[Confirmed] Jim Benning signs as new Canucks GM

[Tearloch7]

All of them are as fast as Kesler and Kesler is the only fast player on the Canucks. One player makes the Canucks a fast team? Are you having any fun in your dream world? I suppose you will say next that the last 3 seasons have been a bad stretch for the Sedins and they will rebound to their true form next year.

Does acting condescending make you feel superior in some way? .. it is a very irritating character flaw in some folks.

[coastal1]

Does acting condescending make you feel superior in some way? .. it is a very irritating character flaw in some folks.

I was the one that was treated like an idiot for stating that LA is a fast team, a team that is a lot faster than the Canucks. So I replied. If some Canucks fans believe that this is a fast team that can play high tempo hockey, then fine. It takes watching them through rabid fans' eyes to see this team as a fast team, but if that is how you see them, then yes they are damm fast. Those stretch passes from Edler to Higgins just make Doughty's head spin, I am sure.

[6YPE]

So in your world, the Sedins are quick counter attack players? The Kings counter attack with speed. Chicago simply could not handle the speed of the first two lines of LA and Chicago is not slow. The Carter line is very fast and so is Kopitar plus Gaborik. Richards is slow and he hardly plays anymore (10 or so minutes a game). I don't know how anybody can compare the speed of the Canucks with that of LA. The bottom line is the NHL has become a very fast league and LA has been to the SCF in two of the last 3 years. How many playoff series have the speedy Canucks won in the last three years? How many playoff games have they won would be a fairer question (answer: one win).

Troll, troll, troll, troll,

[Sedintwinpowersactivate]

So in your world, the Sedins are quick counter attack players? The Kings counter attack with speed. Chicago simply could not handle the speed of the first two lines of LA and Chicago is not slow. The Carter line is very fast and so is Kopitar plus Gaborik. Richards is slow and he hardly plays anymore (10 or so minutes a game). I don't know how anybody can compare the speed of the Canucks with that of LA. The bottom line is the NHL has become a very fast league and LA has been to the SCF in two of the last 3 years. How many playoff series have the speedy Canucks won in the last three years? How many playoff games have they won would be a fairer question (answer: one win).

I agree that the new league is based on speed. If you can find guys that are big and fast and skilled that is ideal. I see the Canucks taking Virtanean in the draft due to the combination of these 3 characteristics. But I'd be happy with Ritchie (not fast though), Ehlers or Nylander. I see the Sedins as more power play specialists or cycle half court guys. Therefore you need to play a player with with them that has speed and size to get in on the forecheck and get the puck to the Sedins in the offensive zone. I think Kassian is a better fit there than Burrows. Speed Kills in the new NHL. We are seeing slower players with previous success in the league fall by the wayside. eg. Mike Richards.

[Tearloch7]

I was the one that was treated like an idiot for stating that LA is a fast team, a team that is a lot faster than the Canucks. So I replied. If some Canucks fans believe that this is a fast team that can play high tempo hockey, then fine. It takes watching them through rabid fans' eyes to see this team as a fast team, but if that is how you see them, then yes they are damm fast. Those stretch passes from Edler to Higgins just make Doughty's head spin, I am sure.

I never commented on fast or slow .. I noticed a long time ago on this Forum that if you present your ideas in a pleasant manner and are open minded to other opinions, that the majority here will respect your opinion.

I am not saying you are an idiot at all, but the old adage that 'you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar' is never more true than here on CDC.

I actually agree with most of your points, but your 'presentation' makes a lot of folks look for excuses to disagree with you IMO ..

[coastal1]

I agree that the new league is based on speed. If you can find guys that are big and fast and skilled that is ideal. I see the Canucks taking Virtanean in the draft due to the combination of these 3 characteristics. But I'd be happy with Ritchie (not fast though), Ehlers or Nylander. I see the Sedins as more power play specialists or cycle half court guys. Therefore you need to play a player with with them that has speed and size to get in on the forecheck and get the puck to the Sedins in the offensive zone. I think Kassian is a better fit there than Burrows. Speed Kills in the new NHL. We are seeing slower players with previous success in the league fall by the wayside. eg. Mike Richards.

Totally agree. And Burrows with the Sedins is Slow and Slower. And exactly right about Mike Richards, still has determination and skill but his lack of speed is now exposed.

[coastal1]

I never commented on fast or slow .. I noticed a long time ago on this Forum that if you present your ideas in a pleasant manner and are open minded to other opinions, that the majority here will respect your opinion.

I am not saying you are an idiot at all, but the old adage that 'you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar' is never more true than here on CDC.

I actually agree with most of your points, but your 'presentation' makes a lot of folks look for excuses to disagree with you IMO ..

I get a little adamant sometimes and it leads to a little impatience. But to be called a troll because I state that LA is a very fast team, that is just plain being a blind fan.

[Boudrias]

The Sedins wait until they're in the cycle before they engage in most of their passing the puck? That is rich.

