tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27481202342529072842024-03-13T05:52:40.445-07:00Pass it to BulisHarrison Mooneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03261557020279875141noreply@blogger.comBlogger554125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-55199344001814002852020-08-03T05:08:00.001-07:002020-08-03T05:09:25.892-07:00IWTG: Canucks can't crack the Wild's defensive shell in Game 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjRQ4ecQGnReyR4pMShkVrTzMGUT-wGdDNaZagMM43_Jwen-MF5p4H5DAyrTzSoop44LEAivr1xmPdnl2oRn2H_FHjz_MZ6IVZwILw-eheyLUvSn3VO1HxkZWs3VJqEw6qi99ULt6FyXW/s2048/newiwtg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjRQ4ecQGnReyR4pMShkVrTzMGUT-wGdDNaZagMM43_Jwen-MF5p4H5DAyrTzSoop44LEAivr1xmPdnl2oRn2H_FHjz_MZ6IVZwILw-eheyLUvSn3VO1HxkZWs3VJqEw6qi99ULt6FyXW/s640/newiwtg.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Canucks fans have been waiting a long time for this.</div><div><br /></div><div>I’m not just talking about the four and a half months that the NHL season was on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though that was certainly a long time to go without Canucks hockey. Even a normal off-season is punctuated by various hockey ephemera, like the draft, prospect camp, and free agency.</div><div><br /></div><div>But Canucks fans have been waiting particularly long to get back to the playoffs. While this technically isn’t the playoffs — it notably doesn’t count for trade conditions like the one attached to the first-round pick in the J.T. Miller trade — this play-in qualification round still counts as the postseason.</div><div><br /></div><div>That’s something Canucks fans haven’t seen since 2015, when they faced the Calgary Flames in the first round in the first year of Jim Benning’s tenure as general manager. The Canucks haven’t made it to the playoffs since — technically, they still haven’t.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's been even longer since the Canucks won a playoff round. For that, you have to go all the way back to the powerhouse 2011 Canucks, who of course went to the Stanley Cup Final.</div><div><br /></div><div>In other words, such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=araU0fZj6oQ" target="_blank">those sung by Aaron Lewis</a>, it’s been awhile.</div><div><br /></div><div>That made it a doubly-painful gut punch when the Canucks played one of their worst games of the year. There was an inescapable “I waited that long for this?” feeling to the game. It was like waiting 16 years for the next Star Wars movie after Return of the Jedi and camping out for tickets to opening night, only to see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FLhO7ZnKHs" target="_blank">Jar Jar Binks traipse about the screen</a>, the mystical force reduced to what a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiMHTK15Pik" target="_blank">scanner says about his power level</a>, and the terrifying villain Darth Vader turned into a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bLkcCZFKvA" target="_blank">catch phrase-spewing</a> ten-year-old.</div><div><br /></div><div>That wasn’t podracing. And neither was this game, which, like the Phantom Menace on opening night, I watched.<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k2sY8E2z-64" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>First things first: I don’t think Micheal Ferland should have fought. That’s for a couple reasons: one is that I no longer see a purpose in fighting in hockey, where once it was one of the things I loved about the game. Second, I really don’t like staged fights that happen off of a faceoff, sparked by nothing more than two guys deciding to fight. Third, Ferland is coming off a long recovery from a concussion and should probably avoid things unnecessarily colliding with his head.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>That said, Ferland iis a grown man and can make his own decisions. I’m willing to bet that Ferland felt a need to prove something, not to anyone else necessarily, but to himself, that he could still play hockey the way he believes he has to in order to be effective. That means throwing big hits, getting under the skin of his opponents, and potentially dropping the gloves. I don’t have to like it, but I can see why he felt the need to do it. I just hope he’s okay and doesn’t suffer from a recurrence of post-concussion syndrome. </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Canucks came out flying in the opening minute, but their momentum came to a screeching halt with the first shift from the fourth line of Tyler Motte, Jay Beagle, and Brandon Sutter. They immediately got hemmed in by the Wild’s fourth line centred by Mikko Koivu, which should tell you something about the Wild’s centre depth compared to the Canucks’. On their fourth line, the Wild have one of their most popular players of all time, who has served as their captain since 2009, and is one of the most underrated defensive forwards of his era. The Canucks have Jay Beagle.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Wild created two great chances on that shift and drew a penalty. Just three seconds into the power play, Kevin Fiala drilled a one-timer that went through Jacob Markstrom like it was Kitty Pryde. It wasn’t the most auspicious start to Markstrom’s first ever NHL postseason game.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Shortly after that initial soft goal, however, Markstrom made some fantastic saves, first robbing Eric Staal on a 2-on-1, then getting his toe on a Zach Parise rebound chance. I haven’t seen someone make a toe save like that since <a href="https://www.womansworld.com/posts/entertainment/dolly-parton-toes-sewed-164823" target="_blank">Dolly Parton’s mom</a>.</li></ul><div><br /></div><blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" data-id="mxBPEmD" lang="en"><a href="https://imgur.com/mxBPEmD">View post on imgur.com</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js"></script><br /><div><br /></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Markstrom was definitely off his game. He looked more like the Markstrom of a couple years ago, before Ian Clark got ahold of him and helped him calm his game down. One of his biggest issues is how overactive he was, making big movements with his body instead of small adjustments, which opened up large holes in his stance. Whether it was nerves or something else, that old habit popped up again, particularly on the second Wild goal. It was evident all game, with him even sliding all the way out of his net unnecessarily on shots going well wide. Hopefully that’s something he can arrest and get back to the steady, calm Markstrom that was such a force all season.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Elias Pettersson, at least, had a strong game. His work down low along the boards to win puck battles was impressive, showing that he’s more than ready for the more physical side of playoff hockey. Shot attempts were 21-13 for the Canucks when Pettersson was on the ice at 5-on-5, as he created a ton of offensive zone pressure. The only problem was that he didn’t have a lot of help.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>You so often hear about the importance of players with Stanley Cup experience for young teams. On the other hand, Tyler Toffoli has a Cup ring and was arguably the worst Canucks forward on the ice. The Canucks struggled to string together any passes, but that was particularly true for Toffoli, who completed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT5ok_ztNiA" target="_blank">fewer passes than Ryan Leaf</a>.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Seriously, the Canucks’ passing troubles were stunning. Not to pick on Tyler Myers — truly, everyone struggled in this game — but look at this pass to nowhere from the third period. It’s not even close to J.T. Miller. If Miller had COVID-19, that puck would be in no danger of catching it from him. </li></ul><div><br /></div><blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" data-id="7HwSzXl" lang="en"><a href="https://imgur.com/7HwSzXl">View post on imgur.com</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js"></script></div><div><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Whether it was a conscious choice by the coaching staff to try to evade the Wild’s stifling defence or a reaction to their inability to pass the puck, the Canucks played a frustrating dump and chase game on Sunday, lofting aerial assaults instead of breaking into the Wild zone with speed and possession. If it was by design, it’s back to the blueprints for the Canucks’ coaching staff, because it plain didn’t work.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Wild are less boring than their Jacques Lemaire days, but they are still disciplined defensively and kept the Canucks completely to the outside all game, with few shots from in tight. The Canucks best chances came from the top of the faceoff circles, where Alex Stalock was able to come out, challenge, and flash around-the-world glove saves for all the fans that weren’t in attendance. If the Canucks want a chance in this series, they need to make like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kejj4_bRj-s" target="_blank">Bard the Bowman</a> and find the missing scale in the Wild’s armour. </li></ul><div><br /></div><blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" data-id="fy4XE5P" lang="en"><a href="https://imgur.com/fy4XE5P">View post on imgur.com</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js"></script><div><br /></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Wild’s second goal also came on the power play off the stick of Jared Spurgeon. Alex Edler went down to block the puck, but didn’t get down quickly enough, with Spurgeon’s shot sliding low between his legs. Markstrom, seeming to think Edler had the bottom of the net covered, anticipated a high shot, leaving a massive gap below his left pad. In that situation, Edler’s got to make the block, but at the same time, Markstrom has to make a better read of Spurgeon’s shot and drop down into a full butterfly. </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ferland might be in some trouble. Midway through the third period, during a tussle along the boards in front of the Wild bench, Luke Kunin grabbed Ferland’s stick for a moment from the bench. In retaliation, Ferrland, who evidently didn’t see who grabbed his stick, speared Ryan Hartman in the gut. It was an ugly moment that could earn him a suspension, which would clear a path for Jake Virtanen to get back in the lineup.</li></ul><div><br /></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ferland tried to poke a hole in Hartman <a href="https://t.co/rHHQIWTKKG">pic.twitter.com/rHHQIWTKKG</a></p>— Vanessa Jang (@vanessajang) <a href="https://twitter.com/vanessajang/status/1290148452916015104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Honestly, a suspension might not be necessary. Ferrland wasn’t very effective in his return to the lineup, which isn’t entirely surprising given how much time he missed. The third line was completely ineffective overall, with Gaudette looking overwhelmed and Antoine Roussel trying to create a ruckus without any willing combatants. The Canucks needed that line to be an x-factor, but they were instead a non-factor, and you know what you have to use when a line doesn’t factor: <a href="https://www.purplemath.com/modules/quadform.htm" target="_blank">the quadratic formula</a>.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>On the plus side, this dreadful game did give us one incredible moment: Emo Chris Tanev. After taking a big hit from Hartman, Tanev’s helmet was askew, so he jammed it back onto his head, inadvertently pushing his flow over his eyes, making him look like he was about to sing about how <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhZTNgAs4Fc" target="_blank">he’s not okay</a>, he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-cepZ6K7mY" target="_blank">doesn’t want to feel this way forever</a>, and how <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap0mqwvf7H0" target="_blank">all of this was all your fault</a>. </li></ul><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAZ2abUvyvBSdgMdLtsuVo3GM3NKOITfgcWQDk8Zi-aqKD0hX1gAoUaXYh2kVxMsYmt0LBC84vdehiAX-LdCMnrSHJWkUSjE0G30fysbZZpPY51ItpWE8JLt-IC8SLXQtY54dCG1zpj-p/s1844/Screen+Shot+2020-08-03+at+4.25.43+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1844" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAZ2abUvyvBSdgMdLtsuVo3GM3NKOITfgcWQDk8Zi-aqKD0hX1gAoUaXYh2kVxMsYmt0LBC84vdehiAX-LdCMnrSHJWkUSjE0G30fysbZZpPY51ItpWE8JLt-IC8SLXQtY54dCG1zpj-p/s640/Screen+Shot+2020-08-03+at+4.25.43+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-3802683458287934362020-07-30T00:38:00.002-07:002020-08-03T05:10:50.790-07:00I Watched This Awkward Pandemic Exhibition Game: Canucks can’t ground the Jets<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlyhvBdK6tyxwknpv-C8Ghzj_TMrdGuijMDYewIRsDS52YFCBDtPkRYXFsgD7DVaeCgGSNqwYI3GIuLyAj5MdsvbNNaeNpgNnQYoiYx3HDmw_NF0CxuJuCFy_Bq8rHlsjx_XaxQhLhy5T/s2048/newiwtg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlyhvBdK6tyxwknpv-C8Ghzj_TMrdGuijMDYewIRsDS52YFCBDtPkRYXFsgD7DVaeCgGSNqwYI3GIuLyAj5MdsvbNNaeNpgNnQYoiYx3HDmw_NF0CxuJuCFy_Bq8rHlsjx_XaxQhLhy5T/w625-h351/newiwtg.png" width="625" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So we’re actually doing this, are we?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">You have to give the NHL credit for getting games going seemingly without major incident. A few positive COVID-19 cases were reported back in Phase 1, but the NHL’s strategy seems to have worked: putting everyone in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSRU48wCphI" target="_blank">bubble like Jake Gyllenhaal</a> to create individualized hypoallergenic environments for each player, then sending them out on the ice like <a href="https://youtu.be/k7tHkeVR1Ms" target="_blank">bubble soccer players</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Wait, that’s not what they did? The “bubbles” they’re talking about are just two quarantined areas in Toronto and Edmonton? Well, that’s way less fun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After a training camp redux in Vancouver, Wednesday’s exhibition game against the Jets was a chance for the Canucks to get back up to game speed in a ridiculous hurry. Starting Sunday, they’ll face a five-game play-in series against the Wild. Win that series and they’re in the playoffs; lose and they have a 12.5% chance at the first overall pick, ceded to one of the play-in teams by the draft lottery.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It’s an absurd situation for an absurd time.<span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The results will matter against the Wild; this game was a lot more about testing the waters, albeit by jumping in with a massive cannonball rather than dipping a toe in. There’s no time to fiddle with line combinations, experiment with power play set ups, or mess with defence pairings. The Canucks need to play like a playoff team immediately.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Expecting playoff-caliber hockey after a near five-month layoff is a tough ask, and we certainly didn’t get it on Wednesday. But absence makes the heart grow fonder and any Canucks hockey is good hockey after that much time without it. It was a balm to the soul when I watched this game.