-
Posts
9,076 -
Joined
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Gallery
Everything posted by Darius
-
I think that Kesler has a solid 5 years left if he is utilized correctly. He is one of the premiere shutdown centers in the league, can play practically any role you want him to, can pop 25+ goals per year and is an ex Selke trophy winner. How often have you seen a guy like Kesler on the Canucks in their 40+ years? He is a legit difference maker on a team with a legit elite first line. There is nobody else on this team I would rather build around. I can also see your position - trade him now while his value is high. I would agree with a trade if it brings back something spectacular...but do you trust Gillis to make such a trade? And...if the Sedins continue to be mediocre for the next 3 years does it really matter what young player(s) they bring in to replace Kesler?
-
Its sad that things have declined to this point. Kesler is a guy they should be building around. If he goes to a team that knows how to properly utilize him he will be dynamite. Picture him on Pittsburgh on the third line as their primary shutdown center. He would not be expected to carry the team in terms of goal scoring and he wont be expected to play insane minutes every night. They would use him on the PK, throw him out against the likes of Krejci, Kessel, you name it...and he could pop in a goal every now in then while facing the bottom pairing D-men and weaker forwards on the opposing team.... We know what he can do here when he isnt expected to play like a horse and score every night. The decline of this team is directly proportional to the decline of the Sedins. The Canucks have no top line and now they are going to dismantle by moving guys like Kesler. They better get top line material in return because nothing will change.
-
Sad to say, but it is Gillis that is steering the ship - not the arm chair and keyboard GMs that are expecting the moon. I wouldnt be surprised if we wake up tomorrow and we hear Kesler has been traded to the Bruins for Chris Kelly and Jordan Caron. Gillis .... just remember its Gillis .... cringe...
-
Ill believe it when I see it. This team has a track record of trading MAYBE 2 or 3 significant players a decade for assets that have a proven impact in return. Canucks have some big holes up front and have no reliable PP QB - the strength is on d where they have multiple third and fourth calibre d men and maybe in Goal where Lack looks like he can be an above average goalie. If MG actually does something to address the needs of the team (and gets someone to waive a NTC) I can see one of Hamhuis, Bieksa, Edler, Tanev or Luongo being part of the trade.
-
Might as well bring back Sundin and Naslund, and while Gillis is at it he can order a big box of bengay ointment and a few dozen boxes of depends. Edler is one of the few assets that can get anything in return, yah sure Mike just make the team older. This is all speculation - he wouldnt be that stupid would he?
-
This team is not as bad as their 2014 record, but not as good as Gillis thinks. When everyone is back and healthy this team still needs a reliable offensive minded D that can get 40-50 points and QB the PP (something EDLER has failed at so far) and another top line winger. What would have Gillis done if Sharp scored that OT goal in game 7 and the team choked in the first round in 2011? There would probably be a completely different mix here right now. ON second thought it is Gillis we are talking about, probably little would have changed...
-
Practically every team has a couple of elite guys that can actually score. No Henrik, Daniel is awol, Burrows is done. The only guy that looks like an NHL player up front is Kesler. You know things are bad when you watch Mason Raymond and he looks like Crosby compared to anyone on your team.
-
Its the first time since the late 90s early 2000s I dont have the feeling that they could beat an average team. When this team was on top of its game they went into every game with the belief the could win...I think they would get hammered in an Alberta road trip right now... This team is not this bad. Half of the D core is missing plus their best forward.... Lou made one outstanding save. Most NHL calibre goalies would have stopped the two penalty shots.
-
the difference is our team has nobody with hands...nobody...all a bunch of third line plugs at best.
-
It could be worse, you could be living in Edmonton AND watch a losing team...
-
2 points 1. next time Canucks play Phoenix, Dallas or LA Sestito should cross check their best player in the ribs or shoulder and injure them. Pay the 5000 fine like Hanzal did and the playoff race will be greatly affected. The $hitbag Hanzal took out 2 of our top centers and all it cost that franchise was 5000. That was the turning point this season. 2. Price > Luongo. Come on Lui, shut the door on that first goal. He was average in Boston too.
-
As a side note: how realistic is that Safeway Score and Win? Has any canuck ever scored 5 goals in a game? Bure? Come on safeway...
-
Lets look at Torts' history as a coach. Tampa, New York, Vancouver Tampa Bay 2001-2002 GF 28th GA 20th Did not Qualify for playoffs Tampa Bay 2002-2003 GF 13th GA 12th Lost in the second round Tampa Bay 2003-2004 GF 3rd GA 10th (won stanley cup) Tampa Bay 2005-2006 GF 16th GA 18th Lost in the first round Tampa Bay 2006-2007 GF 11th GA 24th Lost in the first round Tampa Bay 2007-2008 GF 17th GA 29th Did not Qualify for playoffs NEW YORK 2008-2009 GF 25th GA 6th Lost in the first round NEW YORK 2009-2010 GF 19th GA 9th Did not Qualify for playoffs NEW YORK 2010-2011 GF 14th GA 5th Lost in the first round NEW YORK 2011-2012 GF 13th GA 3rd Lost in the third round NEW YORK 2012-2013 GF 13th GA 4th Lost in the second round Vancouver 2013-2014 GF 21st GA 13th ????? Summary: - In 11 years has missed the playoffs 3 times - Won one stanley cup - Made it past the first round 4 times ( > 33%). This record is nearly as good as the Vancouver record during this period (made it past the first round 5 times) and it has been probably the franchise's best decade. Some interesting things: - in his last 5 years his team has finished in the top 9 in Goals Against. His teams are solid defensively. - other than the year he won the cup his teams usually hover around mid pack in Goals For. Hence dont expect him to play a "we will outscore our problems" system. -Current Canuck team is 21st in Goals For, if they finish in this position it will only be the third time in his career his team has finished in the bottom 10 in GF. In other words this lack of production is relatively rare for one of his teams. I think that the problem here is that the two core offensive players the Canucks have suddenly dropped off of the map. If Henrik and Daniel were in the top 15 - 20 in scoring, or producing proportional to their salary, this team would be in a much better position. The question is why are 22 and 33 in the toilet, as far as production goes, right now? Did torts play them too much and under estimate the energy it takes to play their type of game in a condensed schedule with west coast travel? Or are we seeing them diminish due to age? Do they have the right personnel to play with on the PP and to feed them the puck in a transition from the D zone? Torts is a decent coach - maybe he has been dealt a hard hand to play with here. The Sedins + Kesler then thats it, the rest of them are third and fourth liners on most good teams. Maybe that is why he has played those guys to the bone this year...there is nobody else...
