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VALK: VIRTANEN LIKELY TO RETURN TO HITMEN AFTER WORLD JUNIORS


hockeydude474

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the team is in rapid decline

time to reassess the learning environment for all rookies

virtanen to juniors after wjc is a good plan

hutton to utica for a 10 game stint may also be helpful

i think mccann should stay as he will learn little in juniors, he is skilled enough to play in the nhl, he just needs time to figure out how to make it all work given the size and speed of nhl players, and he can only do that by staying

baertschi also looked good at the end of last season and in the playoffs in utica.. another stint could help his development too

bring up other prospects, perhaps on some sort of a rotating basis, and find some waiver wire cast offs to fill out the roster for the remainder of the season

a trade of a veteran player, vrbata, prust, higgins, should also be considered

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I hope he does, I disagreed with keeping him up, considering his injury in junior the guy hasn't played a lot of hockey PERIOD, 8 minuets a night is madness, he needs to play and play a lot

The Jake decision is obvious, I'm a little more worried about McCann, I wanted him kept up as I thought another year in junior would be a waste and he wasn't AHL eligible,

Now, I'm not so sure what they should do with him, if the team were half decent he may have kept his early season play going, but the atmosphere on the ice looks HORRIBLE right now, where would be best? Toxic NHL team playing 10 mins? treading water in Junior? I wish he could play the rest of the season in Utica, they are playing well and he could learn the pro game in a positive environment,

Can he be sent to the Swiss league to play with Mathews?

If I had my choice I would bring up Vey and send Horvat down for the rest of the year as well.

Give Vey the reins and say "You want to be a top 6 NHL'er? this is it, 2nd line all the way to seasons end, make it count."

I believe Vey  has the talent, so either he becomes the legit top 6 he has the raw talent to be, or he falls on his face and we draft Mathews, all the while our prospect are learning in a positive environment,

For those who think I'm over reacting, I've watched this team for years, including though the dark days of the late 90's, I haven't seen this many no-shows since that time,

Aqualinni needs to either wake up to reality or sell the team to someone who will, he cannot preserve his former level of profit and usher in a new boom period.

He wants to have his cake and eat it too, if he doesn't pick one path and go for it, he will soon have neither.

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55 minutes ago, amitriptyline said:

Mcann should be sent back as well. Not because he isnt playing well, but because this is not exactly a winning environment for them to be developing in. Just go full on tank mode because the team is going nowhere this year. Get rid of some more of the rotten core and get some high draft picks. 

That raises an interesting question,

Who is rotten? This team looks totally demoralized and that usually doesn't happen unless there are a few sources of bad mojo,

It doesn't seem like there are too many dark clouds on the roster, but I have to believe there is something more than meets the eye going on.

I'm not talking about declining skills either, I mean toxic personalities.

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1 hour ago, terrible.dee said:

That raises an interesting question,

Who is rotten? This team looks totally demoralized and that usually doesn't happen unless there are a few sources of bad mojo,

It doesn't seem like there are too many dark clouds on the roster, but I have to believe there is something more than meets the eye going on.

I'm not talking about declining skills either, I mean toxic personalities.

Maybe, but it's more or less the same personalities we've always had.

Or maybe the team just sucks?  How good would your personality be losing night in and night out.

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It would be a good hockey move if this happened. With the Canucks where they are in the standings, it's not like they really need him up here to make the Canucks a better team. He is not producing and still trying to find his identity. If he goes down, players like Shink, Gaunce, and Grenier will have a chance to jump in and it would be good for their developement.

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Disagree, keep him up.  If he goes back to Jr and doesn't rip it up, it will be the worst thing for him.  he was playing as well as anyone not named Sedin.  I'd rather Jake spend time in an environment with the twins than in the W.

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If the vets had played well enough to actually mentor the kids, staying up might make sense but on many nights, it has been the kids out-playing the vets.  Too much pressure for them to be difference makers this soon in their careers could actually stunt their development.

Despite this team's pathetic play and downward spiral, WD still believes playing the vets gives him  the best chance of winning. It is unlikely the kids will start seeing more minutes or playing a bigger role as evidenced by Higgins getting PP time ahead of McCann, Weber in over Pedan etc.

Send the kids down and let them develop properly and let the core do what they will in getting the Nucks the much needed injection of talent a high pick will bring.

I feel so sorry for the Sedins that management for so many years had treated them like rented mules and never properly addressed the need for secondary offensive talent...or defensive depth.   

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6 minutes ago, Gooseberries said:

In order to earn more playing time he has to play better. Tine is earned not gifted. Unless vrbata

He's played no worse than anyone else.  In fact, I'd say he's played better than half the fwds getting more ice time than him.  

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