<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vcedcypwM2I" width="560"></iframe><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Jake Virtanen was a healthy scratch for this game, which seems like a pretty big deal, since teams were allowed to dress 13 forwards for the exhibition games. It seems he’s fallen behind Zack MacEwen on the depth chart after a rough training camp where he got <a href="https://twitter.com/taj1944/status/1284189176846381056?s=20" target="_blank">cussed out by his captain</a>. Considering Virtanen was on-pace for 21 goals and 43 points, it seems pretty telling of how Travis Green views him away from the puck (or possibly away from the rink).</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>During the first intermission, in front of an extremely wobbly cell phone camera, Jim Benning downplayed the Virtanen scratch: “Micheal Ferland came back, he’s had a real good camp. Travis wanted to take a look at him on that line tonight with Gaudette and Roussel, so I don’t think it’s anything more than that.”</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Meanwhile, Green told a different story after the game when asked why Virtanen was scratched: “I just went with the lineup that I thought gave us the best chance to win.” That seems like a bit of a disconnect between coaching and management, or at least a lack of communication.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The biggest issue for Virtanen is that he doesn’t kill penalties. While he has the wheels to be an effective penalty killer, he has shown little in-zone defensive aptitude — his defensive awareness is nearly non-existent. With Micheal Ferland and Antoine Roussel healthy again and skating on the third line, that means Virtanen is competing with go-to penalty killers Brandon Sutter and Tyler Motte for a spot on the fourth line.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Is that an ideal situation? No! Because Sutter isn't very good anymore and Motte is basically only good on the penalty kill. But it's the <a href="https://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis/for-the-canucks-penalty-killing-is-exclusively-the-domain-of-bottom-six-forwards-1.23965701" target="_blank">same logic that led to Sven Baertschi getting demoted to the AHL</a> and permanently losing his spot with the Canucks. If I were Jake Virtanen, I might be a teensy-weensy bit worried.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The lack of fans in the arena wasn’t a big deal overall, though there were some issues with the piped-in arena noise, such as noticeable delays between goals and a roar from the “crowd.” What was more odd was the lack of creativity in terms of the broadcast. With no fans, that opens up all sorts of possibilities for innovative camera angles, but the only new angle appeared to be a bizarre overhead shot from the rafters that wouldn’t have been affected by fans in the arena. Perhaps they’re saving all the new camera angles for the actual play-ins/playoffs or perhaps the games are going to be presented the exact same way they're always presented, because novelty is death when it comes to the NHL.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>As for the game itself, it was...fine. It was hockey. Hockey is good, most of the time.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Canucks got strong performances from their top two lines, which will be key against the Wild. Elias Pettersson was predictably their best player — his line with J.T. Miller and Tyler Toffoli hemmed the Jets in during the first period in particular, creating some great chances. Brock Boeser looked like a new man, slicing through the Jets’ defence to get a game-high 7 shot attempts, meshing well with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson, which is good, because this is no time for bad meshing.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The bottom-six was more messy than meshy. The third line with Roussel, Gaudette, and Ferland got the Canucks' lone goal, but struggled at times. The fourth line wasn’t good. At all. Brandon Sutter looked slow, Jay Beagle got stuck in his own zone too much, and Tyler Motte couldn’t get his linemates going despite some good work on the forecheck. That could be a problem against the Wild, who have a more balanced forward group.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Canucks controlled the first period, but couldn’t get the puck past Connor Hellebuyck, who showed no rust whatsoever after so many months off the ice. Fortunately, Hellebuyck only plays for the Jets and the Wild goaltenders are significantly less Vezina-esque. Unfortunately, Tucker Poolman scored the opening goal against the flow, his wrist shot finding a way through both traffic and Jacob Markstrom.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Markstrom, incidentally, was just fine. He certainly wasn’t at fault on the second Jets goal, when Tyler Myers and Oscar Fantenberg got their signals crossed and gave up a 2-on-1, with Myers sliding into oblivion on an ineffective shot block and Fantenberg coasting on the backcheck. Patrik Laine sent a hard shot off Markstrom’s far pad and Nikolaj Ehlers sent the rebound home, which was a lot easier to do while on the ice, unlike the guy the Canucks picked ahead of him back in 2014.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The 3-0 goal didn’t look good for Tanner Pearson, who gave the puck away at his own blue line then took too long to identify the danger represented by Dmitry Kulikov in front. Jack Roslovic found Kulikov a lot faster than Pearson and he had a clear shot from between the hashmarks to beat Markstrom. We’ll blame rust.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Honestly, the Canucks created tons of chances, but Hellebuyck was a hella-brick wall all game. He got a piece of an Elias Pettersson bullet on the power play in the first period, turning it over the bar. Brock Boeser was stoned on a breakaway, as was Bo Horvat as he cut through the Jets’ defence. The Canucks peppered Hellebuyck with 38 shots, but could only beat him once on a garbage goal in front. </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>That goal came courtesy of Roussel, who got in hard on the forecheck to win the puck, then Gaudette took over with a great cutback along the endboards to create space against Josh Morrissey — <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjPhzgxe3L0" target="_blank">heaven knows he’s miserable now</a>. Gaudette’s wraparound attempt was stopped, but Roussel poked the loose puck through Hellebuyck’s legs. Confusingly, that led to the same piped-in cheers from the non-existent fans, breaking <a href="https://ewrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Kayfabe" target="_blank">kayfabe</a>, since this was supposedly a Jets home game.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Olli Juolevi was in the game as the Canucks’ seventh defenceman, playing a largely uneventful 6:37 in ice time. He made one decent stretch pass, stepped up in the neutral zone a couple times to break up plays, and recovered well after a defensive zone giveaway to eliminate the Jets’ chance that came as a result. While it’s unlikely to bump him up the lineup to play ahead of Fantenberg, it was a solid showing for a prospect that has hit some major roadblocks in his development.</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div>Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-22416662206975880972020-07-06T13:30:00.001-07:002020-08-03T05:11:47.363-07:00Despite Pettersson, Horvat, and Gaudette, the Canucks are not set at centre<a class="gie-single" href="http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/1208413483" id="64LiuRcPTmZ1GBh9rLvucQ" style="border: none; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'64LiuRcPTmZ1GBh9rLvucQ',sig:'4BbGzv35u6f4B0fHDgdoWgGi_LU6lCIk80LaJwel-mA=',w:'594px',h:'357px',items:'1208413483',caption: true ,tld:'ca',is360: false })});</script><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js"></script>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-d970afe2-7fff-3802-09e7-a8199fa09afa"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s a sentiment floating around the Canucks fandom that I find concerning. It’s the idea that the Canucks are set at centre for the foreseeable future and shouldn’t worry about acquiring more young centre prospects, either at the draft or via trade.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s why many Canucks fans were fine with the team moving Tyler Madden to the Los Angeles Kings in the Tyler Toffoli trade, even before Toffoli quickly clicked with Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller on the top line. It’s why many Canucks fans are eager to see the team draft defencemen and scoring wingers ahead of centres when the NHL Entry Draft finally arrives.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the surface, it’s not an unreasonable stance. At the NHL level, Pettersson is a legitimate franchise forward, Bo Horvat is a strong two-way second-line centre, and Adam Gaudette is an up-and-coming scoring threat from the third line. With that youth up the middle and a veteran fourth-line centre, the Canucks should be set for years, right?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The truth is, the Canucks depth at centre is nearly nonexistent. <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a></span>Beyond the NHL, the Canucks have limited potential at centre. Tyler Graovac is an AHL player; Carson Focht, Linus Karlsson, and Lukas Jasek have limited upside and may never make the NHL; and arguably the team’s most talented prospect at centre is Arvid Costmar, who is a long shot as a seventh-round pick. <p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At least Costmar tore up the SuperElit Under-20 league in Sweden, leading the league in points-per-game with 26 goals and 50 points in just 29 games. Against adults in the SHL and Allsvenskan, however, Costmar managed just one goal in 14 games, albeit in limited minutes.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The point is that the Canucks don’t really have any help on the way at centre. If the Canucks have injuries in future seasons, there are no promising prospects in the wings (er, at centre) to step in and pick up the slack. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More importantly, some of the best teams regularly use centres out of position on the wing. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take a look at the St. Louis Blues, who won the Stanley Cup last year. Of the 14 forwards that played for them in the playoffs, nine of them were listed at centre by Hockey Reference. That includes one of their top scorers, Jaden Schwartz, who plays left wing on the team’s top line. Schwartz was a centre in his draft year when he led the USHL in scoring and is versatile enough to play all three forward positions: in the NHL, however, he’s primarily played on the wing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018. Five of their top six scoring forwards are listed as centres. T.J. Oshie played on the wing on the second line, but he was drafted as a centre and has played a decent amount at centre in the NHL. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jake Guentzel led the Pittsburgh Penguins in scoring enroute to the 2017 Stanley Cup. He played on the left wing alongside Sidney Crosby on the first line, but he was drafted as — you guessed it — a centre. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is just a small sampling, of course. There are plenty of other examples of players drafted at centre that have gone on to excel on the wing and teams that have thrived with such players. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heck, the Canucks’ J.T. Miller is an example. Already a versatile forward that could play all three positions in his draft year, scouts thought Miller would be middle-six centre at the NHL level. Instead, he’s thrived most as a winger, while still taking the majority of faceoffs for his line this past season. That versatility has made him indispensable for the Canucks.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps the ranks of wingers are filled with one-time centres because they are more likely to be well-rounded two-way players in junior, making them more reliable as wingers in the NHL, where positions frequently fly out the window and simply become F1, F2, and F3 in the course of play.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An added benefit, of course, is that a team loaded with centres on the wing doesn’t have to fret quite as much when one of their top centres goes down with an injury. One of their plethora of other centres can step into the breach.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All this is to say, the Canucks should not shy away from adding to their prospect depth at centre in the coming year(s). Not only will the team need injury insurance, the best of those centres could wind up being key wingers for future playoff runs.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-54848318028161742512020-05-29T16:00:00.001-07:002020-05-29T17:58:51.684-07:00Why Judd Brackett was let go as the Canucks' Director of Amateur Scouting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8raky084gEwaBL2Qb5u31iELjlEwvxhM8AnxwrRnWSgbolnPHYjt55vVkdq26yWyOq9-dWFDwuu27axnFX-GMabpqmt6pjJpmuTO4lveHEKIVpxEUEP1WEQnfJW_iwnIhStNTqPrV0vty/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1200" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8raky084gEwaBL2Qb5u31iELjlEwvxhM8AnxwrRnWSgbolnPHYjt55vVkdq26yWyOq9-dWFDwuu27axnFX-GMabpqmt6pjJpmuTO4lveHEKIVpxEUEP1WEQnfJW_iwnIhStNTqPrV0vty/w640-h365/Judd-Brackett.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Canucks announced the departure of Judd Brackett on Friday, the generally accepted day of the week for burying news, but the writing has been on the wall for months.<br />
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Patrick Johnston at The Province was the <a href="https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/patrick-johnston-are-the-canucks-judd-brackett-headed-in-different-directions" target="_blank">first to report</a> on the issues behind the scenes between Canucks GM Jim Benning and Director of Amateur Scouting Brackett. The Canucks' recent success at the draft table has turned Brackett into a bit of a folk hero in Vancouver, but his contract was set to expire at the end of the season.</div>
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Benning said that he had offered Brackett a two-year contract extension, but it was rejected. There was speculation as to why, but it narrowed down in recent months to an issue of autonomy. Brackett wanted to be able to run his own department, while Benning and Assistant GM John Weisbrod had expressed their desire to be more heavily involved in scouting.</div>
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On a conference call with the media on Friday, Benning confirmed that autonomy was one of the primary issues, but suggested that Brackett was asking for too much.</div>
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Jim Benning confirms that autonomy was the big divide with Judd Brackett.<br /><br />"I believe in a chain of command... I don't know too many places where a team is going to give a head scout total autonomy to make all the picks without collaborating with people higher up..."</div>
