Kevin Bieksa you are really...

[Dogbyte]

Each of the 3 d-pairings has 1 offense minded d-ma and 1 defensive minded d-man it seems.

Hamhuis, Edler, Alberts = Defensive minded.

Bieksa, Ehrhoff, Ballard= Offensive minded.

Each and every d-pairing is balanced, givign us supreme depth, and always being dangerous on the back end. You would really replace Bieksa with Mike Weaver, who played his first full NHL season last year? We have a top 3 defense in the NHL and people want to mess with it?!? If it aint broke don't fix it.

And then when Salo comes off LTIR we fold?

[Sharpshooter]

Each of the 3 d-pairings has 1 offense minded d-ma and 1 defensive minded d-man it seems.

Hamhuis, Edler, Alberts = Defensive minded.

Bieksa, Ehrhoff, Ballard= Offensive minded.

Each and every d-pairing is balanced, givign us supreme depth, and always being dangerous on the back end. You would really replace Bieksa with Mike Weaver, who played his first full NHL season last year? We have a top 3 defense in the NHL and people want to mess with it?!? If it aint broke don't fix it.

Good observation on the pairings...i've been saying this for ahwhhhile now.

[Buttock]

Each of the 3 d-pairings has 1 offense minded d-ma and 1 defensive minded d-man it seems.

Hamhuis, Edler, Alberts = Defensive minded.

Bieksa, Ehrhoff, Ballard= Offensive minded.

Each and every d-pairing is balanced, givign us supreme depth, and always being dangerous on the back end. You would really replace Bieksa with Mike Weaver, who played his first full NHL season last year? We have a top 3 defense in the NHL and people want to mess with it?!? If it aint broke don't fix it.

It is broke, as you will see in the games to come. I have been watching Bieksa for his entire tenure with the Canucks and the bottom line is we do better without him than with him! Your descriptions are silly anyway. Edler is much better offensively than Bieksa, who is not even a good offensive defenseman at even strength. As I've said in the past, I have no problem with Bieksa on the power play.

Hamhuis is also underrated offensively and from what I've seen so far, is capable of generating more offense than Bieksa, at even strength anyways. He makes great first passes and joins the rush at the right time. Just wait until Salo comes back and Hamhuis really feels comfortable getting involved in the attack. It's pretty obvious that he's holding back.

[malHOEtra]

And then when Salo comes off LTIR we fold?

Then we bump down whoever the odd man out is. Whether it be Bieksa, Alberts, Hamhuis*, whoever it winds up being.

We have 82 games plus up to 28 after that. Injuries have not been our friend in teh past when it comes to defense, so why not build the deepest blue line in the nhl.

*sarcasm

[Buttock]

Then we bump down whoever the odd man out is. Whether it be Bieksa, Alberts, Hamhuis*, whoever it winds up being.

We have 82 games plus up to 28 after that. Injuries have not been our friend in teh past when it comes to defense, so why not build the deepest blue line in the nhl.

Thank god for the Salary cap. Demoting Alberts will not be enough. Kevin's outta here and there will be an immediate improvement in Hamhuis's play and the team's puck possession and transition game as well as play in the defensive zone.

[Buttock]

Oh and by the way, guess who led the Canucks blueline in even-strength points in 08/09?

Willie Mitchell.

[malHOEtra]

Thank god for the Salary cap. Demoting Alberts will not be enough. Kevin's outta here and there will be an immediate improvement in Hamhuis's play and the team's puck possession and transition game as well as play in the defensive zone.

And Mike Weaver would really have a positive effect on this blueline (sarcasm)

[Dogbyte]

Then we bump down whoever the odd man out is. Whether it be Bieksa, Alberts, Hamhuis*, whoever it winds up being.

We have 82 games plus up to 28 after that. Injuries have not been our friend in teh past when it comes to defense, so why not build the deepest blue line in the nhl.

I agree with building the deepest line-up but it's not like these moves happen overnight. At some point Salo comes off the LTIR, at that point we must be cap compliant. It just seems unlikely to me that after all the work put in during the offseason we would wait until the ultimate last second to try to pull this off. For what, a little extra Bieksa? It would be different if we didn't already know someone must go. Unless MG is tinkering behind the scene already.

So what, we wait until say Dec 16, Salo comes off at 3:00 PM and then we trade Bieksa (or Hamhuis, ha ha right) for a bag a of pucks to the Bruins after knowing full well since before the year started that someone must go anyway? What are we hoping for, that Bieksa has 40 points already and has saved what would have been a brutal team from not making the playoffs.

It seems to me the smart thing to do would be to take obvious steps to work through a situation they can predictably see coming up months in advance, especially if they're running a business worth over $100 million ... but that's just me.

[suolucidir]

An old article ranks the Canucks at just under 200mil. Likely a lot more now, considering the health of the franchise and it's fanbase.

[Buttock]

And Mike Weaver would really have a positive effect on this blueline (sarcasm)

I'm on the record as a Weaver fan from the day he got here, I'm pretty sure.

[Sacrilage]

I'd also like to add that Bieksa is the ONLY defenseman on the team that is +1 through 3 games, despite not scoring any points. Everyone else is 0, and Edler is -1. Sedins are the ONLY forwards that are -1, despite having 4 and 5 points each.

Hmmm... maybe it's the SEDINS who aren't playing defensively???? But noooo... they can't do any wrong... let's just blame Bieksa instead.

