, deserves credit - this team is not 100% Benning built - Edler predated Benning as well, was drafted in the summer between the Burke and Nonis, who deserve credit, Green deserves credit, Ron Delorme deserves credit, Thomas Gradin deserves credit - and on and on - and vice versa.
  8. there's a lot of whisper campaign material there I can't take seriously / or share your assumptions. "JV failed to appreciate how desperate they felt".... subjective story telling that is unqualifiable. Second paragraph - couldn't disagree more = Toffoli was absolutely not 'priority 1' for all kinds of reasons I'm not going to repeat. This story of losing because they're (still) sad about the veterans that left - is just too soft soap. Simplify your puck movement, support the puck - things they did for the most part tonight and put themselves in a very good position to win. Mushy minded stories - do not.
  9. the Canucks beat up on Toronto forever, before that. including knocking them off in the WCF on route to a loss in the SCF. they had a very long brown paper bag era - arguably about as long as any team. so what goes around..... But lucky for them, they won't have to pay any more young talent - that 40 million they're spending on 4 forwards won't hurt them until they produce some new prospects. In other words - I'm not sure how long their 'window' is gonna be - so they might want to take advantage asap.
  10. Premature in all kinds of ways. The only definitive decision that I would make at this point is to move a player like Roussel if at all possible - and commit that cap to getting rid of bonus overage up front this year. Ideally Benn as well - but he's more vital/needed in the present. If the season doesn't turn around, I might move up to the top 6 (ie Pearson) in due course (not wait for the t.d.) for the same purpose. It looks like they are going to be/and remain very young on the blueline - imo it might make sense to concede similarly with their winger forward group.
  11. You're trying too hard. To reduce every micro incident to a fault of Green's. There was no problem with a 'matchup'. You have one of the league's best faceoff guys and defensive centers on the ice. Matthews found a high seam - it's not even evident whose 'fault' that was. Nothing there whatsoever to pin on Green. Hughes with a braincramp giveaway - which you're unable/unwilling to name - becomes a Green failure to call a timeout in your mind. You're stuck in spin - a blame spin - that prevents you from looking analytically at what is happening on the ice. No - a coach can't win a faceoff - or make a first pass. They can only put their team in the best position to win possible. Green did his job tonight - the team was in a very solid position to win that game - the rest - like the giveaway 3rd goal, or Miller ripping the puck off the crossbar - is literally out of his control. That's hockey - that's sport - you don't always win the games you outplay your opponent.
  12. they have a number of 'mentors' remaining But Marky was EP's mentor... and OEL wanted to play with Marky.... Irrelevent. The decision was - which goaltender is likely to fit better in your team's potential contending window. No bigger lover than Markstrom on these boards than myself - but I had to acknowledge that is was either Demko or Markstrom - and let it go. but you take it beyond that to but 'so-and-so was so-and-so's buddy'. Boohoo to that. It's a pro hockey team, not a clique or social club. Friends are going to move on - (and they're still your friends if you're real friends - which is what your off ice life is for - your business). Boohoo, Toffoli was Pearson's friend. No one disliked Leivo. None of that has a whiff to do with having to make decisions. Media can mope about it all as much as they want. Players need to grow up and be professionals - and I'm pretty sure they're far more emotionally mature than the twittiots surrounding the team.
  13. 2nd - wasn't in the 'slots' - it was high enough to be a seam between the wingers - and debatable who 'should' have gotten there (imo only the coach and players know what system was in effect there). 3rd goal - no way you can hang that on Sutter on any level - 'failing to cover Kerfoot'. That was on Hughes 100%. That Sutter even got close to Kerfoot is because Sutter understands puck support. That giveaway on the 3rd goal is the number one symptom of their problems thus far - failing to make the simple first pass, trying to do too much, carrying the puck when you're the last man back and you're forechecked/1on1 - the majority of their lethal giveaways have comes in situations like that.
  14. If you read what you responded to as opposed to an inaccurate paraphrase, I clearly refered to the playoffs. Toffoli was limping badly. So badly that it's debatable whether he should have been in the lineup. Having 4 pts isn't as determinant as giving up more far more even strength goals than they produced... that's not a winning formula. I'm not blaming Toffoli for being a liability - he could barely skate - and that line got rekt. It wasn't simply Toffoli either - both Horvat and Pearson relatively disappeared at the end of the ST Louis series. It wasn't his fault - but that's the reality.
  15. Something that doesn't need figuring out. "I lost the puck - it wound up in the back of the net (again) - the insurance goal that put us down 2, 11 seconds after giving up the 2nd goal. I need to make better decisions with the puck." I don't care who he means - he needs to take care of his own play - that is what is within his control - and he's not as good as he was last season - so maybe the place to look is in the mirror, first and foremost. I'm not complaining about his play - I see him making some very good efforts - and more mistakes than we're used to seeing him make - but regardless, feeding into this 'we lost players' narrative is not the way out of their struggles.
  16. I'd take a Dorsett right about now. You need a guy that plays with rational anger. Normally Miller might bring that - but he hasn't looked himself thus far. I might be wrong about this - but I want to see more anger when things aren't going well. Not negativity - anger. At least the team played a serious game tonight. They're still making costly mistakes, but normally that effort would end in a better result.
  17. Who's "they" and what is their source? Whisper campaigns? Pretending to speak for players? I could understand if people are upset about Tanev, moving on - but in Markstrom's case, it's an either/or - so being angry about him is the equivalent of expecting Demko to have gotten dealt - and in Toffoli's case, he was here for a cup of coffee (and was limping/a liability in the playoffs) - and again, if they'd blocked Hoglander's path by re-signing Toffoli, people would simply have a reverse angle on their fury over that. The funny thing for me - Boeser has 9 goals right now and no one cares. It's all a chorus of whining about Toffoli, instead. If Toffoli were here, it would not change a thing - the team's mistakes - almost exclusively braincramp giveaways in lethal areas - can't really be 'defended' effectively. He's no magic bean in spite of wrecking this team (and only this team) head to head thus far. I don't buy the story - of pretender, smarm media speaking for the players - and even were that the case, if the players are failing in the present because they're still distracted thinking they'd make better GMs - they would need to pull their heads out of their asses and make like professionals. I don't buy that - I don't think they are as petty as the Van media - I think it's more likely projection and a flake attempt to utilize phantom players voices to peddle a hypocritical, contradictory agenda. How many media were clamouring for Markstrom and Tanev to be re-signed at the time? Right. It comes down to needing to play the game the right way, which they haven't been, recently.
  18. I'm not sure I agree with Cheech on that one - that was pretty high to be Beagle's responsibility...iirc both Roussel and Virtanen were closer to Matthews...? not sure what the system was there either - if they were in man, then perhaps Beagle lost Matthews, if it was a zone.... would like to see it again.
  19. still - it was another critical puck moving braincramp down low in their zone that buried them in this one. they supported and moved the puck well through 40. They gave up one goal - resorted to trying to cheat the game again - and paid heavily, as they have for all their mistakes lately.
  20. I remember when the team lost about 10 straight, and Burrows turned it all around with a short handed goal. The team needs a Burrows right about now.
  21. The offseason went as most fans wanted it, ironically - at least 2/3 of free agency. Very few wanted to see Demko traded. Very few were willing to give Tanev a contract. Most people were happy enough with the Schmidt deal. If it's all about Toffoli, that's enough already.
×
×
  • Create New...