Jump to content
The Official Site of the Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Community

BENNING ON 1040 OCTOBER 7TH


AlwaysACanuckFan

Recommended Posts

2 minutes ago, Googlie said:

 

If we bring him back for a handful of games, then re-assign him, does he have to again clear waivers to go back down?  Or is it once waived, always waived, that season?

Re-entry waivers have been waived as far as I know.  And I'm happy about that, I always thought that re-entry waivers were ridiculous anyway.  GCG!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, S'all Good Man said:

 

I wouldn't get high hopes on moving Ruttu or Skille for any picks at the TDL. 

 

If either play ~3/4 of the season and show well as a good veteran bottom 6 option (particularly Ruutu with the ability to play C), a playoff team would gladly spend a 3rd/4th for their services IMO or could make a good sweetener in a larger package deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Canuck Surfer said:

We still need a 5th centre on the NHL roster.

 

I still see Gaunce with the big club. Plus he deserves it based on play!

Agreed.

 

Possibly:

Sedin, Sedin, Eriksson

Baer, Horvat, Rodin

Burr, Sutter, Hansen

Skille/Gaunce, Granlund, Dorsett

 

Call-ups:  Etem/Labate/Grenier

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, J.R. said:

They have the option of recalling him. Waiving him to give them more time on the PTO's, Virtanen, Etem etc would not be unheard of. 

 

I doubt we keep both Ruutu and Skille as well (at least in the NHL) but you never know.

 

There's no point trying to be definitive at this point when none of that is written in stone. This is why people on CDC are constantly loosing their cheese. They get their hearts and minds set on one option without considering the merit of other possibilities and then go :frantic:when their preferred situation doesn't happen. See: Pedan going on waivers. 

 

This is true.  But Pedan and Gaunce are apples and oranges.  Pedan is a fringe NHL'er who we need for the muscle.  Gaunce is a first round pick who looks like he can play in the top 9 and help this club.  As I said he has nothing else to learn in Utica,  He is ready for prime time and is ahead of Burrows, Skille, Ruutu, Etem and Zalewski at this point based on potential and production.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Start thinking of the long game people.

 

Gaunce/Stecher/Virtanen starting in utica isn't terrible.  Decent depth call ups.  No risk loss bringing them up moving them down.

 

But look at the roster for next year.  Next year could see no more than 4 full forward positions opening up and possibly 1 or 2 defensive spots.  Hansen is possible trade bait depending on the season.  Dorsett, Burrows, Ruutu/Skille, Hansen could all be gone next season allowing for the full time entrance of Gaunce Virtanen Labate etc without the revolving door of come to van go back to utica without ever playing a game.

 

This season is great and all but the long term direction of this club needs addressing and it is entirely possible should they all start in Utica that Benning/Linden are thinking further ahead than the trade deadline.

 

As they should

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Harvey Spector said:

 

Gaunce will never be a top 9 forward unless he gets the opportunity to play there.  He's a first round pick.  He's already developed.  He just needs a chance now to prove himself. He has nothing more to learn at the AHL level.  Keeping Etem or Skille or Ruutu over him just so we can flip them for a 5th round pick at the deadline is kinda dumb. I want to field the best team possible to win.  Having Etem in the lineup over Gaunce at this point does not accomplish that.

I agree with you that Gaunce is a better option than PTO's or Etem...

 

but I think considering the long season...it makes sense having some more bodies here while having Gaunce start in the AHL. 

 

Like every year, we will get tons of injuries and having Gaunce and Jake as options for call ups rather than starting here just makes sense. 

 

If we get rid of Etem and the PTO's and have Jake and Gaunce up here, then we run into injuries...who do we replace people with? 

 

Guys like Stetcher, Jake, and Gaunce will all be back with the big club at some point this year anyways once injuries hit. Rather have them as fill ins than the rest of the nobodies down on the farm. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Googlie said:

 

If we bring him back for a handful of games, then re-assign him, does he have to again clear waivers to go back down?  Or is it once waived, always waived, that season?

