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Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW


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At what point does where a player get drafted stop being a reflection of his ability to play at the top level??

I get it, he may never achieve the level you might expect from a 6th overall (although in my opinion the jury is still out in his ceiling, but I digress) however, if you look at his ability currently he already IS an NHL caliber player. In my eyes he is a prototypical mid level winger much in the way Higgins (another first rounder who never quite lived up to the hype but carved out a significant nhl career) was for us in 2011. He can play as far up as first line and as far down as 4th and doesn’t hurt our lineup no matter where he’s placed.

his defensive game, while not a strength, is better then a lot of people give him credit for. He also draws more penalties then most of the players on our team. (Usually top three players for penalties drawn on our team if memory serves me correct?). Virtanen has become a serviceable player, but his draft put unreal expectations on him that some fans will never let go of.

 

just my two cents...

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17 hours ago, kloubek said:

Difference is that when Jake has decided to, he has made a real impact to games. We have seen flashes of very good hockey from Jake. We never saw that from Taylor.

 

So, perhaps similar in that they both had really high potential and never met it, but different in the fact that Taylor simply didn't have the skillset required. And the jury is still out on Jake. I believe he DOES make an NHL career for himself.

I actually very distinctly remember Pyatt taking over and dominating a game to a level Virtanen never has.

 

Pyatt got a high stick or a punch and he was bleeding from a cut and got angry.  The entire rest of the game it was like Mario Lemieux playing against midget players.  He was literally unstoppable and just bulled through defenders and just kept skating when they were draped all over him.

 

After the game, the coach said he was planning on punching Pyatt in the nose before every game.

 

Then the next game he was Taylor Pyatt again.

 

Jake has not yet reached “peak Pyatt” level production of 23 goals.

Also... remember that time that Jake went after an opposing team's heavyweight enforcer for throwing a hit on one of our star players and stood toe to toe with him?  ... Me either. 

I hope Jake becomes as good as Pyatt one day!
 

 

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46 minutes ago, NorthWestNuck said:

At what point does where a player get drafted stop being a reflection of his ability to play at the top level??

I get it, he may never achieve the level you might expect from a 6th overall (although in my opinion the jury is still out in his ceiling, but I digress) however, if you look at his ability currently he already IS an NHL caliber player. In my eyes he is a prototypical mid level winger much in the way Higgins (another first rounder who never quite lived up to the hype but carved out a significant nhl career) was for us in 2011. He can play as far up as first line and as far down as 4th and doesn’t hurt our lineup no matter where he’s placed.

his defensive game, while not a strength, is better then a lot of people give him credit for. He also draws more penalties then most of the players on our team. (Usually top three players for penalties drawn on our team if memory serves me correct?). Virtanen has become a serviceable player, but his draft put unreal expectations on him that some fans will never let go of.

 

just my two cents...

I think the fans see Virtanen for who he is. Some think there's a lot of potential some others not sp  much. The bad part IMO is this predrfat meeting, the chat about Virtanen by Benning & CO ..... now that's embarassing

 

 

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^^ great Draft (Virtanen) video, and Benning isn't really wrong. Jake scored 18 goals last year and has been getting better every season. I have no issues with him as a player on the ice. Green knows Jake better than anyone in the organization and I'm sure he'll be relying on him.  Whether that's to take a seat and learn/focus, to being ready to be the next man up or on PP#1 or anywhere in between. 

 

I wonder if there are Eriksson fans out there who are fuming when Loui gets benched? lol  

 

A Canuck is a Canuck

 

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Silky mitts said:

So being mutual friends with the same circle as jake, word is he has asked for a trade.  
 

 

Word is, rumour and speculation are unhealthy to invest into until we have multiple independent attestations.

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10 minutes ago, Silky mitts said:

So being mutual friends with the same circle as jake, word is he has asked for a trade.  
 

 

If that is true, I could imagine his teammates begging him to stay considering the garbage he gets. They are all probably worried they will get focused on by some of the media and fans. Did you see Pettersson? He hasn't even outscored Gretz yet. Bust!

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11 minutes ago, FaninMex said:

If that is true, I could imagine his teammates begging him to stay considering the garbage he gets. They are all probably worried they will get focused on by some of the media and fans. Did you see Pettersson? He hasn't even outscored Gretz yet. Bust!

He’s unhappy with his minutes and where he is placed in the lineups 

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I'm not a fan of trading virtanen. I think hes exactly what this team needs. Not everyone is a boy scout. 

