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Why no love for Bonino?


VIC_CITY

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Cuz everyone here is pessimistic. Bonino is better than Kesler. His goals for and points for per 60 minutes played even strength last year were both better than Kesler.

The bone show is a beaut. People just hate because they aren't half as good looking.

dude you will have one good post then follow it up with something like this... Bones is in no way, shape or form better then Kesler. This coming from a guy who thinks Kesler is a dink.
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Bonino had a great start and a decent finish, but sucked for 3 months in the middle of the year from a points production standpoint. He could be better in faceoffs, but if he continues to center the second power play line, and that line can figure out how to score, that will shut some of the naysayers up.

I couldn't find stats on 1st PP line vs 2nd PP line for the league, but I got the impression that our 2nd PP group was severely underwhelming last year.

I'm happy to give him another year to put any of my doubts to rest. And at that cap hit, it's tough to go wrong.

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Why are people comparing Bonino and Kesler? Because they were involved in the same trade and played the same position? Rather Stupid IMHO.

They aren't the same type of player in any way and we also got Sbisa and a 1st in the trade. Bonino is a good 3rd line Centre with some potential offensive upside that could have him play Top 6 minutes on occasion. His cap hit is super friendly. He's a stop gap while our youngsters improve. Nothing more, nothing less.

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He's like Higgins, great contract, elite third liner, but just not a legitimate top 6 forward.

I don't see either of them being worthy of the word elite, in any NHL position. Bonino needs to own in the face off circle this year. If he does that a lot of the pressure will come off. I'm far from sold on either Bonino or Vey and wish we could move Higgins.

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Congratulations, you cannot comment on any NHL players ability on any team anywhere at any time with this one sentence lest you be a complete hypocrite

Ever again

I don't agree with the guy you quoted, but this counter argument was even worse.

I just think it's hilarious that people say, and I quote, "HE'S TOO SLOW, WAY TOO FREAKIN SLOW"

He's not as slow as people seem to think he is, he skates at an average NHL speed. He's not too slow, nor is he incredibly fast, but his hockey IQ and positioning are what make him a good centre. This guy is completely over exaggerating the situation in saying how slow he was, so I simply stated he was fast enough to make the NHL and score goals, which means he must not be "TOO SLOW, WAY TOO FREAKIN SLOW" As coaches, and GMs don't seem to think so.

kthnxbye

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Nobody will complain about his contract that's for sure.

Agree, Not that anyone was complaining before. Bonino is a huge bargain at 1.9 million. We would be happier with him at 3C than at 2C, but 1.9 million for a good 3C is still a great deal.

Bonino was arguably the best PK forward on the team last year and provided valuable secondary scoring.

But the Kesler contract is stunning -- 6 years at about $6.9 million a year. Obviously the Canucks could not have paid that even if they had kept Kesler.

And it makes the trade Benning made look good. In 3 years or 4 year I predict McCann will be more valuable NHL player than Kesler -- getting about 1 million in year in salary plus whatever bonuses he earns on his ELC while Kesler will be getting close to $7 million. Wow!

(Just in case anyone is wondering I think McCann will be back in Junior next year, then will play a year in the AHL then will have the two years after that on Canucks while still on his ELC -- a bargain for the Canucks.)

Even the Sbisa contract does not look too bad after seeing what Kesler got. Okay, I take that back. It still looks bad.

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People hated him last season because he was played in a position that was beyond his skill and talent level. Bonino is NOT a 2C and does not project to be one imo. Put him at 3C where he should be and people will start to like him more.

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If he skated even just 10% faster I think we would all be happy. He's not slow by any means but hes not exactly fast. An extra 10-15% would make a huge difference in his offensive output I agree. That extra quickness can help seperate or close in on gaps that much quicker. Wouldn't take much to get a 10% speed boost in the off season.

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People hated him last season because he was played in a position that was beyond his skill and talent level. Bonino is NOT a 2C and does not project to be one imo. Put him at 3C where he should be and people will start to like him more.

He's a perfectly capable 2C, just not an elite 2C on a contending team (that more often than not have the luxury of a 1B centre playing on their 2nd line).

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Maybe he isn't good enough to be a 2C but for the most part his line mates weren't 2nd liners either. The best he got was Vrbata and that wasn't a consistent pairing. Kesler wouldn't have faired much better in the same situation - production wise. I was pretty impressed with Bonino on the PK though. He was a better shot blocker then I expected.

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If he skated even just 10% faster I think we would all be happy. He's not slow by any means but hes not exactly fast. An extra 10-15% would make a huge difference in his offensive output I agree. That extra quickness can help seperate or close in on gaps that much quicker. Wouldn't take much to get a 10% speed boost in the off season.

Bonino plays with braces on both knees. He's about as fast as he's going to get (check out the video of Willie's welcoming of Bo to the Canucks roster...you'll see two braces hanging in Bonino's stall).

It's like Bonino admitted -- the early season offensive success he had may have created unrealistic expectations of him. He's self-admittedly a 0.4 to 0.5 PPG player. He's a 2nd/3rd line tweener - not very good as a second liner but exceptional as a third liner. IMO, he did just fine vs. the quality of players he was matched up against all season.

Best case scenario is for Bo Horvat to elevate his game to take hold of the second line center and have Bonino slide into the no. 3 spot who can get a little PP and PK time.

EDIT: I'm late to the party. I see there has already been reference to Bonino and his knees.

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He is good two way, but he is not excellent two way, or even great two way. The thing is, we do pay the dude 1.9 million dollars. I would argue that dollar for dollar, Nick Bonino may be the best player on the team for what he brings. (Excluding rookie contracts) The thing is, he, much like Higgins, when charged with shutting down top lines, they get exposed often. They're not bad, but in this league, if you want to be a playoff team, just being 'good' especially in a crucial role like this, will have you on the outside looking in. It was good that we had depth allthroughout the team to recover from it. Plus, it's important for a player in his role to be able to win draws and gain puck possession. Naturally the 2nd line center will get more minutes, and it would be nice if we started out with the puck consistently.

Sedin Sedin Virtanen

Baertschi Horvat Vrbata

Burrows Bonino Vey

Kenins Prust Hansen

(Higgins, Dorsett)

I like that team, and it works well for Bonino. Dorsett Hansen and Vey are interchangable for chemistry needs As are Burrows Kenins and Higgins. Prust can actually play center, which I would like to have in a bottom 6 role over Vey. This lineup really emphasizes getting each young guy with a hardworking vet or 2 that can lead them along the way. Perhaps even more important is it puts Bonino in a good chance to succeed where he isn't so heavily focused on for his offensive punch. If Bonino can put up similar results he did this year, but in a 3c role, this team can seriously be great, and will be playoff bound.

Of course this lineup is dependent on the new Second Line. Baertschi-Horvat-Vrbata can be an effective second line in this league. To me, they are very similar in makeup to Calgary's Gaudreau-Monohan-Hudler line, which we say first hand can be effective. Bonino and Horvat will duke it out for the 2c spot, but I think Bonino will actualy succeed more on the third line. Still, the 2c spot is Bonino's to lose, but Horvat is coming...

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