I find it interesting that, Before the season started, people were refuting my point based on bieksas +- stat, when it wasnt a good stat for them to use to show he was a good player... Now after a huge amount of games (3) He is a +1, and all of a sudden, wooooo... He cant be bad..hes plus one!!

[sampy]

Again, three games in a row, imagine if Alberts played as poorly as Bieksa had and screwed up as much, he would not even still be on the team. Yet AV insists on his staying with his moronic decision to put and keep Bieksa on the first pairing, let alone keep him on the team.

Ballard should be Hamhuis partner, the sooner the better. That and Salo can't get back in the lineup soon enough.

Are you talking about the same Alberts who Sexton blew right by last night. He didn't even have to make a move he simply skated past him and Alberts had a head start. I love your posts, whenever you and Tatoes come on here, the guys and I at work get a good laugh. Then they laugh at the stupidity of some of the Canucks fans. Saying he is not an NHL dman is simply stupidity at its best.

[Trippbe]

Are you people watching the games? Bieksa surely hasn't been a superstar, but he has been solid.

Simple, confident plays

Well timed pinches

Physical presence

I wanna hear some logical points as to why Bieksa's play could possibly be considered poor.

[RUPERTKBD]

He may have been waiting for a pass that got bothced but still got roasted, albeit by Selanne -- most would, but then even worse yet gave up on the play when a decent effort to cycle to the open opponent may may have prevented the game changing goal. All I saw was #3 saunter into the play coasting and waiting for the red light to come on. I will grant you we were pushing to hard and it was the result of another player's poor play but being the defenceman you have responsibilty to stop the other players no matter what. It didn't stop Alberts from putting 100% effort in and barely negating a goal when he was caught out of position to no fault of his own at center ice with a much faster player.

I gave you the benefit of the doubt here and re-watched the play. Not even close to "sauntering". In fact he busted his butt and prevented Selanne from going in on a clear cut breakaway.

He then left his position to cover the trailer because Hank was late in doing so. (I admit this may have been a tactical error, but hardly a lack of effort) It should also be noted that Samuelsson shares the blame for this because he decided to check the player that Bieksa was already covering, leaving the trailer wide open.

To blame Bieksa for this goal is to ignore glaring mistakes by both Hank and Sammy.

EDIT: In watching this replay, I see that Visnovsky was guilty of playing the puck with his hand while it was in the crease. I realize that this isn't the same as closing his hand on the puck, but I've it seen called for less....

[Sharpshooter]

I find it interesting that, Before the season started, people were refuting my point based on bieksas +- stat, when it wasnt a good stat for them to use to show he was a good player... Now after a huge amount of games (3) He is a +1, and all of a sudden, wooooo... He cant be bad..hes plus one!!

I never used it.....and I most certainly never woooooooo'ed

But I still 'refudiate'

[Nucksta]

<br />Are you people watching the games? Bieksa surely hasn't been a superstar, but he has been solid. <br /><br />Simple, confident plays<br />Well timed pinches<br />Physical presence<br /><br />I wanna hear some logical points as to why Bieksa's play could possibly be considered poor.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Totally agree buddy, i cant belive how many people all over this guy! I guess some people just need to point the finger at somebody. Like you said he hasnt been our best defencemen but hes really doing what hes being asked to do. The coaching staff isnt asking for him to play 25mins be our best defencemen. I hear a lot about the slashing penalty he took last night. Get over it, if the stick never broke it wouldnt have been an issue, i havent heard one person say anything about henriks cough up in the neutral zone that led to a goal??? we may be 1-1-1 but im happy with what i see. I dont see any real weaknesses once burr is back to balance out the lines a bit better. i think after these guys anyone who knows hockey sould be pretty optimistic about the season!

[Sacrilage]

I never used it.....and I most certainly never woooooooo'ed

But I still 'refudiate'

Yes I know, you never used the plus minus stat.Never mentioned you did...

As can be seen when I quoted someone else

[TheGreenBastardTPB]

Bieksa's great! no costly penalty's this year yet! (Sarcasm)

[Barry_Wilkins]

It wasn't like it was Parros cutting down the wing, it was a superstar in Bobby Ryan and Bieksa was caught flat footed as he was about to pinch but then realized he was last man back and Ryan was in full stride and Bieksa was able to catch up which is why Ryan had to stop and make a play. True, he didn't look the greatest on that goal though. But how about 5++ great pinches he did make and how many times he kept the puck in on the PP. The penalty wouldn't have been called had his stick not broke. Nuf said!

And this post is in support of Boo Boo?

"He cost us a goal on that play, and took a penalty to put us down 2 men thereby resulting in another goal, but hey! he did make 5 good piches which didn't result in any goals."

With that in mind, there's been a lot of talk here lately about Bieksa's supposedly "high risk/high reward" approach. But even were you to grant that it's a saw off (which I reject, see above for last night's example), there's a thing that managers in ANY sport like to call "game management". That is, doing certain things, or avoiding certain things, at certain times of the game. For example, when the Canucks are tied or, even more crucailly, up by one goal in the third period, a D man under any circumstances DOES NOT pinch or rush to join the play or stay trapped up ice or make a dangerous cross ice pass in one's own zone or get cute with the puck. There is very little reward (the team is already in the driver's seat), and ENORMOUS risk. This is the typical Bieksa attitude. It's not stubbornness, it's not selfishness to get points, he simply has NO CLUE how he should play in many circumstances. Very low hockey IQ. I actually cringe every time he's out there late in the game when the Canucks are tied or are winning by one.

[NEON.KNEE]

...ape like in appearance, and Del Monte Juice's customer of the year going on 3 years now?