 

He has 30 days to stay on the big club.  But most likely he will be sent down as we have 9 D's right now and we still have to decide on Stecher and Biega.  If he gets called up during the season as an emergency injury replacement then he doesn't need to be put on waivers again to be sent down.  But if he is called up for merit then yes he will have to clear again if they want to send him down...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Harvey Spector said:

 

This is true.  But Pedan and Gaunce are apples and oranges.  Pedan is a fringe NHL'er who we need for the muscle.  Gaunce is a first round pick who looks like he can play in the top 9 and help this club.  As I said he has nothing else to learn in Utica,  He is ready for prime time and is ahead of Burrows, Skille, Ruutu, Etem and Zalewski at this point based on potential and production.

I don't know about top 9, bottom 9, sure.

 

Right now Gaunce is good enough to play a bottom 6 NHL role but there's absolutely nothing wrong with him playing big minutes in all situations for part of this year in Utica either. It absolutely will not hurt his development and one could argue might actually be better than playing 8-12 minutes, no PP and likely limited PK here.

 

Does he have a higher ceiling/more future potential than Burrows, Skille, Ruutu etc? Absolutely. But he's not leaps and bounds a better option right now and having him here reduces our available depth. I'd also far rather Skille, Ruutu, Burrows, Zalewski be sitting in the press box as 13th than him as well making them better options for that role.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Fanuck said:

Agreed.

 

Possibly:

Sedin, Sedin, Eriksson

Baer, Horvat, Rodin

Burr, Sutter, Hansen

Skille/Gaunce, Granlund, Dorsett

 

Call-ups:  Etem/Labate/Grenier

Its an interesting situation.

 

Skille works hard enough, has the speed & size you like in an NHL winger. He deserves to stay more than Ruutu? If they wanted a winger, I might choose him. He has outplayed Etem...

 

But positionally, Ruutu has been outplayed by Gaunce. And I believe, strongly, we will have at least 5 centres on the roster. Whether they play, or sit is harder to speculate. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow everyone jumped to the conclusion that all the young guys will be sent down to the ahl in a hurry after one comment

 

lets think things through a bit 

 

willy likes Granlund on the wing leaving only 3 centres with roster locks, henrik,sutter,Horvat 

 

if they sign ruutuu as the 4th line centre position they will still want another centre in the press box in case an injury occurs. They happen all the time, or a player gets banged up and just needs a game off 

 

Gaunce being the utility guy that can play centre and wing is all but locked to be on the team 

 

I think it's pretty obvious Bennington is talking about stetcher and Virtanen both being NHL capable players 

 

by keeping stetcher we would have to waive another capable defenceman and risk losing defensive depth

 

virtanen is the result of a numbers game, they want him to be a top 6 player and Utica might be a better spot for his development.

 

Etem makes the team if they don't sign a pto if they do he gets waived 

 

sedin sedin eriksson 

baertshi Horvat Rodin 

granlund sutter Hansen 

burrows ruutuu Dorset 

gaunce 

 

Edler Tanev 

Hutton gudbranson 

sbisa Larson 

tryamkin biega 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Off_The_Schneid! said:

if they sign ruutuu as the 4th line centre position they will still want another centre in the press box in case an injury occurs.

 

sedin sedin eriksson 

baertshi Horvat Rodin 

granlund sutter Hansen 

burrows ruutuu Dorset 

gaunce 

 

 

There's next to zero chance they have Gaunce sitting in the press box IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, J.R. said:

I don't know about top 9, bottom 9, sure.

 

Right now Gaunce is good enough to play a bottom 6 NHL role but there's absolutely nothing wrong with him playing big minutes in all situations for part of this year in Utica either. It absolutely will not hurt his development and one could argue might actually be better than playing 8-12 minutes, no PP and likely limited PK here.

 

Does he have a higher ceiling/more future potential than Burrows, Skille, Ruutu etc? Absolutely. But he's not leaps and bounds a better option right now and having him here reduces our available depth. I'd also far rather Skille, Ruutu, Burrows, Zalewski be sitting in the press box as 13th than him as well making them better options for that role.

