mpt Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 I was one of the most vocal supporters of Virtanen on CDC going into the draft last year and I was very pleased when we got him. Of course stats don't tell everything and more importantly it is far too early to tell which player is the best NHLer. My point is that it is clearly evident that Ehlers and Nylander had better draft +1 seasons than Virtanen. That being said, Virtanen is still extremely young (for his draft class) and I believe he suffered from a below average shooting percentage which should regress up. Consequently, I expect Virtanen to have a monster +2 season in the WHL next year. I was more concerned when Ritchie was chosen over Virtanen to start with McDavid at the WJC I also think that Virtanen is eligible to play in the AHL next season because he's played 4 seasons for the Hitmen (one year was only 9 games so I'm not sure if that counts - I think it does). Can anyone confirm? McCann has to go back for sure but I think Virtanen can play in Utica unless they don't count his first year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl's Jn Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 It's too early to tell if he's made any mistakes no its not! he signed sbisa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumerman77 Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 I was more concerned when Ritchie was chosen over Virtanen to start with McDavid at the WJC I also think that Virtanen is eligible to play in the AHL next season because he's played 4 seasons for the Hitmen (one year was only 9 games so I'm not sure if that counts - I think it does).Can anyone confirm? McCann has to go back for sure but I think Virtanen can play in Utica unless they don't count his first year No, he is not eligible for the AHL next year (until his junior season ends) so it will be NHL or WHL for him. I am hoping for the latter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpt Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 No, he is not eligible for the AHL next year (until his junior season ends) so it will be NHL or WHL for him. I am hoping for the latter. Why not? He's played 4 seasons in junior Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Why not? He's played 4 seasons in junior He has only played 3 technically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpt Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 no its not! he signed sbisa. I would've signed Sbisa too, I like him unlike all you guys here. Only defender that plays physical, just stop playing him with Bieksa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpt Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 He has only played 3 technically. What do they consider a season? 25 games? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 I would've signed Sbisa too, I like him unlike all you guys here. Only defender that plays physical, just stop playing him with Bieksa That's the thing. Bieksa made anyone he was with look bad this season because of his bad reads. Sbisa can still turn into a solid acquisition for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 What do they consider a season? 25 games? Not sure the exact number but I know it's more than 9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpt Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 That's the thing. Bieksa made anyone he was with look bad this season because of his bad reads. Sbisa can still turn into a solid acquisition for us. Agreed, he's easily a top 4 D in a year or 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two drink minimum Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Why not? He's played 4 seasons in juniorDoesn't turn 20 till 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpt Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Doesn't turn 20 till 2016 20 by December 31 or played 4 seasons in the CHL; his first year doesn't count. It's not always about age Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyHatnDart Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 I would've signed Sbisa too, I like him unlike all you guys here. Only defender that plays physical, just stop playing him with Bieksa I'm with you on the Sbisa train too. Cap hit isn't bad, he's paid like a 4-5 guy, which I believe he can be. He's very young still for a defenceman, I have high hopes that he'll pan out for us and all the people hating him will shut their traps when his contract begins to look like a fantastic deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosierdaddy Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 I'm with you on the Sbisa train too. Cap hit isn't bad, he's paid like a 4-5 guy, which I believe he can be. He's very young still for a defenceman, I have high hopes that he'll pan out for us and all the people hating him will shut their traps when his contract begins to look like a fantastic deal. Agreed! he's a young player. He'll be much improved with a better partner and played in the right role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diakonos Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 I've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating: Sbisa should not be considered a prospect. He's a 25 year old defenceman. If he were going to become a quality NHL defenceman, it would have happened by now. Let me remind you that Stanton and Weber are also 25 years old—why aren't people saying that we should give them 3.6M and let them grow into that money? The other 25-year old defencemen who played near-full NHL seasons: Jake Muzzin, Brendan Smith, Kevin Shattenkirk, P.K. Subban, Thomas Hickey, Karl Azner, and Ryan McDonough. Does anyone really think Sbisa's name belongs here? Rhys Jessop