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThomasDrance/status/1266433331572301824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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That statement seems at odds with Brackett's approach to drafting, however, which has <a href="https://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis/for-the-canucks-judd-brackett-scouting-and-drafting-are-a-collaborative-effort-1.23144857" target="_blank">always emphasized collaboration</a>. He has never taken sole credit for drafting any player. In many ways, Brackett's success as Director of Amateur Scouting has been more about his emphasis on a collaborative process than on his own keen eye as a scout.</div>
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Brackett's own statement on his private Twitter account made it clear that the issue of autonomy wasn't about who gets credit for draft picks, but about "personnel and process."<br />
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Statement from Judd Brackett. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/rHiRW44L72">pic.twitter.com/rHiRW44L72</a></div>
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) <a href="https://twitter.com/passittobulis/status/1266476143667896321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As Director of Amateur Scouting, it would be expected that Brackett would be in charge of the personnel in his department, though certainly there would be discussion with Benning and Weisbrod. That would extend to hiring and firing scouts, which appears to be one of the biggest sticking points.</div>
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This extends all the way back to last summer. In early July, shortly after the 2019 Entry Draft in Vancouver, the Canucks restructured their scouting department. Amateur scouts Chris MacDonald, Dan Palango, Paul Gallagher, and Doug Gasper all departed the team. </div>
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MacDonald was hired by the Arizona Coyotes as Director of European Amateur Scouting, a promotion that Benning suggested was emblematic of the quality of the Canucks' scouting staff. </div>
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"Other organizations are looking at our people and looking to give them higher opportunities and I take pride in that," said Benning. He didn't, however, comment on the departure of the other three scouts.</div>
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Gasper is now Assistant General Manager for the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings, while Palango and Gallagher do not yet appear to have jobs in hockey.</div>
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These moves were made by Benning, not Brackett. Palango, in particular, worked quite closely with Brackett, and was trusted as a crosschecker: a scout that would provide an important second opinion on reports from regional scouts.</div>
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It's likely that Brackett was unhappy to see a scout he trusted so much let go, particularly if it was done without his say so, undermining his authority as Director of Amateur Scouting. These and many other personnel decisions in the scouting department were made independent of Brackett's input.<br />
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Add that to <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.com/2020/05/judd-brackett-star-wars-and-importance.html" target="_blank">other issues that have been reported recently</a> — making trades for prospects "against the counsel of their scouting staff" and changing the draft board heading into day two of the 2019 draft — and you can see why Brackett wanted assurances of autonomy in his next contract.</div>
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Benning wasn't willing to make those assurances. It's clear that Benning and Weisbrod want to take a more hands-on approach with scouting, to the point that they let go of scouts that Brackett trusted and wanted to keep in the scouting department.</div>
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While Benning has suggested they will look to replace Brackett with a new Director of Amateur Scouting, though he's unsure if it will involve promoting someone from within the organization or hiring from outside the organization. Of course, that brings to mind similar assurances that they would replace Trevor Linden as President of Hockey Operations.</div>
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It's entirely possible that Benning and Weisbrod's desire to be more involved in scouting will result in Weisbrod taking on the Director of Amateur Scouting role in addition to his job as Assistant GM.</div>
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Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-51991049072805795182020-05-09T16:10:00.002-07:002020-05-19T16:15:02.541-07:00Judd Brackett, Star Wars, and the importance of disagreement<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnr0k70P3FYEHhfjc1Tr8wOCxueqHWyi2kEdvcKhLpr4POA6JrU5JR-hmAwDuF4av59kcETtxyebLuwaXOs-YXk9wvUboT1mpkV03N7DXqBlcoeZDpSom-tRtZx2dciC-70Byv7oA7FDT/s1600/Canucks+Scouting+Meetings+to+Prepare+for+NHL+Draft+0-34+screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="854" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnr0k70P3FYEHhfjc1Tr8wOCxueqHWyi2kEdvcKhLpr4POA6JrU5JR-hmAwDuF4av59kcETtxyebLuwaXOs-YXk9wvUboT1mpkV03N7DXqBlcoeZDpSom-tRtZx2dciC-70Byv7oA7FDT/s640/Canucks+Scouting+Meetings+to+Prepare+for+NHL+Draft+0-34+screenshot.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Judd Brackett at the Canucks' 2019 scouting meetings. photo: Canucks/YouTube</td></tr>
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If the hockey season hadn’t been canceled, there’s a possibility that the Canucks would be in the playoffs right now and the off-ice, front-office drama of the last few days would have been a minor subplot or footnote.<br />
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Instead, there’s nothing else going on in the world of the Canucks, so the ongoing question of Judd Brackett’s future with the team is not just <i>a</i> story — it’s <i>the</i> story.<br />
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As of right now, Brackett is still the Canucks’ director of amateur scouting, a role he’s filled since he was promoted in the summer of 2015 after playing a key role in the scouting of Brock Boeser and Adam Gaudette. He’s been in charge of the Canucks’ drafting for the last four drafts, which have resulted in two true superstars in Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, along with a handful of other intriguing prospects that could play a large role in the team’s future.
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Since amateur scouting and drafting have been the primary strengths under Jim Benning’s tenure as general manager of the Canucks, it’s surprising that Brackett’s future with the team is in doubt.
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Actually, it wouldn’t be surprising if Brackett’s future with the Canucks was in doubt because another team wanted to hire him to give him a bigger role with more responsibility and higher pay. After all, that was the path Jim Benning took to becoming a general manager. He was first a scout, then the director of amateur scouting for the Buffalo Sabres before the Boston Bruins hired him as Director of Player Personnel, then promoted him to Assistant General Manager.
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What’s unusual is that Brackett seems likely to lose his job despite being very good at it and with no other team headhunting him.
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Patrick Johnston of The Province <a href="https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/patrick-johnston-are-the-canucks-judd-brackett-headed-in-different-directions" target="_blank">first reported on the troubles behind the scenes</a> back in January, making connections between reports from his sources and Benning’s statement that the hiring of Chris Gear as assistant general manager would free him and John Weisbrod up to do more scouting.<br />
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Amateur scouting isn’t normally the job of an NHL general manager or assistant general manager, though both Benning and Weisbrod have a scouting background. Certainly, GMs will get out to a few games here or there, as well as major events like the World Juniors, but that only provides a few viewings on players already deemed top prospects. It requires a much longer and larger process to identify and scout players for an extensive draft list.
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<a href="https://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis/for-the-canucks-judd-brackett-scouting-and-drafting-are-a-collaborative-effort-1.23144857" target="_blank">Brackett described part of the process</a> in 2018 when I asked him about drafting Elias Pettersson.
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“It starts with an identification process early on, and then people come in from all over and put him against players from their region and vice versa. There’s a real process to it,” said Brackett. “Scouting is a group effort for us. We have Inge Hammarstrom over there [in Sweden] and Thomas [Gradin] traveled there, but Elias played in the U20 tournament in November...and we had plenty of guys that cross over to Sweden. So, there’s no one person that drafts. If there’s a player we like, we have long discussions about that player. It’s definitely a group effort when we find someone special like Pettersson.”
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You can’t give just one person credit for the work of the Canucks scouting department. Brackett himself will be the first to tell you that. Trying to say that <a href="https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/kuzma-ron-delorme-delivered-first-hard-sell-to-get-elias-pettersson-on-canucks-draft-radar" target="_blank">Ron Delorme is responsible for the Canucks drafting Pettersson</a>, for example, is absurd. Delorme is a WHL scout for the Canucks, to start with, but the bigger issue is that the entire scouting department weighed in on the decision to draft Pettersson. Certainly, Delorme argued for Pettersson, but so did Hammarstrom, Gradin, and other scouts.
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Despite opportunities to self-aggrandize and take responsibility for drafting, Brackett repeatedly emphasized the importance of collaboration and discussion when I talked to him.
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The Canucks <a href="https://www.vancourier.com/sports/you-want-to-be-strong-minded-but-not-pigheaded-behind-the-scenes-of-a-canucks-scouting-meeting-1.23319927" target="_blank">gave a peek into that process</a> in a behind-the-scenes video from the Canucks’ 2018 scouting meetings. In the video, you can see Brackett directing the discussion, putting players up on a whiteboard to break down their various strengths and weaknesses in comparison to one another, but everyone in the room has input into that discussion.
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“Regardless of if it’s your first year or your 30th year, if you’ve got an opinion on a player, let’s make sure we get it out there,” says Trevor Linden early in the video. The emphasis is on collaboration.
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Other behind-the-scenes videos illustrate the collaboration between Brackett, Benning, and Weisbrod, such as the one from the 2017 draft. Their discussion of Jonah Gadjovich is interesting: Brackett seems more interested in Gadjovich’s scoring potential in front of the net, while Weisbrod jumps to the idea that he could create a “safe working environment” with his toughness.
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The more intriguing moment, however, is around the 3:25 mark of the video, when Benning calls Stan Bowman, GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, about trading picks. Bowman makes a counteroffer and Benning hangs up to discuss things with his group, primarily Brackett.
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Benning asks Brackett, “Do you guys wanna do it?” and Brackett responds, “Yeah, I think it gives us another shot.” Weisbrod chimes in and asks if the extra picks later are of value to Brackett and he says they are. So they do the deal.
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The two picks the Canucks got turned into Kristoffer Gunnarsson and Petrus Palmu — Benning seemed particularly excited about Gunnarsson in the video — so nothing much came of the trade, but it’s still a sign of how much autonomy Brackett had in the later rounds of the draft. Benning and Weisbrod deferred to his opinion — it was essentially his call to make the trade.
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You can see it again in the 2018 behind-the-scenes video. At 1:09, in reference to previous discussions about trading down, Brackett says, “If Woo goes, we make that trade.”
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It takes a fair degree of autonomy in running the draft — particularly the second day of the draft — to say that to the general manager of your team. Obviously, this is something they’ve previously talked about and they have an understanding regarding the players they like in the draft and where they’re likely to be available, so it’s not like Brackett is overstepping, but the fact he’s comfortable enough making that statement says something.
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The discussions further on about Tyler Madden further reinforce Brackett’s standing with Benning and Weisbrod at that time. They were on the same page, but there was a push and pull on that page.<br />
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There’s an exchange of ideas, questioning each other and accepting what is said. Brackett asks about taking a goaltender; Benning pushes back on the idea of taking one in the third round when they only have one third-round pick. Benning brings up the option of trading down; Brackett pushes back that he’d rather have Madden.
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Later on, another trade option comes up: Benning turns to Jonathan Wall, the team’s Senior Director of Hockey Operations and Analytics, who presumably had run the numbers on pick value. He defers to Brackett: “It’s up to Judd.”
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It seems telling that the Canucks never released a 2019 behind-the-scenes video from the draft, despite hosting the draft in their own building.
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If they had, perhaps fans would have seen the once collaborative relationship turn acrimonious. According to a <a href="https://post.futurimedia.com/ckstam/playlist/listen-24338.html" target="_blank">report by J.D. Burke on TSN 1040</a>, that’s when things turned sour.
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“The situation basically started to sewer at last year’s draft,” said Burke, though he also reported that there was an earlier sign: the Canucks traded for Linus Karlsson “against the counsel of their scouting staff.”
