(Re-signing) Yann Sauve with Canucks

[crosby8877]

I think it is highly questionable whether good can be used to describe Sauve in the defensive zone. He shows an extremely high panic level and is often scrambling around chasing his player. He is far from steady. He does not think the game at a pro level.

I do agree that the car accident and subsequent concussion have little to do with Sauve's lack of progression. Seadog fans told years ago that Sauve's issues stemmed from his ability to think the game and his decision making. This has followed him since juniors. The car accident simply isn't to blame. Sauve has always been an "all the tools but no toolbox" kind of guy. He has shown he is not improving and even looked he regressed last season.

Can't share the same sentiment as many here. It was time to walk away from this player.

[RustyShackleford]

I remember when Drew Doughhty used to be like that but than coaching happened. Not comparing him to Doughty

[crosby8877]

I think new comets coach travis green will be very helpfull in getting the most out of our young AHL D.

[Keslerific]

Would like to see him paired up with Tanev a few times this year, they play well together.

[DeNiro]

Wasteful. Looked like a chicken wih his head cut off last season with the Wolves.

That makes 10 D men with the Comets: Corrado, Anderrson, Biega, Mullen, Tommernes, Polasek, Blain, Sauve, Guimond, Negrin. And Price is still not signed.

[DJ Kreuzberg]

Nope. He just needs some good coaching, which didn't exist on the Wolves. That can go a long ways for him. He was real good for the K-wings because he was coached properly.

Arniel had too much pressure to win from Wolves management, and didn't have time for development; which alot of our prospects need right now. We saw what a good coach and a good farm team can do for him with the Moose.

He can get back on track, and I think Travis Green is the guy to help him do that.

[DeNiro]

Nope. The same guy is coaching the Comets defense as the Wolves defense last season. Its the same Baumgartner we know and love. Or are you forgetting that? Green is the coach, but its Baumer is handling the defense, giving out the calls and teaching them.

Sauve is still going to be fighting for ice time like he did last year. How is he going to develop into the guy you think he is going to become? Who are you willing to scratch for Yann Sauve? Are you willing to cut down the ice time of significantly more promising D men like Andersson, Tommernes, or Polasek? All three play the left side, so who do you sit for this precious Sauve?

Waste of a contract, its just lucky we have a lot of spots on our reserve list.

[DJ Kreuzberg]

Head coaches do coach D-men too just so you know.

They also implement the systems to get the most out of their players, and mentor players that may be struggling. That's what good coaches do.

Noel was clearly able to get more out of Sauve than Arniel ever could. Arniel was too preoccupied with juggling his veterans into the lineup because management dictated it. Anyone who watched the Wolves regularly knows that good players were constantly sat out in place of worse players (like Desbiens). This is not a good environment to develop young players.

Sauve just needs a coach that can get him playing to his strengths. That's all he needs at this point is a coach to put some confidence in him, and let him work through his struggles when they happen. That is how development works.

Sauve has much more upside than Polasek, who is unlikely to ever become a regular NHLer. So yes I would give Sauve icetime over Polasek. The reward for being patient with Sauve looks to be much higher than it would be with Polasek.

Not a waste of a contract in the slightest. A waste of a contract is on guys like Tochkin or S.Schneider.

[DeNiro]

Can you use your poor development environment explanation for Andersson? Or is he an anomaly? He developed really well; saw him work up from the bottom pair to the top pair, while playing big shut down minutes.

What upside do you realistically see in Sauve? I see at most a 6-7-8 defenseman IF everything comes together, exactly the same as Polasek. These D men are readily available in free agency every single year. Sauve is a dime a dozen player, another highly touted player who failed to live up to expectations. Its funny how you see Sauve as having that much higher of an upside than Polasek, they are similar players, except Polasek is even more physical and better defensively.

[shiznak]

It's still early in his career, but it does suck that two BC boys got picked behind him, who are making an impact for their current club.

[crosby8877]

It's still early in his career, but it does suck that two BC boys got picked behind him, who are making an impact for their current club.

[Canuck Surfer]

Good. I haven't given up on this guy yet.

He just needs to put it all together and have a good full season in the AHL. If he can do that, there may be hope for him.

[In the Slot]

Good. I haven't given up on this guy yet.

He just needs to put it all together and have a good full season in the AHL. If he can do that, there may be hope for him.

[DJ Kreuzberg]

I watch the Wolves too. I'm not arguing about his play the last couple seasons. Clearly it hasn't been good enough. I'm arguing what he's capable of becoming with good coaching.

