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Short term pain for long term gain (Discussion)


J.I.A.H.N

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I don't believe in the switch, it's a remarkable thing and incredibly rare, but I guess it can happen- just wouldn't bet on it. The question is how much patience is too much, Kassian does happen to fit the bill as far as future needs.. Except when he's playing hockey, most of the time unfortunately.

This team is so heavily dependent on he development of Virtanen, and fast. We need guys with good shots too, but Jensen and Shinkaruk may not end up as full time NHLers unless they make the roster regularly. Having guys 'developing' indefinitely up and over the age of 20 doesn't seem like the best approach considering the number of roster spots being taken up by underperforming vets. Gaunce is a fringe NHLer at best. None of these guys are going to make the roster unless there is room. At least 2 of these guys MUST be ready to go in the next 2 years or less.

How long should it be practical to wait for a player to develop? At this point we're looking at a team that is guaranteed to descend even after injecting youth. The only hope is to rebound fast - If there's a way to dump some age for some speed the time is right now, even if it means trading Kassian for an even younger player that works, in order to bridge a year or two of 'mediocrity' and 'youth in the lineup' before the youth take over. there is no way around the age of this team.

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At least I was being honest, and regards to my spelling I never paid attention in high school in English and I'm not afraid to admit it, I learned most of my spelling after high school on my own. I still don't know everything, and probably won't in my life time, but I really don't care, plus this is a social media board not a spelling test. Not everyone is the same in the world and it actually pisses me off on this site, where everyone compares people on here, because of their spelling, which is stupid.

On a message board, the only image that is projected for others to see is your name, profile pic, signature, and writing style. Your writing style, while completely optional to you, represents how others see you. That is the most important way of representing yourself. The odd typo here and there won't get noticed, but when you only write a single line stating that you didn't even read the post you are responding to it just seems lazy. It makes others question why you are even posting on this thread.

It's like tl; dr. It comes across as lazy disrespect for the OP's thoughts, especially when they did a good job of writing them. It fails to further the conversation.

On topic, I still disagree on the tanking plan. I'm still hoping for us to win 1 playoff series this year, and I would be content with that. It's been since 2011 (it is 2015 now!) since we have even won a single series. Even worse, in that time we have only won a single playoff game, compared to 8 losses. We need to get back on the winning train, even if it only goes as far as the second round.

It will create a more confident atmosphere going into the next two seasons, when we slowly start advancing our prospects up through the lineup. Trading vets will not result in a top 10 pick in the 2015 draft, as draft picks are extremely pricey this year. We won't get one unless we massively overpaid, and even then the other team probably couldn't pick up the salary without dumping their own high priced vets, defeating the purpose of the trade.

We play the market as it fluctuates. Buy when demand is low and sell when demand is high. Don't rush into anything, because we are in the midst of a rebuild, even if the GM avoids the word like the plague. JB is not tanking, but he isn't content with us at the moment. The good thing is we are a few years from potentially becoming a contender, which means we have a lot of time to be patient with trades and development. In 2011 we did not have that time and patience available, but now we do.

Just enjoy the games when they win. Hope they overachieve and be content if they don't. Good things are on the horizon, as long we don't panic when things aren't amazing right off the bat.

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I don't see Benning panicking at or near the deadline and trading for a stop gap player. He's been pretty clear that he is not trading away picks and prospects.

Miller and Vrbata were signed because they filled an obvious need that youth could not fill yet. Markstrom wasn't ready for a lot of NHL minutes and Jensen wasn't ready for a top 6 role.

Ah never mind, I see the plan on this thread. Let's taaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. It's a simple, genius plan that surely won't fail. Ship out Hamhuis, Higgins, Hansen, Bonino, Burrows and fill them with Corrado, Shinkaruk, Jensen, and Gaunce even though they're not ready. Let's get so bad the Sedin's and Bieksa will be disgusted enough to waive their NTC's. We'll be so bad Edmonton will blush. TANK TANK TANKITY TANK TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKKKKKKK.

If anything else it'll be interesting.

Way more interesting than slowly but steadily amassing young talent that can be given the time to properly grow.

feel better now...

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I don't believe in the switch, it's a remarkable thing and incredibly rare, but I guess it can happen- just wouldn't bet on it. The question is how much patience is too much, Kassian does happen to fit the bill as far as future needs.. Except when he's playing hockey, most of the time unfortunately.

