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It's time to give Bo the 'A'


*Buzzsaw*

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51 minutes ago, Canucks Prophet said:

Yes, he will get it next season. I don't see Hamhuis and Burrows keeping theirs (they've been alternating this season). Bo is the logical choice. 

If Hamhuis and Burrows are still around next year, it would be pretty disrespectful to strip them of the A so that third-year Horvat can have it.  There's really no rush.

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38 minutes ago, janisahockeynut said:

I agree with the posters above.....Bo has just started to regain his confidence, lets let him just play for now, he is the guy, but in a year or two.

Just an extra thought on this, but you don't have to wear a "C" to a leader. I am sure everyone on the bench is watching Bo right now. What I have seen in the past dozen games is BO's will....very focused! Toew's like, but with personality

Bo has had a great run for the last 6 games. But obviously you don't give a guy an "A" for a short hot streak, or even for a long hot streak. As janis said, he is only just now finding his game. (And, although it is somewhat misleading, he is still -20 and is scoring a less than the .5 PPG baseline that you want from the 2C position on a good team.

His teammates obviously like and respect him, but he is still "one of the young guys". If he has a strong finish this season, getting to maybe 14 or 15 goals and 30+ pts, combined with solid defensive play, then he would obviously get consideration next year. But the Sedins will not be losing their letters and Tanev would be a strong candidate assuming Hammer is not back. And, while Sutter has obviously not done enough for the Canucks to consider him for the A next year, it might still cause a few ruffled feathers if Bo gets the A instead. I think Bo will be a significantly better player than Sutter, but you want a guy to really show it before giving him the letter.

And Burrows would probably convert his part-time A to full-time if he is still with the team next year.

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5 minutes ago, Kevin Biestra said:

If Hamhuis and Burrows are still around next year, it would be pretty disrespectful to strip them of the A so that third-year Horvat can have it.  There's really no rush.

With 12 points in 44 games, I think Burrows has other things to worry about than just keeping his A. Like keeping his job, for instance, But now that I think about it, I would like Hamhuis to keep the A, I always respected him a lot as a player and a person in the community. My ideal scenario is Hamhuis retiring with the Canucks, but only time will tell.

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Yes, let's give the kid the "C" and while we're at it name him the next Messier, and make him coach and GM and team president. Good lord some people are dumb/impatient. He has struggled all year until the last 6 games or so because he was put in a position for which he was not ready. He has finally figured things out, and has played better. So now some think he's over the hump. I hate to tell you, six or eight games is a really small sample size. He has the rest of the season to play and work on his game.

This team is obviously not very good. The guys with the letters get a lot of scrutiny during rough patches. That scrutiny can cause players to press. As we saw from Bo earlier in the season, pressing does not improve his game.

As was said above, a player does not need a letter to be a leader. Bo's a 20 year old kid, let him grow up some more. He might be ready for a letter when Hank retires, until then, let him continue to improve without the added pressure. 

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44 minutes ago, JamesB said:

Bo has had a great run for the last 6 games. But obviously you don't give a guy an "A" for a short hot streak, or even for a long hot streak. As janis said, he is only just now finding his game. (And, although it is somewhat misleading, he is still -20 and is scoring a less than the .5 PPG baseline that you want from the 2C position on a good team.

His teammates obviously like and respect him, but he is still "one of the young guys". If he has a strong finish this season, getting to maybe 14 or 15 goals and 30+ pts, combined with solid defensive play, then he would obviously get consideration next year. But the Sedins will not be losing their letters and Tanev would be a strong candidate assuming Hammer is not back. And, while Sutter has obviously not done enough for the Canucks to consider him for the A next year, it might still cause a few ruffled feathers if Bo gets the A instead. I think Bo will be a significantly better player than Sutter, but you want a guy to really show it before giving him the letter.

And Burrows would probably convert his part-time A to full-time if he is still with the team next year.

I agree with most everything you said, except for the ruffled feathers. If Horvat is a natural leader then he becomes the natural choice. I do think it's a bit early yet though. I don't know if I get big assistant leadership vibes from Tanev. He's as cool as a cucumber, and easily the most consistent dman for the last few seasons, and I hope he sticks with us for a while yet, but is he a voice of the team? I just don't know. Does he have a voice? As you say though, he is a strong candidate, considering his gameplay, and our alternatives.  

I have to think that one of Burr or Hammer is relived of assistant captaincy next season as either part of changing of the guard, or from trade deadline movement. Sutter is more experienced, but has he made enough of an impression to quantify an A yet? Daniel is cemented in, for arguments sake one of Burr/Hamhuis, and barring a game changing trade the last letter goes to one of Sutter/Tanev/Horvat, in that order, at this point in time. 

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2 hours ago, *Buzzsaw* said:

I thought it would not be till next season that Bo would really deserve the 'A'.

But it's clear for the last 10+ games, he is ready.

Henrik is the Captain till he retires... that is a given, but looking over the rest of the team, and who is taking the leadership role, there is no question Bo is the guy next to Hank and Dank who makes this team go.

It's time Bo Horvat is given an 'A'... he has shown all season, even when he was no producing offensively, that he was willing to step up, put himself on the line, take on the weight of the team on his shoulders, and inspire by example.

Time to do it Willie.

Not now.

Let him adapt to this very important step in his career; discovering what he is capable of. Let him develop with less political pressure and more responsibility on the ice as the 2C; not an easy feat to accomplish. Let him own it.

He is beast. Let him feel it. It is infectious to the soul of all other rookies thereon coming in. McCann, Virtanen, Vey, Etem and Baertschi all fighting for the minutes Horvat is starting to take on. Instead of a Kesleresque jealousy, there is healthy competition in an environment where nothing is given.

The Sedins' peak is starting to be exposed as the upcoming kids are gaining power. An A to Horvat to start the year next year as the Sedins play out their last contract as 1st liners minute-wise.

If Horvat keeps developing like this, he isn't too far away from getting the C.

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Personally I don't like the idea of young players getting C's or A's. Look at it from a players perspective; if you were a 30+ year old player on the team and there's a 21 year old wearing the "A" or "C" ahead of you, how would that make you feel? You're a guy that has a family and commitments and responsibilities, and yet, you have to listen to a guy that's 10 years younger whose mother probably still cooks for him and he's essentially your leader. It creates awkwardness and possibly dysfunction amongst a team.

IMO to earn a C there's 3 conditions.

1. You have to be a certain age and responsible/mature enough to lead a team

2. You have to have been on the team for an amount of years, probs 2-4 years. Can't just sign a FA and hand him the C right away

3. You obviously can't be a plug

In Horvat's situation there's really nothing different. Yea it looks good on him for the fans he's a big piece to our future. But to just strip the "A" off of Burrows would be disgraceful not only to him but to other guys like Edler, Hamhuis, Vrbata, Hansen, Sutter, and even Tanev granted some of them may not be on the team next year. Horvat's definitely not a plug and he'll have been around long enough at the start of next year IMO, but as he matures and ages he'll eventually earn it, so there's absolutely no rush.

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