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Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW


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3 hours ago, teepain said:

Only reason jake could be out is because ferland can do a better job if healthy. They have similar traits among them

Ferland is a LWer and Jake is a RWer. Not sure why they can't co-exist on the team. From the sounds of it MacEwen is the only real threat to Virtanen's spot in the lineup. Him and Eriksson I guess. Mr Little Things is all but guaranteed a spot in the lineup though. With Boeser and Toffoli that leaves Virtanen and Mac battling for that final spot. Miller, Pearson, Ferland, Roussel and Motte battling for the LW. Unless you are suggesting neither Mac or Virtanen make the starting roster. Which I'd be very mad if neither of them crack the final roster.

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3 hours ago, Mad Jon said:

He has lot of natural ability.

So did Goldobin. That got us nowhere. Sometimes, the player just doesn't get it.

 

I hope he is left off the opening roster, and I hope it pisses him off. So much so that his inner child rage rises up with a big "I'll show you, Mr. Meany Greeny" and he goes on a Calgary-era Ferland-esque tear.

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I think that we may see a line of, Ferland - Gauds - Virtanen.  A line with scoring and physicality.  I think it could be good for Jake to play with Ferland.  B) Go :canucks: Go!! 

 

PS - Looking forward to seeing the game tonight. B)

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14 hours ago, Toews said:

Either quote the posts/posters that you think exhibit hatred towards any player otherwise shut your yap. No one here as far as I know was rioting so the riot had literally nothing to do with the rest of us. There is no such thing as "guilt by association", anyone who believes in it is either a moron or just being an a-hole. Either way their opinion is not important and I am not sure why any Canucks fan would repeatedly throw that in our face, which just makes me believe that you aren't really a fan and just another dull troll.

1 - Read 2 comments later and a guy literally said he hates him hahaha.

 

2 - Being unable to accept and denounce what happened and instead, flying off the handle. Thanks for the personal attacks. Not even gonna ask how you know who was and wasn't involved. 

 

3 - I'm excited to see Jake tonight in some game action so triggered people can move on with life. 

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1 hour ago, Moose Nuckle said:

1 - Read 2 comments later and a guy literally said he hates him hahaha.

 

2 - Being unable to accept and denounce what happened and instead, flying off the handle. Thanks for the personal attacks. Not even gonna ask how you know who was and wasn't involved. 

 

3 - I'm excited to see Jake tonight in some game action so triggered people can move on with life. 

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53 minutes ago, Moose Nuckle said:

Move on bud, doesn't really make sense why you are soooo defensive of the riot.

 

Virtanen is coming for that first line spot. Let's go!

 

Haha...ok bud. I like Virtanen but Toffoli and Boeser are both much better lol.

 

PS: JT Miller also says Hi!!

Edited by CanuckCup2022
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3 minutes ago, CanuckCup2022 said:

Haha...ok bud. I like Virtanen but Toffoli and Boeser are both much better lol.

 

PS: JT Miller also says Hi!!

Lol I'm just trying to progress the conversation. Virtanen will have to wait till next season for potential top 6.

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6 hours ago, dpn1 said:

I think it could be good for Jake to play with Ferland. 

This could have a big impact on Jake, and I hope they do it.

 

I think maybe some feel he needs to be a protector type player, drop the gloves and beat on opponents, because he's got a little size and maybe he played that kind of game in Jrs. That's a lot of pressure for a kid, to have to stand up to the toughest players in the NHL night after night. Maybe Jake isn't a mean guy, maybe he doesn't really like to drop the gloves. I'm sure that's not why Benning drafted him at #6, to get into fights and hammer anyone and everything within range. Jake has skills. He's fricken fast, and has a lethal shot. Maybe playing him with Ferland would allow him to relax a bit, take the pressure off, and be more able to showcase his skills. Ferland's got skills too. :)

 

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2 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

This could have a big impact on Jake, and I hope they do it.

 

I think maybe some feel he needs to be a protector type player, drop the gloves and beat on opponents, because he's got a little size and maybe he played that kind of game in Jrs. That's a lot of pressure for a kid, to have to stand up to the toughest players in the NHL night after night. Maybe Jake isn't a mean guy, maybe he doesn't really like to drop the gloves. I'm sure that's not why Benning drafted him at #6, to get into fights and hammer anyone and everything within range. Jake has skills. He's fricken fast, and has a lethal shot. Maybe playing him with Ferland would allow him to relax a bit, take the pressure off, and be more able to showcase his skills. Ferland's got skills too. :)

 

Those two around Gaudette would be a fun line.

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On 7/28/2020 at 8:09 PM, Mad Jon said:

No, but I have observed his act and I don’t like it. 

