[GDT/PGT] Vancouver Canucks @ Montreal Canadiens | February 2, 2021 | 4 p.m. PT | SNP

[BMorrison 7]

3 hours ago, Trebreh said:

maybe i'm reading too much into this, but Miller is one of Jake's mentors on the team but Virtanen is always in Green's doghouse. maybe Miller isn't happy with the treatment Jake is receiving from Green and is playing like crap to protest? lol 

That’s real team-mate love

[*Buzzsaw*]

21 minutes ago, Comeback_Kings said:

following a thread on Twitter :   Aquilini said no to making money available to sign Tofolli by way of a buyout of Sutter and/or Baertschi.   I do have the feeling that ownership cheaped out this offseason and the non signing of Tofolli wasn't Benning's call.  I don't care about the current economics of the NHL, this team deserves a real billionaire owner who wants to win at any cost.       

If that was the case, then Benning should not have signed Toffoli in the first place.

 

If you don't know where the pieces are going to fall, you don't make the deal.

[J.I.A.H.N]

Thoughts of the game..................

 

#1................Thank god for Thatcher Demko, Thatcher played a great game, and it would have been an even worst score without him

 

#2................Hard to gauge the team, Montreal is obviously a better team, but that does not mean we are the worst team. IMO, we are a team in transition, with a young core, and we are banking on some of them to play above their pay grade. Yes, we are better than Ottawa, probably even with Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Calgary, and probably worst than Toronto. This is a season unlike any other, and we have not played Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, or Winnipeg that many times ever. Now we are getting a better undrstanding of where we are generally.

 

3....................Keep in mind that Miller had a career year, last year, and Pettersson and Hughes may have done the same. So, that in its self may have been enough for us to take that step back, as players return back to more normal play.

 

4. Keep in mind we have 3 rookies and several sophomores, playing in key roles, Keep in mind our average play last year until the playoffs.

 

5. Keep in mind of the players lost collectively from last year. (aka Toffoli, Tanev and Markstrom) with honorable mention Stecher, and Leivo (albeit injured)

 

6. Team preparation is the coaches responsibility, special teams is the coaches responsibility, it is the players responsibility to execute the game plan. I would say it failed on all counts over the 5 games against Montreal. Stronger team, better execution, better game plan.

 

7. Not a time to make rash decisions........stay the course, at least until you play everybody i a series, it might be too late by then for this season, but the truth is, no trade of players that are expendable, will make us any better, unless you are willing to move players that are in our young core. Moving either Gaudette or Virtanen, will not change what we are today. (Keep in mind that our team was ranked as the 4th best core under 25 years of age) Keep our 1st and 2nd round picks.

 

8. Everybody needs to work harder..................bottom line, lets move on. 

 

PS.......Don't expect any better results against Toronto. Lets just let this play out..................Let us just hope Benning is doing a great job of scouting this year

[Comeback_Kings]

2 minutes ago, *Buzzsaw* said:

If that was the case, then Benning should not have signed Toffoli in the first place.

 

If you don't know where the pieces are going to fall, you don't make the deal.

No way, when Benning trades for Tofolli he is anticipating the cap going up.  Benning is still the guy that gets Tofolli for this team and likely wanted to sign him.  His pro scouting looks pretty good considering how good Tofolli is looking for Montreal right now.  I put this on ownership and it is * heartbreaking to Canucks fans.  

[nux4lyfe]

Time to bring our saviour Loui in!

[sockeye]

During the off season, I suggested to friends and some CDCers here that we should do whatever we can to retain Toffoli and even trade Boeser for a top D or top forward prospect (not an older player).  Most people disagreed with me.

 

I like Boeser but, last season, I wasn't overly-enamoured with his play (i.e. his skating and two way play), however, in the few games Toffoli played for us, I could see this guy is an all-round hockey player (sniper, penalty killer and power play guy) who plays strong, wins puck battles and is a good two-way player.  I would've preferred we keep both Boeser (a good sniper) and Toffoli but the owners had a budget that wouldn't allow that (unfortunately).  Benning made a good trade in acquiring Toffoli but we wasted a good prospect (Tyler Madden) and a 2nd round pick when the owners didn't re-sign Toffoli.  Seeing Toffoli's play with the Canadiens, this really sucks now.

 

Anyway, my prediction that the Canucks are not strong enough to make the playoffs this season holds.  Markstrom's and Demko;s play helped conceal some structural problems the Canucks had last year (if a team is giving up 40 to 45 shots a game, the team has problems and, ultimately, will not succeed).  The team was lucky to go as far as they did in the playoffs.  We don't have the personnel to be a contender (not yet. but we're getting there).  However, I don't disagree with Benning not signing aging Markstrom and Tanev to long term contracts (they were great Canucks).

