saucypass

If what your post says is true then I really wouldn't want him to go back to the Hitmen next year. Maybe it would be for the best for Jake to stay up and learn the system in Vancouver. Another cool idea would be for him to go to play in La Liiga.

Wow. What a dumb mistake I made.

Was just thinking to myself today and thought of Scott Hartnell as the kind of career Jake Virtanen might have. Start off putting 30-40 per season then go up to 50-60 and back down then up, then over and over again. What I want to see from Jake this year is for him to play lots of minutes on the Hitmen and improve his cycling game as well as stepping into more of a leadership role.

Sven is waiver eligible anyways, I think it's a huge waste of time if a 1-way vs a 2-way is REALLY holding the signing up. A rumor came out not too long ago saying that the holdup is with cap issues. Although it's just a rumor, it's one that makes the most sense to me at this point.

Had a good laugh, good job!

Ro, Bro, down your Bo, gently down the stream...

I'm sure the salary cap trouble is just making sure there is enough flexibility left after the signing, not that his new contract would exceed our remaining salary cap guys.

True, but if it does happen, who do you think would get moved to left wing? Virtanen or Hansen? I know Virtanen played some left wing but I believe he has converted to right wing?

Sounds like a humble good character guy. I hope he makes the team too. We could probably develop him the same way the Capitals are doing with Tom Wilson. In fact, I can see Hansen being replaced by Virtanen pretty soon.

Where is our good Czech translator friend at? That guy translated our last article. Edit: Pmalina! Where you at man? We need you :D

Alright, well my apologies then. The main point of my post is just that it might not be so bad for Virtanen to go back to juniors that's all. Especially when we've got Grenier, Cassels, and Friesen who can possibly fill his spot so we don't have to put so much pressure on him.

Well in my defense, he came off a shoulder injury, got injured in prospects camp and stayed out of the 3v3 tournament.

Only if he has an incredibly strong start to the season. Team Canada is known to picking a lot of players based on their draft status at the WJC level. I believe Corrado and Graovac (Wild Prospect) should have made Team Canada in their respective last eligible year. Then again they were really stacked on forwards that year so Graovac not making it isn't that big of a deal. Corrado should've definitely been in for Ryan Murphy (Hurricanes Prospect) though.

I honestly think if we send Virtanen back to Calgary this year, the Hitment would probably try to play Virtanen more often and really focus in on him since a lot of the older players are going to graduate leaving Virtanen as one of their more experienced and older players. It would be nice to even see him contend for captaincy. I wouldn't be opposed to sending Jake back to juniors, however it does seem like he's physically strong enough to play in the NHL. What I worry about is whether he'll get injured easily from all the physical play.

Oh geez... Zach Hamill... I think you're more right than you think, in that like you mentioned, there is nothing concrete about his draft record. Anyways... where did Zach Hamill go wrong? What were the holes in his game? What is the story behind his nose?

It's possible that Briesbois can be a top-4 dman for us when the team is good and contending in the far future. It's also possible for Sbisa to be a top-4 dman for us when we're ripping the team apart and rebuilding. I don't know about you, but I'd even want Sbisa to be our top D pairing if we're contending for the 1st. Hahaha.

You make some fair points and I think you might be right. However, I'd like to evaluate JB's scouting skills based on the next few years that he's on the Canucks before saying he is good or bad now that he gets to make all the final decisions.

As I said before in another thread, I'm a sucker for smooth skating defenseman. He may or may not become a top end guy for us, but I have a good feeling he'll make it. For his development sake, I hope he gets traded to a MUCH better team. Hopefully the same one as our good friend Zhukenov.

Sven has earned his one way contact. Kid is going to play in the bigs anyway, might as well give it to him. Just to be clear, one way or two way doesn't affect his waiver exemption. He's not waiver exempt that's a fact. Biggest holdup I believe would be term. It's great to see that he wants to commit to Vancouver, but if Sven becomes a legit top six player and we can sign him long term to a 2 million cap hit or so, then it could really be a huge bargain in the long run.

I just want to say that I'm looking forward to Virtanen progressing as a player and that I want Virtanen to be the best player in his draft class as much as any of you. I have nothing but support for Virtanen no matter how much worse or better than he is than other players. Virtanen is a Canuck and I'm a Canuck fan. So I'm a fan of Virtanen more than I am of any other non-Canuck players. I'm sure Gooseberries would agree with me as well even though he has shared the same or similar concerns as I have on this thread. In the end you want to see every player succeed because it's good for the game, and we should be a fan of the game than we are of any team or player we root for. Can't wait to see Virtanen rip it up at the Young Stars Tourney. Seems like a real good kid who has a shot of being a captain for the Hitmen next year.

Any time I've mentioned Nylander in this thread is when I'm defending someone else who spontaneously brings him up.

Thank you Uselessstats.

I REALLY don't think you understand what I've said. Never have I ever implied Virtanen is a bust nor have I ever thought Virtanen is a bad player. Look, first of all, I think it's fair to say that Virtanen's lack of production is alarming this year since he was drafted to be a top six goal scoring winger. Wouldn't you say so yourself? On the other hand, we have a player like Nylander for example, who was the forward drafted right after Jake and he had a comparable PPG with Jake not in the CHL, but in the SHL AND the AHL. Isn't that ridiculous? I like Virtanen and I don't know what he's going to be in the future, but obviously I he'll be who we hope he'll become. In the end yes, I do cheer for the team and want the best for the team. But I also believe that part of that is having the best players on the team, and I think it's fair to say that Nylander had a much better season than Virtanen did himself. Why is it so bad that I would rather have Nylander over Virtanen? Why am I a poor fan for showing concern? I hope you don't think I'm a fairweather fan that criticizes every single thing and talk only in absolutes because that would mean you're misinterpreting the things I'm trying to get across.

Loved it. Wish there was a way I could subscribe and get a notif. every time a new one comes up. Keep up the good work!

If Hutton had Subban's skills and wheels though... Better yet, Tryamkin...