Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW

[JM_]

4 hours ago, debluvscanucks said:

My son sent me a message telling me about this yesterday and I was shocked.  It was before it was posted here but I feel it's not really fair to share tweets/stuff until something official is published because it's all hearsay.  Even now...nothing has proven him guilty.

 

But Jake has likely used up his 9 lives here...he's innocent until proven guilty but because he puts himself in situations that create a buzz, he's become pretty high maintenance.  A big distraction who doesn't do enough to warrant keeping him.  If this IS proven true, it explains everything for me.  

no mater what the outcome of this latest thing is, he's played his last as a Canuck, I'm sure of that. In part because as you say its been a high maintenance situation and he just doesn't deliver. Add to that his buyout is really good, so to me that means he's done here no matter what happens next. 

 

Man I wonder how the rest of the team is doing, this must be a strange day for them. 

[cocosdad]

Where there's smoke there is fire. These guys have women throwing themselves at them every day. In the late 1990's, you could to to Electric Ave. in Calgary after a game to where the Flames and the visiting team would stop after the game and the women at the bar were unbelievable. Dressed to the 9's and ready to go. Not knowing what Jake is accused of, but any professional hockey player can get action in his own town and any other NHL city, count on it. No need to do anything remotely illegal (ask Zack Kassian). 

 

This is a sign of a significant transgression. Either underage or drugs involved. I've know many NHL players and I would say it is nuts giving a 20 something guy that kind of money and hoping for any kind of acceptable behavior. These guys make more money in a week or a game than most of us the whole year. How does that not go to your head?

 

For Jake's sake, I hope he gets a fair shake. However, for it to get to this stage, I fear he is ready for the fork. He is done.

Edited May 2, 2021 by cocosdad

[SilentSam]

4 hours ago, Kootenay Gold said:

IF he is found guilty, it would be a breach of contract by him and he could be subject to termination.

 

Koots,  I don’t think he has to be proven guilty for his contract to be terminated,.  That fact that only part of this allegation might hold truth is probably enough to break “a code of conduct and ethics” that most contracts stipulate.

..  I think Jake has had issues with other things regarding that code.

Players are paid as representatives of the company/ organization.

I’m sure this is why the Canucks has hired a private investigator in the matter,  to find out what the truths are,  and let the organization know if they need to help represent him,.  Or clear his stall, and write “The End”.

If he had greater value , ie Patrick Kane, this would be handled differently I’m sure.

[Kootenay Gold]

1 hour ago, SilentSam said:

Koots,  I don’t think he has to be proven guilty for his contract to be terminated,.  That fact that only part of this allegation might hold truth is probably enough to break “a code of conduct and ethics” that most contracts stipulate.

..  I think Jake has had issues with other things regarding that code.

Players are paid as representatives of the company/ organization.

I’m sure this is why the Canucks has hired a private investigator in the matter,  to find out what the truths are,  and let the organization know if they need to help represent him,.  Or clear his stall, and write “The End”.

If he had greater value , ie Patrick Kane, this would be handled differently I’m sure.

I am not sure about that. I guess it all depends on how the case plays out. If he is found not guilty they have no grounds to terminate his contract. That said; I think he has played his last game as a Canuck.

[kanucks25]

8 hours ago, Kootenay Gold said:

IF he is found guilty, it would be a breach of contract by him and he could be subject to termination.

 

 

4 hours ago, SilentSam said:

Koots,  I don’t think he has to be proven guilty for his contract to be terminated,.  That fact that only part of this allegation might hold truth is probably enough to break “a code of conduct and ethics” that most contracts stipulate.

..  I think Jake has had issues with other things regarding that code.

Players are paid as representatives of the company/ organization.

I’m sure this is why the Canucks has hired a private investigator in the matter,  to find out what the truths are,  and let the organization know if they need to help represent him,.  Or clear his stall, and write “The End”.

If he had greater value , ie Patrick Kane, this would be handled differently I’m sure.

 

2 hours ago, Kootenay Gold said:

I am not sure about that. I guess it all depends on how the case plays out. If he is found not guilty they have no grounds to terminate his contract. That said; I think he has played his last game as a Canuck.

It can go several ways. It's possible he's found not guilty (or not enough evidence to prove guilt) but they still find something in the investigation that is grounds for termination due to the aforementioned enigmatic "ethics" clause pro athletes have their contract.

 

From a strictly hockey POV, it's time to move on for both parties.

[DownUndaCanuck]

I hate to say it but from the moment this thread was made and JB made the pick over Nylander and Ehlers, I pretty publically made my opinions made of how I thought it was one of the worst decisions this franchise has ever made. Yes, mainly from a hockey perspective, I argued that we needed a skilled, scoring top player like Nylander or Ehlers, but was criticized and ridiculed, saying that tough character players like Virtanen don't come around very often and are special players. I don't want to, or like, mixing personal stuff with hockey stuff but JB is always making a point of bringing in good-character guys. When he was drafted he was young and tricky to gauge, but party-boy Jake soon emerged, we should have seen the warning signs. 

