redhdlois Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 It would have also made us a one line team. Bad idea. Vrbata is a great option with the twins on the PP or loading up a line/pulling the goalie. Otherwise the team is better off spreading the offense and with more complimentary line mates. I guess I just have to respectfully disagree..........spreading the 'offense' resulted in less offense IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spankenstyne Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Actually their young guys showed they deserved the chance to outplay their vets but were not totally expected to already be better players. The two teams are in similar circumstances actually. The vets are not playing any better than the promise of what the young kids can do. Bennett was brought in having proved nothing to earn a top 6 job over a vet. The vets proved they couldn't handle the job as well as the potential that Bennett could. So he was given an opportunity. And as butt hurt as cdc is about him he proved them right. Part of earning it is having the right tool set for the job at hand. The difference between Calgary and Van is that in Calgary earning it can come from a vet not earning it. In Van only the young player has to earn it no matter what the vet does. Dramatic difference in philosophy. I see it as the same philosophy, but different circumstances. For starters they didn't really come into the year with the same kind of depth Vancouver had on paper. It may be because I live in Calgary but out here Hartley until very recently was seen as very much a pro-veteran player coach. I see & heard many of the same things said about him that are being said about WD. Look at TJ Brodie, the guy was outplaying most of their D from the get-go & showing tons of potential but didn't get a full season in the NHL until he was 22 (year before this one). Sam Bennett earned his shot. He was one of their best players in the pre-season before his injury, and still was sent down to the OHL when he healed up. Hartely called him their best player in a preseason game vs the Canucks even. The Flames were forced to call him up if they wanted to see him get any actual NHL games (after his OHL season finished) because if he was would be subject to waivers if shipped to the AHL. Then when called up he was a healthy scratch & didn't get a game in until after they officially locked up a playoff spot. Then in spite of playing great for a few playoff games he was moved down to the 4th line behind vets who were playing better once he started to fade. Ferkland is 23 and only played because Bouma is hurt. He wasn't supposed to be playing. They're very adamant about earned not given. They don't play youngsters unless they are outplaying vets, the same things that WD was saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I guess I just have to respectfully disagree..........spreading the 'offense' resulted in less offense IMO. No Burrows or Kassian and the team still doing without a top 4 capable offensive D resulted in less offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillipBlunt Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I only see one flaw in your thought process, yes the Flames won the series but they didn't "knock" the Canucks out, the Canucks played themselves out of the series. In four of the 6 games the Canucks were clearly the better team. Game one they took their foot off the gas and made two mistakes late, costing them the game. Game six at 3-0 they had Calgary dead and buried - I mean dead, the looks on the Flames and the Flames coaches told you they were done, until the Canucks stopped the aggressive forecheck and started to coast. That let the Flames back in. I can guarantee you the Flames youth and playing young players before they are ready will hurt them in the next series and next year. The Canucks approach is the right approach. Its the Red Wing approach. The Flames approach is the Oilers' approach, which organization would you rather emulate? Where does this "foot of the gas" mentality come from? I've seen it before and would like to think that Benning might be able to determine who the lazy ass players are and ship them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stawns Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 If management come back with essentially the same team next year with zero augmentation in size and toughness, they won't make the post season. At all. Signing Weber is a mistake, as was signing Sbisa. I was under the impression that Benning wanted to make the team tougher to play against. Instead it looks like he's signing all the fringe defensemen he can find. His whole quote of having really good players in a winning environment seems counterintuitive when you resign two defensemen who were useless plugs in the first round of the playoffs. you want them to be tougher to play against, then run down Sbisa? He's one of the very few who are tough(ish) to play aginst Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winesellar69 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I'd like to make a few observations and comments generally on the team and where they're going. 1) I'm surprised by all of the talk of Vancouver being such an old team. Vancouver has, if I counted correct 8 or 9 players 30 or older. By comparison, Calgary has 8, Chicago has 11, the Kings have 8 and the Rangers have 8. So this is a red herring - Vancouver isn’t any older than the other top teams. 