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“There was a real debate in that front office about what to do with the tenth overall pick and it was not the most friendly of debates either. In fact, it was bordering on acrimonious according to all sources,” said Burke. The debate over whether to pick Vasili Podkolzin, a player the scouting department loved across all levels of play, whereas Benning and Weisbrod preferred Philip Broberg, a player that had a strong showing at the U18 tournament, but was less impressive in league play.
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The team went with Podkolzin, though it’s notable that Broberg was already off the board, going eighth overall to the Edmonton Oilers.
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According to Burke’s sources, however, Benning and Weisbrod changed the Canucks’ draft board between day one and day two. He emphasized that this isn’t necessarily uncommon in the NHL, but if you’re looking for a moment when Benning and Weisbrod encroached on the autonomy of Brackett and his department, breaking the relationship in some way, there it is.
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Satiar Shah on Sportsnet 650 later confirmed that Brackett isn’t asking for a larger role or a raise — he just wants the autonomy to run his department, the same autonomy granted to other areas in the Canucks’ front office. With Benning and Weisbrod wanting to take a more hands-on approach, that takes away from Brackett’s ability to do his job the way he sees fit.
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If it’s not immediately clear why, consider that a big part of Brackett’s job is directing his scouts to view different players, ensuring that they have enough viewings from multiple different scouts on each player they’re interested in. Would Brackett be able to direct Benning and Weisbrod in the same way, telling them which games to see and players to watch?
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Let’s be clear too: Benning still wouldn’t be able to do much scouting in his role as general manager.<br />
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Instead, that would fall primarily to Weisbrod, who would likely want to direct scouts himself, sending them to watch players that he thinks should be higher on the team’s list or deserve more attention. Again, that takes away from Brackett’s ability to run his department.
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This desire to take a more hands-on approach to amateur scouting seems to follow a trend: when someone in the Canucks front office pushes back on Benning and Weisbrod, they’re pushed out. People get let go not necessarily because they’re doing a bad job but because they disagree. We <a href="https://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis/toronto-maple-leafs-hire-former-canucks-exec-laurence-gilman-as-assistant-gm-1.23312949" target="_blank">saw that with Laurence Gilman</a> and <a href="https://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis/jim-benning-defends-himself-from-backstabbing-claims-after-trevor-linden-s-departure-1.23388293" target="_blank">with Trevor Linden</a>, as Benning and Weisbrod oversaw an ever-shrinking front office staff.
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Perhaps that’s an unfair characterization. After all, you do want people to be pulling in the same direction towards a common goal. At the same time, you don’t want a front office full of “yes men,” who simply agree with whatever the boss says.
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Gilman once said that one of his most important jobs as assistant GM under Mike Gillis was to say “no” when Gillis had a bad idea. It is vitally important to have people willing to disagree and argue their case and equally important for those in charge to be willing to listen to those arguments.
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If you don’t have a diverse group of voices willing to provide contrasting opinions and tell you when you’re doing something dumb, you end up with the Phantom Menace.
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When George Lucas returned to the world of Star Wars to write and direct the prequels, he was a very different figure in pop culture than he was back in the 70’s when he wrote and directed the first movie. In the 70’s, Lucas was a rogue filmmaker with one hit on his hands trying to make the type of movie that had never really been made before. When it came to the prequels, Lucas was the unassailable creator of one of the biggest forces in pop culture history. He was on a pedestal.
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As a result, there was nobody willing to say “no” when he had a bad idea. A first-year film student could have looked at the script for the Phantom Menace and said, “This movie doesn’t have a protagonist.” Somehow, a massive team of film industry professionals didn’t have the chutzpah to tell Lucas. Because he’s George Lucas, creator of Star Wars.
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On the other hand, look at the first Star Wars movie, later retitled A New Hope. Lucas had some grand ideas and a compelling story, but we wouldn’t have Star Wars as we know it without the dozens of people that pushed back on some of those ideas to refine them and make them better.
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That includes friends and producers that helped refine and edit the screenplay from a mess of weird ideas and characters named “CJ Thorpe” and “Mace Windy” into a heroic space opera. Director Brian De Palma, after seeing an early version of the opening crawl, said, “George, you're out of your mind! Let me sit down and write this for you.“
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The actors pushed back on some of the unwieldy dialogue. Harrison Ford famously said, “George, you can type this shit, but you can’t say it!” Mark Hamill made a habit of <a href="https://youtu.be/sp_4gySzqns?t=217" target="_blank">rattling off one particularly absurd bit of dialogue</a> on late night shows, a line that Hamill convinced Lucas to take out.
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The crew pushed back on Lucas as well, such as cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, who had frequent run-ins with Lucas when it came to technical details of lenses and lighting.
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“He asked to set up one shot on the robots with a 300mm, and the sand and sky just mushed together,” <a href="https://theasc.com/magazine/feb06/taylor/page4.html" target="_blank">said Taylor</a>. “I told him it wouldn’t work, but he said that was the way he wanted to do the entire film, all diffused.”
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Executives ended up backing Taylor over Lucas and a lot of the visual aspects of Star Wars can be credited to Taylor pushing back on Lucas.<br />
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Most importantly, the film was drastically changed in the editing process, with a trio of editors: Paul Hirsch, Richard Chew, and Lucas’s wife at the time, Marcia Lucas. The changes they made <a href="https://youtu.be/GFMyMxMYDNk" target="_blank">essentially rewrote the entire structure of the movie and saved Star Wars</a>, winning an Oscar for Best Editing as a result.
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They didn’t act alone, of course: Lucas was there throughout the editing process, collaborating with his editing team. None of this collaboration takes away credit from Lucas, whose creative vision and abilities as a director are primarily responsible for Star Wars. The pushback from friends, executives, crew, actors, and editors didn’t take anything away from Lucas: instead, they refined things and made them better. In fact, Lucas deserves credit for being so collaborative and listening when his collaborators said “no.”
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When it came to the Phantom Menace, either Lucas was less willing to listen to “no” or the people he was working with were less likely to tell him “no” in the first place. As a result, you get a devastatingly bad movie with serious, fundamental flaws.
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Back to the Canucks: it may seem like you want unity in a front office and, in many ways, you do. The unity that you want, however, is unity of vision: everyone pushing towards a common goal. That cannot turn into a unity of opinion, where everyone is in lockstep regarding the best path to reach that goal.
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Instead, you want collaboration, with everyone free to bring their ideas to the fore and argue for them. You want to empower those working for you to have autonomy over their own areas of expertise, like a cinematographer has autonomy over lens and lighting choices and an actor has a certain degree of autonomy when it comes to knowing their character and what dialogue sounds natural coming out of their mouths.
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A well-managed team almost runs itself. You put the right people in the right roles, provide an overall vision, and give them the resources they need to do their jobs.
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From all reports, Judd Brackett is very good at being the Canucks’ director of amateur scouting. He isn’t demanding more power or more money: he just wants to be able to do his job and that means being able to push back at Benning and Weisbrod based on his expertise and the input of his scouts.
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<br />
Benning and Weisbrod have already pushed out other voices in the Canucks’ front office that disagreed with them. There’s an argument, whether you take it from Star Wars or basic management principles, that you should instead welcome that disagreement and allow it to lead to better decision-making.
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Ultimately, what do you want the Canucks to become: a new hope or a phantom menace?
Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-54471710292195317742020-04-30T12:06:00.002-07:002020-04-30T12:49:55.104-07:00The 2019-20 Canucks Top Meme Awards<b>Guest Post by <a href="https://twitter.com/nataliecsws" target="_blank">Natalie Hoy</a></b><br />
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It may be a shortened Canucks season, but there's been no shortage of meme-able Canucks content. Here is a top 8 in honour of defenseman Chris Tanev’s first full season in the NHL.<sup>1</sup> We are all very proud of you.<sup>2</sup><br />
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<h3>
<b>8 | Hockey hugs (of quality)</b></h3>
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Will Graham wrote <a href="https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/canucks-hockey/the-canucks-are-going-to-hug-their-way-to-the-playoffs-2053937" target="_blank">an entire article</a> on the tangible intangibles of hockey hugs, and it goes to show how embraced they were by the fanbase this season. There was a lot of skill on display, but a lot of camaraderie also.<br />
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1st place in the Pacific Division at the break? That deserves some <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HockeyHugs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HockeyHugs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/OI1CjCtJ9w">pic.twitter.com/OI1CjCtJ9w</a></div>
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet650/status/1218773407568760834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<h3>
<b>7 | Yep, that’s me, Jacob Markstrom</b></h3>
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The <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/record-scratch-freeze-frame" target="_blank">*record scratch* *freeze frame* meme</a> is an amalgam of several 80s/90s film clichés and one of my favourites, because everyone knows the best memes are the ones derived from sheer panic.<br />
<br />
On Nov. 5th, the Canucks and St. Louis went to overtime and Tyler Myers shot wide, lost an edge, and took J.T. Miller down with him. It was a rare 3-on-0 heading the other way, and you gotta love Markstrom’s aggressive goal post tap as he readied himself for the challenge. The team’s social media even used the still in their <a href="https://twitter.com/Canucks/status/1245471448027676678" target="_blank">dos and don’ts of social distancing</a>, so it’s nice to know someone is laughing about it now.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
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<a href="https://t.co/sdBQYwPqwK">pic.twitter.com/sdBQYwPqwK</a></div>
— Austinrotten (@AustinRotten) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustinRotten/status/1244439513906196481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<h3>
<b>6 | Ageless Mason Raymond</b></h3>
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Between 50th anniversary celebrations, Sedin week and Alex Burrows’ Ring of Honour night, there was no shortage of Canucks alumni in the building this season, and that list included Mason Raymond.<br />
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Fondly referred to as ‘MayRay,’ Raymond was drafted by the Canucks in 2005 and spent the better part of six seasons in Vancouver before brief stints with Toronto, Calgary, Anaheim, and SC Bern of the Swiss league. The speedy winger has since returned to his agricultural roots, and is a farmer in his home province of Alberta.<br />
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This gif of Raymond was from February 2020, though I wouldn’t have batted an eyelash if someone had said it was from 2010 because the man. does. not. age. He was an athlete ambassador for a local spa and skin care company in 2012 and the fresh-faced philosophy has endured.<br />
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Raymond is only 34 – but so are current roster vets Loui Eriksson and Jay Beagle. You don’t see people on Twitter clamouring for their skin care regimens.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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Mason Raymond showing Mike Gillis that his face hasn't aged one bit. 😂 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xc2Tp8Llba">pic.twitter.com/Xc2Tp8Llba</a></div>
— Grady Sas (@GradySas) <a href="https://twitter.com/GradySas/status/1227796390895640576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<h3>
<b>5 | Canucks Boat</b></h3>
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From a Hollywood North-caliber zombie film to intermission dog races, there was a lot to like about the Canucks’ in-arena entertainment this season.<br />
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One clip that didn’t gain the traction I thought it deserved was their Love Boat parody, which first hit the jumbotron on 80s night. It featured Horvat as the captain – which made total sense – and Edler as the doctor – which made no sense.<br />
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I learned not one, but two new words in ‘yeoman’ and ‘purser.’ And then there was Quinn Hughes as Huggy Bear—an oversized suit jacket and smile so uncomfortable, yet graciously on-brand. Stick taps to all involved!<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Quinn Hughes as Huggy Bear 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/GexqMfMLxp">pic.twitter.com/GexqMfMLxp</a></div>
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Canucks/status/1203431454392254464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<h3>
<b>4 | Pug in a ____</b></h3>
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Riley is Chris Tanev’s pug and one of this season’s unsung heroes. He gained a cult-like following after making his Instagram debut in November because he is very cute (enviable), but mostly likes to sleep and eat (relatable).<br />
