[Report] Torts wanted to buy out Alex Burrows

[etsen3]

I can see where Torts is coming from, and he's entitled to his opinion. I would give Burrows another chance due to injuries, but he does have a bad contract, and I would expect Tortorella to have got a bad first impression considering this is the first he's seen Burrows play.

However, some of the other stuff is pretty suspect. The Weise thing is pretty ridiculous and not talking to our farm team's coach is absolutely nuts. You'd think it would be important to stay in touch with the guy who's charge of developing your young players. I was on the fence about the firing before but these reports (if true) make me glad he's gone. Obviously there was a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that must have factored into Trevor's decision.

[Curmudgeon]

I think history will record that John Tortorella was a kind of organizational Ex-Lax. He certainly got things moving in a constipated upper managment team, he caused a great deal of bad stuff to come out, and, like all good laxatives, eliminated himself in the process. I don't know if he is oblivious to the need to change with the game or if he's an evil genius. On second thought, and given recent evidence, I'm going with oblivious.

[Nuxfanabroad]

Must be some method to this madness? As most here seem to still believe, Torts was prob an ownership-idea.

Reminds me of when Keenan was hired, & he started doing unpopular things-especially moving Linden. There was a lot of sudden player movement, until Burke arrived, & those two sure weren't meant to work together!

Ownership probably resorted to such a personality to bring about some difficult changes(like moving Lu). They likely didn't realize how badly it could all blow up. So they use this opportunity to also change GM's..maybe this was all projected last summer, if the original moves didn't pan out?

So now with Linden arriving, it feels like a full cycle has come'round, starting from those dismal Keenan years.

sidenote: Would be nice if Matthias & Markstrom became big stars. They being the end result of Lu, acquired for Bert, who was of course acquired by Keenan for TL.

[Angry Goose]

sidenote: Would be nice if Matthias & Markstrom became big stars. They being the end result of Lu, acquired for Bert, who was of course acquired by Keenan for TL.

Matthais is a keeper. I'd like to see him and Hansen lined up together.

[bigbadcanucks]

I guess Linden made the right decision. I didn't know Torts was this bad... What's with all these Americans that live in Point Roberts anyways? Big country Reeves to Tortorella...

Maybe Kesler wanted trade out of Vancouver because of this and when Linden learned of this, he decided to fire Tortorella. At the same time, maybe the ownership wants to justify the firing and leaked this information so that people would get angry and support the decision to fire Torts.

Maybe Burrows isn't a rat. I mean Burrows fought Getzlaf... Marchand on the other hand, would hide behind his daddy Chara.

Sure, Marchand is a better rat than Burrows but Burrows days as a rat was done a few years ago I think anyways. Burrows really isn't a rat anymore. All he does is just chirping, which bother no one. He never intentionally tries to injure anyone. The worst thing he did was... the biting but I don't think he could have done much damage anyways with a glove between his teeth and Bergeron's finger. And don't tell me pulling Keith's hair was bad.

Most people that say Burrows is a rat really can't give any instance of Burrows being a rat. That's probably because Burrows really isn't a rat.

Would have to agree that Burrows isn't a rat...was a borderline rat with his chirping, finger-biting, hair pulling, diving, but that's in the rear view mirror. What's also in the rear view mirror are his best days. 33 years old and has been on a rapid decline...if he'd waive his NTC, I'd have no complaints about him being moved for picks or being part of a package that will allow the team to evolve its core. Question is, who would want a skinny French Canadian kid (as Linden described him to be) with a $4.5M cap hit?

Burrows' story has been a good one...undrafted, signed out of the ECHL, making it to the show on sheer hard work...but that story is coming to an end. Can't believe the ridiculous contract he was signed to by MG...that's about the point in time I joined the fire Gillis mob.

If all Gary Mason says is true, it further validates reasons Tortorella had to go. We'll see how Burrows fares under a new coach...IMO, he's going to excel as a third/fourth liner (not because of the team's depth, but that's as good as Burrows is now).

[Honky Cat]

I think history will record that John Tortorella was a kind of organizational Ex-Lax. He certainly got things moving in a constipated upper managment team, he caused a great deal of bad stuff to come out, and, like all good laxatives, eliminated himself in the process. I don't know if he is oblivious to the need to change with the game or if he's an evil genius. On second thought, and given recent evidence, I'm going with oblivious.

