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Crabcakes

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Everything posted by Crabcakes

  1. If you put your cursor in the box you quoted by mistake, you'll see a little square at the top left. Put your cursor in there and hit the delete button. The whole quote should disappear.
  2. Just watched a JV interview pregame with Gord Miller. As a 19 year old and returning member of Team Canada and as a player on loan from an NHL team, Jake is feeling tremendous pressure to perform. He wants to be a go to guy in key situations. The rest of the interview was about his family. Jakes father was born in Finland and he is meeting lots of family while visiting there. Cool trip for him.
  3. Good point. Time will tell whether what Virtanen brings is similar in value to what some of the high skill guys close to him in the draft bring. It's really like comparing apples and oranges in a way. I was actually surprised at the time that Benning took who was obviously the local favorite in the draft.
  4. Reading your post and Canuckledragins post together, it struck me that there was some common ground. 6th overall is a high pick so you should get something special. You are saying that you should get an elite player but Virtanen has some rare and unique qualities. Either way, the Canucks got something special. I'd like to add that I think the Canucks got a future #1 centre at 24 OA in Jarred McCann. Benning isn't wasting his 1st rounders like Gillis did 4 years in a row. I'm confident that all of them will play on the team.
  5. I don't know how you can form a complete opinion on a player based on seeing him play 1 game on tv. The fact that Boeser made team USA at 18 is pretty good and he was playing on the top line most of the time as well. Granted he was 2nd choice for RW. So the coach must think he's alright. He did not play badly, he just didn't stand out in particular.
  6. Ya, Edler, Hamhuis, Hutton, Pedan, Tryamkin, Bartkowski, Sbisa are all lefties. If Hamhuis were moved, adding a top 4 rightie would be a must. That's the only way I see Hutton playing top 4 to start next season. That's a highly sought after player.
  7. Gaunce is who I was referring to. I'm exaggerating a bit to make a point. So in context, Gaunce has run the full and proper development curve in the minors (as he should) while others (Horvat, Virtanen and McCann) have been brought along too quickly imo. I don't like seeing them lose their offensive flair. McCann is a special type of player in terms of character, he'll get over it in time. Horvat too. If they want Virtanen to be a top 6 offensive player, they should be careful. I haven't seen a lot to get excited about offensively from him since preseason other than hitting. So, overcooked is a bit strong. If Gaunce remains in Utica next season, he will be overcooked. Next season, I would like to think we'll see how a properly developed player steps in to the NHL.
  8. We know that players can improve their skating. From David Booth to Bo Horvat. If Gaunce has made improvements, then more power to him. We'll see where this goes from here. The Canucks are clearly going through some adversity and sometimes what comes of it can surprise.
  9. Some of these prospects are getting overcooked in the minors. While others like McCann and Horvat especially, are being brought along too quickly. It's obvious that Gaunce will take Higgins' place in the future. He will be able to play up and down the line up on LW as needs be and at an upgrade to Higgins in his prime. The thing is that right now, Higgins plays reasonably well and is worth something as an asset but due to his contract, isn't attractive on the open market. Maybe by the end of this season, JB will take less than fair value for him because Gaunce is more than ready. They have to limit how many green players there are on the roster at any one time. I think that this year with Horvat, McCann, Baertschi and Hutton maybe they have too many.
  10. But the Canucks don't have a shallow prospect pool at centre. The talent level is low with respect to those who can play right now and are experienced. For those who will play in the future there is plenty of talent. Gaunce is a prospect and as such, a player for the future. Smarter people than me (like Benning and Green and Linden and Dejardins) think that Gaunce doesn't skate well enough to be an NHL centre. But he's a big body and a smart player. Incidentally, I hear that over the last 10 games or so, he is better than a point a game.