This team is so heavily dependent on he development of Virtanen, and fast. We need guys with good shots too, but Jensen and Shinkaruk may not end up as full time NHLers unless they make the roster regularly. Having guys 'developing' indefinitely up and over the age of 20 doesn't seem like the best approach considering the number of roster spots being taken up by underperforming vets. Gaunce is a fringe NHLer at best. None of these guys are going to make the roster unless there is room. At least 2 of these guys MUST be ready to go in the next 2 years or less.

How long should it be practical to wait for a player to develop? At this point we're looking at a team that is guaranteed to descend even after injecting youth. The only hope is to rebound fast - If there's a way to dump some age for some speed the time is right now, even if it means trading Kassian for an even younger player that works, in order to bridge a year or two of 'mediocrity' and 'youth in the lineup' before the youth take over. there is no way around the age of this team.

Right wing; Vrbata-33 Burrows-33 Hansen-28. Kassian 23 All are close to their next birthday. Kassian fits our future needs in many ways.

Dump some age? Seriously?? Kassian is younger than all but two of our current roster players. Do you Kassian haters actually read the crap you spew?

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I don't believe in the switch, it's a remarkable thing and incredibly rare, but I guess it can happen- just wouldn't bet on it. The question is how much patience is too much, Kassian does happen to fit the bill as far as future needs.. Except when he's playing hockey, most of the time unfortunately.

This team is so heavily dependent on he development of Virtanen, and fast. We need guys with good shots too, but Jensen and Shinkaruk may not end up as full time NHLers unless they make the roster regularly. Having guys 'developing' indefinitely up and over the age of 20 doesn't seem like the best approach considering the number of roster spots being taken up by underperforming vets. Gaunce is a fringe NHLer at best. None of these guys are going to make the roster unless there is room. At least 2 of these guys MUST be ready to go in the next 2 years or less.

How long should it be practical to wait for a player to develop? At this point we're looking at a team that is guaranteed to descend even after injecting youth. If there's a way to dump some age for some speed the time is right now.

Okay, I'm going to actually call things in your post. I completely disagree with the bolded.

1. His first couple of games back from injury he played well, but he is also being eased back into the lineup. It'd be rather biased to think his hockey game is doing absolutely nothing. That's far from the truth.

2. This team will continue to play with or without Virtanen. We are not Edmonton and don't rely on single players to bail us out of holes. Our 4 forward lines are all contributing. Prospects are being swapped (ie. Pedan, etc). How does that somehow correlate to us depending entirely on Virtanen?

3. Most players don't enter the NHL until AFTER 20, so to expect teams to base player development on how they are before or at the age of 20 would be foolish. I read someone else's post recently that power forwards and defensemen especially take longer to develop. If you're expecting us to not develop players over the age of 20 then you're going to be disappointed with ANY team in this league. It simply does not happen this way.

4. With Gaunce: I know it's your opinion but based on what have you come up with this opinion exactly? Our prospects will make the team if they outplay our veterans. Nothing more. Nothing less. This is the same with Gaunce. For all we know, he could become our goto 3rd line center. He may become a superstar. We don't know. Absolute statements about the future such as yours do not make sense unless if you have a crystal ball, so please don't use them.

5. How long it takes for a player to develop only matters if there is no roster space for them period. Right now, there's a spot in the lineup for Kassian. Plain and simple.

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Just some quick facts to explain our reasons for not being a playoff competitive team this year, and one which explains why we have to rebuild.

In todays NHL, teams rely on Special teams to put themselves into a better competitive position when playing against their opposition. And in this statement lies our problems. Let's look!

Although we are ranked 10th in Power play percentage, this is somewhat misleading, and gives a false impression when looking at the Canucks. And here is why......

When we look at our Power Play, it runs and succeeds by way of the Sedins, all will admit they are slow, but they are magic when given room. The Sedins thrive on Power Plays and weak teams, as witnessed by our last 2 wins against Carolina and Phili.

There are 2 stats that show why we are not a team that will compete in the playoffs and one which might actually not even make the playoffs.....Are we as bad as last year? No, but we have problems and here they are....

#1. Our 5 on 5 play......this stat shows our pressure on other teams, and actually is as important to the power play stats as is the power play its self........we are ranked 21st in 5 on 5 play, and that has probably moved up a point or 2 since the last 2 games

#2. Now people will say that yes, but we are 10th in the league in Power Play %, and again, that is true, but is misleading, as the more telling stat is how many chances we actually get the Power Play compared to everyone else. In that stat, we are ranked 25th in Power Play Opportunities, which is a far more important stat.