Excellent analogy...and all in a single dose..

[Razors_Edge]

@TEAM1040: .@garymasonglobe reports on #TEAM1040 that John Tortorella wanted the Canucks to buy out Alex Burrows.

Also being reported that:

@TEAM1040: .@garymasonglobe reports on #TEAM1040 that Tortorella didn't have a single conversation with Utica coach Travis Green during the season

I love how the media always has to...

I believe Torts probably said trade him or buy him out, Burrows could have easily been traded, there would be no purpose to buying him out. Torts probably felt over the next 5 years Burrows wasn't going to fit in anymore and now would be a good time to move him. But the media probably conveniently forgot the trade him part because that's what media do...

Torts probably didn't have a conversation with Green, but I am sure one of his assistants talked to Green almost daily. Torts really wasn't a micro manager

Torts could have made the players practise more but, he probably felt bad riding them for extra playing minutes so didn't want to overload them, so he kept them to AV's practise schedule, which was a little light compared to most teams

I can see Torts yelling at David Booth, seems like everyone here does, he may as well also.

I am glad to see Booth is finally getting over his injuries and was coming on strong at the end of the season

Same goes for Burrows, he was a walking fracture last season but was getting back to form at the end.

I am looking forward to good seasons from both of them.

I believe Linden has a deal done for the GM position and the new GM didn't want Torts, so he is gone.

Torts was a good coach its obvious they hired him because they thought the team was a little soft and told him that,

so he did his best to try and toughen up the softies, but we needed many more trades to find the players to satisfy Torts

I am happy with our core, I think adding a few pieces will do wonders.

I hope Kess stays, but if he really wants out, so be it.

I believe we will have a great year next year and hopefully Eddie is up to the challenge.

Good Luck to Torts I hope he finds a GM and Team suited to his tough love

Cheers

[Baggins]

The guy was the best value in hockey for 4 years making "only" $2 million per when he was producing at a level where he easily should have earned at least double that. Not to mentioned being a heart and soul guy on the team.

So I don't begrudge him earning what he's making now. He's earned every penny.

Most here are, and always will be, what have you done for me lately fans. I've never seen so many so quick to turn on their own players. It's pretty sad.

[tas]

Most here are, and always will be, what have you done for me lately fans. I've never seen so many so quick to turn on their own players. It's pretty sad.

agreed. the fan base as a whole has a massive sense of entitlement. they don't go to games to support their team, they go expecting to be entertained. if the team is having a rough time, they don't root for them to improve, they rag on them and jump off the bandwagon. if the team falls from the top of the standings for a year, the arena empties out. when the team is winning, everyone has been a fan since 1970. when they're not, everyone's too cool to be a canucks fan.

the worst fans in sport.

[Baggins]

Then you clearly don't understand what makes a powerplay successful.

A D-man that can move the puck up the ice, QB from the point, and get the puck through traffic on net is key to any powerplay.

Garrison and Edler cannot do these things because they lack elite skating, hockey sense and accurate shots. One of these two need to go this summer in order to acquire a player who can fill the role they're supposed to.

The numbers speak for themselves. Ehrhoff was the key to the powerplay because of his hard accurate shot and ability to gain and hold the zone. Every top team in the playoffs has a player that can do this. The Canucks don't

I don't buy that at all. He's given far more credit than he deserves for Sedin success. His first season here was also Burrows first full season on the Sedins wing. I think Burr's 35 goals & 32 assists had a greater effect on the Sedins numbers than replacing Salo with Ehrhoff. Also the Sedins increased pp numbers in 10/11 coincides with moving Kesler to the first pp unit. In 09/10 the Sedins combined for 48 pp points with Ehrhoff on their point. The only change to the pp in 10/11 when they combined for 77 pp points was Kesler.

[JeremyCuddles]

Your argument is somewhat flawed.

I don't see how regular season statistics effect the playoffs for teams who have made it. MTL and NYR are both in the ECF.

You don 't get to the playoffs 28th in scoring. So, yeah.

[Boudrias]

agreed. the fan base as a whole has a massive sense of entitlement. they don't go to games to support their team, they go expecting to be entertained. if the team is having a rough time, they don't root for them to improve, they rag on them and jump off the bandwagon. if the team falls from the top of the standings for a year, the arena empties out. when the team is winning, everyone has been a fan since 1970. when they're not, everyone's too cool to be a canucks fan.

the worst fans in sport.