Claiming that a team is a 'puck possession' team is not a counterpoint to playing an up tempo game. The Kings, who you're trying to sell as a 'fast' team, are a puck possession team. Pretending Benning has no parts with which to build an up tempo style, or that two cycling 'specialists' preclude an up tempo game is nonsense. Attempting to suggest that Benning lacks hockey intelligence is also ironing.

Tortorella was a disaster for a whole lot of reasons. The only "high pressure" aspect of the game that Tortorella was coaching was his overly aggressive 2-1-2 forecheck, which he depended upon far too exclusively to produce offense and generate ozone possession. Otherwise, there was a lack of transition game, and far, far too much dump and chase/dump and change. That aggressive forecheck is a part of the game where forwards without a great deal of foot speed are at a disadvantage - a misfit of systems for the Canucks top line imo - and unfortunately, Tortorella seemed to take a cookie cutter approach to the way he used virtually his entire lineup (except in the sense of the extent to which he used them - overutilizing the top end, and underutilizing the depth). Aside from that aggressive forecheck, once it was broken down, the Canucks were anything but 'high pressure', collapsing into signature Tortorella zone passivity, lacking puck pressure, and dropping the forwards down too low to pose much threat of a transition game. The contradiction between the forecheck and the dzone approaches is a bit of a head scratcher that is hard to make sense of. Worst of all was watching the months long fire drill inside their own blueline. I can't say how relieved I am that failed experiment is over.

I watched Tort's 'system' with interest as last season started. As you said the 2-1-2 was standard, in fact at times he brought a 3rd forward into the ozone puck battles. Even before things started to fall

apart the aggressive forecheck was being abandoned. Am I wrong or did I see more 1-2-2 towards the last

third of the season? Who knows what the thinking was. Injuries probably had a lot to do with it. I never

really recovered from the overplay of Kesler and the Twins.

[oldnews]

So in your world, the Sedins are quick counter attack players? The Kings counter attack with speed. Chicago simply could not handle the speed of the first two lines of LA and Chicago is not slow. The Carter line is very fast and so is Kopitar plus Gaborik. Richards is slow and he hardly plays anymore (10 or so minutes a game). I don't know how anybody can compare the speed of the Canucks with that of LA. The bottom line is the NHL has become a very fast league and LA has been to the SCF in two of the last 3 years. How many playoff series have the speedy Canucks won in the last three years? How many playoff games have they won would be a fairer question (answer: one win)

Resorting to a straw man doesn't make your point valid.

[oldnews]

I watched Tort's 'system' with interest as last season started. As you said the 2-1-2 was standard, in fact at times he brought a 3rd forward into the ozone puck battles. Even before things started to fall

apart the aggressive forecheck was being abandoned. Am I wrong or did I see more 1-2-2 towards the last

third of the season? Who knows what the thinking was. Injuries probably had a lot to do with it. I never

really recovered from the overplay of Kesler and the Twins.

Yeah, the forecheck was effective early in the season - who knows how much it lost effectiveness due to other western teams getting familiar with it and gameplanning to break it, or exhaustion of the overused core, or loss of primary forecheckers like Santorelli and Burrows hampered it. If that were the only problem Torts might still be here, but needless to say, there were many others.

[aGENT]

Would you just look at these turtles. I've never seen more boring/slow hockey. I could flick the puck around the ice faster with my pinkie.Trade these bums

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7x3dxy5iw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBFykPcV_Fg

[Angry Goose]

I get a little adamant sometimes and it leads to a little impatience. But to be called a troll because I state that LA is a very fast team, that is just plain being a blind fan.

LA is fast, and skilled, and big.

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

Looks like the first player move (of sorts) for the Benning regime is a minor one.

Canucks have invited undrafted WHL overager Curtis Valk to their 2014 Summer Development Camp:

Frank Krulicki @krufrank · May 31

Clarification on my earlier Curtis Valk tweets - he's invited to VAN's Summer Development/Rookie Camp with potential to being signed

also tweeted by: https://twitter.com/KThakur20

Some interesting tidbits on Valk:

- close family friend of Willie Desjardins (potential Canucks head coach)

- former teammate (and linemate) of Hunter Shinkaruk

- has put-up back-to-back 45+ goals, 90+ points seasons (as overager) for the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers (and was their captain last season--replacing the injured Shinkaruk's production and leadership)

- he's only 5'9", 170 lbs

- was ranked #82 among NA skaters in 2013

Here's a link to Valk's stats: http://whl.ca/roster/show/id/685

Here's a good recent article on Valk: http://softmittsheavyhits.com/2014/03/whl-overager-spotlight-curtis-valk-medicine-hat-tigers/

It's rumoured that the Canucks are interested in possibly signing Valk this summer. They just want to get a good look at him first, and thus the invite.

Didn't see this posted anywhere. Do we have a 2014 "Rookie Camp" thread yet?

[Angry Goose]

Looks like the first player move (of sorts) for the Benning regime is a minor one.