This last stat has a direct correlation to our 5 on 5 play. If your team does not consistently control 5 on 5 play, you will not generate Power plays, therefore even if your power play is good, it just won't get on the ice enough to win.

The only thing that keeps us going is our Penalty Killing, which is great at 3rd overall in the league and keeps our goal differential between the Oppositions Power Play and our Power Play close, but as we play stiffer competition, those numbers do not mean as much, as 5 on 5 play starts to more and more dictate the final score of the games

The remedy to this reality is to obtain big, young, quick, offensively gifted players. Signing players like Vrbata and Miller only mask the problem as we are seeing...take Vrbata away from the mix, and we sink further into the hole. Keeping Vrbata, slows down the process, not a good idea in my opinion, this goes for others as well.

We need to be honest here, as our prospects, although solid, do not have top/elite offensive skills, other than Virtanen (and he needs to prove himself at a higher level) But over all, we are weak in that department, and need to address it quickly, or our rebuild will really start in 2 years....and by that I mean we will be much weaker and will then be picking regularly in the bottom 10.

I believe we can stem that tide, but it will be associated with some growing pains and acceptance of not being as competitive for the next couple of years....let's take advantage of our current position and the strong draft we are in......It is the time to trade our aging assets, that have worth today, but will have less in 2 years. Short term pain for long term gain!

Frack, another bloody throw in the towel thread! :frantic::bored::bored:

Someone should notice that the teams who won by dropping to the bottom of the heap, then returned to the top of the mountain had two common denominators;

1) They were bad for 6 to 10 years, then slow in rising. See Chicago and LA.

2) They scored top all star calibre talent with top picks. See Doughty, Kane & Toews.

The only team I can think of that turned the corner and won a cup fast was Pittsburgh. And that was lucky as well. They scored not just a top all star calibre player in Malkin with a high pick... They also scored Crosby, one of the top 3 generational players of the last 30 years. I think its worth reminding folks they also went bankrupt, and the team should have by all rights been moved. Divine league intervention helped Super Mario recover some of the tens of millions he was owed in the form of ownership equity.

Even amongst the TANK teams of yesteryear that won cups, it took 6 or 8 years for even Mario Lemieux's to win a cup. And he is one of the other two great generational talents of the last 30 years along with Gretzky. Guys who are banking on a McDavid generational talent to turn us in to a contender are ignoring teams like the Leaf's who sink all their hopes into one big Kessell of fish. Some guys are superb talents, but still not going to get you anywhere.Then your hooped for another ten years! The odd's of securing, developing and building a team around one superstar is just farther against the odd's than you think...

So what exactly is this SHORT term pain BS that you are referring to?

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On a message board, the only image that is projected for others to see is your name, profile pic, signature, and writing style. Your writing style, while completely optional to you, represents how others see you. That is the most important way of representing yourself. The odd typo here and there won't get noticed, but when you only write a single line stating that you didn't even read the post you are responding to it just seems lazy. It makes others question why you are even posting on this thread.

It's like tl; dr. It comes across as lazy disrespect for the OP's thoughts, especially when they did a good job of writing them. It fails to further the conversation.

On topic, I still disagree on the tanking plan. I'm still hoping for us to win 1 playoff series this year, and I would be content with that. It's been since 2011 (it is 2015 now!) since we have even won a single series. Even worse, in that time we have only won a single playoff game, compared to 8 losses. We need to get back on the winning train, even if it only goes as far as the second round.

It will create a more confident atmosphere going into the next two seasons, when we slowly start advancing our prospects up through the lineup. Trading vets will not result in a top 10 pick in the 2015 draft, as draft picks are extremely pricey this year. We won't get one unless we massively overpaid, and even then the other team probably couldn't pick up the salary without dumping their own high priced vets, defeating the purpose of the trade.

We play the market as it fluctuates. Buy when demand is low and sell when demand is high. Don't rush into anything, because we are in the midst of a rebuild, even if the GM avoids the word like the plague. JB is not tanking, but he isn't content with us at the moment. The good thing is we are a few years from potentially becoming a contender, which means we have a lot of time to be patient with trades and development. In 2011 we did not have that time and patience available, but now we do.