 

All this stuff about a coaching change doesn't make sense to me.  Green has taken this team farther than he should have with the team we have.  The team just isn't good enough and a new coach isn't going to come in with a magic wand and make us a strong team (we don't quite have all the horses we need and our core players are very young). 

 

It baffles me how the Canucks fans think this team is better than it actually is.  I'm not surprised at all at how we're doing but I don't like to see us lose in the fashion we have lately (too many goals against).  The players really need to look in the mirror and quit taking penalties in the O zone, focus more and quit turning over the puck (as they have several times per game against the Canadiens).  One positive thing is how we're getting more shots on goal and we're not allowing as many against compared to most of last year.  

 

Montreal and Toronto will easily lead the Division.  I see Winnipeg and Calgary battling for 3rd and 4th spot; with Edmonton (McDavid and Draisaitl leading the way) on their heels.  I think Dubois is going to improve Winnipeg and they will be better than when they had Laine because I think Dubois is a better all-round player.

 

I really wish I could be more positive about this year's edition and I hope they prove me wrong.  If I'm right, I hope they take the next step next year.  We have a strong core but we're missing a few pieces.  

 

After following Canucks from their very first year, it is tiring but I always hold out hope that, someday, I will see them raise the Stanley Cup.

 

Here's hoping for the next game.

[ken kaniff]

1 minute ago, Comeback_Kings said:

No way, when Benning trades for Tofolli he is anticipating the cap going up.  Benning is still the guy that gets Tofolli for this team and likely wanted to sign him.  His pro scouting looks pretty good considering how good Tofolli is looking for Montreal right now.  I put this on ownership and it is * heartbreaking to Canucks fans.  

Benning can do no wrong I guess? He literally signed the contracts that handcuffed the team. Canucks are against the cap because Aquaman wants to be a winning team so he spends the money. Buyout Eriksson, Baertschi, Roussel, Sutter, Beagle etc... because nothing says competent GM like signing a whole bunch of players to big contracts only to want to pay the players not to play for your team anymore. But it’s the owners fault right? Smh

[PhillipBlunt]

33 minutes ago, luckylager said:

[4petesake]

5 minutes ago, PhillipBlunt said:

 

[Comeback_Kings]

1 minute ago, ken kaniff said:

Benning can do no wrong I guess? He literally signed the contracts that handcuffed the team. Canucks are against the cap because Aquaman wants to be a winning team so he spends the money. Buyout Eriksson, Baertschi, Roussel, Sutter, Beagle etc... because nothing says competent GM like signing a whole bunch of players to big contracts only to want to pay the players not to play for your team anymore. But it’s the owners fault right? Smh

I'm talking Tofolli and the cap not going up as Benning anticipated.  A lot of people anticipated the cap going up.  I didn't say Benning can't do any wrong.  I dislike and have disliked pretty much all of Bennings UFA signings, but you have to consider the context of the signings, Benning anticipated more spending room, not less, and yeah, the Vancouver Canucks with their million plus fan base deserve an owner not worried about losing money in the pandemic. 

[RWMc1]

[TNucks1]

lol just watched the Edler and Miller Postshow, edler didnt say one word.

[cuporbust]

56 minutes ago, luckylager said:

[cuporbust]

Just now, TNucks1 said:

lol just watched the Edler and Miller Postshow, edler didnt say one word.

Good. What's he guna say? I've made millions ?

[qwijibo]

Toffoli waited  until the third day of free agency before signing with Montreal.  In the mean time Benning was dicking around trying to land OEL.  He had the budget to sign Toffoli and spent it elsewhere.  It’s on Benning that Toffoli is a Hab rather than a Canuck 

Edited February 3, 2021 by qwijibo

[24K PureCool]

1 minute ago, qwijibo said:

Toffoli waited  until the third day of free agency before signing with Montreal.  In the mean time Benning was dicking around trying to land OEL.  He had the budget to sign Toffoli and spent it elsewhere.  It’s on Benning that Toffoli is a Hab rather than a Canuck 

Ok let's just blame all of this on Arizona and OEL. Think we can all get on board with that! 

[nux4lyfe]

[xereau]

 

The kid is right where he wants to be. Can't blame him.

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by xereau

[PhillipBlunt]

32 minutes ago, 4petesake said:

 

[Wayne Glensky]

2 hours ago, TNucks1 said:

lol had a bad reaction from these anti biotics i was using, broke out in hives pretty badly all over my body pretty much, just happy my face wasnt hit by them, its a pain in the ass not to itch my self. now i have to take different pills to help this bullsh!t.

Brutal. Allergic reaction ?