 

Gaunce has played 2 years in Utica and is now ready for prime time.  He has outplayed all the fringe players we still have on the roster.  He can learn quite a bit playing 10-12 minutes on the fourth line and being a part of the big club in the dressing room, as well as practicing with the Sedins every day.  I don;t see his learning curve getting any better going back to Utica. It's the same as Virtanen and McCann last year.  it served no purpose to send them back to Junior.  They were better off playing less minutes and hanging around the big club. Same now with Gaunce.  It is better for his development to stick with the big club now even at less minutes then to go back to Utica playing against fringe NHL'ers on the top line.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Canuck Surfer said:

But positionally, Ruutu has been outplayed by Gaunce. And I believe, strongly, we will have at least 5 centres on the roster. Whether they play, or sit is harder to speculate. 

 

Recent history has shown you need both depth and size at the center position in the Western Conference - that's why I think they like Gaunce to stick with the club.  He has the size and versatility to be winger/center depending on the team/match-ups they're facing on any given night.  While Granlund has the edge in NHL experience, obviously Gaunce has the size advantage and can match-up well with the other NHL Western Conference Centermen that Vancouver will be facing on a nightly basis.  

 

Either way - it'll be interesting which way they choose to go. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Off_The_Schneid! said:

Wow everyone jumped to the conclusion that all the young guys will be sent down to the ahl in a hurry after one comment

 

lets think things through a bit 

 

willy likes Granlund on the wing leaving only 3 centres with roster locks, henrik,sutter,Horvat 

 

if they sign ruutuu as the 4th line centre position they will still want another centre in the press box in case an injury occurs. They happen all the time, or a player gets banged up and just needs a game off 

 

Gaunce being the utility guy that can play centre and wing is all but locked to be on the team 

 

I think it's pretty obvious Bennington is talking about stetcher and Virtanen both being NHL capable players 

 

by keeping stetcher we would have to waive another capable defenceman and risk losing defensive depth

 

virtanen is the result of a numbers game, they want him to be a top 6 player and Utica might be a better spot for his development.

 

Etem makes the team if they don't sign a pto if they do he gets waived 

 

sedin sedin eriksson 

baertshi Horvat Rodin 

granlund sutter Hansen 

burrows ruutuu Dorset 

gaunce 

 

Edler Tanev 

Hutton gudbranson 

sbisa Larson 

tryamkin biega 

 

Bingo.  But I'd have Gauncer on the 4th line over Burr.  But that's wishful thinking...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Harvey Spector said:

 

Gaunce has played 2 years in Utica and is now ready for prime time.  He has outplayed all the fringe players we still have on the roster.  He can learn quite a bit playing 10-12 minutes on the fourth line and being a part of the big club in the dressing room, as well as practicing with the Sedins every day.  I don;t see his learning curve getting any better going back to Utica. It's the same as Virtanen and McCann last year.  it served no purpose to send them back to Junior.  They were better off playing less minutes and hanging around the big club. Same now with Gaunce.  It is better for his development to stick with the big club now even at less minutes then to go back to Utica playing against fringe NHL'ers on the top line.

 

Hey, I have him penciled in as 4C in 'my' lineup.

 

I just won't be surprised if he gets sent down either for the very understandable reasons I already outlined. All I'm saying is open yourself to the idea because it could very well happen. And no Utica wouldn't be bad for Gaunce and no it's not the same as Virt/McCann last year. AHL wasn't an option for them and there's a vast difference between it and the AHL AND the fact they couldn't be recalled.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, Fateless said:

I'll be pretty disappointed if Benning and Co send Virtanen, Stecher or Gaunce down.

 

All three have had an excellent pre-season (even if Virtanen was limited in ice-time due to injury). 

 

Larsen played okay last night, but Stecher has had people buzzing every night he is on the ice. This team needs some excitement around it and Stecher is bringing that to the team (along with better scoring and defense over Larsen). 

 

Virtanen has chipped in offensively in every pre-season game he has had so far and has looked like he belongs.

 

Gaunce has shown he can make the transition to the NHL and has earned a 4th line role.

 

If Benning keeps Biega or Larsen over Stecher and Skille, Ruutu or Etem over Gaunce and Virtanen, I'll be heavily disappointed in our management.

I think Gaunce will still be here when the dust settles, I think Virtanen and Stecher are going to be in Utica, at least for the first month, playing big minutes down there.

 

If I'm right about them being sent down, they will be back up really quickly. Virtanen looked like he belongs last night, but he needs to be playing top 6 or at the very least, top 9 minutes right now. He might be better served by playing first line in Utica for a month or two until we hit injury bug.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...