Ted Lasso Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 http://news360.com/article/374195219 I noticed Sbisa in a good way about 5 to 6 times during the season opener alone. It's pretty exciting to see a defenceman most considered our weakest link step up. The player I've been seeing this season is the one I thought we were getting in the original trade, and is worth his current salary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocksterh8 Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 1 hour ago, Kenny Powers said: http://news360.com/article/374195219 I noticed Sbisa in a good way about 5 to 6 times during the season opener alone. It's pretty exciting to see a defenceman most considered our weakest link step up. The player I've been seeing this season is the one I thought we were getting in the original trade, and is worth his current salary. Agreed, although it's very early yet, lets hope he continues improving his play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Money Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 His first 2.95 games were fantastic... ...but on his last shift against the Blues there were pizzas everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putgolzin Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Has he ever been able to play with a legit partner long enough to solidify the pairing? I mean, has he ever been the weak link on a defensive pairing, and gotten to round into form in that position? Or have his defensive liabilities been magnified by having to continually play with guys like Weber? I guess I'm just wondering if his continued improvement could look even better if he got ten games with someone like Tanev... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedintwinpowersactivate Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 He looks very motivated. In fact the whole team is playing great defensively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedin Brothers Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 I've been on and off on Sbisa. I think consistency is his biggest thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggins Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 How tough is it to do this instead of just the link..... There’s the Grouse Grind. There’s the Chief. And then there’s Mount Kilimanjaro. If you’re looking for some symbolism on how Luca Sbisa prepared for what the Vancouver Canucks defenceman hopes is a long trek back to the National Hockey League playoffs, check out his off-season. As an extra blue-liner for Team Europe in the World Cup, he played one game but trained harder than most because those who don’t play, skate until they drop and then hit the gym. It not only gave Sbisa a conditioning leg up to start this Canucks season — he was aggressive, dependable and not error-prone in weekend victories over Calgary and Carolina — he also got a major measure of personal satisfaction and perspective in July by ascending 19,341 feet (5,895 metres) to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with his wife Lauren. Defending better down low is an obvious priority for Luca Sbisa this season. They were married July 9 and five days later started the seven-day sojourn. From camp to camp, from stamina-testing daily hikes upward that lasted from five to seven hours, they held true to a pledge when they met six years ago to master Kilimanjaro. “I’ve got to tip my hat to my wife because she trained and practised for it for over a year,” said Sbisa. “She used to do the the Grind and the Chief and mentioned it (Kilimanjaro) as a Bucket List thing. To be honest, I didn’t think we would actually do it. But standing up there and basically on the roof of Africa, it’s a really special feeling — especially when you go down. “You feel like you can do anything in the world. And quite a few times already this season, when things don’t go your way, you kind of reach back and use it as motivation.” The final leg was a seven-hour climb to the peak and then three hours down to one of the camps. “You’re just exhausted,” added Sbisa. “You take an hour nap and then six more hours down to the next camp. And you can’t spend too much time at a high altitude. That was a challenge.” It’s early and Sbisa has played just two games, but he has looked quicker, stronger, tougher and more calm. He set the physical tone early against the Flames with a thunderous and well-time sideboards bodycheck on Michael Frolik. It didn’t put him out of position or in danger of giving up an odd-man rush. Sbisa also blocked shots and the only adventure came Sunday when he pushed the envelope. Attempting to rush the puck out of his own zone, he got caught up in traffic at the blue-line and the Hurricanes managed a shot on net. A third pairing with Philip Larsen has drawn attention because of what the Canucks saw and didn’t see during the pre-season. Larsen was often outplayed by Troy Stecher, but a commitment to make the experienced Larsen quarterback of the first power-play unit was already set. And with Sbisa at the World Cup, curiousity needle didn’t move much when Nikita Tryamkin showed little consistency or a physical presence. He remains an intriguing project as the seventh defenceman, which only makes the spotlight focus more on Sbisa. He also skated with Chris Tanev in the second half Sunday. Luca Sbisa played just one World Cup game, but benefited from tough practice environment. Last season, foot, hand and shoulder injuries limited Sbisa to 41 games and he finished with two goals and six assists. And because the 26-year-old has two more years remaining on his extension — $3.6 million this season and $4 million in 2017-18 — he’s a lightning rod for criticism. He landed the generous extension in April of 2015 because there wasn’t much in the system and Ben Hutton had yet to shock the world and make the club last fall. Sbisa doesn’t have a no-trade and is good at shutting out the noise because he has been dealt twice and knows the Canucks are starting to stock prime prospects. It’s why he embraced the World Cup experience. “I did a lot of skates,” he said. “The