DS4quality Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 I am on the Stecher wagon as well. I think he's consistent and rarely makes mistakes in thee back end he's just small. But what he lacks in size he makes up in heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HC20.0 Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Troy Stecher is the obvious choice, but I'd also argue a case for Sven Baertschi. He's a lot better than most people give him credit for. If not for injuries, he would easily be a consistent 20 goal scorer on this team, and he's grown significantly on his defensive game since we first acquired him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comeback_Kings Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 18 minutes ago, Crabcakes said: We have seen this chemistry develop throughout the season. Early on, there was little push back when other teams took liberties. Not true any more. Credit to Benning for bringing in character players. And credit to Benning for team building. He was thinking out of the box by bolstering the bottom 6 which allowed them to start Petey at centre with the option of playing him less minutes if he struggled. This clearly hasn't been the case but we have seen that outside of the big 3 (Petey, Boeser, Horvat) the top 6 has not been strong. Even last night, Sutter logged the most minutes of any centre (18:30). The HNIC panel is even making comments to this effect. In the spirit of out of the box thinking, Benning for under rated GM Especially after last night's big win, the retool seems like a thing that can quicken a rebuild. Benning and the Canucks pro scouting have, over the years, targeted developing pros and it has been an effective team building strategy as proven by current roster players like Baertschi, Motte, Granlund, Goldobin, Leivo, Schaller and Pouliot. True, the team will likely look to upgrade the roster at the expense of some of these players. Yes, Canucks have tried and failed on some others, Clendening comes to mind, but you have to be willing to lose on some of these to upgrade the roster quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comeback_Kings Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 The Hutton / Stetcher pairing has been really good since put together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanukfanatic Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 6 hours ago, Phat Fingers said: Motte The guy plays his guts out and has a motor. A 4th liner has 7 goals on the season and plays physical while being small is a hard act. Granlund. A utility guy that doesn't complain and is willing to play any role. Stecher. For those that think Hutton is a revelation, Stecher is the reason. Jake. Been beaten on by fans and media since being picked. Had to learn the hard way and is already a consistent two way player finally figuring out how to score in the NHL. Eriksson. The 6 million dollar man has been humbled but still shows up to play, kills penalties, team guy, doesn't sulk about his diminished role. The entire front office, JB the redeemer and Green the rookie whisperer have proven themselves right. The plan put in place is paying off and the team is built to play the right kind of game fans want to see. Did you know those mentally challenged halfwits over at hfcanucks have a "Fire Green" thread? I thought Darwin said simpletons like that were suppose to die out!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the grinder Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 well my 2 cents is the whole team has been underrated by the media especially tsn , heck I didn't even think the canucks would be this great this year no one saw ep walking in this year and doing what he does , people up in arms about beagle rousell and schaller being signed heck we didn't even get any new d men almost everyone predicted we be in the bottom of the league and now the tune has changed media is finally on board singing the praise of jb telling him to stand pat and keep the course with our young core Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toyotasfan Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Horvat ,Edler and Markstrom have shouldered the biggest loads this year. Roussel has been my favourite players this year . Beagle has been a Huge addition to this team. Granlund deserves credit for his versatility. Motte is the most underrated in my mind, hardest working player on the team. Had to beat out Gagner just to get a job and has never looked back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgarM Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Nobody mentions Biega. The guy basically has done as he has been asked for this team for years now and quietly waits his turn to play. He rarely makes any mistakes, plays bigger then his size and plays 110% every shift and still gets no respect(ALA Rodney Dangerfield). TG has been quietly building a team that is competitive and plays hard most nights all while helping the youngsters become NHL regulars. Great Job! Ian Clark just helped this team erase any doubt of our goaltending situation. Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo fan Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 agree with all of the above - we have lots of under rated players that quietly go about getting it done hard to choose just one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBatch Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 3 hours ago, debluvscanucks said: All of the above. We tend to focus on Petey (rightfully so) and the guys who score us goals but we have a great supporting cast who work their tails off. It isn't always perfect and I think we're seeing that fatigue is very real...that these aren't robots, they're human beings. Subject to illness (a few had snifflly red noses before the break) and burn out. Stech stands out to me...last night was a good example of that. I scoff at those suggesting he's not "big enough" to have success. This isn't a lumberjack competition...hockey is mostly (now) centered around skill and speed. Langkow addressed it during After Hours, when he gave props to the Canucks for being fast. As the game evolves, there very much IS room for a guy who may be smaller, but hustles every shift and isn't playing small or afraid. He doesn't back away. And last night I saw him get us out of trouble a couple of times. Through that sheer determination and effort.Hutty too...my