Jonathan Lekkerimäki | RW

[Fred65]

11 hours ago, Smashian Kassian said:

Not really sure what to think about Lek's development.

 

On one hand you'd love to see a much better season obviously, on the other hand his tools have always been that of an opportunistic & talented 'pure goal scorer'. 

 

He's had some injury/sickness troubles but had his moments, we'll see where next year takes him.

I tend to think the kid needs a vacation, time away from hockey

[Smashian Kassian]

Wrong thread

Edited April 5, 2023 by Smashian Kassian

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[johngould21]

17 minutes ago, -Vintage Canuck- said:

 

I hope this kid goes on a great playoff run, has a strong off season to train for camp, and then comes in and blows the socks off the Canuck brass. That wrister is pretty damn good.

[73 Percent]

19 minutes ago, -Vintage Canuck- said:

 

Now that's a f**king goal.

[johngould21]

Just now, 73 Percent said:

Now that's a f**king goal.

That's an NHL f**king goal.

[mordekai]

But but he is a bust according to our media 

[NorthWest_Express]

2 minutes ago, mordekai said:

But but he is a bust according to our media 

He is a bust to the media and fans who think the only sign of a successful prospect is someone with insane stats. The kid has had the worst injury luck this season after battling mono last season, we can't judge him until he matures and has a full healthy season. You cannot teach the shot this kid possesses at his size, its similar to how Petey can shoot 100 mph+ because his technique 

[AnthonyG]

49 minutes ago, mordekai said:

But but he is a bust according to our media 

And half of our “fans”

[AnthonyG]

1 hour ago, -Vintage Canuck- said:

 

Elite shot confirmed.

[higgyfan]

Great to see him healthy again.  Really putting up the points for his playoff run.  I don't expect to see him

in Vancouver for another couple of years, but he looks like a promising young prospect.

[VegasCanuck]

1 hour ago, mordekai said:

But but he is a bust according to our media 

Our media < National Inquirer....

[Alflives]

1 hour ago, NorthWest_Express said:

He is a bust to the media and fans who think the only sign of a successful prospect is someone with insane stats. The kid has had the worst injury luck this season after battling mono last season, we can't judge him until he matures and has a full healthy season. You cannot teach the shot this kid possesses at his size, its similar to how Petey can shoot 100 mph+ because his technique 

I see so much of Mike Bossy in this kid. That goal today is vintage Bossy. From the wing with a quick release. Lots thought Bossy was too skinny, but all he did was fill the net. This kid is going to fill the net for us. Can't teach a guy to score. This kid has the "gift". He seems like he is high compete too. 

[DeNiro]

51 minutes ago, AnthonyG said:

And half of our “fans”

Jonathon Dahlen was an Allsvenskan star too…

 

Nice goal but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He still needs to put in a lot of work to get back on track.

[AnthonyG]

1 minute ago, DeNiro said:

Jonathon Dahlen was an Allsvenskan star too…

 

Nice goal but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He still needs to put in a lot of work to get back on track.

Yes, I am not getting ahead of myself, I am merely calling out the fans who immediately called this kid a bust after battling mono and injuries. 
 

What he does have is an elite release. He may need some time to refine areas of his game, to which I do not know what he lacks. But what I do see is a shot that is hard to teach. Skating, stick handling and positioning can be taught.

 

Its a relief to see him return to play and absolutely snipe one and show everyone why he was drafted. I’m happy for him, I support the pick and the fact he was rated to have one of the best shots in the draft is showing, is a great thing. There is hope for this kid, there is potential and with a little patience from this brutal fan base, this kid could become something. 

Vancouver has one of the most toxic fan bases. When the team is on a high the fans are on a high. When the team is on a low, the fans lose their minds and lose touch with reality.

 

I support this team and whomever is at the helm entirely. Even Mike Gillis. Yes I’m sure many have seen my comments on the forums in regards to how badly he destroyed this organization, but that was the cost of trying to win, which I fully understood. I support every pick we make, I understand not every player drafted is going to be a star let alone an NHL player period. This fan base is riddled with insane expectations and are so far out of touch with reality its not even funny. 
 

For the Vancouver Canucks, Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford, this is a good sign. To see our prospect bounce back, show what he is made of and show his stuff, this brings hope to the future and could very well be one of the key cogs in the wheel in a few years. Think of Tampa and how long some of their most important cup players marinated for, before coming in and making all the difference. Or Pittsburghs 1st cup with Malkin on an ELC after being in Russia.

