Seriously! Jim? Trevor? Willie? What is going on in your minds and behind the Canucks bench during games?

[soshified]

If it went to OT, I'm pretty sure WD would have matched the young and speedy BUF line with our slug line (22-33-23) as the 1st shift.  One of the slugs is bound to lose the puck and fall behind, and Sabres would have waltzed into our zone and scored GWG within the first 30 seconds.

If WD didn't want 0-5 overtime record, I guess the mission was somehow accomplished today although the loss was even uglier.  Meanwhile we keep pissing away points left and right like a leaky condo.

"I'll stick with what I know" -- Sure, it's your prerogative Willie.  Just don't expect different results making the same mistake over and over again.

Uh no, because the last OT we had, Sedins weren't out there to start it. He learned how the Sedins should play in 3on3 OT. I bet if it would have went to OT today, Sedins wouldn't have started. It also wouldn't have made sense to put the Sedins out to start OT when they had a shift before regulation ended.

[DeNiro]

What are you even talking about. They're averaging like 10 mins a game. Win or lose. Bo got like 17 mins today.

Not talking about Bo. Is he a rookie?

[Baggins]

The funny thing with rookies having to earn (and also being able to lose) the trust of the coach is that it only really works long term if all the players are held to that same standard. The trouble is that certain players on this team have for years been handed their jobs with no chance of losing it even when the results have quite consistently been less than ideal in trusting them with it. If we had no one able to step up that would be one thing. But sometimes as a coach you have to put young players in the position to succeed even if at first they fail. Suggesting it will ruin or delay their development is just smoke and mirrors by Willie to justify his foregone conclusion that vets = trust and reliability.

Funny how Chicago and other top teams routinely throw their prospects into the deep end and how often those players adjust well and become key contributors in short order. Willie is too slow to adjust to what he has and is too stuck on the core vets despite the fact that they are declining in the quality of their play.

We have seen the same movie for several years. Even if trying something different fails miserably I would prefer the attempt at finally doing something differently than seeing the re-run again. 

 

But I am also a fan who realizes that every great team has gone through periods of losing badly to be able to accumulate the assets to become great. I have no problem supporting this team unconditionally even if they are 30th place.

Every player in the NHL make mistakes. Even the elite. Fan on a pass or shot, mishandle the puck. They even get deked out of their shorts at times.

Did you watch the video of McCann and Virtanen making the team? Did you listen to Willie when he was going over video of their mistakes? I didn't hear a single comment about a bad pass or mishandling the puck. It was `who are you supposed to be covering` and `whose man is this` and `whose your guy`. This is where the veterans have the trust and the young guys need to learn.

[agent007]

we need Prust and Sbisa.

[Rocksterh8]

 Team had a "bounce back" year last year thanks to rolling 4 lines. DIDN'T roll 4 lines in the playoffs last year against a younger, more aggressive, faster, AND BETTER COACHED Calgary team. Results are obvious history by now.

Along comes the offseason moves, talk of youth and re-tooling on the fly, making room, etc., etc. Lo and behold we have three youthful standouts in pre season and true to Benning's word they all make the team. Deservedly so in my books. Kids looked great, 4 lines for the most part were used for whole games and some early wins started piling up. Yes, against struggling Calgary, Edmonton, LA, and Anaheim teams at the start, but none the less the hockey was FAST, EXCITING, and SOMTHING NEW! More than one line was scoring, we were outhustling lot's of teams, were weren't relaying on the damn cycle so much, and the future looked rather rosy for the most part.

Now, after running into some stiffer competition, and the games (obviously) not going so smoothly, I see a VERY DISTURBING trend developing that I don't really understand or even comprehend how it's been allowed by the higher ups (Trevor and Jim) to continue. Obviously today is not the first time we have lost in this disturbing way.

In MANY games that we have lost, we have had the lead going into the third or clawed back into a tie in the third or late second. We have done this (for the most part) by playing 4 lines and allowing the kids some decent ice time. This has rewarded the team with the lead or at least a tie as previously stated. Then for some UNEXPLICABLE reason Willie D has a major 3 period brain fart and decides that what got us to where we currently are in the game (i.e. lead or tie) is not good enough and he shortens his bench (sits the kids) and goes with his "trusted" vets in hopes of salvaging said win or tie. The LOOSING results in regulation or 3 -3 overtime speak for themselves. WE LOST plain and simple, and we LOST with at least 2 of the players that helped get the lead or the tie stapled to the bench for most if not all of the third and certainly all of the overtime.

