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Canucks: most improved team next year?

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steviewonder20

By steviewonder20
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Viper007 Canucks Regular

Viper007

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1 hour ago, Arrow 1983 said:

I have greater belief that this team will be better defensively than they will be on the power play. Yes, the 2nd unit will be better with OEL and Garland and even Dickenson to center it, but the one thing I know about hockey is, it is a possession game and with this new top 9 forward group and Motto and Sutter where they belong (on the 4th line) this team will have one of the best possession numbers in the league and as it goes if a team has the puck more than the opposition that's the best defense.

I pray that the Canucks can stay healthy for your predictions to come true.  

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IBatch Canucks Hall-of-Famer

IBatch

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4 hours ago, Arrow 1983 said:

I have greater belief that this team will be better defensively than they will be on the power play. Yes, the 2nd unit will be better with OEL and Garland and even Dickenson to center it, but the one thing I know about hockey is, it is a possession game and with this new top 9 forward group and Motto and Sutter where they belong (on the 4th line) this team will have one of the best possession numbers in the league and as it goes if a team has the puck more than the opposition that's the best defense.

One thing i know about possession, is, so far our 5 man box collapse doesn't allow for much of that.    And another thing it's been passé since LA won its last cup and PIT won back to back with a middling possession team, but a top level counter attack.   In other words there is more then one way to skin the cat.   I'd rather be a possession team because rope a dope is tough to watch. I think removing Edler and replacing him with OEL will help our transition game more then anything.   That gives us four guys who can pass the puck quickly and or just skate it out of the zone.   OJ is a question mark but both he and Rathbone looked fine.  

 

We need guys like Motte, Sutter and Dickinson.   Take away guys ... Podz is also supposed to be an absolute animal when it comes re-gaining possession.   We are going to love this guy i'm sure.   Know you like to make bold predictions. If i was to make a bold prediction, it is just this :  We won't likely ever be a top regular season team with this core, as in top 1-3...but we will be a better playoff team if JB keeps it up as far as who he wants on the ice come the post season. Building around Horvat was smart as heck.   Guys clutch.  We all either watched the 94 series or have heard a ton about how Linden also was clutch.   How many goals did Horvat score again?  He was on his way to obliterate Lindens 94 run and pass Bures.   

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aGENT Canucks Hall-of-Famer

aGENT

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Posted
7 hours ago, IBatch said:

We need guys like Motte, Sutter and Dickinson.   Take away guys ... Podz is also supposed to be an absolute animal when it comes re-gaining possession.   We are going to love this guy i'm sure.   

Garland is no slouch in that regard either.

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FlyLow_ Canucks Regular

FlyLow_

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7 hours ago, IBatch said:

One thing i know about possession, is, so far our 5 man box collapse doesn't allow for much of that.    And another thing it's been passé since LA won its last cup and PIT won back to back with a middling possession team, but a top level counter attack.   In other words there is more then one way to skin the cat.   I'd rather be a possession team because rope a dope is tough to watch. I think removing Edler and replacing him with OEL will help our transition game more then anything.   That gives us four guys who can pass the puck quickly and or just skate it out of the zone.   OJ is a question mark but both he and Rathbone looked fine.  

 

We need guys like Motte, Sutter and Dickinson.   Take away guys ... Podz is also supposed to be an absolute animal when it comes re-gaining possession.   We are going to love this guy i'm sure.   Know you like to make bold predictions. If i was to make a bold prediction, it is just this :  We won't likely ever be a top regular season team with this core, as in top 1-3...but we will be a better playoff team if JB keeps it up as far as who he wants on the ice come the post season. Building around Horvat was smart as heck.   Guys clutch.  We all either watched the 94 series or have heard a ton about how Linden also was clutch.   How many goals did Horvat score again?  He was on his way to obliterate Lindens 94 run and pass Bures.   

We haven't had a team that can forecheck in Benning's entire tenure here, you cannot be a top possession team without an excellent forecheck. That has to be one of the top priorities along with the defense. We may finally have the pieces required, but the top six is still quite small.

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Team Bagues Abbotsford Star

Team Bagues

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, IBatch said:

One thing i know about possession, is, so far our 5 man box collapse doesn't allow for much of that.    And another thing it's been passé since LA won its last cup and PIT won back to back with a middling possession team, but a top level counter attack.   In other words there is more then one way to skin the cat.   I'd rather be a possession team because rope a dope is tough to watch. I think removing Edler and replacing him with OEL will help our transition game more then anything.   That gives us four guys who can pass the puck quickly and or just skate it out of the zone.   OJ is a question mark but both he and Rathbone looked fine.  

 

We need guys like Motte, Sutter and Dickinson.   Take away guys ... Podz is also supposed to be an absolute animal when it comes re-gaining possession.   We are going to love this guy i'm sure.   Know you like to make bold predictions. If i was to make a bold prediction, it is just this :  We won't likely ever be a top regular season team with this core, as in top 1-3...but we will be a better playoff team if JB keeps it up as far as who he wants on the ice come the post season. Building around Horvat was smart as heck.   Guys clutch.  We all either watched the 94 series or have heard a ton about how Linden also was clutch.   How many goals did Horvat score again?  He was on his way to obliterate Lindens 94 run and pass Bures.   