Just enjoy the games when they win. Hope they overachieve and be content if they don't. Good things are on the horizon, as long we don't panic when things aren't amazing right off the bat.

How I represent my self on a social media board is my choice, and personally I don't care I am who I am, and it's actually pretty sad how people would judge people by how someone writes, because last time I checked this isn't a personality test or anything like that. It's a place to voice your opinion and mind on how you feel, not trying to become someones best friend or personal companion on a website, that's actually just creepy. It's like the saying never judge a book by it's cover, but if that's how people do things on here that's pretty sad.

The thing is yes it's nice to be a dominate team of course it helps your chances way more for winning a cup, but in reality that's not always the case. Anything can happen, but you will never know until you take the risk or chances to get there and see. Of course this team isn't going to be a dominate team like they were in 2011 I know this, it probably won't be for another 3-5 years before they are that type of team again, and that's hoping, but we really don't know how our prospects will be in the future.

I've said this many times and I'll say it again, this team reminds me of the 94 team all over again, and that's what still gives me hope for this franchise. The team needs help here and there, but they have most of the players they need to go the distance, but they do need to make a few adjustments as in Defense, and offense. They have a lot of hard workers, but not enough finishers. They have some D, but they don't have the D needed to win a championship, like an Edler who should be helping out on the offensive end a lot more which he really struggles to do. I believe this team would be better off without him, for someone who can help more offensively and be a real leader on the back end.

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TL & JB were parachuted in to quickly perform a number of significant tasks.

Safe to say, most all of us would agree they've performed admirably, thus far.

It's also fair to say they owed it to the 'core' to give it one last reasonable shot. In my 'Sink Or Swim' post(about a wk back) I suggested they use these dozen games, to measure whether this group could perform(under some pressure).

Now they're at 2 and 2. If they can nab 10 pts(outa' the next 8 games) as a GM, I'd let the yr play out. If they FLOPPED hard at this crucial moment, I'd start tracking down NTC's for a lil' 'heart to heart'.

They are healthy(with a reasonable sched) at such a crucial juncture, so you challenge them to perform..these last two games certainly give reason for optimism.

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And you got upset when I said I didn't read your post because of your first line. Well, that's what you did to the OP.

But that's cool if you take offence at something you're doing yourself.

LOL if that's what you think then by all means continue thinking that then, I got upset with you trying to be the spelling king about my spelling not about reading my post, but just keep putting words out there that aren't true!

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Okay, I'm going to actually call things in your post. I completely disagree with the bolded.

1. His first couple of games back from injury he played well, but he is also being eased back into the lineup. It'd be rather biased to think his hockey game is doing absolutely nothing. That's far from the truth.

2. This team will continue to play with or without Virtanen. We are not Edmonton and don't rely on single players to bail us out of holes. Our 4 forward lines are all contributing. Prospects are being swapped (ie. Pedan, etc). How does that somehow correlate to us depending entirely on Virtanen?

3. Most players don't enter the NHL until AFTER 20, so to expect teams to base player development on how they are before or at the age of 20 would be foolish. I read someone else's post recently that power forwards and defensemen especially take longer to develop. If you're expecting us to not develop players over the age of 20 then you're going to be disappointed with ANY team in this league. It simply does not happen this way.

4. With Gaunce: I know it's your opinion but based on what have you come up with this opinion exactly? Our prospects will make the team if they outplay our veterans. Nothing more. Nothing less. This is the same with Gaunce. For all we know, he could become our goto 3rd line center. He may become a superstar. We don't know. Absolute statements about the future such as yours do not make sense unless if you have a crystal ball, so please don't use them.

5. How long it takes for a player to develop only matters if there is no roster space for them period. Right now, there's a spot in the lineup for Kassian. Plain and simple.

Ok I will elaborate, as far as 1, well I still see the same old Kass.

As for 2 I make the case not looking at an indefinite future. Look at how old the existing roster will be in two years. The overall strength of the team depends on the bringing up of some talent, a standout as Virtanen could turn out to be. Look at the line up without the Sedins and tell me this team will go on forever unscathed by the utter lack of standouts and bright sparks left standing, honestly. It is a downward slope we are on- the statistics about age don't lie.

