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Crabcakes

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Everything posted by Crabcakes

  1. I agree, there is every possibility that he spends time in Utica next year though. The point is, to be an NHL player, Jake will have to play a different sort of game than he was able to play in junior and going back to that isn't going to help his NHL game. He's not the only one who has had to retool his game a little to be effective in the NHL. Travis Green can help him to get his game NHL ready (as he is with many others). He was drafted for his size (physical game), speed and shot. They're not teaching that but they can teach him how to use these gifts more effectively.
  2. Ha ha, fair criticism. I agree with you. This thing with Jake and Jarred playing NHL at 19 takes me 2 ways. In one respect, don't give a guy responsibility before he's ready for it. But if you show him the black diamond run and then say, no you're not ready, let's go back the bunny hill? It's like a kick in the stomach isn't it?
  3. Get over the centre thing. Travis Green said the other day that he sees Gaunce as a better left winger. He moved him around based on injuries and callups. He has put him back on the wing now. I can't understand why so many guys are fixated on Gaunce remaining a centre because he played there as a junior.
  4. JV playing in the NHL forces him to be (A) responsible (B) stand up to players who are as big as he is. Honestly, I question those who preach the value of a young player (19) given the opportunity to dominate over younger, smaller players (15-16-17). Why not just face the reality of the type of player he'll have to face for the rest of his career. Isn't it better to play against difficult competition rather than dominate over some easy meat. If JV has the character that he was drafted for, he'll figure it out. Otherwise, maybe it was never meant to be. I'm not seeing a guy who is dominating but I'm also not seeing a shrinking violet.
  5. At 20, there was always somebody else to meet next week or next month. I was just to dumb to see what was right there in front of me. There are many right turns and wrong turns in life. I guess that's half of the fun. Don't worry, I don't cry in my cups if I'm alone on a Saturday night. There's always my friends on CDC
  6. The biggest regrets I have in life are the things I didn't do. I have a similar story. The best conversations that I have ever had with a woman were with this girl. An hour could pass in what seemed like a minute; the world stood still. The physical thing was there too but not really strong. I never went there because she too had a boyfriend. I said to myself that I would respect that because he was a friend too (but not a good one). A couple of years went by and I never saw her again. Thirty years and a divorce later I sometimes wonder what could have been. I think in reality, I just didn't have the nerve at the time.
  7. Yes, Prust. Prust is the only vet who I think is a slam dunk to move because there is an easy replacement (Gaunce). The other pending UFA's either need a free agent to fill the hole they leave or certain defensemen will be needed for depth.
  8. Glad to see Boeser finally scored. Finishes tourney 1-2-3, +2, 2 pim, 12 sog Highlights of Sweden game (including Boeser's goal, deflected point shot) http://www.tsn.ca/world-juniors
  9. Absolutely. You make plans, set a course of action and see how it goes. At a certain point, you review and make adjustments to your plans based on how things have gone. Obviously, McCann has been wearing down and does poorly in situations where he needs to be stronger (such as face offs and 1 on 1 battles). I gather that they plan on giving him periodic rest together with strength training and study. I'm not sure what they will be doing with Virtanen. His strengths are his physical game, speed and a good shot. We haven't been seeing a lot of his speed or shot. His production is off. Maybe he's having fitness or weight issues. I expect a similar course of action (tailored to his specific case) will be taken. I expect that Vey is staying up to cover them when McCann and Virtanen are not playing. They have had Cole Cassels on a program due to his injury issues after his Mem Cup run. He was unable to train properly over the summer so he was put on a program consisting of training and playing. I can only think that they have been happy with this approach and are trying out something similar on McCann and Virtanen.
  10. It sounds to me like Benning is afraid that if they send him to the Hitmen, he'll show up at camp looking like the Pillsbury Dough Boy again.
  11. Cat box, bird cage, the Province has it's uses
  12. It's like pulling on a rope. You can't expect a result if you try to push on it.
  13. This is a good point. And the only real benefit of going back to junior may be a possible Mem Cup run. Jake was the only player on Team Canada who had been playing with an NHL club. I felt in a lot of ways that he was experiencing a bit of a culture shock in terms of style of play and systems that he had become accustomed to with the Canucks. Given that, I would have to wonder how a player would react to the game played in a much less structured manner and whether in that respect, he actually would benefit from junior play. It's different now than if he were sent back in October. The long term benefit is what they should be keeping their eye on. I know these are contradictory comments but I think it illustrates the difficult decision that Canuck brass has.
  14. The concept does sound like interference but when you think about it, all parties benefit, so why not? If Benning wants a better situation than Jake will get in Calgary, then why wouldn't the Hitmen be open to it? They get whatever asset the other team is willing to give up, the other team gets Jake and Jake gets the benefit of the best type of experience available at the junior level; a Mem Cup run. If Calgary wasn't willing to cooperate, they'd get precisely nothing because Benning wouldn't send him down at all. It's a winning arrangement for all parties involved.
  15. This. Just listened to Willies post practice presser and he basically said this. They have planned on doing mid season reviews on McCann and Virtanen (maybe they do it for the whole team, wouldn't surprise me....would be a good idea heading towards the trade deadline etc). We know that they have decided to manage McCanns time more closely and this is based on how things have been going for him the last month or so. He'll be getting fewer starts, more training, watching NHL games and learning about NHL play etc. With Virtanen, they're going to wait until he gets back to Van, suss out his state of mind, what he thinks etc and how he plays and practices and figure out a plan for him for the rest of the season. Obviously, this can mean all sorts of things and Willie isn't about to list off all the possibilities.
  16. According to todays Botchford article in the Province, Benning is quoted as saying that they will be deciding by Jan 10 what to do with Jake. So, he's coming back to the Canucks for a few days, then we'll see. Here's the link. http://www.theprovince.com/sports/botchford+canucks+staying+course+with/11627537/story.html
  17. Funny how a lot of people at Hockey Canada, who know a lot more about hockey than you do think differently. Team Canada wasn't that great this year. Get over it.
  18. Lots of growth for Jake in this tournament. He had a lot of pressure on him. He was 1 of only 4 returning players and he came with some expectation because of his NHL experience. The whole team was nervous in the first game and there was a lot of players playing as individuals. Virtanen got better as the tournament went on which says something. But in the last game, particularly the final period, emotions got the better of the Canadians. 9 penalties cost the game. Virtanen was a go to guy and often on the ice for the last shift. He learned a lot here. Does he come back to the Canucks? I think so. His WJC performance won't dictate his NHL career. I think he may be sent down before the 40 game mark though. He needs some time as a go to guy which he will get in Calgary obviously not in Van.
  19. lets just pile on and blame Jake for everything this is the 5th game they've played and lots of things have happened we'll see how Jake responds to adversity. that's why he was sent to the tournament
  20. wut? he let his emotions get the better of him, there's some tension there
  21. He's thinking too much imo. Gotta play by instinct. It looks to me like he has gotten used to playing under the NHL structure. Obviously, the rest of the team doesn't play like that. Jake has gotten better each game I think.
  22. Opinions are subject to scrutiny here on CDC. Welcome to the jungle.
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