Sean Monahan Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 I remember Hamhuis getting hurt, when he went low on Lucic. That was the key one I think. That's another reason why i want Lucic on our team; he's a straight line bruiser. He does damage to the opponent, even if he's receiving. His presence alone changes our image. IMO I'd be happy to have lucic, but I think the contract he's likely to fetch in free agency is gonna be too rich for the offense he's likely to provide from here on out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollieo Del Fuego Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 We do not need Lucic. Virtanen has to do little more then hit and check and he will make the team. Horvat is no ballarina, Kenins, Hansen and Burrows are tough and with Prust and Dorsett to fight we have some grit. We may need Pedan or some tough guy (not making $4M) on D. though We have enough team toughness without Lucic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I'd be happy to have lucic, but I think the contract he's likely to fetch in free agency is gonna be too rich for the offense he's likely to provide from here on out. Yes, that's a really good point. We would certainly have to over pay, and for a longer term too. Do you think we might have enough younger guys on ELCs to afford to over pay Lucic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 We do not need Lucic. Virtanen has to do little more then hit and check and he will make the team. Horvat is no ballarina, Kenins, Hansen and Burrows are tough and with Prust and Dorsett to fight we have some grit. We may need Pedan or some tough guy (not making $4M) on D. though We have enough team toughness without Lucic. I don't think Burrows qualifies as intimidating tough, and he's the only top six forward in the group you mentioned. (Virtanen is absolutely a top six guy, but probably not for a couple of years). Don't you think we need a legitimate top six guy, like Lucic, to support Vitanen's development? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z Hockey Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 This team has never had a fragile mindset, they have been too soft in the past but throughout the years we've had guys like Linden, Kesler, Rypien (God bless his soul), Kassian, Jovanoski, Pyatt, W. Mitchell, Torres, Ohlund, O'Brien, Hordichuk, Mike Brown, Booth, Lapierre, Weise, Sestito. There has been in the past, a lack of guys who are leaders and will cut hard to the net, stick up for teammates against anyone, hit hard (when needed), while doing all these things CONSISTENTLY. Gillis was underrated and kick started the re-tool with these types of players and skill, Benning is now doing the same thing. Gillis brought this in while adding skill at the same time in Horvat, Higgins, and especially finding Kenins, who all are still with us, and in the past he brought in Kassian, Torres, Lapierre, Ballard, Weise, Stanton, Rome, Archibald, and Alberts. While you could see what he was after in his drafting when he drafted guys like Horvat, Cassels, Gaunce, Grenier, Friesen, Labate, Cederholm, Mallet, and Hannay. While also signing Fox, Biega, DeFazio, and others, with Biega and Fox still with us. Benning has continued this successfully with Virtanen, Sutter, Sbisa, Prust, Dorsett, Bartkowski, Pedan, Tryamkin, M. Stewart, and Gaudette. Fragile is quickly going out the window if it was ever here at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 This team has never had a fragile mindset, they have been too soft in the past but throughout the years we've had guys like Linden, Kesler, Rypien (God bless his soul), Kassian, Jovanoski, Pyatt, W. Mitchell, Torres, Ohlund, O'Brien, Hordichuk, Mike Brown, Booth, Lapierre, Weise, Sestito. There has been in the past, a lack of guys who are leaders and will cut hard to the net, stick up for teammates against anyone, hit hard (when needed), while doing all these things CONSISTENTLY. Gillis was underrated and kick started the re-tool with these types of players and skill, Benning is now doing the same thing. Gillis brought this in while adding skill at the same time in Horvat, Higgins, and especially finding Kenins, who all are still with us, and in the past he brought in Kassian, Torres, Lapierre, Ballard, Weise, Stanton, Rome, Archibald, and Alberts. While you could see what he was after in his drafting when he drafted guys like Horvat, Cassels, Gaunce, Grenier, Friesen, Labate, Cederholm, Mallet, and Hannay. While also signing Fox, Biega, DeFazio, and others, with Biega and Fox still with us. Benning has continued this successfully with Virtanen, Sutter, Sbisa, Prust, Dorsett, Bartkowski, Pedan, Tryamkin, M. Stewart, and Gaudette. Fragile is quickly going out the window if it was ever here at all. Why then do so many of the so called experts, like Ferraro, say our team is too easy to play against? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashNBash Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I don't think Burrows qualifies as intimidating tough, and he's the only top six forward in the group you mentioned. (Virtanen is absolutely a top six guy, but probably not for a couple of years). Don't you think we need a legitimate top six guy, like Lucic, to support Vitanen's development? Im not a big fan of Lucic because he does act like a lunatic at times. In saying that, I believe you're right about the development support though. His intimidation brings a good 20% more toughness to the entire team Imo. Messier used to command that same fear in his younger days, very intense competitive players that can take away the other teams grit just by being on the ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Al I ask is for players that are willing to go hard to the net. I can't even describe how frustrating it is to constantly watch this team play around the perimeter over the years, and shoot the puck right at the defenders shin pads. Calgary has a great D, but we made them look like the Bruins in that series by not taking the puck to the net. They're not exactly an intimidating group, but when you shoot the puck right at them you make their job pretty easy. Speed and grit is how I wanna see this team play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Im not a big fan of Lucic because he does act like a lunatic at times. In saying that, I believe you're right about the development support though. His intimidation brings a good 20% more toughness to the entire team Imo. Messier used to command that same fear in his younger days, very intense competitive players that can take away the other teams grit just by being on the ice. I agree. I really think our top minute guys are too easy to play against. It's too bad Kassian didn't work out here. I know that's water under the bridge, but darn it any way. Maybe there are other guys like Lucic, who we could get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tragoedia Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Al I ask is for players that are willing to go hard to the net. I can't even describe how frustrating it is to constantly watch this team play around the perimeter over the years, and shoot the puck right at the defenders shin pads. Calgary has a great D, but we made them look like the Bruins in that series