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Higgins needs to be scratched!


Zigmund.Palffy

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I don't disagree. He's been terrible this season. He coughs the puck up like it's a phlegm. How he's still being used to kill penalties is beyond me.

higgins is a top notch defensive player...and willie uses him to be the defensive conscience of the line he's on...baerschi can score but can he play defensively...i don't know...we now have lost richardson and burrows...our penalty killing has suffered for it....calgary's speed is what is killing us.
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If anything Vrbata's playoff no-show / deer in headlights act is having far more of an impact on the quality of our top 6 than any other one player.

I think our entire top 6 other than the Sedins is sub par. Time to give the young kids a chance to earn a top 6 role next year. It's not like the Canucks have a great chance at moving on anyway. Get them that experience and maybe be surprised by their ability to step up. Or not. It doesn't matter either way at this point. But it is time for Desjardins to show he can make adjustments and take some chances on young players. His stubborn reliance on miscast glue guys and medicine hat alumni is costing this team dearly. And his inability to adjust is evident in this series.

Benning needs to break up this core in the offseason and give us hope again even if it is short term losing. Because I know I would rather watch that movie than the rerun I keep seeing with this core every year.

Sedin-Sedin-Vrbata

Baertschi-Horvat-Hansen

Higgins-Bonino-Matthias

Kenins-Vey-Dorsett

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higgins is a top notch defensive player...and willie uses him to be the defensive conscience of the line he's on...baerschi can score but can he play defensively...i don't know...we now have lost richardson and burrows...our penalty killing has suffered for it....calgary's speed is what is killing us.

Calgary has a very beatable goalie. The Canucks will win this series by scoring, not by trying to shut down Calgary. Higgins has looked far from top notch defensively though in my opinion. Still above average but what he brings isn't enough to overcome what he does not bring to the top 6. He should be in the bottom 6 even if that means Baertschi in the top 6.

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Oh no! Higgins "annoyed" op. Better trade him.

Lol what a joke it is , pinning blame on Higgins for the last couple losses.

First off, I agree that he shouldn't be in the top six.

But , he is frickin beauty third line grinder and plays his ass off for us.

Macmillan is brutal. I never want to see him in a nucks jersey again. And linden vey was invisible last night. Vey is officially in my dog house but again, he's playing a role he is not suited to.

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I think our entire top 6 other than the Sedins is sub par. Time to give the young kids a chance to earn a top 6 role next year. It's not like the Canucks have a great chance at moving on anyway. Get them that experience and maybe be surprised by their ability to step up. Or not. It doesn't matter either way at this point. But it is time for Desjardins to show he can make adjustments and take some chances on young players. His stubborn reliance on miscast glue guys and medicine hat alumni is costing this team dearly. And his inability to adjust is evident in this series.

Benning needs to break up this core in the offseason and give us hope again even if it is short term losing. Because I know I would rather watch that movie than the rerun I keep seeing with this core every year.

Sedin-Sedin-Vrbata

Baertschi-Horvat-Hansen

Higgins-Bonino-Matthias

Kenins-Vey-Dorsett

I'd be fine with moving Vrbata at the deadline next year given his playoff history and what I've seen this series. Let him rack up his regular season goals and help get the team to the dance and trade him for a tidy return given he's not going to help you come playoffs anyway.

If Virtanen surprises at camp, you could move him even sooner.

Otherwise we could easily role with:

Sedin, Sedin, Burrows/Kassian

Baer, Bonino, Burrows/Kassian

Kenins, Horvat, Hansen

Higgins, Richardson/Gaunce/UFA etc, Dorsett

Vey as spare and can fill in on that RW if there's injuries and Grenier seems to be making strides in Utica. We have plenty of depth on LW if we need to call up (Shinkaruk, Zalewski, Gaunce etc). Jensen can play both if he ever gets it together.

If Virtanen can make the club you can shift Burrows back to LW, and put Kenins back in Utica or move Hansen to LW.

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higgins is a top notch defensive player...and willie uses him to be the defensive conscience of the line he's on...baerschi can score but can he play defensively...i don't know...we now have lost richardson and burrows...our penalty killing has suffered for it....calgary's speed is what is killing us.

In previous years I'd agree with you, but he's been bad all year. I don't know why. Maybe this season is just a blip or he needs better direction from his coaches. I don't know, but it's not just the playoffs that's for sure.

My biggest complaint about him is that he's no longer skating onto the puck. He just stands there and watches it, waits for someone else (even the other team) to get to it, even if he could have gotten there first. He's being far too tentative and that's just not like him. Again, maybe it's a coaching problem and they've told him to play differently than how he's best but whatever the reason if they can't resolve it he's often more of a hindrance than a help, especially on the PK.

But, excellent point about having lost Richardson and Burrows now. With those 2 players out Higgins is in because there just isn't enough depth in that kind of player to replace him in the lineup or even on the PK.

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With Richardson and Burrows:

Sedin - Sedin - Burrows

Baertschi - Bonino - Vrbata

Higgins - Horvat - Hansen

Matthias - Richardson - Dorsett

Edler - Tanev

Hamhuis - Bieksa

Sbisa - Weber

Miller

Lack

Without Richardson and Burrows:

Sedin - Sedin - Vrbata

Baertschi - Bonino - Hansen

Higgins - Horvat - Vey

Kenins - Matthias - Dorsett

Edler - Tanev

Hamhuis - Bieksa

Sbisa - Weber

Miller

Lack

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With Richardson and Burrows:

Sedin - Sedin - Burrows

Baertschi - Bonino - Vrbata

Higgins - Horvat - Hansen

Matthias - Richardson - Dorsett

Edler - Tanev

Hamhuis - Bieksa

Sbisa - Weber

Miller

Lack

Without Richardson and Burrows:

Sedin - Sedin - Vrbata

Baertschi - Bonino - Hansen

Higgins - Horvat - Vey

Kenins - Matthias - Dorsett

Edler - Tanev

Hamhuis - Bieksa

Sbisa - Weber

Miller

Lack

Bonino to 3rd line , horvat to 2nd he deserves a promotion

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