God, how he has grown into a great asset. Not through any lack of effort...he's worked, hard, on it. And Motte is just huge. Roussel adds a dynamic that we desperately need...an edge. He's our crazy in the closet that make them a little unsure because once that fuse is lit.... Edler and Tanev too. They get slammed a lot on here but it's very much a matter of don't know what you've got until (one day) they're gone. They are steady. Not flashy, steady. I don't know that I've underrated our guys (except initiallyfor some, during signings when I was such a noob and just didn't know the value we were adding). Love this team. Kelly Hrudey nailed it last night when he spoke of why the Canucks have the potential to be dangerously successful...chemistry. That isn't something the x's and o's on paper can determine, but is so vitally important. This is a true "team" in every sense of the word. Unlike some teams full of individuals all aiming for their own personal goals. I’ve liked Hrudey since his playing days...he flopped around a lot but never gave up on a puck, and his blue bandana was hilarious. Enjoy what he had to say, his input is usually positive and insightful, a counter-point to the often stupid or inflammatory comments made by Kyreos and some of the other flapping heads (imagine they are a panel of South Park Canadians and sometimes it’s not far off) . His game has mellowed somewhat over time, but he still brings it most nights. The Canucks and in particular EP and TG have been given a lot of props this year...something we haven’t seen for some time. Hrudey and Friedman are leading the charge, it’s possible the rest will fall in line and do the same, which would be refreshing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warrchief Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Its either Motte, Stetcher or Hutton. All three have stepped up their game and for Hutton's case, leaps and bounds. I hope we can sign both (stetcher) of them to be our 2nd pairing for the foreseeable future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynwa Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 I'd have to go with Motte, he's got a motor that never stops running, plays his heart out every game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyoung Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Markstrom. Hes keeping us in the fight. Hononable mentions to Stetcher, Hutton, Beagle, and Roussel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phat Fingers Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 2 hours ago, Kanukfanatic said: Did you know those mentally challenged halfwits over at hfcanucks have a "Fire Green" thread? I thought Darwin said simpletons like that were suppose to die out!!! I only visit that site pre draft to look at the undrafted players. It absolutely useless IMO otherwise. BTW, birth control requires people to keep track of things, either by putting on a Johnny cap properly or taking a pill once a day. Thus the simpletons are out producing the smarter folks. The inverse of Darwins law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theo5789 Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Motte and Stecher have certainly been unsung heroes this year, but I don't think they're underrated except maybe at the start of the season. I would give the underrated title to Virtanen because despite his improvement in his game, he continues to have many detractors. He's one of those guys that people only seem to appreciate when he puts up a few points otherwise the haters are always on him. I would give the runner up to that title to Eriksson because he's been a decent two way play this year and while his contract should mean that he should provide more offense, he's done a great job in his role. His contract will always be against him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeneedLumme Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 16 minutes ago, Phat Fingers said: I only visit that site pre draft to look at the undrafted players. It absolutely useless IMO otherwise. BTW, birth control requires people to keep track of things, either by putting on a Johnny cap properly or taking a pill once a day. Thus the simpletons are out producing the smarter folks. The inverse of Darwins law. That reminds me of a movie where that situation continued for an extended period of time until the average IQ had dropped to HFBoards levels. I think it was called "Idiocracy". Was amusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samgagner'sface Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Everyone is doing what they're supposed to be doing. Funny enough, I think GMJB is the most underrated. His vision of how a team should be built is what we see when they're healthy. The people who thought we would be terrible this year seemed to make JB a laughing stock. Who's laughing now? He knows we're a couple pieces away, but his vision of a "team" is what we get to see. It's quite obvious to me when I watch the oilers lose over and over and play like a bunch of talented individuals, but not a team that can win. Management there had no idea how to build a team. It's more than high draft picks and free agent signings. It's a room full of character, full of players prepared to do what it takes to win. Does anyone remember when GMJB was ranked bottom 3 as a GM? I can't remember his exact ranking, but it was low. IMHO Benning is the most underrated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ajax- Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Stecher- well discussed by everyone Motte- Great energy guy, wheels Leivo- great passing, great in the corners with some size. JB stole him from Toronto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry Goose Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 For me it's Motte hands down. He wasnt even expected to be on the team at the start of the season in the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xereau Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 3 hours ago, WeneedLumme said: That reminds me of a movie where that situation continued for an extended period of time until the average IQ had dropped to HFBoards levels. I think it was called "Idiocracy". Was amusing. If our national sport was monster trucks jousting with gigantic dildos, I'd probably watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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