higgyfan

Tough as nails. If he were 6'2 he would be in the top 50.

Sleep dreams Alf!

Helping out the 4th line and scoring the PP goal. Guy can play anywhere on the team...maybe the should try him on defence.

Nice pass by the berated Giraffe

Shoulder I believe.

Is this a pp for the Sharks?

McDonough + Aman + Bains

That $2.2m QO doesn't help either.

It makes him more vulnerable to injuries as well.

For sure. This coming draft appears to be very thin with high level RDs. Even the ones in the 1st round don't have the buzz that we have seen in past drafts. Trading down would be very risky in this draft. It's starting to look like 2018 draft where GMs started picking players that were off the common rankings. I can see some good players sliding (remember how we ended up with Hughes). This team needs to focus on the best C or RD they can select. Imo, it should be a C, as they will likely be the BPA when the Nucks make their pick.

He's a tremendous role model for the older and younger prospects to never give up and to keep working hard. Keep adjusting your game and expanding your skills and to create more options with various roles in the NHL.

Actually, Brock would be a good pickup for the Sharks, as their right side was decimated by the Meier trade. He would immediately fill the 1st RW role and they are only commited for the 2yrs. Gives younger players time to develop and can be moved at the 2nd TDL for pic or prospect. Brock for Sturm 3C (2m x 2) + NJ 1st

28 yrs old and has only played 67 NHL games. Hasn't played a single pro game this season. Would rather stick with the AHL guys and Bear for now. Even Woo is looking better than this guy.

Are you implying that the management kept Boudreau on as coach so that Bo would pad his stats? That seems a bit irrational to me. The reports were, that Bo worked very hard over the offseason on his shot, so it's logical that his offence improved this season. Bo had great chemistry with Barzal and they were putting up a lot of points until Barzal was injured. As you have stated, NYI plays a structured defensive game, but they also have very few offensively gifted players (other that Lee and Nelson). Hopefully he figures out his role in the PP, as he could really help his team out there. Anyways, I'll bet he's thrilled to finally be heading towards the playoffs, which was a rare experience in his 9yrs as a Canuck.

I don't think you could find a better skills coach than a Sedin twin. I think they are committed to do whatever they can to support young players in becoming the best they can be. I read a similar article regarding Raty working with Henrik. He talked about his lack of confidence; especially being told that his skating wasn't good enough. Henrik spent time with him showing various ways to lessen the impact (average) skating on his game. Since then, Raty has been playing better in Abby. These men are in the prime of their lives and could do whatever they wanted; anywhere in the world. Instead, they have chosen to stay with their former team and teach young hockey players how to reach the pinnacle of their game. Speaks volumes about their passion for the game and the delight in helping others reach their dreams.

I can't see this happening. The NHL is more interested in making $ than standing by principles; unless, of course, if they can make money by supporting causes that are popular among the fans.

Well the repercussions in Canada might end up being far easier to deal with than the consequences in Russia. If it comes to that, I suspect the very people that are fighting to be included, would be supporting the Russian players as well.

Yes, it's great to seeing JT playing the way we've come to expect. Imo, he still has to prove that he can be consistent with his game and play an entire season at that level. He's a huge part of our team and we need him to play hard and relentlessly; never give up. Be a team leader.

I always liked Horvat as a player and still do. I don't agree that he worked hard in the offseason solely to improve his game so that he would get a huge contract. Of course, he wanted a better contract and longer term. I think Bo was a 100% Canuck and believed in his team completely. He was excited that the team would make the playoffs this season and wanted to be a big part of progression. It is likely that, when PA offered Bo the same contract as Nugent-Hopkins, Bo was completely insulted by it. That was probably when the negotiations went sideways and he decided to agree to a trade. So he plays for another team now and I wish he and his young family all the best.

You probably will if the team puts a better defence in front of him and stop over-playing him.

I've noticed some interesting things about the new kid, Josh. I noticed that he is one of the few players in his draft that didn't play a single game in his draft year. It seems that the OHL was the only Jr league that shut down in '20-21, due to Covid. This meant that Josh and the other OHL players were drafted based on the results of the year prior to the draft (Josh being a June birth, would have played the entire year at 16yrs). I also have noticed that most of the 1st round (OHL) picks were able to find teams in other parts of Canada, the US and Europe, so were able to continue playing; despite the closure of their Jr league. I wonder how much missing a full year of hockey (and loosing that development time) effected Bloom's draft selection order and how much it may still be effecting his development process. He could play another year in Jr or the Canucks could see if he can make the Abby team.

Good point, Tim. Dahlen had some offensive IQ, but was lacking in the defensive game. Along with low IQ, Virtanen was very immature and rushed by the Canucks. Seeing a 6th overall pick bust out hurt a lot more than a 2nd rounder Dahlen. Besides, the Canucks might have a good return on Dahlen with the Karlsson trade.

I think he's had a nagging injury most of the season. How 'bout pulling up last season's stats. If he could return to those stats, people could live with that contract (at least for a couple of years).

We know that in his mid-teens, he was being lauded as the future 1OA in his draft, but by the time the draft came along, his value plummeted into the 2nd round. Raty has commented that the pressure was just too much for him. I don't think those stats are cherry-picking in Raty's case. Looking at his history, he seems to have confidence issues, while playing with Karpat, but as soon as he was traded to Jukurit, his game improved miraculously. When he joined the Islanders, there was a lot of pressure on him to perform (in a poor prospect pool, Aatu stuck out as the guy that would be a top 6 player). Soon after that, he was sent down to the farm team to develop more. It took him some time, but he started putting up points 27-7-8-15 and was the only player on his team with a + stat. I suspect that the Abby coaching/training team have helped him with skill development as well as the emotional issues. If he is currently at a point a game in 7 and putting up a solid defensive game, I'd say his confidence is going strong. If he can step up his skating a bit, I have no doubt he will be the #C. Might take another season with Abby. The Sedins are gold (again).

There was a rumour about a Miller trade, but it's awful hard to validate that sort of thing. I would have preferred a 6yr term on JTs contract, but I think the $ is good. JT's weakness is consistency. Hopefully Tocchet can help. What I like about this management is the franchise focus that they bring. Benning didn't seem to care much about the farm team or developing prospects. In fact, he messed up at least 2 young players' development by rushing them into the NHL. The Canucks have a much clearer vision of the team than we've seen in a long time. The new management has put a lot of thought and $ bringing in some very skilled trainers to work with prospects and pros. I like that they are finding young players that are still developing and have a better pathway to the pro game for past draft picks. The Canucks already have a better pool of prospects and we are finally going to see some of the former picks joining the Abby Canucks. It seems that the farm team has become a far more positive place for young players to learn the NHL game + lifestyle. Yes, they have been saddled with a significant amount of bad contracts that they have to deal with and I think that we will see some movement over the offseason (and the following season as well).