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[Report] Sestito wants out if Nucks don't give him a chance

TheRussianRocket.

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TheRussianRocket. Canucks All-Star

TheRussianRocket.

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http://www.theprovince.com/touch/story.html?id=10661319

It's not hard to hear the frustration in Tom Sestito's voice.

He's being asked to change his game maybe in a way that's not feasible but all he wants is a chance to show he deserves to be in the lineup.

It won't come against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.

"I know he wants me to change," Sestito said Wednesday of comments by Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins that he wants the big winger to play with more "pace."

"I'm just playing the same way I've always played. That's what got me here. It's what got me into this league, being a physical presence. It's what I've got to do to be in the lineup. It's a pretty simple game I play, and if they're not a fan of it, I've got to play somewhere else, I guess."

Playing with more pace or speed won't be easy for a player of Sestito's size 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds. He made it to the NHL primarily as a fighter, but that designated job description has been on the decline in the NHL for the last five years and at the start of this season a number of well-known scrappers lost their jobs to more versatile players.

Desjardins, the Canucks' first-year coach, wants all four of his lines to be able to play a high-tempo game. He's not sure Sestito at least at the moment is ready to do that.

"I just think the way the game is played today it's all about the pace," said Desjardins before the Canucks hosted Dallas.

"It's hard to play with that kind of pace when you're a big body like he is. You look at how fast New York was. Dallas is fast. There's teams that skate so hard that if you can't carry that pace, you're not effective. That's the pace Tom has to carry. Can he carry it? We'll have to see."

Still, Sestito, who led the NHL in fighting majors last season with 19, has showed at other levels of hockey that he can play the game as well. He scored 42 goals in his last season of junior with Plymouth of the OHL in 2006-07 and has scored at the AHL level. Last season, he scored a career-high five goals and nine points in 77 games for the Canucks, though he played a team-low (for a regular) of just 6:27 on average per game.

Sestito believes there's more to his game than dropping the gloves but believes he hasn't been given the opportunity.

"I definitely think that, but I haven't been given a chance," he said. "I haven't been given a fair shake here yet. It's his (Desjardins') team, he's the coach. I'm just going to put my head down and do what I've got to do."

The Canucks' new fourth line this season features Jannik Hansen who is very fast along with Derek Dorsett and rookie Bo Horvat, who both have no problem getting around the ice. As for scrapping, Dorsett, though not big, has handled that when it comes up.

Injuries haven't helped, either. In his first game of the season, a 3-2 win in Edmonton on Nov. 1, Sestito had an assist and led the team in hits with six, in 6:25 of playing time. The next game he injured his groin.

Sestito says he hasn't really spoken with Desjardins regarding his situation since the beginning of the season.

"My one game that I played, in Edmonton, I thought I played really well," said Sestito. "I played physical. I got an assist. I don't even look at Corsi. I think it's a bunch of BS, but we were the best Corsi on the ice that night. I don't know what else I can show from that perspective. It's up to him. Maybe I'm not in his plans. I don't really know. I don't talk to him about it. I just go about my work."

Desjardins said he believes Sestito who just returned from a conditioning stint in the minors will get into the lineup and acknowledges the changes he's asking for aren't easy ones for a big player. He'd love to have a player with Sestito's physical attributes who can play in his system.

"You still like that size," said Desjardins. "If you have that size and you can get it to move, it comes in handy in the heavy games against the Anaheims and the L.A.'s. You just have to make sure it gets moving the way you want."

Clearly a disconnect between Sestito & Willie and some friction for sure. Understand both people's pov though. Sestito hasn't been given a chance but showed in his one game he's not just a scrapper. On the other hand, Willie has a great 4th line and it would be hard to break it up & with Kassian coming back, it'll be that much tougher for Tom.

Really like Tom but realistically, when he's given his shot, it may be his last here. Hope he takes it and proves everyone wrong otherwise I think it's best for both sides to move on. Maybe get a mid-late pick for him from a bottom feeder tanking or team wanting a big guy. Hope Tom the best and look forward to seeing him get his shot.

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Lancaster Canucks First-Line

Lancaster

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The thing is that the Canucks aren't really a smaller team. Matthias and Kassian are huge, Dorsett is providing the muscle and being an effective player, and nobody on the Canucks who would really back down from the dirty stuff save for the Sedins, Vrbata (their role is to score), Horvat (rookie), Tanev and Weber.