-
I think you have some good points here. The other thing torts may have not factored in is the amount of energy the Sedins expend to play a cycle game in the corners. Its extremely taxing. Constantly having the other team's top D draped on their backs, getting constantly hit. These guys are not like the star players who float around all game and are snipers. Add penalty killing duties, more ice time, a compressed schedule and a rotating merry go round of wingers and its no wonder these guys are bagged.
-
IN the grand scheme of things why should we be surprised? Its a team of mostly third liners who has had trouble scoring since the 2011 run. There are two things that over inflated our image of this team since 2011: 1. Playing in the weak NW division 2. Having a very good PP that bailed them out many times. Now that the PP has dried up and guys like Erhoff and Salo are gone (two guys who played an excellent transition game and could QB the PP and actually get pucks to the net) they look like an average team at best. I recall their winning percentage was a lot lower when Salo was out of the lineup. It was his great first pass out of the zone plus his ability to run the PP that made the difference.
-
This is all on Gillis. Have you ever wondered what the team would look like without the Sedins? Well this is it...even though they are playing. Canuck management gambled the Sedins could hold down the fort and produce for 2-3 more years while they transitioned to a younger core. Unless these guys are popeye and someone feeds them the spinach the Sedins look like they are ready for the pasture. Now the pressure is on to turn this mess around.
-
I think Torts is guilty of 2 or 3 things: 1. Playing the same 5-6 guys almost half an hour a game. Hes been on the east coast his whole career - maybe he did not factor in age and travel. Making the Sedins kill penalties and run the offence maybe puts them in a position where they cannot thrive. 2. Kassian makes one mistake and hes parked on the bench, Booth farts in the hall and he is put on the fourth line, Burrows returns to ECHL form and he gets prime minutes every game. 3. Hamhuis on the first unit PP. The man is not equipped to snipe or see the ice like a pp qb. The sad part is maybe Torts has no choice in light of the way Edler is playing and Garrison is bumbling the puck. You cant blame Torts for Daniel not being able to hit the net, Burrows turning into a 4th line AHL player, and Garrison not filling in the shoes of Erhoff or Salo.
-
96 to 99 were ugly years. It took those three to four years to start to turn the ship around. Bringing in Naslund, Bertuzzi, Jovanovski drafting the twins....the old core was on the way out...the sad part for us now is that old core was probably superior to this one when you consider it still hand youngish Bure, Mogilny and LInden.... The question now is do we trust Gillis to get it done? And if it took three to four years back then after bringing in some great pieces how long will it take this time. This is what the team without the sedins looks like (even though they are playing). I think that Gillis and gang gambled that they could carry the team while the fresh troops came in (Horvat, Gaunce etc....) Maybe they cant excel playing half an hour a game and killing penalties and travelling a gazzilion miles?? The balancing act now is do they blow up the core completely and put the weight of the franchise on a younger core...a dangerous proposition if you look at what happened in Edmonton. That is why they always need to keep some vets around.
-
Ben, I wonder how many of these guys were around to watch those horrid years. We all have gotten comfortable with decent canuck teams for almost a decade. Now that the wheels have fallen off its going to be interesting to see what the owner and GM do. Torts is calling it as he sees it. Not sure he is the best coach for this team but he might have a hand into making some major changes.
-
This is starting to look like the era in Canucks' history when Keenan took over and all sorts of changes were made. The team had a couple of good offensive players but needed some key changes.. Keenan was canned but the personnel he had an influence in bringing in (outside that a$$clown Messier) had a domino affect on this franchise that still has repercussions today. Maybe they need someone like Torts, for the short term, to rattle owners/GM chains and get rid of core players that cant get it done.
-
keep Kassian, Kesler, Tanev, Stanton, Lack and Bieksa - the rest of the sad sacks can be driven to the airport for the right price....
-
[GDT] Vancouver Canucks vs. Detroit Red Wings 03/02/2014
Darius replied to iCanucksLover's topic in Canucks Talk
Its not Garrison's fault he is useless on the point....Gillis brought him here. No transition game - none. Either the D are not capable of making a breakout pass or Torts' system doesnt allow the forwards to head up ice and get a pass in transition. Lack of transitional game + constant line mixing + riding the same guys over and over + no qb on the PP + nobody who can get a shot through from the point = no playoffs Perfect storm - horses go into a funk + Torts system. Torts made Nash and Richards look like third liners. -
[GDT] Vancouver Canucks vs. Detroit Red Wings 03/02/2014
Darius replied to iCanucksLover's topic in Canucks Talk
will this team ever win again? probably the saddest team in the league right now. -
[GDT] Vancouver Canucks vs. Detroit Red Wings 03/02/2014
Darius replied to iCanucksLover's topic in Canucks Talk
This is the ugliest team we have had since the 90s. I think Torts make this team worse - mixing lines, riding players, benching guys for extended periods, dump and chase.... sad sack of a team.