Suggesting that Tort's wanted Burrows bought out is idle BS IMHO. Moving Burrows in a trade would have been the discussion. I cannot believe what Burrows has gone through this season. Now a leg injury!

I am not one to dwell on legacy but Few players have brought more to the Canucks than Alex Burrows. It

was not the Twins who led the Canucks out of the 'wilderness'. It was Burrows and Kesler IMO! While the hallowed Naslund sat on the bench with head bowed those two fought and scratched the Canucks back to

respectability. Both played a 200' game and became leaders.

All this aside I hold no player above the team and the goal of a CUP win. I never consider any player

above a trade. It is always a balance between what is given up and what is gained.

[stawns]

also included in the interview with mason was the fact the players felt they didn't practice enough and that torts didn't take practice seriously enough.

also there was an incident with booth where he was 5 minutes early to a meeting and torts didn't notice him and got in a shouting match with him in front of the whole team, accusing him of being late to the meeting, and the rest of the players knew booth was there and were wondering what the hell torts was screaming about.

best coach in canucks history though.

haha, what a tool. Can't say many of us didn't call it.........he has no business being an NHL coach

[mangosteens]

Burrows is a nice story, but his production fell off a cliff this year. He is 33 years old and has 3 more years on his deal for 4.5M per season. I can see why Torts would raise him as a buy-out candidate.

Not communicating with Green is deplorable. It is coming clear that Torts was a complete gong-show. We have the owners to thank for it.

[gizmo2337]

So we brought in the wrong coach. He did well with the media, but not the team. The new system brought far more injuries to our top lines and they all suffered in production. That doesn't mean we buy them out..they just had a bad year. A rebound is surely coming next year no matter who they hire.

Important question to ask yourself regardless of if you are a Torts supporter or not.

A) Was he a good coach with respect to Vancouver Media?

Was he a good "hockey" coach behind closed doors with his players during practices and games?

My vote is A) yes, no. And that is why Burrows is still here and Torts is gone.

[nuck nit]

"He began an early morning team meeting by blasting Booth with F-bombs for being late for the meeting. To which Booth, and confirmed by his teammates, said he was actually there 5 minutes early. Torts continued to lay into him for another 5 minutes."

I have heard that the concensus is the players despised Tootsie and that would fit in with the fact that Tootsie is a raving lunatic.

This man is crackers and his hockey history is full of incidents that illustrate bizarre,unacceptable behaviour.

Gillis and Tortorella.What an end to an era.

[THERETOOL]

Maybe he'll cry himself to sleep on his cup ring. A ring that Burrows will never own.

you may eat your words ...

I hear you can find them on ebay

[nuck nit]

"Erhoff is our savior"

We have that player already. His name is Garrison, who outproduced Erhoff last season.

Once again, the problem isn't the point and the defense. The problem is the Sedins. I know this is hard to see cognitively, but you're taking something that's wearing out and already starting to fail and spending big bucks on tinkering around to keep it from failing and chugging along.

The Sedins are the problem with the powerplay. Take them off the powerplay and see whether or not it improves.

Yeah,let's put Garrison on the worst team in the league and see how he does.

The twins were the best in the league with Ehroff.The team was the best in the league with Ehrhoff.The PP was the best in the league with Ehrhoff.

The problem is Garrison is not suited to play with the twins.Never was and never will be.

The team needed a cerebral playmaker ,not a plugger with a howitzer that never hits the target.

[Papayas]

Suggesting that Tort's wanted Burrows bought out is idle BS IMHO. Moving Burrows in a trade would have been the discussion. I cannot believe what Burrows has gone through this season. Now a leg injury!

I am not one to dwell on legacy but Few players have brought more to the Canucks than Alex Burrows. It

was not the Twins who led the Canucks out of the 'wilderness'. It was Burrows and Kesler IMO! While the hallowed Naslund sat on the bench with head bowed those two fought and scratched the Canucks back to

respectability. Both played a 200' game and became leaders.

All this aside I hold no player above the team and the goal of a CUP win. I never consider any player

above a trade. It is always a balance between what is given up and what is gained.

it's not a suggestion. It is a report from a pretty credible source. And yes, it is ridiculous

[wallstreetamigo]

I thought Torts would be a better fit in Van. But obviously it was a failed experiment. And if this thing about Burrows is true then I am happy he is gone. Onward and upward!