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[Report] Canucks re-assign Brendan Gaunce


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I'm okay with this. Although I will say our 4th line play has been pretty good with Gaunce, Chaput and Skille. So it actually worries me to mess with that chemistry.

 

I don't have the hate-on many have for Megna. I think he has been serviceable.

 

This is clearly asset management by Benning. He doesn't want to expose Boucher (although perhaps he could use an introduction to the coach) or Megna.

 

Good management in my books.

 

I still think Boucher is here to step in the Top 9 when a Vet gets moved.

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16 hours ago, alfstonker said:

I can't agree.

Anyone reviewing Gaunce's games would see that he was over reverential to his senior line mates to a fault. So many times he got into scoring positions and passed. I don't know if it was lack of confidence or that he played with these players in Utica and looked up to them as vets.

 

But to say his team mates gave him a ton of chances is I'm afraid off the mark imo.

 

If this guy has a fault it is that he wants to find a team mate unless there is absolutely nothing else on - then he shows what a lethal finisher he can be. I think he needs to have the pass first attitude dialled further back by his coaches. I also think these clips show what an instinctive finisher he is - maybe he over-thought too much on his chances in Vancouver.

 

 

Thanks for posting.  Who's that guy wearing the Gaunce sweater?  Hope we get him back in a month or so

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16 hours ago, WhoseTruckWasIt said:

I know, and I can live with that.  It's a public service.  Do you not get tired of the vapid echo chamber?  I find that reading 10 variations on the same superficial comment kind of provokes me.

LOL...can't argue with that.

 

15 hours ago, WhoseTruckWasIt said:

Okay fair enough.  But let's assume Boucher's not in game shape (look at his season)....who are we supposed to play instead of worthless Megna?  If you say Subban on forward I'll punch my computer and you can be rid of me.

 

 

Two main reasons Gaunce is sent down. First is he doesn't have to go through waiver wire and second, he does need a bit better environment to find his scoring touch again. He's shown that he can handle the 4th line role in the bigs and that's very encouraging. This is almost JB's way of telling him that we want more offense from you and the current Canucks lineup cannot give you a fair shot at that. We've seen enough to be convinced that you are a solid 200-ft player so your future is with the big club.  I'd send down Megna but again I'm an armchair GM not knowing any of the intricacies and details of what's happening beyond the games we see on tv.  If JB did send down Megna and he got claimed, the fire-JB and terrible asset management crowd will come out from the woods. 

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I truly believe Gaunce is the quiet sleeper who has kept his head down and done everything asked of him. This is the best move for the team and the best move for him. Guance IMO is going to have a breakout year soon and become a premier shutdown force for us in the future. He may end up being the guy Horvat was billed as when we drafted him. I love the kids attitude I admit I was hard on him in the past I didn't think he would come as far as he has. He has accepted his role as a bottom 6 and is 100% committed to becoming the best bottom 6 checking fwd he can be. He has been nothing but solid and played quiet un eventful hockey which means to me he is doing his job to a T. I can't wait to see him gain confidence and start bringing some of the tools to his game that made him a 1st round pick. He will be very valuable to our future playoff runs mark my words. He might just be our next Malhotra in the making. 

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On 2017-02-06 at 2:59 PM, oldnews said:

Wake me up if they did this to Boucher for another two or three months.

 

And the situation is very different actually.  Boucher isn't particularly fit - that much was obvious when he actually played.  That alone justifies giving him a period of getting up to speed.

He's been in Vancouver for over a month and working with the staff off the ice all the time, since he's not getting any games. I think he's in decent enough shape to warrant a look. I think most people would agree on that.

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5 hours ago, Vanuckles said:

He's been in Vancouver for over a month and working with the staff off the ice all the time, since he's not getting any games. I think he's in decent enough shape to warrant a look. I think most people would agree on that.

What do you base this on?

One part assumption, one part imagination.

That may be the case - or it may not be.  The fact of the matter is that he's on the Tryamkin program - which is distinctly different than what Toronto did to Corrado - i.e. Boucher legitimately needs conditioning - and yet he's remained on the Canuck's NHL roster as he receives it.

 

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50 minutes ago, oldnews said:

What do you base this on?

One part assumption, one part imagination.

That may be the case - or it may not be.  The fact of the matter is that he's on the Tryamkin program - which is distinctly different than what Toronto did to Corrado - i.e. Boucher legitimately needs conditioning - and yet he's remained on the Canuck's NHL roster as he receives it.

 

See below quote

 

6 hours ago, Vanuckles said:

He's been in Vancouver for over a month and working with the staff off the ice all the time, since he's not getting any games.

He's an athlete, he's not a lazy fat pig trying to impersonate an NHL player. Trust me he call pull off 10 mins of ice time a game for 5 or 6 games, which is all it would take to roughly see where he's at. You say imagination, I say common sense - let me know when you have found yours.

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2 minutes ago, Vanuckles said:

See below quote

 

He's an athlete, he's not a lazy fat pig trying to impersonate an NHL player. Trust me he call pull off 10 mins of ice time a game for 5 or 6 games, which is all it would take to roughly see where he's at. You say imagination, I say common sense - let me know when you have found yours.

Trust you?

I trust the coaching staff.  They determined that he wasn't fit enough.

Something any and everyone could/would have noticed if they paid any attention to his first game here - where he was sucking wind in the first period.

Nice story about common sense - but you're not using yours when you make assumptions or pretend to know things you don't.

He'll get back in the lineup when the coaching and training staff think he's fit enough.

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7 minutes ago, oldnews said:

Trust you?

I trust the coaching staff.  They determined that he wasn't fit enough.