Canucks have invited undrafted WHL overager Curtis Valk to their 2014 Summer Development Camp:

Frank Krulicki @krufrank · May 31

Clarification on my earlier Curtis Valk tweets - he's invited to VAN's Summer Development/Rookie Camp with potential to being signed

also tweeted by: https://twitter.com/KThakur20

Some interesting tidbits on Valk:

- close family friend of Willie Desjardins (potential Canucks head coach)

- former teammate (and linemate) of Hunter Shinkaruk

- has put-up back-to-back 45+ goals, 90+ points seasons (as overager) for the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers (and was their captain last season--replacing the injured Shinkaruk's production and leadership)

- he's only 5'9", 170 lbs

- was ranked #82 among NA skaters in 2013

Here's a link to Valk's stats: http://whl.ca/roster/show/id/685

Here's a good recent article on Valk: http://softmittsheavyhits.com/2014/03/whl-overager-spotlight-curtis-valk-medicine-hat-tigers/

It's rumoured that the Canucks are interested in possibly signing Valk this summer. They just want to get a good look at him first, and thus the invite.

Didn't see this posted anywhere. Do we have a 2014 "Rookie Camp" thread yet?

Looks like the first player move (of sorts) for the Benning regime is a minor one.

Canucks have invited undrafted WHL overager Curtis Valk to their 2014 Summer Development Camp:

Frank Krulicki @krufrank · May 31

Clarification on my earlier Curtis Valk tweets - he's invited to VAN's Summer Development/Rookie Camp with potential to being signed

also tweeted by: https://twitter.com/KThakur20

Some interesting tidbits on Valk:

- close family friend of Willie Desjardins (potential Canucks head coach)

- former teammate (and linemate) of Hunter Shinkaruk

- has put-up back-to-back 45+ goals, 90+ points seasons (as overager) for the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers (and was their captain last season--replacing the injured Shinkaruk's production and leadership)

- he's only 5'9", 170 lbs

- was ranked #82 among NA skaters in 2013

Here's a link to Valk's stats: http://whl.ca/roster/show/id/685

Here's a good recent article on Valk: http://softmittsheavyhits.com/2014/03/whl-overager-spotlight-curtis-valk-medicine-hat-tigers/

It's rumoured that the Canucks are interested in possibly signing Valk this summer. They just want to get a good look at him first, and thus the invite.

Didn't see this posted anywhere. Do we have a 2014 "Rookie Camp" thread yet?

awesome. Sounds like he has potential and has had good tutleage so far. Being 5'9 and young he still has alot of time before he physically matures. maybe just a late bloomer

[coastal1]

Would you just look at these turtles. I've never seen more boring/slow hockey. I could flick the puck around the ice faster with my pinkie.Trade these bums

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7x3dxy5iw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBFykPcV_Fg

Listen, if your point is, through these clips, that the Sedins are fast, I think it's going nowhere. It takes a blind fan to think of the Sedins as fast players in the NHL. But obviously, I won't change your mind. I just hope that Benning is more analytical than that.

[aGENT]

Listen, if your point is, through these clips, that the Sedins are fast, I think it's going nowhere. It takes a blind fan to think of the Sedins as fast players in the NHL. But obviously, I won't change your mind. I just hope that Benning is more analytical than that.

The Sedins certainly aren't fast skaters. They're are however very fast players.

Please take a few moments to absorb that and actually try to understand what the difference is.

[jdatb]

Listen, if your point is, through these clips, that the Sedins are fast, I think it's going nowhere. It takes a blind fan to think of the Sedins as fast players in the NHL. But obviously, I won't change your mind. I just hope that Benning is more analytical than that.

Wow dude, seriously, chill out. You can get your point across far more effectively when you don't resort to petty insults.

[Gyllenhaal]

The Sedins certainly aren't fast skaters. They're are however very fast players.

Please take a few moments to absorb that and actually try to understand what the difference is.

Exactly. They're not fast but they're always thinking one step ahead of everyone. That's why you always see Henrik making blind passes to an open Daniel, defenders never know what the Sedins are going to do and by the time they figure out the puck is already in the net.

[coastal1]

The Sedins certainly aren't fast skaters. They're are however very fast players.

Please take a few moments to absorb that and actually try to understand what the difference is.

The Sedins can't play a high tempo, fast counter attack game. They are great puck possession players and great at the cycle. Also, however fast players they are, I can tell you something, they will be less fast next year then they were this year and even less the year after that. Valk on the other hand, to me that looks like a fast skater.

[Boudrias]

The Sedins can't play a high tempo, fast counter attack game. They are great puck possession players and great at the cycle. Also, however fast players they are, I can tell you something, they will be less fast next year then they were this year and even less the year after that. Valk on the other hand, to me that looks like a fast skater.

The steady stream of CUP final media was talking about AV's coaching style. Interesting comment about AVstarting the TWINS at 64% in the ozone FO's. Talked about AV playing to their strengths of puck possession in the attacking zone. It reminded me of Gillis's claim that they pimped CoHo for trade by doing the same thing to make him look good.