Our 4 forward lines are contributing, really? Where has the second line been lately? A few goals against some barely legitimate NHL goalies does not convince me that certain guys who almost literally vanish for over ten games at a time are going to stop doing that. Higgins Bonino and Burrows are having disappointing offensive production this year. The third and fourth lines are overachieving to their good merit but the top two have either been streaky or plain invisible for huge stretches this year.

As for most players entering the league at 20, that does not take into account the desperate need of some teams dictating that they bring guys in earlier and it has arguably worked in the long run in places like Colorado and before that Chicago and in a few other modern examples. Virtanen may not be Toews but he is a #6 pick for good reason, there's every reason to believe his game can translate to the NHL and if he builds strength he'll be a star player, who should be brought in the fold as soon as possible considering the age the rest of these guys will be when that happens! Looking ahead, it might be that we NEED them in whatever state they come in.

Gaunce, I just look at him against his contemporaries and he strikes me as a typical AHL middle lineup C that's all. I don't see him 'flipping a switch'.

As for 5 I believe NHL players develop in the NHL not forever compartmentalized in some farm team until they suddenly flip a switch and must be ushered up, when we have guys already in there who go 20 games with no freaking goals, on the second line.

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Great Debate!

Look here is my position on this

#1...The numbers don't lie.......if you don't understand the numbers I can't help you

#2...As someone said above..........the whistle gets put away in the playoffs

#3...In no way am I ignoring our prospects, but if you think that Bo Horvat is a #1 center..well good on you..and he is our best forward prospect.

#4. In general.......the NHL is full of 1st round picks.......disproportionately

#5 Statistically.......elite prospects come from the top 10........again disproportionately

#6. Even.....Even if we had 3 picks in the 2015 first round and 2 more in 2016....even if we did have all that, it will take time to ripen all those and the ones we already have.....we are in a different position than Detroit.....our previous GM's left our cupboard pretty bare, as well as being competitive for a long time......but really it was the drafting and trading away of picks

#7. Let's address this "Tanking" notion.........as is, we may still end up with a 11 to 14 pick....it could happen even if we play at current levels with the current players............but what I am saying is, in 2 to 3 years, we will not have Hank or Dank, and Vrbata,

Hamhuis will be 34 and a slightly above average #3/4, with no near the value he has now. we will have no one to take over for our #1 line..........do you see a #1 center...a number #1 lw and #1rw..........maybe one!. I.don't see any #1 defenseman either!

#8........and make no mistake on this.......unless we trade youth for upgrades, we will be loser's next year regardless.....so much for having our prospects growing up in a winning environment

#9. I am totally against trading any prospects for vets.........Totally against it!

The numbers don't win cups, teams do.

We've finished on top of the pack and won the President's Trophy and it meant.....nothing. The cup isn't handed out until someone wins it, despite the numbers. The numbers don't account for the fact that a team may be missing one of their top D men and the others are having to carry that load. The numbers don't factor in a bout of the flu, that eventually passes, but they do reflect it...so you have to count things of that nature. My deal is that sure, you can look for areas of strength/weakness but consider all the variables along with the statistics. Things that I've mentioned.

Again, the playoffs bring a whole new ballgame and, once in, it's anyone's cup to win. A fresh slate and all the regular season stats go out the window and become irrelevant. An injury on a team favoured to win or a goaltender that suddenly runs cold can mean the difference in success/failure and that can happen abruptly and turn things around.

Ask Edmonton about how #1 picks don't guarantee success. Again, paper is just that but the game is played, won and lost out there on the ice. You can't pencil in the results until it's a done deal and the numbers are derived from that, they don't decide the game.

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Great Debate!

Look here is my position on this

#1...The numbers don't lie.......if you don't understand the numbers I can't help you

#2...As someone said above..........the whistle gets put away in the playoffs

#3...In no way am I ignoring our prospects, but if you think that Bo Horvat is a #1 center..well good on you..and he is our best forward prospect.

#4. In general.......the NHL is full of 1st round picks.......disproportionately

#5 Statistically.......elite prospects come from the top 10........again disproportionately

#6. Even.....Even if we had 3 picks in the 2015 first round and 2 more in 2016....even if we did have all that, it will take time to ripen all those and the ones we already have.....we are in a different position than Detroit.....our previous GM's left our cupboard pretty bare, as well as being competitive for a long time......but really it was the drafting and trading away of picks

#7. Let's address this "Tanking" notion.........as is, we may still end up with a 11 to 14 pick....it could happen even if we play at current levels with the current players............but what I am saying is, in 2 to 3 years, we will not have Hank or Dank, and Vrbata,

Hamhuis will be 34 and a slightly above average #3/4, with no near the value he has now. we will have no one to take over for our #1 line..........do you see a #1 center...a number #1 lw and #1rw..........maybe one!. I.don't see any #1 defenseman either!