Something any and everyone could/would have noticed if they paid any attention to his first game here - where he was sucking wind in the first period.

Nice story about common sense - but you're not using yours when you make assumptions or pretend to know things you don't.

He'll get back in the lineup when the coaching and training staff think he's fit enough.

Well let me help you out with this one then. You didn't happen to catch him sucking wind at the end of a shift didja? Because as it turns out the human body experiences heavy breathing after going at full speed for about 45 seconds to a minute. If that's all you caught on him, please look into physiology. Unless you can find a quote from the coaching staff you trust that says he's out of shape, all you're doing is tarnishing his reputation by making something out of nothing. Maybe I'm not the one making assumptions after all.

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1 minute ago, Vanuckles said:

Well let me help you out with this one then. You didn't happen to catch him sucking wind at the end of a shift didja? Because as it turns out the human body experiences heavy breathing after going at full speed for about 45 seconds to a minute. If that's all you caught on him, please look into physiology. Unless you can find a quote from the coaching staff you trust that says he's out of shape, all you're doing is tarnishing his reputation by making something out of nothing. Maybe I'm not the one making assumptions after all.

Help yourself. 

 

Boucher is on the Tryamkin program - you're just not informed.  

 

Do you watch their games?

Dan Murphy didn't exactly keep it a secret - reported to everyone listening that the coaching staff has Reid Boucher on the Tryamkin / get-fit-fast program.  

But people who watch the games probably already had an idea that was the case.

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1 minute ago, oldnews said:

Help yourself. 

 

Boucher is on the Tryamkin program - you're just not informed.  

 

Do you watch their games?

Dan Murphy didn't exactly keep it a secret - reported to everyone listening that the coaching staff has Reid Boucher on the Tryamkin / get-fit-fast program.  

But people who watch the games probably already had an idea that was the case.

Well if Dan Murphy says he's unfit...

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2 minutes ago, mll said:

WD says it.  The original audio can be found too.

 

Well you got me. Phil Kessel can average 18 mins of ice time while being 20 pounds overweight, but hey I'm glad Boucher finally in tip top shape to get his chance.

 

We'll see where he takes it, as long as he gets a fair chance (aka not 6 mins and then benched for a month).

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4 minutes ago, Vanuckles said:

Well you got me. Phil Kessel can average 18 mins of ice time while being 20 pounds overweight, but hey I'm glad Boucher finally in tip top shape to get his chance.

 

We'll see where he takes it, as long as he gets a fair chance (aka not 6 mins and then benched for a month).

Kessel has something Boucher doesn't have which is an elite skill at the NHL level (goal scoring) -- also, now that he's with the Penguins, Kessel doesn't have the pressure to produce like he did with the Leafs -- in that he's overshadowed (in a good way) by Malkin and Crosby and so he can play his game and be more or less unnoticed -- despite, like you said, being overweight.

 

Boucher does look noticeably "bigger" than his size should be. The dude is overweight for his body size. Boucher, unlike Kessel, is a small guy. Boucher's only 5'11 yet he looks (from photos I've seen) bigger than Virtanen who has a few inches and more snarl in his game than Boucher does.

 

The good thing, though, is that it tells you that Boucher is clearly in the Canucks plans in the near future. They wouldn't have just claimed him to fill a role and waive him, it's clear the Canucks want him around for awhile. He does fit in that 20-25 year old age range that's missing thanks to the horrendous drafting of the Gillis regime. Boucher, much like Granlund, has been a goal scorer at every level he's played in (besides the NHL) and frankly -- much like Granlund -- seems to just need an opportunity to show that he's an NHL player with an NHL skillset who can score NHL goals. Canucks are likely bracing themselves for the fact that they may very well lose Hansen or Gaunce at the deadline with his acquisition.... especially since Gaunce is expansion eligible, young, and a low risk/high reward pick for Las Vegas. (Gaunce's first round pedigree also adds weight and he's still YOUNG).

 

What's also interesting is that Boucher himself is only 18 games away from being expansion eligible himself. So don't be shocked to see Boucher only play in 17 more games this season so that the Canucks can protect him for next year and see Gaunce back up here once more injuries hit the Canucks. Like I said, I expect that the Canucks think they found a diamond in the rough with Boucher and want him around a little longer than just this season. He'll be handled carefully by management...

 

 

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12 minutes ago, Vanuckles said:

Well you got me. Phil Kessel can average 18 mins of ice time while being 20 pounds overweight, but hey I'm glad Boucher finally in tip top shape to get his chance.

 

We'll see where he takes it, as long as he gets a fair chance (aka not 6 mins and then benched for a month).

The concern in Nashville was apparently his footspeed so a few pounds less could maybe help him.  He practiced with Skille and Chaput and on PP2.  

 

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On 2017-02-07 at 8:06 AM, WhoseTruckWasIt said:

Hmm.  I guess we didn't want to waste the contract.

 

I seem to remember rooting for him in the 2012 training camp.  I think his boat has passed.

Then, for me, the question is, has it passed because his game doesn't translate to the NHL? Or, is it because he's seen as part of the organisation's old guard (pre-Willie/Benning) that are passed over for players the post-Torts/Gillis regime bring in and are more familiar with?

Again, I've been saying it for 2 years that Gaunce is favoured over Archibald only because he's younger and wasn't part of the Torts/Gillis debacle. But, during that time, which of the 2 has looked more well-suited for what the Canucks are lacking in a LW4? If nothing else, Archibald couldn't possibly have fared any worse as a bottom-6 forward than Brandon Prust. If there's going to be a revolving cast of characters auditioning for the job, he - even as a career minor leaguer at only age 27 - is still worth a decent-sized look. 

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