We saw him on the right path with Noel, where he developed his offensive game. However he took a big dip under MacT and Arniel. Clearly Noel knew how to use him to his strengths much more effectively, and it's worth it to wait and see if Green can too.

Andersson was developed in the Swedish Elite league where he probably had great coaching and great systems. Sauve developed in the Q where D is taught secondary to offense, and players coming out of there usually don't have a sound defensive game.

That's why the Canucks need to help him develop the next level of his game. And having him go in and out of the lineup, and back and forth between leagues was never gonna do that.

Time will tell if Sauve only becomes a 7/8 D-man. But even if he does only become a good depth player, it's worth investing in. There's alot more long shots in our system that will never even get a sniff at the NHL level that we have under contract.

[elvis15]

Just to clarify, Anthony and Tochkin both have a year remaining on their deals. A better comparison would be Prab Rai, who wasn't even doing much in the ECHL last year.

Sauve has issues, De Niro and I both agree to that, but that doesn't mean he's a throw away prospect. Since his offensive development hasn't progressed nearly as well as was hoped when he was drafted, he's really lost the top 4 potential he had before. He's still a big guy with good mobility who is transitioning to up his physical game, and there's no reliable way to predict at this point whether he or Polasek is more likely to become a 3rd pairing or 7/8 D in the NHL.

With that in mind, you keep both at least another year (Polasek's deal is up after this year) and look at their development curve to see who's better. We may have better players ready to contribute that will make it necessary to dump one of them but that's not a worry right now. Why lose depth if you don't have to since we aren't at the contract limit, nor are we overpaying him in salary.

With only 43 contracts currently (assuming Tanev and probably Alberts re-sign, 44 if a junior player like Gaunce makes the team), I just don't see the downside of bringing back Sauve for another year.

[Angry Goose]

He is only 23 people and has had a rough couple of years. Development doesn't happen over night either. I wouldnt be surprised if he isn't ready by 25-26 or older. A string of goood AHL seasons will only help.

[TheWheeler]

Regardless of who is coaching the D or the head coach is, the fact that we have our OWN! farm team now is going to do wonders for our prospects.

There will actually be pressure to PLAY the prospects and have them develop, as opposed to just winning with the more experienced/aged players.

Own farm team = more playing time for prospects = better development of said prospects.

I really feel that this is one of the reasons why NONE of our picks have really panned out in the last 4 years. Our farm club has been in shambles.

[DJ Kreuzberg]

Just to clarify, Anthony and Tochkin both have a year remaining on their deals. A better comparison would be Prab Rai, who wasn't even doing much in the ECHL last year.

Sauve has issues, De Niro and I both agree to that, but that doesn't mean he's a throw away prospect. Since his offensive development hasn't progressed nearly as well as was hoped when he was drafted, he's really lost the top 4 potential he had before. He's still a big guy with good mobility who is transitioning to up his physical game, and there's no reliable way to predict at this point whether he or Polasek is more likely to become a 3rd pairing or 7/8 D in the NHL.

With that in mind, you keep both at least another year (Polasek's deal is up after this year) and look at their development curve to see who's better. We may have better players ready to contribute that will make it necessary to dump one of them but that's not a worry right now. Why lose depth if you don't have to since we aren't at the contract limit, nor are we overpaying him in salary.

With only 43 contracts currently (assuming Tanev and probably Alberts re-sign, 44 if a junior player like Gaunce makes the team), I just don't see the downside of bringing back Sauve for another year.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

What upside do you realistically see in Sauve? I see at most a 6-7-8 defenseman IF everything comes together, exactly the same as Polasek. These D men are readily available in free agency every single year. Sauve is a dime a dozen player, another highly touted player who failed to live up to expectations. Its funny how you see Sauve as having that much higher of an upside than Polasek, they are similar players, except Polasek is even more physical and better defensively.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

I asked what De Niro thinks Sauve's upside is, what he is capable of becoming. That is not a prediction of what he will become.

You and several others have mentioned there is nothing to lose. I don't see it that way. I already mentioned that it is a detriment to the development of our other prospects, it takes away from their development time and quite easily argued, those other defensive prospects have shown a lot more and may have more to give than Sauve. This signing gives us 10 AHL defensemen next season; Andersson, Tommernes, Polasek, Sauve, Guimond all play the left side . Take a minute and think about how that ice time is going to be distributed. You all say no harm done, but someone is going to be scratched for Sauve to play. If its any of the first 3, that's direct harm to the development of those prospects, prospects in our system.