 

Of course we have to wait and see if these allegations hold any truth but if they do then he's as done as D'Angello and holds no trade value anymore either - we might be forced to buy him out or some other tricky situation.

 

Such a waste of such a high pick where so many better players and people were taken right after him. The criticism that Nylander got for being a "pretty weak Swedish boy" compared to the "tough hometown boy" Jake was disgusting and I hope that everyone who shared these comments (you know who you are, just go back 1000 pages) is biting their tongue now because Nylander (and also Ehlers) are top line, 30 goal scoring, almost PPG players whereas Jake is a 7 minute 4th line piece of garbage for 2M who now may also have far worse problems to worry about. Our highest pick in a long time and we made an absolute mess of it because we wanted grit and toughness. Look what happened when we went away from that trend - we got Petey and Hughes as absolute steals.

 

Moral of the story - let the big tough doochbags go in the later rounds, spend high picks on high skill instead.

[Boudrias]

12 hours ago, Kootenay Gold said:

I am not sure about that. I guess it all depends on how the case plays out. If he is found not guilty they have no grounds to terminate his contract. That said; I think he has played his last game as a Canuck.

He hasn’t been charged with anything yet. He might not be charged. Strangely, Bennett’s success in Florida might ad some value to a Jake trade. One way or the other Jake was probably going anyway. Change of venue might help. 

[Crabcakes]

8 hours ago, DownUndaCanuck said:

I hate to say it but from the moment this thread was made and JB made the pick over Nylander and Ehlers, I pretty publically made my opinions made of how I thought it was one of the worst decisions this franchise has ever made. Yes, mainly from a hockey perspective, I argued that we needed a skilled, scoring top player like Nylander or Ehlers, but was criticized and ridiculed, saying that tough character players like Virtanen don't come around very often and are special players. I don't want to, or like, mixing personal stuff with hockey stuff but JB is always making a point of bringing in good-character guys. When he was drafted he was young and tricky to gauge, but party-boy Jake soon emerged, we should have seen the warning signs. 

 

Of course we have to wait and see if these allegations hold any truth but if they do then he's as done as D'Angello and holds no trade value anymore either - we might be forced to buy him out or some other tricky situation.

 

Such a waste of such a high pick where so many better players and people were taken right after him. The criticism that Nylander got for being a "pretty weak Swedish boy" compared to the "tough hometown boy" Jake was disgusting and I hope that everyone who shared these comments (you know who you are, just go back 1000 pages) is biting their tongue now because Nylander (and also Ehlers) are top line, 30 goal scoring, almost PPG players whereas Jake is a 7 minute 4th line piece of garbage for 2M who now may also have far worse problems to worry about. Our highest pick in a long time and we made an absolute mess of it because we wanted grit and toughness. Look what happened when we went away from that trend - we got Petey and Hughes as absolute steals.

 

Moral of the story - let the big tough doochbags go in the later rounds, spend high picks on high skill instead.

I think you're coming down a little heavy and are really saying "I told you so" but the jist of what you're saying is true.

 

Let's not complain when they draft for character in the future.

 

My read on Jake, growing up he was bigger and faster than almost all the player he went up against.  Even in major junior he had his way on the ice.  It goes to a person's head and he didn't have to work hard to dominate.  The result?  Poor habits on and off the ice.

 

The future, I don't expect him to play for the rest of the season.  He might even ask for a trade.  He only continues his career outside of the fish bowl in Vancouver.

 

Did anybody miss him last night?

[Ghostsof1915]

Does Jake know Finnish? 

I have the perfect team for him to sign with.

Jokerit. 

[VegasCanuck]

I'm pretty sure that JV has played his final game as a Canuck. No matter what the outcome of the investigation, the fact that they needed to DO an investigation, probably spells the end for him.

[elvis15]

17 hours ago, cocosdad said:

Where there's smoke there is fire. These guys have women throwing themselves at them every day. In the late 1990's, you could to to Electric Ave. in Calgary after a game to where the Flames and the visiting team would stop after the game and the women at the bar were unbelievable. Dressed to the 9's and ready to go. Not knowing what Jake is accused of, but any professional hockey player can get action in his own town and any other NHL city, count on it. No need to do anything remotely illegal (ask Zack Kassian). 

 

This is a sign of a significant transgression. Either underage or drugs involved. I've know many NHL players and I would say it is nuts giving a 20 something guy that kind of money and hoping for any kind of acceptable behavior. These guys make more money in a week or a game than most of us the whole year. How does that not go to your head?

 

For Jake's sake, I hope he gets a fair shake. However, for it to get to this stage, I fear he is ready for the fork. He is done.

That's the thing, with all the education young players get on code of conduct and all that, they should be very aware not to end up in any situation that could even be interpreted in this way. The women will be there regardless, so make sure you're being an absolute gentleman, not pursuing women while drinking (and especially not if they've been drinking), and then finding a willing, consenting partner is the easy bit. Not that finding a woman in every port is a good look, but I won't ever fault someone for the amount of partners they have if they're respectful and ethical.