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The IG post that started it all had the simple caption, "Pug in a box," which led to <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/fho4y5/pug_in_a_quarantine_umagnoolia_ucrunchone/" target="_blank">endless permutations</a> among the meme-fiends on r/Canucks.<br />
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tanevchris/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Chris Tanev</a> (@tanevchris) on <time datetime="2019-11-27T03:11:33+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 26, 2019 at 7:11pm PST</time></div>
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<h3>
<b>3 | Travis Green breakdance</b></h3>
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During a matinee match up in Buffalo, a Brock Boeser shot was under review and the Canucks thought they had a sure goal thanks to a deceiving playback angle. When the no goal call on the ice was upheld, coach Travis Green was kind of flabbergasted.<br />
<br />
“As soon as I did the little breakdance I was praying that no one caught it, but obviously they did,” <a href="https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-extra-buffalo-wildin" target="_blank">Green said</a> of his reaction after the game.<br />
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From another angle, it was shown the puck had actually sailed several feet over the net—not through the side netting as initially suggested. Fortunately, Boeser also tallied two that counted, and the Canucks went on to beat the Sabres 6-3.<br />
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An optical illusion long forgotten, but the Travis Green breakdance lives on.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
When McDonalds' soft serve machine is broken <a href="https://t.co/Q4VA9iYUbI">pic.twitter.com/Q4VA9iYUbI</a></div>
— Vanessa Jang (@vanessajang) <a href="https://twitter.com/vanessajang/status/1216080488399400961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<h3>
<b>2 | ‘Hey girl’ ft. Tanner Pearson</b></h3>
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Pearson’s smirk and one hand on the hip, the other against the wall pose prompted some humorously Canadian pick-up lines – <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/ryan-gosling" target="_blank">‘Hey girl’/Ryan Gosling</a> style.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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"You come to this Tim Hortons often?" <a href="https://t.co/NDbypn6zYb">pic.twitter.com/NDbypn6zYb</a></div>
— Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheStanchion/status/1233124623807434752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Pearson is already married, and Tim Hortons is currently take-out only, but that’s okay. The Canucks should <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9C-BKfnNUm/" target="_blank">give Jake Virtanen the DSLR</a> more often if it means getting more content like this.<br />
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Hey girl, are you an empty net? Because im about to score. <a href="https://t.co/K6BZNzU0TO">pic.twitter.com/K6BZNzU0TO</a></div>
— Andy Cole (@AndyColeTSN) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndyColeTSN/status/1233167704988585986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<h3>
<b>1 | The Insurance Line</b></h3>
<br />
Loui Eriksson, Bo Horvat, and Tanner Pearson played nearly 290 minutes together this season, but their legacy was made in a fraction of that time. More specifically, the final few minutes of regulation, when they were oft out defending a lead and potting empty net goals.<br />
<br />
The three were credited with 12 empty net goals between them—the only other Canuck with one this season was Brandon Sutter. Their dogged determination inspired a wave of memes that made it hard not to indulge in their stat-padding successes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.redd.it/2xk5z5qqtfa41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="800" height="340" src="https://i.redd.it/2xk5z5qqtfa41.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/envzro/the_empty_net_gang_strikes_again/">https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/envzro/the_empty_net_gang_strikes_again/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.redd.it/zal5lg8tjgd41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="627" height="318" src="https://i.redd.it/zal5lg8tjgd41.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/ev1dlv/you_have_been_visited_by_the_empty_net_gods/">https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/ev1dlv/you_have_been_visited_by_the_empty_net_gods/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://preview.redd.it/ya3d2jwxbab41.jpg?width=526&auto=webp&s=357579367d1d7ac21e19d5930f32fd170bb7d025" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="526" height="380" src="https://preview.redd.it/ya3d2jwxbab41.jpg?width=526&auto=webp&s=357579367d1d7ac21e19d5930f32fd170bb7d025" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/epwsfq/empty_net_specialist/">https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/epwsfq/empty_net_specialist/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.redd.it/1k904x1ould41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://i.redd.it/1k904x1ould41.png" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/evdxmv/loui_eriksson_is_the_closer/">https://www.reddit.com/r/canucks/comments/evdxmv/loui_eriksson_is_the_closer/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<sup>1</sup> The NHL says the 2019-20 season is ‘on pause,’ but they recently extended their Coronavirus self-quarantine recommendation for players and staff to April 30th. Big-ticket sporting events are unlikely to return anytime soon, and understandably so.<br />
<sup>2</sup> But only if the NHL season is cancelled.<br />
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Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-56796616953008469312015-09-17T23:33:00.000-07:002015-09-17T23:33:04.388-07:00Oh yeah, we're at the Vancouver Courier nowSo, we apparently forgot to tell you this: we have signed on with the Vancouver Courier, clearly the best newspaper in Vancouver. Also, happy belated birthday. We forgot that too.<br />
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The blog can now be found at <a href="http://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis">http://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis</a>.<br />
<br />
Alternately, you can just bookmark <a href="http://passittobulis.com/">http://passittobulis.com</a>, which should always lead to the right place.<br />
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Have a puppy.<br />
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<br />Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-51847521134526503932015-07-28T11:48:00.004-07:002015-07-28T13:11:53.084-07:00Canucks trade Nick Bonino for Brandon Sutter, throw in Adam Clendening for kicks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Canucks fans have had to cope with the loss of several fan favourites this season, so it was nice change of pace when the team announced on Tuesday that they had traded Nick Bonino instead.<br />
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Save for two weeks in late October, when we entertained the idea that he was better than Ryan Kesler, the man he replaced, Nick Bonino didn't accomplish much in his time in Vancouver. And in the playoffs, he was arguably Vancouver's least effective player. It was enough to wish that Jim Benning had a do-over on the deal.<br />
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Benning must have felt the same way, which is why Bonino is outbound, and centre Brandon Sutter, now formerly of the Pittsburgh Crosbies, is the newest Canuck. Sutter was, you may recall, the centrepiece of a collapsed trade deadline deal that would have sent Ryan Kesler to the Penguins.<br />
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But, alas, time travel comes at a cost. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKqd27h7KjM">Doc Brown warned us</a> about paradoxes; Trader Jim didn't listen. The full deal sends Nick Bonino, Adam Clendening and a second-round draft pick to Pittsburgh for Sutter and a third-round pick.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Great going, Jim. You went back and changed the future, giving the Canucks Sutter instead of Bonino. That's an improvement, since Bo Horvat already stole Bonino's second line job, and Bonino doesn't have the defensive chops to handle the demotion; Sutter, a bigger, faster player that's better on draws and takes them right-handed, is a better fit. But in changing the past, Jim, you've returned to a future in which you don't have the promising Adam Clendening.<br />
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That's good news for Frank Corrado, who just won his September training camp battle without having to make a single outlet pass. But it's bad news for Canucks fans, many of whom are beginning to suspect that Benning is a brilliant scout in a job that calls for a brilliant GM.<br />
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Like just about every move he's made so far, we find ourselves intrigued by what's coming in and simultaneously bewildered, or annoyed, by what's going out. After sweetening the pot with the second-for-third draft pick swap, which itself seems somewhat unnecessary since the Penguins are gleefully shedding $1.4 million in salary here and jettisoning a player that never quite fit for them, did Benning <i>have</i> to fork over Clendening, a player that just last year he told us was a future top-four blueliner?<br />
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(My only hope is that Benning is playing his reputation against us all, that he oversold Clendening knowing that he'd be <i>believed</i>, then happily tossed an overhyped player into this deal to get the guy he really wanted. Clendening <i>was</i> jettisoned by the savvy Blackhawks, then blithely discarded by a so-called scout savant after 17 NHL games. It's possible Benning is smarter than all of us. Considering where his desk is, he should be. I'd really like him to be.)<br />
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Still, and I feel like I'm saying this a lot lately (albeit privately, since I've been in semi-retirement all summer), this might not be a total disaster. For the Canucks' purposes, Sutter <i>is</i> an upgrade on Nick Bonino. He's a year younger, and he's scored twice as many career goals. He has two 20-goal seasons to Bonino's one. (That, too, may have signalled the end for Bonino. Benning said at the beginning of the year that Bonino was good for 20 goals. He stalled at fifteen, and no one makes Jim Benning look foolish -- except for Luca Sbisa.)<br />
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Production aside, Sutter should help speed up the Canucks' attack through centre ice, one that simply can't be that swift when Henrik Sedin gives way to Nick Bonino for much of the night. (Henrik doesn't need to be faster. Watching Bonino against Calgary made it painfully clear that <i>he</i> does.) Jim Benning said as much. "[Sutter] brings us speed to the middle of the ice and I think it solidifies our centre ice [position]," he said on a conference call.<br />
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Sure does. Now the Canucks are rolling Henrik, followed by Horvat, who appeared to have installed a nitrous oxide tank in his calves midway through the season, then Sutter. That's a group with a much higher average cruising speed, and more defensive ability. The Canucks are better up front, especially if you can still picture Nick Bonino's playoff contributions versus Calgary. (If you can't, that's because there were none.)<br />
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I don't feel entirely comfortable with Jim Benning's work here, or even in general so far. Every deal he makes, be it a signing or transaction, he seems to get fleeced a little. But he's also not letting his ego hold up transactions, and wasn't that one of the most frustration things about Mike Gillis? I've said before that Benning <a href="http://vansunsportsblogs.com/2014/06/30/kesler-trade-shows-benning-isnt-afraid-to-win-a-deal-by-losing-it/">seems willing to ostensibly lose a deal in order to win it on his own terms</a>. That may be what happened here.<br />
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All of this isn't to say I'm fully happy with the deal. I have, as they say in the hockey world, a cautious optimism. And I worked pretty hard on "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wH_FjPnQVU">I Need Bonino</a>" and now he's not even a Canuck. So I'm taking this one personally.<br />
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<br />Harrison Mooneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03261557020279875141noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-49682689905941875402015-07-10T14:34:00.000-07:002015-07-11T14:21:14.858-07:00Canucks 2015 prospect development camp invitees: goaltenders<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;">
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The Canucks' goaltending depth took a hit this off-season, as they traded Eddie Lack to the Carolina Hurricanes and chose not to qualify RFA Joacim Eriksson after he signed in the KHL. Meanwhile, goaltender of the future Thatcher Demko will head back to Boston College in the Fall and is at least two years away from competing for a job in the NHL.<br />
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Though the Canucks still have Joe Cannata and signed journeyman Richard Bachman to compete for starts in the AHL, they could still use another goaltender to start in the ECHL and step up to the AHL in case of injury.<br />
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That makes the goaltenders the most interesting group of invitees. There's a real need for another goaltender in the system and these invitees represent a cheap and easy way to plug that hole.<br />
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This is the final instalment of invitee profiles, having already covered the <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.ca/2015/07/canucks-2015-prospect-development-camp_7.html">forwards</a> and <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.ca/2015/07/canucks-2015-prospect-development-camp.html">defencemen</a>. Here are the four free agent goaltenders invited to development camp: Matt Ginn, John McLean, Jackson Whistle, and Clay Witt.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><i>Apologies for not having this up a couple days ago as I had planned, but my wife went into labor a week early and our third son was born on July 8th. Understandably, I've been a bit busy over the last couple days.</i><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=76232">Matt Ginn</a> – Goaltender</b><br />
5’11″ – 176 lbs – February 17, 1991 (24)<br />
Lindsay, ON<br />
College of the Holy Cross/Florida Everblades<br />
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Ginn steadily improved over the course of his college career, putting up a stellar .931 save percentage in his senior year last season, a school record and good for 6th in the NCAA. He also holds a school record for career shutouts, with 8, and career saves. He also had the unusual honour of being <a href="http://www.goholycross.com/sports/m-hockey/2014-15/releases/20141120x345ah">his team's captain</a>. Ginn was one of just four seniors on the team and was voted captain by his teammates.<br />
