higgyfan

Yeah, me too. Putting those lines out seems ludicrous. Winning this game is a big deal for the fan; especially on 'Fan Appreciation Day'. We also want to see Pete get over the 100 pt mark.

In the press conference after the last game, Tocc talked about Hirose's hockey IQ; commenting that he would take a player with the high IQ over the one that has better skills. He explained that, due to Hirose's hockey sense, he can make better and quicker decisions and can anticipate the play, so his positioning is bang on. I would think this is why he is so calm when he plays. He has a lot of confidence.

If the projected 1st and 4th lines remains for the entire game, I would call that a super tanking effort.

Once the Canucks dropped out of the top 5, it was the end of drafting a player that would be NHL ready anytime soon. Face it, the Canucks aren't a good hockey team, but it would take a lot of tanking to stay in the top 5. Pro athletes are programmed to win and their newbie coach wants the individual players at their best. Asking them to throw games just isn't going to happen. It simply goes against the grain. I see them finishing at 9th, so whoever they get, will be back in Jrs, college or overseas and then onto Abby and finally, the NHL in 3-4 yrs. Fortunately, the team has some prospects in Abby, as well as recent pickups, that will soon be filling some roles with their ECLs . Raty, Klim, Bains, Karlsson, Woo, Johansen, Hiroce, Silovs, and McDonough are all possibilities. Klim, Raty and Silovs might even end up as part of the core at some point. Meanwhile, the younger players on the team (Podz, Hogs, Krav, Aman) will continue to develop, as will as the young core players; EP and Thuggy. There are a few players that have good potential, but are 2-3ys away in EP2, Lekkerimaki, Kudryavtsev. Along with the current/future draft pics (and other end of season signings), this team can keep adding new talent (ELC's) to the roster. Unless they win the lotto this year, the player they pick is; at the very least, a top 6 or top 4 in 3-4yrs and at the very best, a core player within a couple of years. Not bad odds for a significant player. I just don't see the Canuck future being as bleak as others do.

Miller and McAvoy were big, tough 1st rounders, who any team would clammer for. Hirose's chances of making the NHL are small, but he's a free prospect, who will work hard to make the team. Competition is a wonderful thing.

I'd rather late lotto teams Canucks and Blues drop down and snatch Bedard + Fantilli and Blue Jackets drop to 3oa.

Great to see him healthy again. Really putting up the points for his playoff run. I don't expect to see him in Vancouver for another couple of years, but he looks like a promising young prospect.

It's easy to pick apart a proposal if you don't include all the pieces. Kotkaniemi is only 22yrs and already a decent 3C, who can play well at both ends of the ice. He's a big kid and will continue to develop for a few years. Scott Morrow (19) is a promising young RD, who is in his 2nd yr of NCAA. He is also a big kid. Kotk is already an established NHLer and Morrow will likely be playing in the NHL before Lekker + 8oa pick. The Carolina pick could be in line for Ritchie (C) or Dragicevic (RD). Both prospects have great skills. The only way I would do this trade, is making sure the Canuck 8oa is lotto protected.

Do you know how to start a new thread?

No, but those guys are his peers and certainly know what it takes to become an NHL player. The also are more aware of what the situation on the home front. He probably trusts them more that anyone else.

Man, Canucks fans always living in the past. One of you should start a thread so that you can argue to your hearts' content about past GMs, instead of soiling Josh Bloom's thread? Josh doesn't give a shite about past GMs, but he's sure liking the new guy. Off you go boys...just piss off now.

The 2011 core was older and more experienced than the current core. Sedins (29), Burr (29), Kes (26), Bieksa (29), Lou (31) and the youngster Edler (24). Hamhuis (27), Erhoff (28), Samuelson (33) and Malholtra (30) were brought in by Gillis to support the core. Just like you have mentioned, when the current group are ready to become contenders, there may be other core players (like Kes and Edler were)who are still developing prospects right now. We might even find that the add-on supporting cast may end up being several Canuck drafted players and not so many trades/UFAs. This team hasn't even made it to the playoffs yet (don't count the bubble year), so we need to give them time to develop into a contender. We need to see how sharp the scalpel is this summer and what sort of trades can be had. Also, the draft needs to return at least a couple of promising players.