Ive met Jake a few times. Im not a super fan of his as a player, but as a person, he's a nice guy. Very accomodating, got a picture taken with him with a good attitude and asked me if I was watching the game tonight etc, joked that he was gonna score a hatty or a gordie that night. You'd be suprised how players are off the ice when you meet them. Im a fan of Naslund as a player but when I met him, he wasn't very personable

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18 minutes ago, filthycanuck said:

Ive met Jake a few times. Im not a super fan of his as a player, but as a person, he's a nice guy. Very accomodating, got a picture taken with him with a good attitude and asked me if I was watching the game tonight etc, joked that he was gonna score a hatty or a gordie that night. You'd be suprised how players are off the ice when you meet them. Im a fan of Naslund as a player but when I met him, he wasn't very personable

I think it really depends on the player and their personality. 

 

Näslund always struck me as an introvert, not really liking to be around the public, media, etc. 

 

Näslund and Virtanen are soooo different from each other in almost every way :P 

 

But yeah, I hear ya. The players on the ice sometimes doesn't reflect who they are when they're off it. 

 

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On 7/29/2020 at 12:20 AM, kloubek said:

So did Goldobin. That got us nowhere. Sometimes, the player just doesn't get it.

 

I hope he is left off the opening roster, and I hope it pisses him off. So much so that his inner child rage rises up with a big "I'll show you, Mr. Meany Greeny" and he goes on a Calgary-era Ferland-esque tear.

Unlike Goldobin, however, Virtanen has shown steady albeit slow, progress. 

 

Felt like Goldy just stagnated, and never really improved enough relative to the roster. The team accumulated more and more talent, and it just pressed Goldy out of the line up, even if he did "progress" - it nearly wasn't enough for Green to have him in the line up. He was still very much a defensive liability. Nice kid, unfortunately didn't make the cut at the NHL level. But who knows? He's kinda still young, and by the time his KHL contract is up, he'd be around 26 years old. Maybe he gets it at that time, and he's a classic story of a late bloomer. 

 

I think Green's handling Jake the right way. Light a fire under him, and get him to play a simple, north-south game and do what he does best. Skate hard and skate fast, make plays when he's got the chance to do that, and be defensively responsible. The goals will come (as it did this season when he was on pace for about 20 goals, and 40 points). 

 

 

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16 hours ago, Moose Nuckle said:

Lol I'm just trying to progress the conversation. Virtanen will have to wait till next season for potential top 6.

Yep, Ottawa or Detroit would probably give him a look there.... or whatever team he is on next season that isn’t the Canucks.

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4 hours ago, N4ZZY said:

Unlike Goldobin, however, Virtanen has shown steady albeit slow, progress. 

 

I think just using the overall season totals hides a lot of the reality as far as Jake’s progression goes.  It hasn’t been slow and steady, it has been a roller coaster.

 

He has improved point totals year over year, but he has also been wildly inconsistent within each of those years.  None more so than this past season.

 

For the first third of the season he was no better than he has been in past years.  Basically a .25-.33 PPG player... which is a 20-30 point pace over a season.  Not like great for a guy who gets PP time.

 

The middle third he played amazingly and gave a taste of what he has the potential to be.  He was almost a PPG player over about 6 weeks which is by far his longest stretch of solid play in his career.  It coincided with Roussel coming back onto his line, and they kind of hit a groove.  Jake played exactly like the coach has been publicly imploring him to for years.  He used his size and speed to rush the puck into the zone and drove to the net.  A simple and effective formula.  More often than not, this resulted in him or one of his line mates popping in a greasy goal off a rebound.  He even made some passes and showed some playmaking that had never been part of his arsenal.

 

The final third of the season he was on an atrociously bad pace that was below his career average.  He went back to his old habits of rushing up the ice and either over skating the puck, or letting the opposing D angle him off where he ended up just circling behind their net and then coughing up the puck with a bad pass.  

 

So it is a real conundrum.  Is there a chance he can regularly be that Jake we saw for 6 weeks?  Or is he the Jake we have seen for the other 4 years of his career?

 

Some folks still hope for the best, more seem to be betting that he just is what he is.  Him sitting in the press box last night while we were able to even dress an extra forward doesn’t instill any confidence, even if it ends up just being a motivational ploy by Green and Jake will really be in the lineup for the Minnesota series.  In his 5th year he shouldn’t have to be taught those lessons still.

 

Just like you talked about Goldobin being pushed out of the lineup because of the team getting better, that seems to be the trajectory for Virtanen as well.  He is fighting with Ferland, and MacEwan for a bottom 6 winger spot, and a couple months into next season when the KHL is done, he will be fighting Podkolzin as well... with Hoglander also in the mix (several of the guys play both sides so they are all fighting for 2-3 open winger spots).  
 

