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Is Vey our best set up man...


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not named Sedin? ;)

 

OK so I know there's a ton of you CDCers who just love a good ol' Vey bashing. So here's your chance!

 

I too was a member of the anti-Vey club up until he was recalled this year. If you follow my posts (which I'm sure none of you do!), I actually posted that I thought Vey had played his last game as a Canuck after he cleared waivers and was sent to Utica. I wanted nothing to do with him, and as such, have no motive/interest in giving any false praise his way. But with 12 points in 26 games this season, I believe he has earned that praise. Do the math - over 82 games, that's a 38 point season. Not bad at all for a 24 year old playing in his 2nd NHL season. Not bad AT ALL for a guy that cleared waivers earlier this year!

 

We can all argue until we're blue in the face (and some of you undoubtedly will) that Vey wouldn't maintain that pace over the course of 82 games, or that Vey still isn't worth the 2nd round pick he was traded for. But IMO, Vey has really stepped up this year and is providing solid production at an excellent salary.

 

With the acquisition of Granlund, the center position is as crowded as arguably any time in this franchise's history and Benning will have some decisions to make. Clearly our top 3 centers don't include Vey. Barring any unforeseen events, they won't include McCann either for the next couple of years. So something has to give. Whether that's moving one or both of them to the wing for the time being, I don't know. To me, Gaunce looks like a lock for 4C next year. So you'd have to think Benning will seriously consider trading one of them in the summer and Vey deserves some credit as he's sure making that choice a difficult one for Benning.

 

Maybe McCann spends all of next year playing top line minutes in the AHL? Maybe Gaunce needs more seasoning in the AHL and Vey gets the 4C spot next year? Personally, I don't think his game is very suited for a 4C role, but it all depends on what kind of lineup Benning wants to dress next year. These are all questions that JB and company will be asking themselves, and Vey is doing his best to make that choice a difficult one (or an easy one, depending on how you look at it).

 

So props to Vey! He's definitely proved me wrong this year.

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Vey is a great set up man. But he needs so much time, he is way too slow, this league is way too fast for him and he is terrible defensively right now.

 

Willie playing Vey over Mccann, Virtanen and others who deserve the ice time is just baffling. I was a Vey fan too and was very happy to get him but lets call it like it is. He is just a favourite of willie's, coach's pet. No team around the league has a player that was placed on waivers on their number one unit on the PP.

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9 minutes ago, 89mogilny said:

Vey is a great set up man. But he needs so much time, he is way too slow, this league is way too fast for him and he is terrible defensively right now.

 

Willie playing Vey over Mccann, Virtanen and others who deserve the ice time is just baffling. I was a Vey fan too and was very happy to get him but lets call it like it is. He is just a favourite of willie's, coach's pet. No team around the league has a player that was placed on waivers on their number one unit on the PP.

Willie is showing us the Vey to a higher draft pick!

 

More Vey!

Put him on the wing on the top line I say!

 

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20 minutes ago, suitup said:

I'd say Baertschi is our best set up man not named Sedin.

Baetschi is more skilled and has a better shot than Vey but for whatever reason, Vey just makes things happen. He's significantly more shifty and better at 1 on 1 battles than he was last year. He carries his line and sets up a significant amount of scoring chances. Where as with Baertschi, I'd argue that most of his points come from plays where he dishes off to Horvat and Horvat goes full on superman mode, or from goals scored off rebounds or beauty set ups from Horvat. Vey is making these plays on his own, he hasn't played one game this year with 'superman' on his line.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like Baertschi and the progress he has made this year. But I feel like Vey is the best player on his line and single handedly sets up more scoring chances than Baertschi.

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Vey is not our 2nd best set-up guy, Daniel is.  He definitely improved this year, but he should have gotten better, given the offensive zone starts, PP time, and sheer amount of ice-time in the games he suited up for.  I am not a Vey basher, I do not have Veyophobia, but I don't see Vey fitting in as part of a successful top 6 or bottom 6 on our team without changing his role.  We have a lot of the same type of player, and to me, Vey would need to work in diversifying his skillset to include more grinding.  Our top 6 is already getting clogged with players with a similar level of talent that all have a more specific role...eg Virtanen as a power forward, Bo as 2 way center, Sutter as a 2 way center or shooting winger, Granlund as an aggressive grinding center who can move up and down the roster or maybe play the wing, Baertschi as a playmaker or shooter.  Not sure how Etem fits in yet, but I choose all these guys in the top 6 over Vey.   So does Vey fit in the bottom 6?  In order to do so he will need to work on his energy.  I will be content if Vey is Canuck next season, he has potential, I see it, but I will continue to complain if he continues to get offensive zone starts and 15 plus minutes of ice-time per game.  

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Horvat and Hutton, I suppose, based on the easiest metric.  Assists.  Vey's assists per game could be counted as being higher, but if he's a healthy scratch often and is probably better off in the AHL, then assists per game are moot.  He is clearly a playmaker, and is doing about as well as I expected, but will he be a Canuck forever?  He might have been a mere experiment.

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10 minutes ago, 89mogilny said:

Vey is a great set up man. But he needs so much time, he is way too slow, this league is way too fast for him and he is terrible defensively right now.

 

Willie playing Vey over Mccann, Virtanen and others who deserve the ice time is just baffling. I was a Vey fan too and was very happy to get him but lets call it like it is. He is just a favourite of willie's, coach's pet. No team around the league has a player that was placed on waivers on their number one unit on the PP.

Baertschi had a slow start, but WD continued to put him in positions to succeed.  I'd like to see Vey transition into a quicker, stronger player as well, but that can't magically happen overnight.  He's at least showing that he is willing to work hard and is playing some pretty decent hockey.  He has gotten slightly quicker and stronger as well, but with all the comeption the Canucks have at C even he knows he is going to have to have a real good off season so he can be a go to guy at C or wing

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6 minutes ago, 89mogilny said:

Vey is a great set up man. But he needs so much time, he is way too slow, this league is way too fast for him and he is terrible defensively right now.

 

Willie playing Vey over Mccann, Virtanen and others who deserve the ice time is just baffling. I was a Vey fan too and was very happy to get him but lets call it like it is. He is just a favourite of willie's, coach's pet. No team around the league has a player that was placed on waivers on their number one unit on the PP.

Michael Grabner scored 34 goals after being picked up on waivers by NYI.

 

Markstrom cleared waivers and yet is still on track to be a #1 goalie in the NHL.

 

I understand that these cases are the exception, not the rule, but I don't believe in limiting a player's ice time based on their waiver history. Baertschi and Horvat have obvious chemistry and form a decent 2nd unit. Vey is clearly one of the top candidates to fill the 3rd forward spot on the 1st PP unit and has not looked out of place while doing so.

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2 minutes ago, TOMapleLaughs said:

Horvat and Hutton, I suppose, based on the easiest metric.  Assists.  Vey's assists per game could be counted as being higher, but if he's a healthy scratch often and is probably better off in the AHL, then assists per game are moot.  He is clearly a playmaker, and is doing about as well as I expected, but will he be a Canuck forever?  He might have been a mere experiment.

Vey is just another in a group of mid level players JB and TL brought in (continue to bring in) who are not elite - in any way.  These guys (Sutter, Baer, Vey, Etem, Granlund) are middle of the road guys, who will help us get to the middle of the pack in the league.  We need either crappy veterans on one year contracts, or young guys, who have elite potential.  These middle of the road guys are a BIG mistake if the goal is to win a CUP. IMHAO, of course.

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