 

But this situation doesn't even sound like it was a night on Electric Ave - or at the Roxy. Not to go into detail (it can be found if one looks) but it sounds like a date where he was just the guy we often accuse him of being as a player: lacking effort and discipline, and assuming it's going to be handed to him.

[elvis15]

I've supported Virtanen after we drafted him, hoping he could put it together to be a reasonably contributing player in the NHL. He definitely wasn't my choice at 6th overall, Nylander was (he's had his own disappointments but at least has put up some decent points), but after some hope last season this year has been pretty bad. Something like this is just the icing on the cake, where people are already frustrated.

 

I certainly would have preferred we find a new start for him in previous years, but hoping for any kind of return at this point is pretty much done. One more year left, so it's either this is bad enough his contract is terminated (quite possible), or there's some acceptance between him and the victim that allows for redemption (less possible) and he gets one more year to prove himself. I don't think we trade him this summer either way, since I don't see anyone offering enough to make that worthwhile.

[Fred65]

I think right or wrong he'll settle out of court ( Prediction $250K ) and then the reclamation process will begin, Kane managed to re-establish himself so who knows maybe a team as far away as possible .... Florida maybe 

[Kootenay Gold]

6 hours ago, Boudrias said:

He hasn’t been charged with anything yet. He might not be charged.

That's very true Boud's. I was referring to the termination factor and did neglect to note that he has not yet been charged with anything yet in my post. My reference was to the termination if he was charged and that would still not necessarily be cause for termination unless the charges are proven in a court of law.

[Nucker 67]

Jake's played his last game in a Canuck uniform. VAN will sweep this under the rug by trading him.

The future has already started with Lind playing and Gadjovich getting the call. Podkolzin and maybe our 1st this draft, next season. 

[RecklessReilly]

Jake is nothing but problems. If only he had a brain. 
 

waste of talent 

[Ghostsof1915]

3 hours ago, RecklessReilly said:

Jake is nothing but problems. If only he had a brain. 
 

waste of talent 

Sad when you see small players busting their hump just to get a chance, and guys like Jake seem to squander his chances. 

It's a pity the team didn't gamble on Ehlers. 

[Convincing John]

41 minutes ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

Sad when you see small players busting their hump just to get a chance, and guys like Jake seem to squander his chances. 

It's a pity the team didn't gamble on Ehlers. 

He was never the same since his shoulder surgery. I worked in Calgary a lot that year and watched over 10 games. His release, his shot, and most notably his physicality was never the same. He wasn’t even the same the very next season in Jr.  

[Ballisticsports.]

If he s innocent, maybe this is the thing that makes him change his way in life and hockey and he matures and takes his job and life more serious and becomes better in both?

There has been too much drama and distraction for a player who is not a star, if he is innocent it will be interesting to see what the Canucks do with him, his contract looked like a show us something or we will buy you out after this year, either way he gets money and maybe he saw that as easy money to retire on and chill with friends (but who are probably starting new careers, married, soon to have children and no time for Jake and he is left behind)

I remember Ray Ferraro saying Playing hard and tough is a skill, everyone would if they could

Things came easy for Jake while being Bigger and Faster as a Teen

He still has some size and speed, but has always lacked the desire to be the best NHL player he could be and wondering how if character is important for the Canucks, why they held on for so long? Was it ego for not getting close to a 6th back in return? Many top 6 picks have not panned out, Just surprising how you want character guys and let one be a big distraction coming out of shape and looks like more drama and another player sitting while being overpaid for what he provides

 

[canuktravella]

6 minutes ago, ba;;isticsports said:

If he s innocent, maybe this is the thing that makes him change his way in life and hockey and he matures and takes his job and life more serious and becomes better in both?

There has been too much drama and distraction for a player who is not a star, if he is innocent it will be interesting to see what the Canucks do with him, his contract looked like a show us something or we will buy you out after this year, either way he gets money and maybe he saw that as easy money to retire on and chill with friends (but who are probably starting new careers, married, soon to have children and no time for Jake and he is left behind)

I remember Ray Ferraro saying Playing hard and tough is a skill, everyone would if they could

Things came easy for Jake while being Bigger and Faster as a Teen

He still has some size and speed, but has always lacked the desire to be the best NHL player he could be and wondering how if character is important for the Canucks, why they held on for so long? Was it ego for not getting close to a 6th back in return? Many top 6 picks have not panned out, Just surprising how you want character guys and let one be a big distraction coming out of shape and looks like more drama and another player sitting while being overpaid for what he provides

 

 jakes days as a canuck are over if there is  charges coming his contract will be voided    gives us a extra 2.55 to work with which  will help team as any extra cap is a good thing.  If hes not guilty which is very entirely possible   i think hes traded  for a b level prospect   and he gets a fresh start even before this whole mess the fans were brutal to him he scored last week no one else on team was scoring but he gets the blame hell horvat is a golden boy  but no shows on regular but no one calls him out hell he couldnt even defend edler.  If jakes innocent he deserves a fresh start some where  in states where they let him play his game  for 20 minutes a night and he lights it up