  11. Sorry, I guess I didn't scroll back far enough into your convo with JamesB. It's one of my pet peeves.
  12. Except Gaunce is being groomed for Left Wing. Why can't people get over this?
  13. He's not generalizing. DeNero is talking about Kesler. And I agree. I want players who want to be here. There are some BC boys who don't want to play here in the fishbowl. They just aren't comfortable with it. To each his own. Others love playing where fans care deeply. You have to go on an individual basis. That's why Benning loves the interview at the combine every year. He can suss out the player and what he really feels because obviously there's more to it than just drafting a guy with good stats.
  14. Don't worry Alf. Benning is building a new cake. Bo Horvat is sitting on top. It's just going to take a while to get the ingredients together and to bake it. As for the old cake, there are still a few good slices left. They just have to keep until the new cake is fully baked. You wouldn't want a half baked cake now would you?
  15. Willie Dejardins has a younger brother? How old is he? 54? Plays in the Oldguys Hockey League. Surely you mean Alex Nylander, William Nylanders brother who plays for the Mississauga Steelheads. He is 17 Good thing you have a fact checker
  16. The Boesser pick I agree was shrewd. Virtanen is riskier than the others because power forwards tend to take longer to develop. If he survives his turbulent youth and achieves his potential, he will also likely be at the top of his game for a relatively short time. It's like the running back in football. A certain number of years in a high impact position takes it's toll. We'll know in 5 years. McCann may have been a no brainer when he was picked but I'm glad we got him because he has the character to be a number 1. B Mo with a better shot?
  17. No shield. I couldn't tell what punch he hurt his hand on. He's playing now so it's all good.
  18. A broken hand isn't going to help his development. Boys will be boys. He's on the bench for the third.
  19. It's a good strategy to pick up players who are ready or close to being ready to play. For this team especially. Most draft picks don't play for 3-5 years (21-23 years old). Vey was not a blunder because he did well as a rookie 10-14-24 and filled the role as 13th forward logging 74 games last year. He just didn't play as well as he was hyped up to be. As for this year, who predicted that a sub 180 lb McCann was going to make the team and where did Adam Cracknell come from? In that respect, Vey was insurance and a pick well spent. He still is insurance as the 6th centre. The jury is still out on Baertschi. After what he did in the Buffalo game, I think he got the message that he has to play more between the dots. Don't forget, 1 in 3 2nd picks don't play at all at the NHL level and only 1 in 3 play more than 100 games. Vey is at 94 and Baertschi is at 82.
  20. **Guntrix** It's rare that a player like Pavel Bure comes along and in his first game brings the crowd out of their seats the way he did. Most players, even high 1st round picks make a slower and more tentative entrance to hockey's biggest stage. Young players have all heard that it's not their play with the puck that allows them to stay in the league, it's their defensive awareness and play. This takes longer to develop because it takes more understanding of the game at its highest level. It takes some time for players to have the self assurance necessary to relax and play the game in the way that got them drafted in the first place. Having been told that they will be playing with the team beyond their 9 game trial went a long way to giving Jake Virtanen the assurance to play more like himself. And what do you know, he made a couple of nice power rushes and scored his first goal. I agree that many games he has been quiet, often invisible but not making bad mistakes. He was able to make himself noticed with some nice hits. I am hoping that the new, more relaxed and confident Jake shows up more often as time goes on but it's early early days. He brings a skill set that is lacking on the Canucks.
  21. I like Jake with a playmaker who can exploit his speed. Not sure Sutter is it. I also doubt they put the 2 kids (Virt & Mc) together on one line this early in the season. Since Willie is concerned with defense first, we may see the line up you have suggested or Jake on the 4th line (and sit the slower Prust). Dorsett can play either side.
  22. We'll know who's really staying after 20 games. Having said that, excited to see what Hutton and other young guys bring in real games. The real work is just beginning.
  23. I still think that Hutton goes down because he can. Once they can make room, he'll be recalled. In case of injury on the left side, I think he gets slotted in before Corrado. Willie has been trying out the D on their wrong side in the preseason. I thought that Hutton looked much better on the left than on the right.
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