I don't think so. Karlsson seems to be used more as a RW; just like he was in the Swedish league, which means he will have more competition making the big club. I like Karlsson, he plays a scrappier game than I thought and is putting up good offensive #s in the AHL. He might even end up on Raty's RW on the 3rd line one day. I think Raty is developing into a complete player, who will be groomed into being a top notch NHL 3C. He has all the attributes and the only things holding him back is his foot speed and confidence; which are both being addressed in Abby. He is also considered to be an athletic and strong player, who doesn't give up. Given the 3yr gap between these 2 players, I would bet on Raty's NHL career over Karlsson's.

From what I've read about Cole, is that he was a late bloomer and was overlooked due to his 5'10" and 160lbs. He was described as having a similar style to Quinn Hughes, but nowhere near the skills. Now that he is 6'1" and 192lbs, I would think his game has changed and he could probably withstand the NHL defensive game. Love the timeframe he has for development.

Sounds like the kind of player the Canucks like https://dobberprospects.com/player/john-leonard/

He's lost in the miscellaneous thread somewhere.

In Sutter's best season he scored 35pts. JT already had 56 + 59pt season. Dipped down to 47pts when he went to TB and was put on the 3rd line. He had a record of durability as well. More like the opposite of Sutter. I doubt anyone thought he'd be a pt a game player, but he would have been considered an offensive 2nd liner. PA had no intentions of a rebuild, so keeping Miller was a no-brainer. I agree that he would be extremely hard to replace; especially after Bo was traded. Benning should be credited for getting Miller for the Canucks. I believe Ferland would have been a good player for our team, but for the concussions. Schmidt was a decent player, but a bad fit for the Canucks. The OEL trade will probably go down as one of the worst trades in Canuck history (unless he starts playing like he did last season). Actually, I find Garland to be incredibly durable for a small player. I like his game a lot, but he's not a good fit for the Canucks for the very reason you have pointed out. He will likely be traded before next season.

Thx for posting this EP. Talk about hitting the nail on the head.

No, I was not brought up with any religion in my home, but I do have various friends that have differing faiths. Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic, Protestant and a few that are Spirituality based. Some of these folks are very good friends of mine. Imo, these people are kind, generous, caring and respectful human beings. Many of them spend countless hours providing for less fortunate folks in our community. I have never heard them say anything that I would consider bigoted in any way, but it wouldn't surprise me if they wouldn't wear a rainbow shirt. Regardless, I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water.

Which is exclusionary in itself. Reading through pages of vilifying and disrespectful comments about Christians, makes me think that, if I were a Christian, I wouldn't feel welcome on this site.

This team does not play well against the heavy teams. It's been that way for years. Everyone knows it: the management team; the coaching staff; the media and the fans. That's the real elephant in the room. Tocchet wants a team that is difficult to play against; that can meet the aggressors with pushback. At this point in time, this team needs more Joshua than Lekkeramaki in the fw group and defence. Guys like Trent, Roy, Paul that play hard every night and even score a goal now and again. The best teams have a gamer(s) like this on offence and defence, but many of the lighter players tend to compete hard as well...that's what they call 'team identity'. I don't expect a quick transformation for the Canucks, but I would be very happy to see some moves in the off-season that will indicate a change in the build and direction of this team.

He's more of a RW now.

Coulda got KOPITARZZZZZ

Toc's also very impressed with Quinn's compete level and that he NEVER gives up. Give that kid a C.

I think the plan is for Koskenvou to go the full 4yrs at college before joining the Canucks in Abby. For me, it's what Clarke says about him that is encouraging. He pushed the Canucks to pick him in the '21 draft, just like he did with Silovs a couple of years beforehand, as he saw similar values in Silovs game. Yes, he is a raw talent who has not had the experience and training of other young goalies, so he's a bit behind in his development. Clarke sees a natural athletic ability and isn't worried about the lack of structure or technique. Clarke considers him a considerable serious candidate to be 'a diamond in the rough'. Here's a link for an article that has Clarke talking about K. https://canucksarmy.com/news/teach-technique-weekend-ian-clark-canucks-high-aku-koskenvuo