If we sign Toffoli, I don’t see any way Virtanen is on our team next year.  There is neither the roster spot or cap space to carry him.  If Toffoli doesn’t sign here, then I still see Virtanen swapped next season for a D that a team would otherwise lose in the expansion draft.  There are just too many bodies fighting for his spot in the lineup and most of them will be at a much cheaper cap hit.

 

If Jake doesn’t play in these playoffs... I despair about what any potential trade value he would have.

 

 

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79005B6E-285E-4234-9FD6-95AF6BB172F0.thumb.jpeg.9c1f844c051cb47e790f0d5140a26334.jpeg.jpg.7a6a3fb6f8cbfd85b68927d6970341eb.jpg

 

"Dam, maybe those guys are the worst crew ever.  I really need get my sh!t together, I am running out of chances with this team."

 

Luckily for him there were a couple of bottom sixers that did not look any good.  I can't see Virtanen being benched for Macewen but if that happens, yikes.

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19 minutes ago, Tre Mac said:

79005B6E-285E-4234-9FD6-95AF6BB172F0.thumb.jpeg.9c1f844c051cb47e790f0d5140a26334.jpeg.jpg.7a6a3fb6f8cbfd85b68927d6970341eb.jpg

 

"Dam, maybe those guys are the worst crew ever.  I really need get my sh!t together, I am running out of chances with this team."

 

Luckily for him there were a couple of bottom sixers that did not look any good.  I can't see Virtanen being benched for Macewen but if that happens, yikes.

Well assuming we are injury free after last night, he has to beat out THREE of MacEwan, Ferland, Sutter, and Eriksson to get onto the roster.  Five guys, two spots.  

 

Macewan was really the extra 13th forward we were allowed to carry last game and if nothing else changed, even he would be on the outside looking in when we are only allowed to dress 12 forwards on Sunday. 
 

You are right and none of the bottom six looked particularly good last night... so that does open a window to slot in Jake, but it means sitting one of Ferland and Sutter instead .   One of them may bring  something to the table that Green might want more than a little extra offence from the 3rd line.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Provost said:

Yep, Ottawa or Detroit would probably give him a look there.... or whatever team he is on next season that isn’t the Canucks.

Did the big win last might without him in the lineup make you feel that way?

 

MacEwan was terrible last night. Turnover after turnover, wild shots that missed and resulted in sending the jets back our way. He also got absolutely rocked because he didn't know what he was doing. 

 

I still think he has a future but man did the Jets expose how green he still is. 

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4 minutes ago, Provost said:

Well assuming we are injury free after last night, he has to beat out THREE of MacEwan, Ferland, Sutter, and Eriksson to get onto the roster.  Five guys, two spots.  

 

Macewan was really the extra 13th forward we were allowed to carry last game and if nothing else changed, even he would be on the outside looking in when we are only allowed to dress 12 forwards on Sunday. 
 

You are right and none of the bottom six looked particularly good last night... so that does open a window to slot in Jake, but it means sitting one of Ferland and Sutter instead .   One of them may bring  something to the table that Green might want more than a little extra offence from the 3rd line.

 

 

Sutter was terrible last night, they have him to kill penalties and he takes a lazy one in the offensive zone. Motte, Beagle, Horvat, Rousell and Pearson can kill penalties and Virtanen can replace the speed and 40 points from the third line they were so glaringly missing last night.

The Jets are an example of outcoaching Green. They had beat the Canucks 10 times in a row before last nights game and 14 of the last 15. I think it's because Maurice is a smarter coach, i hope i'm wrong and it's just one of those hockey things. Some teams just match up well against others.

That being said, i see why he likes Sutter in the lineup. Veteran that gives you a 5th centre man incase of injury. Kills penalties and is a good face-off man but if you're going to bench Virtanen for being rusty while Sutter had that showing and  the entire team looked bad, he should get back in the lineup but the only spot is Sutter's. I wouldn't scratch anyone else so to me, the spots up for grabs between Tuna,MacEwen and Sutter.

Which one of them gives the Canucks a better chance to win? Be honest, One was on pace for 20 goals 20 assists from the third line (13 minutes a game average ice time) with little PP time and the other had 7 goals 9 assists in just under 50 games. Yet Sutter was always a PP option before Virtanen. Sutter is a good penalty killer but not when he's taking bad penalties 200 feet from his own goal.

I like MacEwen and want him to be a regular next season. I'd iike to see him in the playoffs but i'm not sure it makes sense scratching Virtanen unless he came into camp out of shape which didn't seem to be the case in the few scrimmage clips on twitter. He was getting breakaways and putting up points.

 

 

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