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Ginn is described as <a href="http://www.telegram.com/article/20131010/NEWS/310099561&Template=printart">competitive and consistent</a> and is also a talented puck handler outside of his net, with his coach saying, "He's like a third defenceman." When he missed time with an injury last season, <a href="http://alongtheboards.com/2015/01/atlantic-hockey-wrap-holy-cross-flounders-sans-backbone/">the team went on a losing skid</a>; they needed him to win games as they didn't have a strong offence.<br />
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This past season, he was a <a href="http://www.letsplayhockey.com/todays-top-story/2603-nominees-announced-for-2015-mike-richter-award.html">nominee for the Mike Richter Award</a> for the most outstanding goaltender in the NCAA and was named to the All-Atlantic Hockey First Team: essentially a first team all-star in the Atlantic Hockey Division. He was also <a href="http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2015/1/8/7514021/hobey-baker-award-atlantic-hockey-ecac-hockey-east-candidates-jack-eichel-jimmy-vesey-jon-gillies">under consideration for the Hobey Baker Award</a>.<br />
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His performance with Holy Cross was enough to get him his first professional deal, <a href="http://www.atlantichockeyonline.com/news/2014-15_News/ginn031315">signing an amateur tryout with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL</a>, where he continued his strong play, <a href="http://floridaeverblades.com/ginn-earns-shutout-in-pro-debut-as-blades-win-3-0/">posting a shutout in his professional debut</a>. The Everblades didn't make it easy on him either, as they were outshot 16-1 in the first period, but he stopped them all and made 34 saves overall.<br />
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In his 7 games in the ECHL, Ginn went 5-1-0-1 with a .932 save percentage and 2.12 goals against average. The top save percentage in the ECHL last season was .936, and Ginn's .932 would have been good enough for second in the league if he had kept it that high over a full season.<br />
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Of the four goaltenders at camp, Ginn is the one that intrigues me the most, as he put up great numbers at Holy Cross and showed that he could do the same in a small sample size in the ECHL. He could be a solid ECHL starter next year and the best bet for the Canucks among these invitees.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=74867">John McLean</a> – Goaltender</b><br />
6’9″ – 210 lbs – January 9, 1990 (25)<br />
Eagan, MN<br />
Gustavus Adolphus College/Pensacola Ice Flyers<br />
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McLean has captured a lot of attention at Canucks camp simply because of his size. <a href="https://instagram.com/p/43Er-KNONs/">He's a foot taller than the shortest player at camp, Jordan Subban</a>, and the crossbar <a href="http://i.imgur.com/pyuBVhp.jpg">comes up to his waist</a> when he stands up straight in goal.<br />
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At 6'9", McLean is as tall as Zdeno Chara, the tallest player in the NHL, and two inches taller than Ben Bishop, the tallest goaltender in the NHL.<br />
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He wasn't always the tallest goaltender around, however: <a href="http://www.mankatofreepress.com/sports/big-john-gusties-hold-off-no-uw-superior-in-men/article_ec00f1d1-ab7b-58c9-87b8-d4cd0a76a32a.html">he was 5'10" when he started high school and 6'4" when he graduated</a>, but he just kept growing. In 2012, he was 6'8". He's added another inch since.<br />
<br />
The goaltender known as "<a href="http://www.mankatofreepress.com/sports/big-john-gusties-hold-off-no-uw-superior-in-men/article_ec00f1d1-ab7b-58c9-87b8-d4cd0a76a32a.html">Big John</a>" just finished off his college career, where he posted some pretty good numbers, finishing with a .929 save percentage and 2.03 goals against average in his senior year. His <a href="http://www.mankatofreepress.com/sports/big-john-gusties-hold-off-no-uw-superior-in-men/article_ec00f1d1-ab7b-58c9-87b8-d4cd0a76a32a.html">college coach noted</a>, "I’ve never seen a goalie go from his crouch and ready position to full-fledged splits as fast as he does. He’s really athletic for his size."<br />
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So, why aren't NHL teams scrambling to sign the athletic 6'9" behemoth with great numbers? Maybe because of where he posted those numbers: Gustavus Adolphus College is not a division one NCAA school. McLean spent the last four years playing in division three.<br />
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With that in mind, <a href="http://www2.tsn.ca/bardown/Story.aspx?The%2bVancouver%2bCanucks%2binvited%2ba%2bgiant%2bto%2btheir%2bdevelopment%2bcamp%252c%2b6%279%2522%2bgoalie%2bJohn%2bMcLean&id=548978">some of the excitement</a> is overblown and McLean is a massive longshot to make the NHL. After his college career ended, he played three games in the Southern Pacific Hockey League, a step below the ECHL, and had mixed results. While he recorded two wins, he was pulled in the first period of his other start and had an .895 save percentage.<br />
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The Macon Mayhem, an expansion team in the SPHL next season, thought enough of him to take him in the expansion draft, so McLean has a place to play professional hockey next season, but that may be as far as he goes.<br />
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If he had gotten better goaltending instruction to take advantage of his size -- he says he plays his own style, because he can't mimic smaller goaltenders -- it might have been a different story, but you could <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDE0_MuVCJU">see the weaknesses</a> in the Canucks' 3-on-3 "tournament" at development camp. For a 6'9" goaltender, he manages to look remarkably small, allowing him to get beat high, and while he's quick to get down into the butterfly, he takes a lot longer to get back up.<br />
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That said, who knows? Maybe the Canucks see something in him, get him some quality coaching, and try to mould him into something special. But at 25, the opportunity might have passed.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=101576">Jackson Whistle</a> – Goaltender</b><br />
6’1″ – 182 lbs – June 9, 1995 (20)<br />
Thunder Bay, ON<br />
Kelowna Rockets<br />
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Whistle was an <a href="http://vansunsportsblogs.com/2014/07/04/2014-canucks-development-camp-invitees-goaltenders/">invitee at last year's development camp</a> and the Canucks liked him enough to bring him back for a second time. He had strong numbers as a backup in 2012-13 and decent numbers as a backup in 2013-14, but his save percentage took a dip as a starter for the Rockets this past season.<br />
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It should be kept in mind, however, that the WHL has lower save percentages in general: his .909 save percentage was good enough for 11th in the league among goaltenders with at least 10 games played and 7th among goaltenders with at least 30 games. It's still not a great number, but it's well above average for the league he was in.<br />
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The Rockets were a strong team last season, boasting Leon Draisaitl and Nick Merkley up front and Josh Morrissey and Madison Bowey on the backend, so Whistle finished with a 34-10-5 record, then won the WHL championship with a .916 save percentage in the playoffs.<br />
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At the Memorial Cup, Whistle's .906 save percentage was second to Ken Appleby and he fell to Appleby and the Oshawa Generals in the final.<br />
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Though Whistle's season was full of success, it's worth asking how much of it was because of the team in front of him. The Rockets were the second highest scoring team in the WHL last season and they were also strong defensively, allowing the fewest goals against. Whistle should get some credit for that, but it's hard to say how much.<br />
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Whistle could return to the Rockets for his over-age season, but it's conceivable that he could get a contract and start his professional career. Will it be with the Canucks? Maybe. I would be hesitant because of his significant drop in save percentage as a starter.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=31611">Clay Witt</a> – Goaltender</b><br />
6’2″ – 200 lbs – August 24, 1991<br />
Tampa, FL<br />
Northeastern University/South Carolina Stingrays<br />
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Like fellow invitee Matt Ginn, Clay Witt was a <a href="http://www.letsplayhockey.com/todays-top-story/2603-nominees-announced-for-2015-mike-richter-award.html">nominee for the Mike Richter Award</a>. Unlike Ginn, Witt didn't have one of the best save percentages in the NCAA. In fact, his .904 save percentage was 68th among NCAA goaltenders who played at least 10 games.<br />
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That's not a particularly good sign, though he had a much stronger season as a junior, posting a .932 save percentage, good for 4th best in the NCAA in 2013-14. He was credited with carrying Northeastern that season and was named to the second all-star team in Hockey East.<br />
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The question is, which goaltender is he? Is he the team-carrying wall from his junior season or the much easier to beat goaltender from his senior season? It's likely that he's a bit of both: he was both hot and cold in his few appearances prior to becoming a full-time starter in his junior year, capable of <a href="https://huskyhockey.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/who-is-clay-witt/">looking outstanding at times and completely lost at others</a>.<br />
<br />
It's worth noting that Witt <a href="http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2014/11/10/7183371/hockey-east-what-is-wrong-with-northeastern-hockey-defense-jim-madigan?_ga=1.175813090.1997666259.1391898214">suffered a concussion</a> just a couple games into the season that forced him to miss a month. Perhaps some of his struggles can be excused.<br />
<br />
Witt is an <a href="http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2013/11/25/5140892/ncaa-mens-hockey-northeastern-clay-witt-first-career-shutout-hockey-east-jim-madigan">athletic, disciplined goaltender</a> who, when he's on his game, makes saves look easy. With his good lateral movement and ability to read the play, he's adept at forcing shooters to hit him in the logo.<br />
<br />
Witt <a href="http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2015/3/14/8213677/northeastern-goalie-clay-witt-signs-with-calgary-flames-organization">reportedly signed an amateur tryout contract with the Adirondack Flames</a> of the AHL after his season ended, but did not appear in any games. He then signed with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL and appeared in 4 playoff games, though he didn't start any of them. As such, it's hard to judge him for his .865 save percentage given the small sample and tough situations he was put in.<br />
<br />
While he would have hoped for a stronger senior year to prove to NHL suitors that he has potential, his fantastic junior year should still garner some interest. Should the Canucks be the team to take a chance on him?</div>
Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-2943971791413672152015-07-07T16:23:00.000-07:002015-07-07T16:23:00.128-07:00Canucks 2015 prospect development camp invitees: forwards<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 579px; width: 100%;">
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PITB's annual look at the invitees to the Canucks' development camp continues. Yesterday, we <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.ca/2015/07/canucks-2015-prospect-development-camp.html">looked at the defence</a>; today, it's the forwards.<br />
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Once again, there are two 21-year-olds from the NCAA -- Matthew Lane and John Stevens -- and a teenager from the CHL, this time a 19-year-old from the WHL: Reid Gardiner.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=120199">Reid Gardiner</a> – Centre</b><br />
5’11″ – 187 lbs – January 19, 1996 (19)<br />
Humboldt, SK<br />
Prince Albert Raiders<br />
<br />
Reid Gardiner was the subject of an article in The Hockey News 2015 Draft Preview magazine, highlighting the pitfalls of attending the draft when you're not a guaranteed selection. Gardiner was ranked 29th among North American skaters heading into the 2014 draft and chose to attend, not wanting to miss a "once-in-a-lifetime experience."<br />
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Instead of hearing his name called in the third or fourth round -- or even earlier -- like he was expecting, Gardiner left the draft in shock and disbelief at not getting called at all. His draft stock had clearly plummeted, likely helped along by a slump in the second half of the season: he scored 19 goals and 36 points in his first 39 games, then just 3 goals and 8 points in his last 31.<br />
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Gardiner was once again ranked by Central Scouting heading into the 2015 draft, this time 162nd among North American skaters after scoring just short of a point per game as an 18-year-old, tallying 34 goals and 64 points in 67 games to lead the Raiders in scoring. This time around, he chose not to attend the draft and it was a wise decision, as all 30 teams once again passed on selecting him.<br />
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Last summer, the Minnesota Wild invited Gardiner to their development camp, while this summer the Canucks are giving him a chance to prove himself.<br />
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Gardiner is described as a "<a href="http://panow.com/column/397997/hey-nhl-scouts-what-about-reid-gardiner">relentless worker in all three zones</a>" who is "<a href="http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/6/20/5827144/2014-nhl-draft-prospect-profile-43-reid-gardiner">crafty in the offensive zone</a>" and is a "solid two-way player with a good work ethic." His head coach calls him a "<a href="http://www.humboldtjournal.ca/sports/local-sports/gardiner-gearing-up-for-2015-nhl-draft-pick-1.1972022">natural goal scorer</a>" and says, "He is a very good hockey player, but he is a better person."<br />
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Gardiner <a href="https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/juniorhockey/blog/buzzing_the_net/post/nhl-draft-tracker-reid-gardiner-prince-albert-raiders?urn=juniorhockey,wp32907">patterns his game after Brendan Gallagher</a> and is known for his intelligence on the ice:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Among Gardiner’s enticing attributes, his hockey IQ and strong two-way game seem to stand out the most. The Humboldt, Sask., native has made a reputation for having a knack for reading and reacting to plays well while playing a 200-foot game.</blockquote>
Cody Nickolet at WHL-From-Above <a href="http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2015/04/notes-on-central-scoutings-final.html#more">may not see an NHL future</a> for Gardiner, but notes he has an <a href="http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2014/11/the-whls-best-overagers-for-2015.html">elite shot, quick release, and strong skating</a>. He had him <a href="http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2015/05/final-whl-rankings-2015-nhl-draft.html">ranked as the 53rd best WHL player</a> heading into the 2015 draft and here are some excerpts from his scouting report:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