Seriously don't get it. We have skilled youth now that is effective, fast, hockey smart, and seem to have a scoring touch, yet they sit while Willie D the dumb ass trots out the declining cores players that are the VERY REASON for the so called "youth movement" in the first place, in the hopes that they can salvage a win or a tie.(?????) Willie says he doesn't trust the kids or want them to get their confidence bruised by putting them in situations he feels they aren't ready for? How do think the kids are going to feel stapled to the third period bench night after night watching the very guys they are there to replace (soon I hope) loose the game they were instrumental in winning or at least halving until they were told to "sit!"

Willie? Jim? Trevor? Were losing games we shouldn't be loosing! What have you guys got to loose by playing the kids FOR THE WHOLE GAME? More losses? Maybe, but at least they would be exciting and fun the watch instead of predictable and waiting for the inevitable shoe that you know is going to drop, to drop.

Really guys you excited the fan base by keeping the kids, now your confusing the hell out of everybody by having a coach behind the bench that won't play them. Not a great situation is it?

Willie D may have won at every level up to the NHL, but he's REALLY struggling in the NHL. Mouth says one thing, brain and actions do something totally different.

Maybe there's somewhere else the team needs a change? Maybe somebody else is getting "stale" and "old?" Food for thought for sure. Hope the thought process doesn't take too long though. Thanks! 

  

 

These are great comments, I agree with everything you've said and I think you should be the coach

[Rocksterh8]

 

 

What I don't get is all the hand wringing going on about the kids by this coach when more often than not in the first 14 games, it's been the vets and team leaders who have cost us games late and not the kids.

It's also pretty evident the twins have really lost a step this year, which was expected. What I didn't expect was the number of bad plays and bad decisions they've made that have led to opposition goals. Plays that you wouldn't expect veterans like them to make.

 

Agreed, He keeps talking about the kids when it's the Vets that are making most of the mistakes and the reason they are losing.

[Hairy Kneel]

This team hasn't gelled yet. Overly harsh focus on the three young forwards (not including Hutton) I mean come on 3 vets giveaways turn into goals.. I think the vets seem to be shaky as well...they need a classic bench clearing brawl. Good for the gonads and male bonding. Miller run the length of the ice and scrap Schneids how cool would that be.

[Rocksterh8]

I'm glad Miller spoke up about the shoddy play of the Sedins in this game. Maybe Willy will realize he's playing them too much, and hopefully they will play like they can.

[Edlerberry]

settle down boys, we still have gaunce n shink up our sleeve, jim's definitely working the phones to move someone, maybe a package for D. 

 

Even as we are, were fine. Willie's just making it more interesting for the fans.

 

our playoff chance right now is 79 percent. were helped by our weakAF division and only 7 teams in it. lets finish 3rd, below the other wildcard spots and still pick 15th or 16th like calgary last year. speaking of, calgary is sitting at 8 percent lol.

[Rocksterh8]

how do you know it's 79% ?

[alfstonker]

I think the reason people get a bit worked up is that Desjardins reasoning for it flies in the face of actual results on the ice far too often.

He is quick to suggest that he doesn't know what he is going to get with young players in critical moments. But sooner or later doesn't he have to realize he knows what he is getting from the trusted vets and what the kids would do can't be worse?

He has a lot of good qualities as a coach but his stubbornness and painfully slow ability to adapt are real weaknesses. McCann on the PP should already be a no brainer. But his loyalty to aging vets that aren't getting it done clouds his ability to adapt.

Are you seriously calling 13 games out of Junior "sooner or later?"

The rookies are still making mistakes, taking silly penalties etc. 

However everyone can see they are improving game by game. However, to say they have proven themselves enough to be thrown into clutch situations in 13 games is sheer fantasy hockey imo.

"Painfully slow ability to adapt" Come on how is that possible in 14 games? Do you want him to change his mind, his formation, his tactics, every second game like the idiots on here do. That way lies madness bud, you should realise that.

We are 14 games into a long 82 game season and I'm glad Willie doesn't seem to panic like the people on here every time a game doesn't pan out. A game I would remind you, we dominated and should have won by 2 or 3 goals and that is not the first time I have said that this season.

Get back to me when we start playing cr-p.

[alfstonker]

 

 

Agreed, He keeps talking about the kids when it's the Vets that are making most of the mistakes and the reason they are losing.

Most of the mistakes. Who would they be and what is their TOI in comparison. More adapted history from you.

[alfstonker]

Not talking about Bo. Is he a rookie?

You may not be talking about Bo but Bo went through the same process and came out the stronger for it. 

Can I remind you these rookies are 13 games into their NHL career and with no AHL experience behind them. As Baggins says go watch the video and listen to their catalogue of failures to man mark etc.