 

We have the stars at the NHL level already… we just need to be patient for that shooting star to come out of nowhere to light up the sky at the right time. Lekkermaki, Klimo, whomever it is… we have time to be patient. Petey, Hughes and Demko have a ton of good hockey left to play. Lets do it right, lets not sacrifice the future like last time and lets just keep competitive like Boston and St. Louis have done for so long.

[Hogs & Podz]

5 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

Yes, I am not getting ahead of myself, I am merely calling out the fans who immediately called this kid a bust after battling mono and injuries. 
 

What he does have is an elite release. He may need some time to refine areas of his game, to which I do not know what he lacks. But what I do see is a shot that is hard to teach. Skating, stick handling and positioning can be taught.

 

Its a relief to see him return to play and absolutely snipe one and show everyone why he was drafted. I’m happy for him, I support the pick and the fact he was rated to have one of the best shots in the draft is showing, is a great thing. There is hope for this kid, there is potential and with a little patience from this brutal fan base, this kid could become something. 

Vancouver has one of the most toxic fan bases. When the team is on a high the fans are on a high. When the team is on a low, the fans lose their minds and lose touch with reality.

 

I support this team and whomever is at the helm entirely. Even Mike Gillis. Yes I’m sure many have seen my comments on the forums in regards to how badly he destroyed this organization, but that was the cost of trying to win, which I fully understood. I support every pick we make, I understand not every player drafted is going to be a star let alone an NHL player period. This fan base is riddled with insane expectations and are so far out of touch with reality its not even funny. 
 

For the Vancouver Canucks, Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford, this is a good sign. To see our prospect bounce back, show what he is made of and show his stuff, this brings hope to the future and could very well be one of the key cogs in the wheel in a few years. Think of Tampa and how long some of their most important cup players marinated for, before coming in and making all the difference. Or Pittsburghs 1st cup with Malkin on an ELC after being in Russia.

 

We have the stars at the NHL level already… we just need to be patient for that shooting star to come out of nowhere to light up the sky at the right time. Lekkermaki, Klimo, whomever it is… we have time to be patient. Petey, Hughes and Demko have a ton of good hockey left to play. Lets do it right, lets not sacrifice the future like last time and lets just keep competitive like Boston and St. Louis have done for so long.

I appreciate your level headed view on Lekkerimaki and the fan base.  The only statement I don't fully agree with is the fans 'insane expectation'. 

 

Definitely a toxic culture to a point... But that comes with being so close to winning it all but failing to do so... And in a 'rip our hearts out' devastating way two of those three times.   

 

Getting to my point.... I believe the main expectation is just making the f**king playoffs!  Is that so much to ask?  I really understand the general frustration and I don't think that is an insane expectation.  Hard?  Yes!  But we have the main components for a cup winning core. Now expecting to win the cup?   Unrealistic maybe for another season or two but not insane. 

 

Truth is, until we win it all... The fan base will just get more and more toxic, jaded and apathetic.

[AnthonyG]

26 minutes ago, Hogs &amp; Podz said:

I appreciate your level headed view on Lekkerimaki and the fan base.  The only statement I don't fully agree with is the fans 'insane expectation'. 

 

Sorry I could have gone a bit further into detail when stating my view on the “insane expectations”

The fact this kid is being tossed to the way side by so many posters in his D+1 season after battling mono and being shut down for injuries, is insanity. There is no patience. Not only that but the expectations of EVERY single 1st round draft pick expected to be a super star player or star player at the least is insanity. The fans cant seem to accept that not every top 10 pick pans out. 
The expectations of a cup so soon after the devastation left behind by Gillis going all in and leaving us having to build from below ground zero and up. This was going to be a 10 year process from how things started in 2014, before we would start seeing promise. Fortunately we landed some crucial pieces early on and we have some nice depth building both courtesy of Benning and PA, this organization is headed in a great direction and I would compare this work to that of Burke+Nonis and their overall impacts on the 2010-11 run. Thankfully Benning found the biggest pieces early on, which gives PA and JR plenty of opportunity to find the final pieces. Overall the body of work done by JB+PA will be the equivalent of Burke+Nonis+Gillis, because JR does know how to do Gillis things, I just hope he doesnt go full Gillis and we just maintain promotion from within and seldomly look to the outside for the answer, only when the right opportunity/player arises.