quick and fast skater... fantastic shot…wrist shot release is absolutely high-end and he can beat goalies from distance... both a threat off the cycle and off the rush…has a bit of grit to his game away from the puck... used primarily as a winger this season…was also a regular on special teams including spending a bit of time on the point on the powerplay in some viewings...a good enough scorer to have pro potential down the line and he’s certainly a good enough player to make a living in the game whether it be in the AHL or Europe</blockquote>
There's clearly some potential here, given his penchant for goalscoring to go with his two-way play and, while he may not have an NHL future, he may still be worth the small amount of risk represented by an entry-level contract.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=90351">Matthew Lane</a> – Left Wing</b><br />
5’10″ – 175 lbs – March 15, 1994 (21)<br />
Rochester, NY<br />
Boston University<br />
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Matthew Lane is not much of a scorer. Through three years at Boston University, he has just 19 goals and 41 points in 112 games. He was 7th on the team in scoring in his junior year with 18 points in 41 games, just a bit behind his teammate, Jack Eichel, who had 71.<br />
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Anyone would look bad compared to Eichel, but scoring just isn't a strength of Lane's game. Instead, he's <a href="http://www.uscho.com/2012/10/05/details-drive-lane-as-freshman-season-at-boston-university-awaits/">known for the details to his game</a>, focussing on strong defensive play ahead of offensive output.<br />
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Despite his lack of offence, Lane was <a href="http://blog.collegehockeynews.com/2012/04/24-hockey-east-commits-make-central-scoutings-final-rankings/">ranked 150th among North American skaters</a> by Central Scouting heading into the 2012 draft. Canucks prospect Ben Hutton was notably ranked 200th in that same draft. Corey Pronman also thought highly of the winger, <a href="http://www.hockeyprospectus.com/puck/article.php?articleid=1305">ranking him 111th for the 2012 draft</a>.<br />
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Lane's draft stock was helped by a surprising performance at the Under-18 World Championships, where he put up 7 points in 6 games, good for third on Team USA in scoring, helping lead them to the gold medal.<br />
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While he may lack offensive skill, he does have some high-end ability, <a href="http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2015/3/20/8264919/hockey-east-tournament-matt-lane-bu-ryan-mcgrath-lowell-yvan-pattyn-uvm-casey-thrush-unh">namely his skating</a>. He's "fast" with "quick feet" that make him "elusive" as well as "quick and tenacious on the forecheck." While he was a top-six forward before last season, Jack Eichel and other freshmen <a href="http://www.uscho.com/frozen-four/2015/04/10/no-longer-among-top-six-forwards-boston-universitys-lane-embraces-his-role/">knocked him onto the third line</a>, which may fit his style of play better.<br />
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It's hard to project someone as an NHL player with his point totals in the NCAA, but there's an outside chance he could be an energy player in a bottom six role in the future.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=185404">John Stevens</a> – Centre</b><br />
6’2″ – 184 lbs – April 17, 1994 (21)<br />
Sicklerville, NJ<br />
Northeastern University<br />
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If John Stevens sounds familiar, it's because he's the son of John Stevens, currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings. John the younger just finished his sophomore season at Northeastern University, scoring 4 goals and 21 points in 36 games for the Huskies.<br />
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With just 11 goals in 73 NCAA games over his first two years, Stevens pretty clearly isn't a goalscorer, but is <a href="http://www.thonline.com/mobile_new/sports/local_sports/article_0d230f1f-f326-5422-97bb-14e820eee0f1.html">described as gritty, with the ability to make plays</a>. It's a bit troubling that he wasn't able to build on his freshman season, when he scored 22 points in 37 games.<br />
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Stevens came up big in Northeastern's two games in the Beanpot tournament, scoring in each game, but Northeastern came up just short in the championship game, with Boston University winning in overtime. They had a rematch against BU just four days later and Stevens tallied three assists in the win. That capped off a great stretch for Stevens, with 12 points in an 8-game scoring streak.<br />
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Stevens was <a href="http://blog.collegehockeynews.com/2012/04/24-hockey-east-commits-make-central-scoutings-final-rankings/">ranked 132nd among North American skaters</a> by Central Scouting for the 2012 draft, but no one took a chance on him then. DJ Powers at Hockey's Future <a href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/109815/2014-nhl-draft-preview-demko-bayreuther-the-best-of-a-thin-ncaa-crop/">ranked him 5th among draft-eligible players from the NCAA heading into the 2014 draft</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Stevens is a center with size that is blessed with tremendous hockey instincts. He reads plays remarkably well and knows where plays will end up. That, along with his great vision and stick, allows him to find open spaces and teammates quickly and consistently. Stevens is very good in all three zones and can play in any situation. One area where Stevens was especially good this season was on face-offs, where he won well over 50 percent of his draws. Stevens possesses excellent puck-moving skills and is smart in his decision-making. He is an excellent skater with powerful strides. As good as he is offensively, Stevens is almost equally good defensively, particularly in getting his stick into lanes and blocking shots.</blockquote>
Stevens' head coach at Northeastern <a href="http://collegehockeyinc.com/articles/draft-offers-second-chance-some">thought the centre would get drafted last year</a>, even though it was his third year of eligibility:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
His 22-point rookie campaign was impossible to ignore and his coach, former NHL scout Jim Madigan, knows his former colleagues took notice. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"[This past year] helps him because he’s shown what he can do at a high level," said Madigan. "In prep school he was a very good player and then went out to Dubuque and won a Clark Cup. Each year he continued to get stronger, quicker and improved his overall game. The extra time has allowed him to reach a point where he’s likely to be drafted. This year he played against men and that’s a good indicator for NHL teams of what type of player he is.”</blockquote>
It seems likely that Stevens will stay at Northeastern for two more years. Not only is he unlikely to get an NHL offer until he proves himself more, he has the opportunity to play a couple more years alongside his younger brother, Nolan, who was a freshman with Northeastern last season.</div>
Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-40469525291818406762015-07-07T10:42:00.002-07:002015-07-07T10:45:21.524-07:00Thatcher Demko gives the Canucks another goofy goaltenderEddie Lack was a fan favourite in Vancouver for a few reasons. His on-ice play had a lot to do with it: he twice came into difficult situations to be the team's starting goaltender and performed remarkably well.<br />
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But where Lack will be <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.ca/2015/06/canucks-wont-miss-bieksa-and-lack-but.html">missed the most</a> is off the ice. Lack is an entertaining personality and a <a href="http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/06/eddie-lack-the-person-the-biggest-loss-of-all/">great person</a>: his cheerful smile masked his competitive nature. His calm demeanour seemed ideal for a tough market like Vancouver. Then there was his oddball goofiness: the side of him that would put Swedish Chef on his goalie mask, tweet emoji-filled overtures to Roberto Luongo, and do a <a href="http://video.canucks.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=607405">silly dance</a> after every win.<br />
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Lack is a big loss for Canucks fans on the entertainment front, but there is some good news. There's another goofy goaltender on his way to Vancouver: Thatcher Demko.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I am by no means suggesting that Demko is a replacement for Lack, but he does have character and personality that people might have missed. He also has other elements of Lack's off-ice persona.<br />
<br />
Demko is certainly internet-savvy -- it's <a href="http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/demko-saved-by-social-media">how he learned to play goalie</a> while growing up in California -- and, while his Twitter account isn't as entertaining as Lack's, he's still more active on social media than many hockey players.<br />
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As for being a good person, there's <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/thatcher-demko--california-goalie--hopes-vancouver-doesn-t-hate-him-160741859.html">the story his dad tells</a> of how he fell in love with being a goaltender:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“In mites when he started, there was a policy that every week a different player would play goal. There was a kid who was deathly afraid to play goaltender, and Thatch has a good heart, so he would volunteer to play in place of that kid,” he said. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“It turned into him wanting to play every week.”</blockquote>
He also always gives flowers to his mom every mother's day:<br />
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This child. Giving flowers 4 years. Bcz of him I'm called mom <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thebest?src=hash">#thebest</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kidsonpoint?src=hash">#kidsonpoint</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sentfromwhereverheis?src=hash">#sentfromwhereverheis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/tdemko30">@tdemko30</a> <a href="http://t.co/QBW8ccM4Xz">pic.twitter.com/QBW8ccM4Xz</a></div>
— Danielle Demko (@ddemko95) <a href="https://twitter.com/ddemko95/status/598153605661609984">May 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Yes, that's right, like Lack, Demko's mom is on Twitter. His dad is too, occasionally tweeting adorable pictures of Thatcher as a kid:<br />
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<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Back in the day. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/loveforthegamestartedyoung?src=hash">#loveforthegamestartedyoung</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/whoknew?src=hash">#whoknew</a> <a href="http://t.co/ba0V5JLgYD">pic.twitter.com/ba0V5JLgYD</a></div>
— Brenton Demko (@uggstown) <a href="https://twitter.com/uggstown/status/611561498595295232">June 18, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<br />
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But what we really want to see is goofiness, and Demko seems to have that covered. Witness his superb lip-syncing with Cole Cassels from development camp this week. Radio? Who needs the radio?<br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/40jND3NOHr/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Work hard, play hard. At the end of another day of #Canucks Development Camp, sponsored by @naturespathorganic, we got @tdemko30 to forgo his pic of the day, for this dubsmash video. @colecassels19 with the assist. Beauties. #onmypath</a></div>
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A video posted by Vancouver Canucks (@canucks) on <time datetime="2015-07-07T04:13:13+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 6, 2015 at 9:13pm PDT</time></div>
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Then there's his excellent dancing from a couple years ago, which isn't quite up to par with the Lack Dance, but has its own charm:<br />
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Not enough? Need that in gif form? You're in luck:<br />
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To cheer all Canucks fans up... here is a gif of Thatcher Demko dancing haha <a href="http://t.co/NdftMDODpD">pic.twitter.com/NdftMDODpD</a></div>
— Nadine (@Blame_Tanev) <a href="https://twitter.com/Blame_Tanev/status/578777941095526400">March 20, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/Blame_Tanev">@Blame_Tanev</a> <a href="http://t.co/NCIMbEasa5">pic.twitter.com/NCIMbEasa5</a></div>
— Nadine (@Blame_Tanev) <a href="https://twitter.com/Blame_Tanev/status/578781302372986880">March 20, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Of course, Demko won't really win over Canucks fans until he <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/25153399/watch-canucks-g-eddie-lack-punched-brandon-bollig-in-the-butt">butt-punches an opponent with his blocker</a>.<br />
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The main problem is that Demko won't be joining the Canucks for another couple years as he finishes up at Boston College and Ryan Miller plays out his contract. Until then, there's always Jacob Markstrom playing with his toys:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rjoCVe8Ijb8" width="420"></iframe>Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-91279059271272775252015-07-06T14:05:00.002-07:002015-07-06T14:07:18.193-07:00Canucks 2015 prospect development camp invitees: defence<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;">
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The Canucks 2015 development camp is in full swing, which means it's time for PITB's annual look at this year's invitees.<br />
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Let's start with the defence, featuring two 21-year-olds out of the NCAA and an 18-year-old out of the OHL: Matthew Caito, Rob Hamilton, and Justin Lemcke.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=121842">Matthew Caito</a> – Defence</b><br />
5’11″ – 190 lbs – August 13, 1993 (21)<br />
Coto de Caza, CA<br />
Miami University<br />
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I'm not going to lie: it is endlessly confusing to me that Miami University is in Oxford, Ohio.<br />
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"Oh, you go to college in Florida?"<br />
"No, it's not in Miami, it's in Oxford."<br />
"England?"<br />
"No, Ohio."<br />
"Wha-?"<br />
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Anyway, Matthew Caito plays defence for the Miami University RedHawks and is heading into his senior year. This past season, he led all RedHawks defencemen with 24 points in 39 games and was a team-high plus-19 and blocked a team-high 64 shots, while <a href="http://www.jrducks.com/news_article/show/526634?referrer_id=">averaging over 28 minutes per game</a> on the top pairing.<br />
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Caito is a two-way defenceman with offensive upside known for his great skating and ability to move the puck. A <a href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/92561/pesce-heads-otherwise-weak-2013-crop-from-ncaa/">scouting report from 2013</a> notes his "willingness to engage in the physical game" despite his smaller stature, but lacks strength to move players off the puck.<br />