#8........and make no mistake on this.......unless we trade youth for upgrades, we will be loser's next year regardless.....so much for having our prospects growing up in a winning environment

#9. I am totally against trading any prospects for vets.........Totally against it!

i disagree

management has done a reasonable job of supplementing the team during the off season

with reasonably priced veterans and other additions

this a process that takes place annually to shore up weaknesses while waiting for younger players to develop

or fill in for other players that have been let go

your conclusion is based simply on your cynicism of the team

i think quality management can take a balanced approach to refreshing the team

they may have done that already for this year but it is too soon to tell

given how this team collapsed last year

but it is very unlikely this will occur again

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Ok I will elaborate, as far as 1, well I still see the same old Kass.

As for 2 I make the case not looking at an indefinite future. Look at how old the existing roster will be in two years. The overall strength of the team depends on the bringing up of some talent, a standout as Virtanen could turn out to be. Look at the line up without the Sedins and tell me this team will go on forever unscathed by the utter lack of standouts and bright sparks left standing, honestly. It is a downward slope we are on- the statistics about age don't lie.

Our 4 forward lines are contributing, really? Where has the second line been lately? A few goals against some barely legitimate NHL goalies does not convince me that certain guys who almost literally vanish for over ten games at a time are going to stop doing that. Higgins Bonino and Burrows are having disappointing offensive production this year. The third and fourth lines are overachieving to their good merit but the top two have either been streaky or plain invisible for huge stretches this year.

As for most players entering the league at 20, that does not take into account the desperate need of some teams dictating that they bring guys in earlier and it has arguably worked in the long run in places like Colorado and before that Chicago and in a few other modern examples. Virtanen may not be Toews but he is a #6 pick for good reason, there's every reason to believe his game can translate to the NHL and if he builds strength he'll be a star player, who should be brought in the fold as soon as possible considering the age the rest of these guys will be when that happens! Looking ahead, it might be that we NEED them in whatever state they come in.

Gaunce, I just look at him against his contemporaries and he strikes me as a typical AHL middle lineup C that's all. I don't see him 'flipping a switch'.

As for 5 I believe NHL players develop in the NHL not forever compartmentalized in some farm team until they suddenly flip a switch and must be ushered up, when we have guys already in there who go 20 games with no freaking goals, on the second line.

1. It's your opinion. I feel it's biased (as is most opinions really), but I'm assuming we'll agree to disagree.

2. Let's look at the off-season. We traded away an aging Kesler for a 26 year old in Bonino and a 24 year old in Sbisa. Both players are looking promising for us. We got rid of an aging Garrison and acquired a young Vey. Every indication is we are getting younger. Sure, we need young talent, but we're already in the process of working on it, and we're not entirely relying on Virtanen. He's a prospect just like any of our other young players. Does his blub look brighter? Of course, but that does not mean we're depending on him. Without the Sedins, we'd have money to throw at free agents or cap space for a major trade. The world never stays on one track. There's always more than 1 solution to anything. ;)

Yes. Our forward lines have all been contributing. If you don't believe me, listen to what Willie D has been saying in the interviews. Look at which lines have been scoring compared with recent years. We've had different lines chipping in each night. We haven't had this happen in a long time.

And give me a line in this league that has never had slow stints. I doubt there is any. Chicago, SJ and LA had slow starts this year. It's easy to be critical, but players are humans last I checked. (and hopefully for the foreseeable future!)

3. Remember Ryan Parent? He was supposed to have a bright future with the Flyers before coming here. He was rushed however. He never amounted to anything as a result. Could he have amounted to something if he wasn't rushed? We'll never truly know, but I'd be inclined to say he had the talent to be at least a top 4 defenseman. Parent's not an isolated example of this. Look at some of the Russian players who are rushed in fear of them leaving for the KHL: Yakupov, Nishkushkin, etc. Those players could easiily turn into a rushed Nikita Filatov. Filatov never amounted to much even though he was a toop 10 pick.