8 years to build a team plus an entire prospect pool AND be a cup contender is a completely insane expectation that is derives from this fan base when our youth/core that was drafted 5 years ago… havent even hit their athletic prime.

 

Anyhoo I believe we are in good hands ultimately, we are in no rush to find major pieces and the support work has begun (Kuzmenko, Hronek, Mikheyev etc)

[Hogs & Podz]

3 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

I just hope he doesnt go full Gillis

THAT is good!!!!

 

3 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

this organization is headed in a great direction and I would compare this work to that of Burke+Nonis and their overall impacts on the 2010-11 run.

100% agree.  Especially how so many more resources and focus on the development side in Abby and abroad.  Very similar feel to the moose years.

 

Another great post, thanks!

Edited April 7, 2023 by Hogs & Podz

[Ray_Cathode]

8 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

Yes, I am not getting ahead of myself, I am merely calling out the fans who immediately called this kid a bust after battling mono and injuries. 
 

What he does have is an elite release. He may need some time to refine areas of his game, to which I do not know what he lacks. But what I do see is a shot that is hard to teach. Skating, stick handling and positioning can be taught.

 

Its a relief to see him return to play and absolutely snipe one and show everyone why he was drafted. I’m happy for him, I support the pick and the fact he was rated to have one of the best shots in the draft is showing, is a great thing. There is hope for this kid, there is potential and with a little patience from this brutal fan base, this kid could become something. 

Vancouver has one of the most toxic fan bases. When the team is on a high the fans are on a high. When the team is on a low, the fans lose their minds and lose touch with reality.

 

I support this team and whomever is at the helm entirely. Even Mike Gillis. Yes I’m sure many have seen my comments on the forums in regards to how badly he destroyed this organization, but that was the cost of trying to win, which I fully understood. I support every pick we make, I understand not every player drafted is going to be a star let alone an NHL player period. This fan base is riddled with insane expectations and are so far out of touch with reality its not even funny. 
 

For the Vancouver Canucks, Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford, this is a good sign. To see our prospect bounce back, show what he is made of and show his stuff, this brings hope to the future and could very well be one of the key cogs in the wheel in a few years. Think of Tampa and how long some of their most important cup players marinated for, before coming in and making all the difference. Or Pittsburghs 1st cup with Malkin on an ELC after being in Russia.

 

We have the stars at the NHL level already… we just need to be patient for that shooting star to come out of nowhere to light up the sky at the right time. Lekkermaki, Klimo, whomever it is… we have time to be patient. Petey, Hughes and Demko have a ton of good hockey left to play. Lets do it right, lets not sacrifice the future like last time and lets just keep competitive like Boston and St. Louis have done for so long.

I don’t see any Pettersson’s, Hughes’ or Miller’s among our prospects, but that leaves 20 spots to fill the roster. There are some young guys that look like they’ve got a future. Sure hope Lekkerimaki is one of them. 

[AnthonyG]

1 hour ago, Ray_Cathode said:

I don’t see any Pettersson’s, Hughes’ or Miller’s among our prospects, but that leaves 20 spots to fill the roster. There are some young guys that look like they’ve got a future. Sure hope Lekkerimaki is one of them. 

No maybe not right now, but in a few years we will see who emerges and when they do… it will be on cheap deals at the peak of Hughes and EPs prime. That will be when we really go deep and solidify ourselves as true contenders. When guys on cheap deals who have been developing come up and make a huge impact. 

In a salary cap era, you dont want all your stars emerging at the same time, so the fact we dont see any clear cut stars in the minors now, is not a bad thing. This could be the whole timing thing that comes together for a deep run and a possible championship. as Pettersson, Hughes and Demko begin to dig deep into their potential, young stars will be emerging within the organization to add to our arsenal on ELCs or cheap RFA deals which is what ultimately helps puts a team over the top. Its not the UFA that puts a team over the top, its the RFA that produces like a UFA, but leaves cap for us to still have a valuable UFA in the push for a cup that truly makes the biggest impact. 
The twins were 29 when the Canucks went on that run…. We have plenty of time and many years of opportunities to win coming up, the new era has just begun, its so far from over yet people panic as if the sky is falling.