 

That being said, iiiiif the canucks were looking for a trade I'd be looking at someone like Philippe myers on the flyers. 

 

As I say this he beams one by halak lol.

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39 minutes ago, 73 Percent said:

I'm not a fan of trading virtanen. I think hes exactly what this team needs. Not everyone is a boy scout. 

 

That being said, iiiiif the canucks were looking for a trade I'd be looking at someone like Philippe myers on the flyers. 

 

As I say this he beams one by halak lol.

Yeah idk if we would be able to nab him. He had a promising year.

 

Might have to consider trading Virtanen to get rid of Eriksson if we do consider to move him.

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1 hour ago, Silky mitts said:

So being mutual friends with the same circle as jake, word is he has asked for a trade.  
 

 

Sure it is.

8 minutes ago, Captain Canuck #12 said:

What a strange time to request a trade.  Right at the start of the play-offs, the worst possible time to let management and your teammates know that you want out, and at a time when a trade won't even be possible for the next several months!

Who said he did? Ohh right, some anonymous poster on cdc.

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6 hours ago, Provost said:

I actually very distinctly remember Pyatt taking over and dominating a game to a level Virtanen never has.

 

Pyatt got a high stick or a punch and he was bleeding from a cut and got angry.  The entire rest of the game it was like Mario Lemieux playing against midget players.  He was literally unstoppable and just bulled through defenders and just kept skating when they were draped all over him.

 

After the game, the coach said he was planning on punching Pyatt in the nose before every game.

 

Then the next game he was Taylor Pyatt again.

 

Jake has not yet reached “peak Pyatt” level production of 23 goals.

Also... remember that time that Jake went after an opposing team's heavyweight enforcer for throwing a hit on one of our star players and stood toe to toe with him?  ... Me either. 

I hope Jake becomes as good as Pyatt one day!
 

 

I do remember Pyatt in the series against Dallas.  While it was Linden's show... I did notice that in a tight-checking series, Pyatt was being a physical beast out there.  Finishing every check, pasting guys along the boards every chance he got.  

Could have been a dominant top-6... except he's a slow friendly giant most nights.  

 

As for Jake.... he's fast and does have an edge, just seems like a deer caught in the headlights at time.  Maybe he doesn't have the processing power to play at an elite game.... but when that's the case, you need to simplify your play style.  If you can't run the team's offense, give the puck to someone who can or dump/chase/bang.  Defensively weak... backcheck as hard as you can, finish every hit when you can, just get in the way of the opposition.  

 

 

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2 hours ago, 73 Percent said:

I'm not a fan of trading virtanen. I think hes exactly what this team needs. Not everyone is a boy scout. 

 

That being said, iiiiif the canucks were looking for a trade I'd be looking at someone like Philippe myers on the flyers. 

 

As I say this he beams one by halak lol.

If he'd just commit and more consistently play the way he can, I'd say the same.

 

IMO, he needs a change of scenery (aka trade) and to get away from his hometown 'crew' to wake up to how fleeting this can all be. And even then there's no guarantee he actually figures it out. Either way, I don't see him figuring it out here unfortunately.

 

Part way in to next season we get to add an already more mature and committed Podkolzin who brings a lot of the same tools (minus the elite speed) but with FAR more effort and coach-ability. With guys like Ferland and MacEwan to bridge the gap for him to mature in to that role.

 

If we can package him for a young D or other assets... 

 

And it has nothing to do with not being a 'boy scout'. Miller, Roussel etc are not boy scouts. You know what they are though? Committed pros that the coach can put out and 99% of the time knows what to expect from their play.

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7 hours ago, Provost said:

I actually very distinctly remember Pyatt taking over and dominating a game to a level Virtanen never has.

 

Pyatt got a high stick or a punch and he was bleeding from a cut and got angry.  The entire rest of the game it was like Mario Lemieux playing against midget players.  He was literally unstoppable and just bulled through defenders and just kept skating when they were draped all over him.

 

After the game, the coach said he was planning on punching Pyatt in the nose before every game.

 

Then the next game he was Taylor Pyatt again.

 

Jake has not yet reached “peak Pyatt” level production of 23 goals.

Also... remember that time that Jake went after an opposing team's heavyweight enforcer for throwing a hit on one of our star players and stood toe to toe with him?  ... Me either. 

I hope Jake becomes as good as Pyatt one day!
 

 

Gagner also scored 8 points in one game. What's your point again?

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