They had a number of clutch guys on that team - very much not a top regular season team but great in the playoffs.

 

Greg Adams, Momesso, Murray Craven, Jeff Courtnall. They had a bunch of guys throughout the line-up that would come through.

 

If only Lafayette was clutch, and hadn't hit the cross-bar....

 

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Ballisticsports. Canucks Regular

Ballisticsports.

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Posted

Considering where the Canucks have been for years at the bottom, how can they not be improved?

But is it short term or long term? (We will find out)

After going through what we have for so many years, who wants to be another Leafs team?

I wanna see us be the best in the league dominating till the last game of the season team

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IBatch Canucks Hall-of-Famer

IBatch

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Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, Team Bagues said:

They had a number of clutch guys on that team - very much not a top regular season team but great in the playoffs.

 

Greg Adams, Momesso, Murray Craven, Jeff Courtnall. They had a bunch of guys throughout the line-up that would come through.

 

If only Lafayette was clutch, and hadn't hit the cross-bar....

 

Plus Linden...plus Babych, plus Ronning.   Not just the 94 run but ones before and after.   Until Linden was traded, after 89 where we almost buried the cup champs (OTTO kicked it in), that team was pretty much gaurenteed to make it to the second round.  Even his second time through he still overperformed for his role.   Without checking and truly i don't know, i'm going to bet Linden is the all-time Canuck leader in assists and goals come the post season.     Sedins should be though. 

 

Edit:  Sure different eras but...look at the PGP all-time leaders ... only the Sedins and Samuelson for their era break the top ten.   Guess who leads them .. 7, 8 and 10 ...  At 11 is Horvat creeping up on D Sedin.   Kesler at 14...  not much ahead of Jovo. 

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IBatch Canucks Hall-of-Famer

IBatch

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2 hours ago, ba;;isticsports said:

Considering where the Canucks have been for years at the bottom, how can they not be improved?

But is it short term or long term? (We will find out)

After going through what we have for so many years, who wants to be another Leafs team?

I wanna see us be the best in the league dominating till the last game of the season team

I don't care that much about the regular season.  Sure it would be nice to have a good regular season team - what i want to see is a team that wins a few rounds each time we get there at least.   And that can win a cup.   Doesn't seem likely YET.   But we are getting closer.

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Patel Bure Canucks Second-Line

Patel Bure

Posted
Posted (edited)

1) To what extent can Hamonic and Poolman be successful “yings to the yangs” for both OEL and Quinn Hughes at a top 4 pairing level?

 

2) To what extent can both OEL and Hughes be offensive powerhouses while limiting their defensive “faux pas’?”

 

I think these two questions will truly determine as to how the Canucks will do as a team this year.  Everything else seems really good in Canuck land.

 

-We are very deep up front

-We have great goaltending (starter and backup)

-We will have two strong PP units 

-We will likely have a strong PK

-Our left side D is stacked with solid PMD’s.

-Our 3rd pairing D should be strong regardless of what combination we put out [Rathbone/OJ]-[Myers/Poolman/Hamonic]

-We have depth in the form of MacEwen, Schenn, Rathbone, etc.

 

My guess is that Juolevi will get the 3rd pairing LD spot and will play with Myers (Rathbone to Abbotsford since Rathbone won’t require waivers which will allow both OJ and Rathbone to get plenty of NHL ice time this year........Rathbone will get called up when injuries occur).

 

So, in assessing this team, I think it will all boil down to my above two questions:

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IBatch Canucks Hall-of-Famer

IBatch

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, FlyLow_ said:

We haven't had a team that can forecheck in Benning's entire tenure here, you cannot be a top possession team without an excellent forecheck. That has to be one of the top priorities along with the defense. We may finally have the pieces required, but the top six is still quite small.

The entire league is getting smaller.  All the way back to late 80's level.   Look at TB ... who's big there?  Nobody.  I like big players that bash and get the puck back and certainly hope Podz is one of them.  Is he 6'1... or will he show up to training camp 6'4" like some sites claim he is all the better.   Our top six is tiny compared to how it was in the 90's and early 2000's but it's not small by today's standards so not at all worried about it.   

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wallstreetamigo Canucks All-Star

wallstreetamigo

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Posted

The roster has significantly improved on paper at least.

 

In my opinion, a main determining factor of how much improvement there will be coaching.

 

With this roster as constructed, the way the teamplays both offensively and defensively needs to be stripped down to the studs and rebuilt. Last years systems and style with this roster, particularly in the defensive zone, could actually be worse.

 

OEL, Hughes, and Myers, and to some degree Rathbone and Juolevi, need to play a much more high pressure defensive system and one that includes the forwards actually doing their part in that as well. The ability to transition the puck is there on the D but the forwards need to be making sure they are doing the right things through the neutral zone to get the puck, attack with speed, and do far less dumping and chasing. This needs to be a possession style team. In my humble opinion. 

 

If the coaches can build the right systems around the players and get everyone playing to their capabilities, the improvement could be immense.

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