Rushing players isn't the answer in my opinion. We'd just turn into another Edmonton if that was the case.

4. I disagree but, as with Kassian, we're arguing on the future of a player. It's all speculation in the end.

5. I don't really think you're being reasonable with your expectations, but it's your opinion. You could always be cheering for Edmonton. They always like adding rushed players. ;)

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i don't look at this team the same others do....if you forget about goal scoring, we need guys like burrows, hansen, dorsett higgins and richardson....keeping pucks out of our net is so important when goals are hard to come by....until benning can make a trade for another goal scorer or two, we need these guys....kassian is a player we need when he plays gritty hockey.,,,he just can't do it regularly...how long can they wait for it to happen...perhaps they could package him and bieksa for a good defenseman and a 3rd round pick or a forward with some scoring skill ...benning will make moves when they make sense...

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Hits.

The Canucks do not have a single player ranked in the top 60 in hits. Derek Dorsett leads the team tied for 65th in the NHL with 94 hits. The league leaders have 180-200. Want to know who is next in the standings on this team? Kevin Bieksa and Luca Sbisa tied at 123rd in the NHL.

I'm sorry this seems to have fallen inbetween the cracks but you simply cannot ice an intimidating team and win with such passive play. Special teams are nice but you have to make yourself some space to play by throwing the bodies. Make guys afraid to descend on you in battles- there is none of that. Teams pile on us like it was a football game because there is absolutely 0 threat there. I say it makes more of a difference than special teams play.

Drawing penalties: You don't when you aren't skating, instead of drawing some interference or hooking slashing by being out of reach the Canucks are happy to be a bit slower and not move feet, just letting stick checks in, and their passing isn't accurate enough to make up for their loss of speed. The puck should be moving faster than the other teams players when we control the posession but it rarely is and that is why there are fewer offensive opportunities than there used to be. You either make space by being fast, by having accurate passing, or by hitting alot, or by having a good amount of two of these things...

Well for a team that is so poor in hits we seem to have found a way to win. 6th in the West and we haven't started hitting yet, that sounds good to me.

You keep your big hitting for the playoffs because you need to stay healthy.

Ironic maybe that NYI have the 1st and 2nd place in hitters and Nashville have only 2 in the top 150.

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How I represent my self on a social media board is my choice, and personally I don't care I am who I am, and it's actually pretty sad how people would judge people by how someone writes, because last time I checked this isn't a personality test or anything like that. It's a place to voice your opinion and mind on how you feel, not trying to become someones best friend or personal companion on a website, that's actually just creepy. It's like the saying never judge a book by it's cover, but if that's how people do things on here that's pretty sad.

The thing is yes it's nice to be a dominate team of course it helps your chances way more for winning a cup, but in reality that's not always the case. Anything can happen, but you will never know until you take the risk or chances to get there and see. Of course this team isn't going to be a dominate team like they were in 2011 I know this, it probably won't be for another 3-5 years before they are that type of team again, and that's hoping, but we really don't know how our prospects will be in the future.

I've said this many times and I'll say it again, this team reminds me of the 94 team all over again, and that's what still gives me hope for this franchise. The team needs help here and there, but they have most of the players they need to go the distance, but they do need to make a few adjustments as in Defense, and offense. They have a lot of hard workers, but not enough finishers. They have some D, but they don't have the D needed to win a championship, like an Edler who should be helping out on the offensive end a lot more which he really struggles to do. I believe this team would be better off without him, for someone who can help more offensively and be a real leader on the back end.

I'm not necessarily ragging on your writing because you write well enough to convey your thoughts clearly. My comment is only that it is important to remember that the way a person writes influences how others react. It's a choice, but that choice affects how others perceive the poster. Again, you're posts are clear enough that it is not much of an issue, but you can see how it might have an effect if a person wrote like this: "Sedinz r greyt scorrers nd r y wee r da bast teem in da NHL." It would indicate a lack of thought towards the post (and I have seen many posters on pretty much every message board write like this). Typos do happen, and pobodies nerfect. It's only an issue when the poor spelling/ grammar starts to detract from how the content is read.

I agree that the D needs help, but I think Edler has matched too well with Tanev to throw that away. I think we would be better off bringing in another offensive defenseman who plays on another pairing. Edler hasn't been bad in the offensive end, but he has not put up points. Still, he has been the most important player on the back end this season, and I don't know that we could safely replace that with an pure offensive player.

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