2) yes the Sedins are getting older. So are you. I’m shocked people want them gone, instead of to stay but become our 2nd line, NOT our first line. Its that time. They can still play 16-17 minutes and still produce 40-50 pts/year until they retire well into their 40’s, they just should no longer be our #1 line counted on for most of our offence. Plus the raft of young players will benefit massively from the Sedins staying here. 3) I think there are ample examples this season of younger players being more prepared to step into the NHL from Junior - Gaudreau, Ferkland, Bennett, Horvat are two examples just in our series. The playoffs are chalk a block full of rookies lighting it up - the NHL has never seen this and its going to continue - its called conditioning and fitness. I do agree with mgmt’s position that they need to earn their spots but I disagree that we don’t need more young blood sooner. Hopefully, Corrado, Shinkaruk, Virtanen, and Gaunce all work their butts off this summer. 4) You can’t just replace everyone like Hamhuis, Bieksa, Weber, Hansen, et al with rookies and expect to win. (See Edmonton = #fail). you need a mix of vets and rookies. 5) Yes we need to get bigger, grittier and faster. Hopefully Horvat, and the rookies can do that. And likely we’ll need to trade up to a younger, big stud of a D-man. 6) As emotionally attached I am to Bieksa as a franchise guy, I think there will have to be some tough decisions. whether its him (lost a step), Hansen (speed, no hands), or Higgins (great worker, terrible on the rush). So yes 2-3 trades are in order to clear the way for some new blood. so, 7) New Circle of trust (Sedins, Horvat, Dorsett, Tanev, Hamhuis, Edler, Vrbata). Likely add Virtanen next year. 8) New Young blood (Clendening, Corrado, Virtanen, Gaunce, Shinkaruk, Cassels, McCann, Subban). Any 4-6 of them should be on the team in next 1-2 years. I think next year its Virtanen, Gaunce, Shinkaruk, and either Corrado or Clendening. 9) On the Bubble (likely keep but not 100%): Weber, Burrows, Baertschi, Kenins 10) Outside looking in (likely gone): Richardson, Bonino, Hansen, Matthias, 11) Trades - OUT: Vey (too soft), Higgins (horrible on the rush, can’t drive to the net), Bieksa (its time), Kassian (too many chances), Sbisa (too many mistakes, Stanton (overtaken by rookies on depth chart). IN: a big top 2 D-man, and a replacement for Kassian to play with the Twins (unless Gaunce can step in here). 12) 2015-16 Virtanen Horvat Vrbata Sedin Sedin Gaunce Shinkaruk Bonino Burrows Baertschi Richardson Dorsett New #1 D Tanev Edler Weber Hamhuis Corrado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice orca Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I guess with the Sbisa and Weber(if he is) signings that we really do not plan on bringing back Bieksa and/or Hamhuis. Also wonder what is going to happen with Stanton, Corrado and Clendening next season Doesn't look good for Stanton or Corrado if they dont move out a couple of vets on the blueline. Clendening was aquired by Benning and i think he has to play on the big club or is lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Surfer Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Really disappointed when I heard Benning say this. I don't think him and Willie get it. Disappointed so many "smart" hockey people really aren't that smart Its not that I do not share other peoples desire to have an impact D man (I posted such a request long before we signed Garrison, and expressed his signing was not good enough or what I wanted...). When Benning suggested ''we were done'' once the Kesler, Vrbata and Miller transactions were finalized last summer > I immediately chimed in that we still needed a major boost to our D! But signing Weber should not be seen as any more than retaining a RFA asset. As much as he made, what I hope is a mistake, the comment in response to wanting an impact D man; I am pretty sure Benning does not a believe a Norris career is in Weber's future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Surfer Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Imagin flames without furland and that's what missing kassian meant the the canucks. He would have made a huge difference. Kassian is a different player than Ferland. Bigger, more skills, and fights better. But... In fact an ongoing piece of frustration is that Kassian did not / does not routinely and intensely fore-check and hit as Ferland does. Or a smaller Kenins does! We missed Kassian anyway for the match up body, puck control and net presence. But he still needs to up his game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShakyWalton Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I'm going to close my eyes and put my blind faith with these guys, because my gut hates every single thing they're doing. have to agree..I dont like what I am seeing or hearing lately..but like you..Im just a fan and hope we havent all seen this movie before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShakyWalton Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 and I don't understand why he wasn't playing with them in the playoffs.......we needed a finisher on that line and Hansen clearly wasn't the right guy. sounds to me with WDs quote that some things stay in the room...might mean a clash of some sort..we might have seen the last of Verbby......Im beginning to think WD is on his own agenda and stubborn as hell...not a fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaudette Celly Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Kassian is a different player than Ferland. Bigger, more skills, and fights better. But... In fact an ongoing piece of frustration is that Kassian did not / does not routinely and intensely fore-check and hit as Ferland does. Or a smaller Kenins does! We missed Kassian anyway for the match up body, puck control and net presence. But he still needs to up his game. Kassian would have provided a number of things, but it's more that he would have straightened Ferklund out from all his running round and put his head on a swivel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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