discusses the question of NHL defenceman improving after age 25 here: http://canucksarmy.com/2015/3/19/should-the-canucks-re-sign-luca-sbisa I mean, we can keep hoping. But defenders who become good NHLers show it by now. For all his supposed size and toolkit, all the NHL has seen of Sbisa is limited offensive contribution and atrocious defensive coverage. It's naive to think that, unlike almost all other 25 year olds who have been mediocre during their time in the NHL, Sbisa is suddenly going to improve—that he's the exception. I don't see any reason at all to believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpt Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating: Sbisa should not be considered a prospect. He's a 25 year old defenceman. If he were going to become a quality NHL defenceman, it would have happened by now. Let me remind you that Stanton and Weber are also 25 years oldwhy aren't people saying that we should give them 3.6M and let them grow into that money? The other 25-year old defencemen who played near-full NHL seasons: Jake Muzzin, Brendan Smith, Kevin Shattenkirk, P.K. Subban, Thomas Hickey, Karl Azner, and Ryan McDonough. Does anyone really think Sbisa's name belongs here? Rhys Jessop discusses the question of NHL defenceman improving after age 25 here:http://canucksarmy.com/2015/3/19/should-the-canucks-re-sign-luca-sbisa I mean, we can keep hoping. But defenders who become good NHLers show it by now. For all his supposed size and toolkit, all the NHL has seen of Sbisa is limited offensive contribution and atrocious defensive coverage. It's naive to think that, unlike almost all other 25 year olds who have been mediocre during their time in the NHL, Sbisa is suddenly going to improvethat he's the exception. I don't see any reason at all to believe it. He isn't a prospect, he's worth the money we are paying him. He'll continue to get better like most 25 year olds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I was one of the most vocal supporters of Virtanen on CDC going into the draft last year and I was very pleased when we got him. Of course stats don't tell everything and more importantly it is far too early to tell which player is the best NHLer. My point is that it is clearly evident that Ehlers and Nylander had better draft +1 seasons than Virtanen. That being said, Virtanen is still extremely young (for his draft class) and I believe he suffered from a below average shooting percentage which should regress up. Consequently, I expect Virtanen to have a monster +2 season in the WHL next year. The other two had "Better" draft +1 seasons offensively. But Jake is closer to being an NHLer than either of them in my opinion. Those two were deployed offensively, while Jake has been deployed to bring energy and hit everything not in the same jersey. If he ever got PP time and 1st line minutes we'd all be speaking differently of his season. He flew up the Utica lineup because of his play. Can't be overlooked. Especially on a team that was competing for the Calder Cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamJamIam Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating: Sbisa should not be considered a prospect. He's a 25 year old defenceman. If he were going to become a quality NHL defenceman, it would have happened by now. Let me remind you that Stanton and Weber are also 25 years old—why aren't people saying that we should give them 3.6M and let them grow into that money? The other 25-year old defencemen who played near-full NHL seasons: Jake Muzzin, Brendan Smith, Kevin Shattenkirk, P.K. Subban, Thomas Hickey, Karl Azner, and Ryan McDonough. Does anyone really think Sbisa's name belongs here? Rhys Jessop discusses the question of NHL defenceman improving after age 25 here: http://canucksarmy.com/2015/3/19/should-the-canucks-re-sign-luca-sbisa I mean, we can keep hoping. But defenders who become good NHLers show it by now. For all his supposed size and toolkit, all the NHL has seen of Sbisa is limited offensive contribution and atrocious defensive coverage. It's naive to think that, unlike almost all other 25 year olds who have been mediocre during their time in the NHL, Sbisa is suddenly going to improve—that he's the exception. I don't see any reason at all to believe it. CanucksArmy is a joke unless its Drance who is writing, which is almost never now. I'm shocked people don't know this yet. It's been a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintPatrick33 Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 What exactly do Sbisa supporters see in his game that he would improve? Maybe if you watch once every 10 games where he will throw a hit. Skating, puck handling, passing, decision making is AHL level. I guess he showed his physical play versus the teenagers in Calgary during the playoffs, or maybe he got plastered more than he hit. I would love to see him become what he was projected as a first rounder, but 7 years in the league and not one stand out skill set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyHatnDart Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 What exactly do Sbisa supporters see in his game that he would improve? Maybe if you watch once every 10 games where he will throw a hit. Skating, puck handling, passing, decision making is AHL level. I guess he showed his physical play versus the teenagers in Calgary during the playoffs, or maybe he got plastered more than he hit. I would love to see him become what he was projected as a first rounder, but 7 years in the league and not one stand out skill set. Except we're paying him as a #4-5 and for that he's a good fit. Pair him with a partner who compliments his skill set and you're going to be surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.