by not taking the puck to the net. They're not exactly an intimidating group, but when you shoot the puck right at them you make their job pretty easy. Speed and grit is how I wanna see this team play. I hope that is the game Sutter is going to bring to the table. Bonino's biggest weaknesses were his strength and motivation to get him to the net, which seemed lacking when the games became important. After playing all season as a 4 line team, it seemed we were only a 2 line team, with only the Sedin's and Horvat's lines generating anything. If Horvat takes another step this year we will have a dangerous player who can force his will upon the opponents D. He deserved more than the single goal he had in that series, he was pushing hard at the net. I am much more comfortable with a top 3 of Sedin - Sutter - Horvat than Sedin - Bonino - Horvat. The question mark obviously is still the #4 spot, but the competition will be nice to see. If Vey fails to succeed at C we have a bunch of bottom 6 guys currently in Utica hungry for an NHL audition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qwags Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I'm convinced that the only way to remove the "fragile mindset" of the team is to win a playoff series. Get the ball rolling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I'm convinced that the only way to remove the "fragile mindset" of the team is to win a playoff series. Get the ball rolling. Pretty much. In our last 15 playoff games we have 3 wins. The team needs to get back on the right side of the win column. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBatch Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Love how many replies to this given that how much sauce the poster appears to have been into when it was posted (ha-ahaa-ha) - must have hit a nerve with the topic line. This is one of the smallest teams in the league and doesn't match up well size wise up the middle (even with Sutter) against ANA, LA, SJ in our division. Our D is small and lacks a big bruiser stay at home type which may or may not help that - and any version of the 4th line doesn't average 6 feet 190lbs. We do have guys who play bigger, which is inspiring but I think we are a couple defenseman and one or two forwards away from "shaking the mindset" (which as some have pointed out - could be losing in the playoffs) and those players need to be big enough to be able to do that job regularly. Lucic may be here next year and that will help for sure, but don't expect the offense to come with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera82 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Not true, we imposed our will plenty in the playoffs in 2010-11 and as I say we took too many injuries prior to and during the Boston games. We were not "beat up" by Boston unless you count Danny being face slapped. That kind of thing had no effect on Danny or Henriks play. I am annoyed that a great team is being libelled by our own disgruntled and butthurt fans. You expect this kind of cr-p from Boston or Chicago fans but it is crass when it is constantly spread and exaggerated by our own "fans" Our fans already showed twice how weak characters they are by choosing to destroy their own city. This whole thread should be directed at THEM and not the team. Unfortunately we also had a GM who didn't have a clue on how to develop the 2011 team. It would have been interesting to see what Benning and Linden would have done after 2011. So you disagree with me that in the playoffs this team of ours has little or no killer instinct? I referred to a pretty glaring example in 2011. Being up 3-0 against Chicago, blowing that entire lead, and ending up one overtime goal away from being eliminated. If that's not letting an opponent up off the mat then I dont know what is. I'm pretty sure another poster said it best. When the Canucks are up by a goal or two, they act like they are ahead by 4 or 5 and go into cruise control. They need to learn how to bury other teams in the games that matter most when they get a lead. Their startling lack of playoff success since 2011 should be evidence enough of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnews Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 it's parts of the fanbase and local media that have the fragile mindsets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X-PatLostInEdm Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 it's parts of the fanbase and local media that have the fragile mindsets. I'd agree with this, though I'd also add that the media you get is shaped by your fanbase. So it basically comes back to us anyway. A couple of years back, a local station here in Edm was interviewing Elliot Friedman and the host asked him which English language market was the hardest to play in. He replied "Most people would say Toronto, but I think it's Vancouver. There's an edge to that fanbase that exists nowhere else. And such angry tweets!" Now, if that was anybody but Friedman, I'd have dismissed it. But I respect Friedman because he's one of the very few that at least tries to be fair to everyone. And this does point to our greatest weakness as a fanbase. There's far too many of us ready with the knives anytime the team suffers a setback, however minor. And it affects the team. Don't think it doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuktravella Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 dorsett cracknell virtanen gaunce prust sutter are far from delicate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlinkas wrister Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Quinn got it right over 20 years ago and yet we're still getting it wrong. As long as you have 2 big, tough as nails D on the ice at all times then you can play smaller skilled forwards without worry. The modern game means those Dmen have to skate better than they did back then but D like that are a hell of a lot easier (and cheaper) to find than small, offensive dynamos. But if you aren't going to play it that way then you need size up front to protect guys like the Sedins down the stretch and in the playoffs. I don't care that he wasn't getting hurt, watching that midget Bruin speedbag Daniel without having to answer for it was one of my most embarassing moments as a Canucks fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UFCanuck Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 At least we're still not as fragile as the Sharks/Blues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashNBash Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I agree. I really think our top minute guys are too easy to play against. It's too bad Kassian didn't work out here. I know that's water under the bridge, but darn it any way. Maybe there are other guys like Lucic, who we could get? I believe JB will be looking for players who can dig pucks out of corners more often than the opponent, check hard enough to knock pucks loose. The players he dumped (Bonino Mathias Bieksa) didnt get the job done enough. If Bieksa was 20 pds heavier he would be Pronger 2.0. I dont know who JB will find but you know its going to be the end of a soft team. Im excited Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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