coaching staff gave a lot of time off the ice because it was a tournament and you want to keep the guys fresh, but guys like me, I stayed on extra. “It wasn’t the most fun thing, but I knew when I came back that I had an extra month of skating and in the long run it’s going to pay off. Just being in a high-level environment — even the practices were more intense and sharper.” Which is the challenge for Sbisa. The Canucks need to defend better and can’t have opposition forwards flying through the neutral zone with a clear path to the net. Willie Desjardins liked what he saw of Sbisa in the first two games: a big defenceman who played big and kept his mistakes small. Like the 2-0 club, it’s encouraging. “Time will tell,” said the Canucks coach. OF NOTE — Jake Virtanen won’t face a disciplinary hearing for shoving the head of Carolina forward Joakim Nordstrom into the boards Sunday. Virtanen was not penalized on the play. bkuzma@postmedia.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phat Fingers Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Slot of our players seem motivated this season, Sbisa might be the most. He is likely the expansion target picked from Vancouver, unless Hansen is made available. If he wants to stay, he has to outplay one of our top three. Not likely, but if it means he lives up to his potential, I will take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madwolf Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 34 minutes ago, D-Money said: His first 2.95 games were fantastic... ...but on his last shift against the Blues there were pizzas everywhere. While I do agree, he got banged up a little on the play, and still blocked a shot in between two bad clearing attempts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabcakes Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 As long as Willie keeps Sbisa on the 3rd pair, he'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Yes it's only 3 games, but we have the 2nd best Goals Against in the NHL. Well played boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 26 minutes ago, Ghostsof1915 said: Yes it's only 3 games, but we have the 2nd best Goals Against in the NHL. Well played boys. Putting Sbisa down on the third pair, and bringing in Jarvis - who is from the Roger Neilson school of defence, will result in a vast improvement from last year. Actually, having no Bartkowski and Weber probably helps too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoseTruckWasIt Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 39 minutes ago, Madwolf said: While I do agree, he got banged up a little on the play, and still blocked a shot in between two bad clearing attempts. Yeah, there's a big difference between being forechecked by a great team and just making a bad decision with the puck. Besides, they kept it out. If anyone watches closely, they'll see that all Dmen give up the puck once in a while. Sbisa blocked several shots, was a strong presence around the net, settled things down with some nice puck work, and held the line several times. Time for a new whipping boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 48 minutes ago, Madwolf said: While I do agree, he got banged up a little on the play, and still blocked a shot in between two bad clearing attempts. And the Blues were pressing pretty hard to win that game in regulation. Those bad clears weren't the old "unforced" version of the Sbisa pizza. I suppose St. Louis didn't want to take their chances against the best OT/SO team in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 1 hour ago, Sedin Brothers said: I've been on and off on Sbisa. I think consistency is his biggest thing. Yours or his? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedin Brothers Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 1 minute ago, S'all Good Man said: Yours or his? You don't think Sbisa is inconsistent? I'm one of Sbisa's biggest fans up here, always believed he has potential. But he has to prove to be consistent. He was injured all last year. He's started well so far, but he was also just a healthy scratch for Team Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 No surprise here... Move along folks. Great goal against the blues too. You can bet your life if he was wearing a Chicago jersey or some Cali team, that goal counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 1 hour ago, D-Money said: His first 2.95 games were fantastic... ...but on his last shift against the Blues there were pizzas everywhere. Yah but all D guys have at least one per night, even guys like Erik Karlsson cough one up occasionally. But that was the shift where he really just tried to do too much puck handling... gets him every time. If he tones that down he's looking really good so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 1 minute ago, Sedin Brothers said: You don't think Sbisa is inconsistent? I'm one of Sbisa's biggest fans up here, always believed he has potential. But he has to prove to be consistent. He was injured all last year. He's started well so far, but he was also just a healthy scratch for Team Europe. No I actually don't. His actual stats on things like goals against/60, giveaways, hits etc. are all actually pretty good. It when he tries to get cute with the puck that he runs into problems. He just is too easy to strip the puck from, thats really his one major issue. Otherwise he's always been pretty solid. The Corsi stuff against him has always been BS imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoseTruckWasIt Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 4 minutes ago, Sedin Brothers said: You don't think Sbisa is inconsistent? I'm one of Sbisa's biggest fans up here, always believed he has potential. But he has to prove to be consistent. He was injured all last year. He's started well so far, but he was also just a healthy scratch for Team Europe. What hasn't been consistent is his D partner, and the side of the ice he plays. That definitely makes it tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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