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Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW


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2 minutes ago, -AJ- said:

I'm not sure there was anything to do with him being a Gillis guy, but I felt and still do feel that Gaunce wasn't given a fair chance. His defensive game was excellent and his offense was improving. His physicality left a bit to be desired given his frame, but I feel he would've grown into a very solid 4th liner for many NHL teams.

I recall that his first year in Utica they made him a 4th LW in hopes he would learn to grind.

kind of funny that Grao was injured most of last year and Bailey is injured this year

Bailey might be a little more physical than Gaunce or Grao but maybe not

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4 hours ago, Jimmy McGill said:

 

I found him very frustrating to watch. I thought he had the tools to be an elite bottom 6 but just didn't seem to want to engage physically. But a lot of guys have a hard time making that kind of change, frankly its amazing we got anything out of Loui in that role. 

I believe he was starting to finish his checks more.... but he's like the friendly giant, his hits weren't punishing.  I do remember watching games where Gaunce laid players out onto the ice, but they were more "hard shoves" rather than anything where you go, "Woah!  Watch out!".

That being said, Jake Virtanen is hardly a "truculent" player himself.  Once in a while he does have a big hit here and there, but hardly the physical beast he was back in junior.  

 

In any case, the point I'm making isn't that Gaunce is the better player or whatever, just pointing out that if you're drafted by the current management, you will have more leeway than if you were draft from a different GM.  

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4 goals in 32 games 

 

I expected more after his off-season training with Weber and Myers. He came into camp like a more confident person. 

 

Yet he has regressed and it's not looking good for him. You can sign bargain bin players for 800k and they would put up the same or better stats.

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8 hours ago, playboi19 said:

4 goals in 32 games 

 

I expected more after his off-season training with Weber and Myers. He came into camp like a more confident person. 

 

Yet he has regressed and it's not looking good for him. You can sign bargain bin players for 800k and they would put up the same or better stats.

Sad but true. Like you I had big hopes for Jake this year. His d-side game has improved but his offence seems to stall on cross bars. He must be tied with EP40 in that stat. A tad better accuracy and the conversation around Jake. goes 180. 

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11 hours ago, lmm said:

 

but he did not score very good and was a - player early in his career

by the time he came to Vancouver he learned the defensive side of the game but was never a physical player

If Gaunce were still here, would he be a better fit than Graovac or Gaudette with our current injury situation?

 

11 hours ago, -AJ- said:

I'm not sure there was anything to do with him being a Gillis guy, but I felt and still do feel that Gaunce wasn't given a fair chance. His defensive game was excellent and his offense was improving. His physicality left a bit to be desired given his frame, but I feel he would've grown into a very solid 4th liner for many NHL teams.

this is why he was so frustrating imo. If a guy isn't physical on the bottom 6 you get... Loui. I do feel like Gaunce was given many opportunities tho, over 100 games is a heck of a look.

 

 

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5 hours ago, Jimmy McGill said:

 

this is why he was so frustrating imo. If a guy isn't physical on the bottom 6 you get... Loui. I do feel like Gaunce was given many opportunities tho, over 100 games is a heck of a look.

 

 

20-57-37 games in Vancouver is a fair look. The Bruins gave him 1 game. Now playing in Sweden. 241 games in the AHL. 

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6 hours ago, Jimmy McGill said:

 

this is why he was so frustrating imo. If a guy isn't physical on the bottom 6 you get... Loui. I do feel like Gaunce was given many opportunities tho, over 100 games is a heck of a look.

 

 

funny that you just said the Canucks couldn't attract talent because  Wonkie Willie 

but then you say Gauncer had plenty of opportunity... 77 of his games were played under The Wonk

 

then under the Green Monster he is passed over for players like Ganlund, Loui, Baertschi, Goldy, Gaudette (the shiney new thing) and Timmy ("relax") Schaller

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57 minutes ago, lmm said:

funny that you just said the Canucks couldn't attract talent because  Wonkie Willie 

but then you say Gauncer had plenty of opportunity... 77 of his games were played under The Wonk

 

then under the Green Monster he is passed over for players like Ganlund, Loui, Baertschi, Goldy, Gaudette (the shiney new thing) and Timmy ("relax") Schaller

I mean, you can make a pretty good argument all of them outplayed Gaunce in either scoring or physical play 

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24 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

I mean, you can make a pretty good argument all of them outplayed Gaunce in either scoring or physical play 

Gaunce had worse offense than Beagle for the majority of his time, and that's really saying something. However, he showed improvement over time especially later on. That said, it was a big improvement on almost nothing, so it still wasn't very impressive. It is interesting that he had 4 points in his last 4 NHL games, but it's hard to say if that was puck luck or a sign of genuine improvement.

 

He has 9 points in 15 games with Vaxjo in the SHL, but I'm not sure that's really better than he ever was in the past, given the SHL is of a similar level to the AHL, and those are similar to his AHL numbers.

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14 hours ago, lmm said:

or maybe its just another example of not great developement from Team Canuck

who are we specifically talking about? not sure I can think of a prospect that didn't make it here just based on our coaching alone, e.g. other than Tryamkin being annoyed by Wllie D. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Gotta buy out Loui beofre Jake. Offensivley, he has struggled mightily this year. However, the last few games he has thrown some bone crunhcing hits on Nylander and Chabot. I doubt we buy him out. But that is just my opinion. I hope we keep him around for his final contract year if Seattle doesn't take him. He is a solid bottom 6 player who can fill in on the PP and top 6 if needed and if he turns his game around we can either hang onto him as a utility forward or trade him heopefully, rather than a buyout.

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12 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

has it really come to this? 

I think it has.  If Seattle doesn't take him, I can't see him back next year, and I can't see much of a market for him.  We are going to have to make a few tough moves to make the cap work next year, can we really have 2.5 tied up on a guy who have 7 points in his last 50 games?

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