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Dazzle Canucks Franchise Player

Dazzle

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I'd really love for Sestito to make a splash in the lineup. I've never been one to cheer for 'size' in a line-up, but I can understand the size obsession. I've always been a speed kind of guy.

Sestito needs to be more flexible in what he brings. If he can show that he can outwork other people, he'll be given a chance. I hope he does. I like him.

The 9 games inside the press box... the Canucks were winning. Did you want to put him in to ruin the chemistry?

Not a great article on him... he just comes across like a diva. He should be given a chance though.

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Hunter.S-Kerouac Canucks Regular

Hunter.S-Kerouac

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Better to have a disconnect with your plugs than your actual team. I'm totally fine with Zesti feeling a little jilted heck we picked him up off of waivers. Then the Aqua men went out and relocated our farm team to his home town so he would have somewhere to play. What more does he expect.

In seriousness I appreciate the guy he's actually not horrible at hockey and he is willing to bleed for the team which is a plus (I hated watching him get punched repeatedly then wrestle the other guy to the ice last year). He is a solid hitter and will be a handy injury call up or body to insert when playing a heavy team. I just don't see a line of Tito Horvat _______ being the environment you want to be vetting Horvat in. He could potentially be a solid asset come playoffs if we get there, when players get banged up and we need a big body to push back.

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oldnews Canucks Hall-of-Famer

oldnews

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If your coach wants you to play the game with more pace, imo it's not really good enough to come up with a response like this:

"I'm just playing the same way I've always played. That's what got me here. It's what got me into this league, being a physical presence. It's what I've got to do to be in the lineup. It's a pretty simple game I play, and if they're not a fan of it, I've got to play somewhere else, I guess."

A lot of us appreciate Sestito and what he brought to the team last year, but realistically, he's not as good as anyone in the lineup - not really even close - so protesting that he hasn't been given a chance doesn't really ring true. He hasn't really deserved to be in the lineup, simple as that, and it's unlikely that he'd have made a difference relative to the other depth players in the bottom six, who have all played some very solid hockey.

"I definitely think that, but I haven't been given a chance," he said. "I haven't been given a fair shake here yet. It's his (Desjardins') team, he's the coach. I'm just going to put my head down and do what I've got to do."

I think Tom is on his way out. Imo you can't really make public comments to the effect that your coach isn't being fair to you, or that you're just playing the game you always have when you've been asked to play with more pace, and hope to get anywhere with that kind of a protest.

I wish him well, but I won't be surprised to find a Trade thread about him relatively soon.

And leave it to the Province to go digging to publish this kind of rift. Fit's their style.

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Trebreh Canucks Franchise Player

Trebreh

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i back Sestito on this one. from day one when WD was named head coach he said he didnt like staged fighting and would like to see more from Sestito on the game side. So Tom got in shape in the off season and waited a long time to play his first game and did everything WD asked for, he was physical and got an assist in his first game. If im Sestito im asking wth do i have to do to win this guy over? he never gave him a fair shake from day 1.

If the flames lose tomorrow night they will come in here grumpy and you bet Hartley will be brining his goons on Saturday. Without Kassian and Sestito our team is soft as hell.. Bieksa and Dorsett will have a long night.

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MayRayDown Canucks Regular

MayRayDown

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"I'm just playing the same way I've always played. That's what got me here. It's what got me into this league, being a physical presence. It's what I've got to do to be in the lineup. It's a pretty simple game I play, and if they're not a fan of it, I've got to play somewhere else, I guess."

"It's a pretty simple game I play, and if they're not a fan of it"

Sounds like he played his game and not WD's

i back Sestito on this one. from day one when WD was named head coach he said he didnt like staged fighting and would like to see more from Sestito on the game side. So Tom got in shape in the off season and waited a long time to play his first game and did everything WD asked for, he was physical and got an assist in his first game. If im Sestito im asking wth do i have to do to win this guy over? he never gave him a fair shake from day 1.

If the flames lose tomorrow night they will come in here grumpy and you bet Hartley will be brining his goons on Saturday. Without Kassian and Sestito our team is soft as hell.. Bieksa and Dorsett will have a long night.

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