We are not being hard on the rookies, why? because Willie is upping their minutes in line with their confidence and ability to learn from these mistakes. That is the right way, the only way if you want to keep the rookies moving forward in their development.

People like you may like to sit through a whole game and never see them make a mistake but some of the rest of us are less blinkered.

[Alflives]

It's been said a thousand times but adding top prospect after top prospect has done wonders for the Oilers hasn't it? Sure, any time you add a Chychrun that's better than adding a Brisebois, but so far I'm liking the succession plan we're seeing from management. In the early parts of the season here a lot of CDC'ers are complaining about yute deployment but IMO as the season goes on we'll see their leashes extended similar to Horvat last year. At this rate, Mccann will see PP time at some point down the road and probably Virt too. I, for one, am mostly happy with the way the season's gone so far and I'd rather see us sink or swim this way than place the onus entirely on the youth and watch the season  (potentially) crash and burn. 

I hear what you're saying - patience.  Yet, you see some of the talent at the tops of drafts we miss out on, and can't help but wonder - what if?

[alfstonker]

I hear what you're saying - patience.  Yet, you see some of the talent at the tops of drafts we miss out on, and can't help but wonder - what if?

Teams like Buffalo, Florida, Columbus, etc can afford to tank in their market and keep picking up the top drafts because they don't really have much of a fan base. Even the Oilers because that is all they have in Edmonton. (a bit cruel) However ask their fans if they have enjoyed season failure after failure, I bet they don't

Despite what rubbish is printed above Alf, we are still a very good team. Even while blooding rookies we are a very good team. Nobody looking at that game and quite a few others I recall would say we shouldn't have won, looking back. 

If we continue in that vain and don't panic (like we see on a daily basis on here) the rookies will bed in and Prust and Sbisa will be back, we will be able to give the double hatty Shink and the ever reliable Gaunce a few games and we will eventually stabilise and  cement our playoff place.

If I'm wrong and I suppose there is always a first time  we will be compensated with a high draw.

[oldnews]

[smithers joe]

why can't willie just read cdc before each game...he'll learn how to coach this team...seems simple to me...

[RUPERTKBD]

eat 20 pounds of beans and you'll be loose.  It's loose, not lose.

If you don't make it to the WC in time, I guarantee it'll be a "lose"...

Fans have been calling to change up the country club mentality of this team for years. A system where the vets can make mistakes and blow games with impunity, but the rookies have to gain trust with minimal opportunity.

The turnover has been nice, but it's obvious that until the old core is gone, we're going to keep seeing the same system.

Yes, I remember a lot of talk about that just before the hiring of Tortorella and a lot of those same people celebrating the fact that he was hired and the CC was about to be closed down for good.

I also remember how poorly that strategy worked out.

As to yesterday's game, I can't really comment because I was playing in a game of my own, but in general, I have to agree with those preaching patience.

It's still far too early in the season to be digging out the pitchforks for Willie and as I have said before, the team is actually doing better than I expected this season. I think it's a mistake to assume that there's any one thing leading to the Canucks' "downfall" so far, just as there isn't one thing you can point at leading to it's successes. As always, it's a combination of several factors that lead to success or failure.

Would WD like to have a do-over on some of his decisions? Most likely. Welcome to the world of being a coach.

[SuperReverb2]

Just wanted to clarify that my original post wasn't a result of "just" yesterday's loss to Buffalo, (although that was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back so to speak) but more a culmination of a process that's been going on since about the 4 or 5 game mark. Global Sports touched on it last night, The Province did this morning, and the reporters have asked about it in the post game interviews. Seems it does have some warranted attention. 

Agree that Horvat benefitted greatly from the sheltered minutes he received last year, but in perspective he was 1 rookie in a team of vets. Not that noticeable or game changing when 1 rookie sits for an extended period time game in and game out. This year we have Horvat in his second year, and yes, struggling a bit to find his identity, but we also have many new faces and 2 brand new rookies in Virtanen and McCann. Might not be such an impact if there were always on the same line and it was just one line that was benched for a while, but when you bench two players (maybe three with Baertschi) that are on different lines, you certainly run the risk of disrupting not only their line mates but the dynamics, speed, and intensity of the whole team.

To add.  Yes, we also have Hutton, but for reason he doesn't seem like a rookie and his play for the most part doesn't show that he is. Yes, a few mistakes are made, but his ability to put it behind him and recover quickly has kept him in a regular spot and off the bench.   

[higgyfan]

why can't willie just read cdc before each game...he'll learn how to coach this team...seems simple to me...