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Caito wasn't completely off the radar in his first draft eligible year back in 2011: Central Scouting had him ranked 163rd among North American skaters in their mid-term rankings, though he fell off the board by their final rankings. He then played in the USHL for a season, before heading to Miami, where he had a strong freshman season, scoring 21 points in 42 games.<br />
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It's a bit concerning that he hasn't significantly improved on those numbers since, though 24 points was still good enough to tie for 17th in scoring by NCAA defencemen.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=104854">Robert Hamilton</a> – Defence</b><br />
6’0″ – 185 lbs – January 1, 1994 (21)<br />
Calgary, AB<br />
University of Vermont</div>
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Robert Hamilton's former coach with the AJHL's Okotoks Oilers <a href="http://www.westernwheel.com/article/20111130/WHE1101/311309940/-1/whe1101/rookie-defenceman-commits-to-vermont">had a lot of positive things to say</a> about him back in 2011 when he committed to the University of Vermont:<br />
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"He’s got great feet, his agility is very good, he’s smart and aggressive in terms of jumping up-ice with and without the puck and I think the scouts really saw that he’s got that potential, that skating ability to play at that faster pace.”</blockquote>
A <a href="http://topshelfscouting.com/main/aggregator/sources/1">scouting report from 2012</a> mentions his strong overall game, defensive soundness, decision-making, and slap shot, but suggests his skating is actually average and needs work. From that scouting report, Hamilton was evidently 5'10" three years ago and has grown a couple inches since then.<br />
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Hamilton started at Vermont in 2013 at 19 and he had a decent freshman year, <a href="http://uvmathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=2471">skating on the top pairing</a> and putting up 13 points in 38 games and even <a href="http://stixhockeyacademy.com/congratulations-robert-hamilton-pro-ambitions-hockey-east-rookie-of-the-week/">earning freshman of the week honours</a> in mid-October. Last season, however, his sophomore year, was much more disappointing, as he managed just 1 point, an assist, in 24 games, though he at least earned <a href="http://uvmathletics.com/news/2015/7/1/MHOCKEY_0701151130.aspx?path=mhockey">All-Academic honours</a>.<br />
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Obviously, points aren't everything for a defencemen, but being able to put up points against the lesser competition of lower leagues is usually a good indicator of being able to keep up with the speed of the NHL game.<br />
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It's unclear why Hamilton had so few points last season or why he played in just 24 of Vermont's 41 games, as I could find no information on a possible injury to explain it. In any case, the Canucks must have liked something they saw in him to invite him to camp and perhaps he'll show more in his next year or two at Vermont.</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=244978">Justin Lemcke</a> – Defence</b><br />
6’3″ – 200 lbs – February 13, 1997 (18)<br />
Whitby, ON<br />
Belleville Bulls</div>
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Justin Lemcke is the most intriguing invitee among the three defencemen, partly because he's just coming off his first draft-eligible season, so there's more room to project what player he might be unlike Caito and Hamilton who, at 21, have already somewhat established what kind of player they are.<br />
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Lemcke played with Canucks prospect Jordan Subban on the Belleville Bulls, who were a weaker team this season. He had a respectable 23 points in 64 games after putting up 15 points in 50 games as a 16-year-old in his rookie year.<br />
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Though he wasn't selected in the 2015 draft, he was ranked 127th overall by International Scouting Services, suggesting they saw him as a 4th round pick, and 137th among North American skaters by Central Scouting. Lemcke was even <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2488519-nhl-combine-2015-full-results-measurements-highlights-and-top-prospects">one of the 120 prospects who attended the draft combine</a> and it really is surprising he wasn't picked.<br />
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He was also highly regarded before entering the OHL, as he was <a href="http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/draft/fullDraft/2013">selected in the first round of the 2013 OHL Priority Selection draft</a>, one pick ahead of Mitch Marner, who was just picked 4th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs.</div>
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At 6'3" and 200 lbs (<a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2488519-nhl-combine-2015-full-results-measurements-highlights-and-top-prospects">officially 6'2.25"</a>), Lemcke has NHL size and reports indicate that he has the skill to go with it, including <a href="https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jrhockey-buzzing-the-net/belleville-bulls-justin-lemcke-deft-touch-big-man-115400754.html">soft hands developed by playing high-level lacrosse</a>. He might not even be done growing, as <a href="http://www.recklessrestraint.ca/2015/06/05/who-do-we-have-with-justin-lemcke/">his father is 6'7"</a>.<br />
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McKeen's had Lemcke at <a href="http://www.mckeenshockey.com/prospects-blog/2015-nhl-draft-mckeens-top-120-rankings-march-2015/">96th overall in their top 120</a> and <a href="http://www.mckeenshockey.com/prospects-blog/2015-nhl-draft-top-20-ohl-prospects/">19th among OHL prospects</a>, but he moved up to 88th overall in their final rankings. They describe him as a "large, thickly-constructed stay-at-home blueliner" who is "modestly skilled with an okay shot and a feel for when to support the attack." They also note that he's deceptively mobile.<br />
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Here's a scouting report on Lemcke from <a href="http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=244978">Tyler Parchem at Elite Prospects</a>:</div>
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Lemcke is an effective two-way defenseman who plays smart and makes a good first pass. He is also capable of playing solid physical hockey and improved throughout the season. He is very poised for a young defenseman and could be a good selection in the later rounds of the draft as he has the potential to be a solid NHL prospect.</blockquote>
<a href="http://thescout.ca/web/index.php/928-news-free/14848-lafortune-top-40-live-viewings-rankings">Sean LaFortune at TheScout.ca</a> was high on Lemcke:<br />
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While his primary tools project for him to be an honest, shut down defender who leans on guys and plays safe, honest minutes, he showed some offensive growth this year, managing the puck well and utilizing his shot on the powerplay. </blockquote>
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He will need to continue to work on his footwork and agility, he’s a quality skater north to south, moves well given his massive frame, just need to continue to work on his edges/pivots, as he lacks explosiveness and can be exploited in transitions, but makes up for it with his hockey sense and ability to read plays.</blockquote>
<a href="http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/2015/05/my-final-top-50-ohl-players-for-2015_21.html">Brock Otten at OHL Prospects</a> also saw Lemcke as underrated:<br />
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Lemcke was a horse for the Bulls this year, playing a ton of minutes in all situations. He's got great size at 6'2, 200lbs and really gained the confidence to play with more of an edge as the season went on. With his terrific mobility and his increasing desire to assert himself physically, he profiles as a big time player in his own end. But his offensive skills are improving as well. He really seemed to get better in this regard as the season went on, especially when it came to using his skating ability to jump up in the play as the 3rd or 4th man in. He's still got some work to do with his first pass and decision making with the puck, but the necessary skills are present for him to develop into a quality defender at both ends.</blockquote>
On top of his size, skating, and skill, Lemcke has the type of intangibles that Jim Benning has shown a preference for, with <a href="http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/5657628-a-lot-of-lemcke-to-like-at-nhl-combine/">his Belleville coach describing him</a> as "the ultimate teammate" who is quiet, confident, and a steady leader.<br />
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If the Canucks like what they see, they'll have a small window to sign Lemcke this off-season before he goes back into the draft for next year. There is some precedence for the Canucks doing this, though it was under Mike Gillis: Evan McEneny was an invitee after his first draft-eligible year and the Canucks <a href="http://vansunsportsblogs.com/2012/09/13/canucks-take-a-chance-on-evan-mceneny/">signed him in mid-September</a>.Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-19938634989113463222015-07-05T10:00:00.000-07:002015-07-05T10:00:01.349-07:00Spitballin' on house-selling Daniel Sedin, journeyman Blair Jones, and helpful Brandon Prust<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 25px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Spitballin’ (or </em><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">S</em></strong><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">uper </em><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">P</em></strong><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ass </em><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I</em></strong><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">t </em><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">T</em></strong><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">o </em><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">B</em></strong><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ulis: </em><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">All In</em></strong><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, if you love adventurous acronymizing) is a feature that allows us to touch on a multitude of things really fast, because in the world of hockey, there are always </em><a href="http://www.usborne.com/images/covers/eng/max_covers/lots-things-find-colour.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #41688c; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">lots of things to find and colour</em></a><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">. Here are a few quick topics.</em></div>
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<a name='more'></a><b>Daniel Sedin puts his house on the market, EVERYONE PANIC!</b><br />
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Yes, <a href="http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2015/07/03/canuck-star-daniel-sedin-selling-his-shaughnessy-mansion-for-5-9-million/">Daniel Sedin put his house up for sale</a>. No, it does not mean he's getting traded.<br />
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Daniel and his wife bought the home in 2006 for $2.625 million and are <a href="http://listbuysell.ca/v1131426-1233-nanton-av#null">asking for $5.898 million with their current listing</a>. Hidden in that last sentence is a possible reason that Daniel and Marinette are selling.<br />
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The Vancouver real estate market <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-real-estate-market-hottest-on-record-despite-recession-fears-1.3137367">hit record highs last month</a>, but <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/overvalued-home-prices-could-put-new-owners-at-risk-1.3042790">some economists</a> warn that the housing bubble will burst in a similar way to the US market in 2006. It's entirely possible that Daniel Sedin's financial advisors are expecting a crash and have advised him to sell high.<br />
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And man, is that high. I understand it's in Shaughnessy and it's a legitimately gorgeous home, but my goodness, $5.9 million just doesn't stretch as much as it used to. I know that a millennial complaining about housing prices in Vancouver is the biggest possible cliche, but seriously, guys, this is crazy.<br />
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<b>Canucks sign Blair Jones for centre depth</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Jim Benning's first post-frenzy signing was journeyman centre Blair Jones. While Jones has 132 NHL games under his belt, he's been far more effective in the AHL, where he has put up 272 points in 417 games, including two point-per-game seasons, most recently in 2013-14, when he had 38 points in 38 games for the Abbotsford Heat.<br />
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Jones is a dark horse for the fourth-line centre role for the Canucks next season, as he has the size, if not the physical style and demeanour, that Jim Benning might like to see on that line. It's far more likely, however, that he's a replacement for Cal O'Reilly in Utica. O'Reilly signed with Buffalo, the new home of his brother, Ryan O'Reilly, leaving the Comets without a veteran top-six centre.<br />
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Sidenote: Jones was part of that farcical line brawl between the Canucks and Flames that resulted in John Tortorella going haywire during the intermission and getting suspended. Jones fought Dale Weise in what was the undercard to the undercard.<br />
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<b>Jim Benning promised Derek Dorsett he would add another fighter</b><br />
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It's been a busy week, so we're playing a bit of catch-up with Canucks news. While the acquisition of Brandon Prust was covered during our <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.ca/2015/07/pitbs-2015-free-agent-frenzy-meta.html">Free Agent Frenzy liveblog</a>, it ended up being mostly over-the-top rage at the Canucks giving up on Zack Kassian, rather than sober-headed analysis.<br />
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Then came this bit of news from Derek Dorsett and the rage immediately returned:<br />
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Dorsett : "Jim Benning had told me during my contract talks that they were going to get me some help in the fighting department." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash">#Canucks</a></div>
— NEWS 1130 Sports (@NEWS1130Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/NEWS1130Sports/status/617017034132557824">July 3, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Sigh. In a league that is clearly moving away from fighting and enforcers, Jim Benning promised Dorsett that he was going to get another fighter. This was actually a part of their contract negotiations. We're expected to believe that Dorsett would have left a four-year, $10.6 million contract on the table if Benning didn't make that promise.<br />
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It's obviously understandable that Dorsett is happy to have another facepuncher on the team, as it means he'll have to punch fewer faces and can rest his knuckles every now and then. For those saying, "Maybe just fight less?" I can only imagine that Dorsett scoffs at your suggestion before slapping you in the face with a glove and challenging you to fisticuffs at dawn.<br />
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On the plus side, if you're going to have two enforcers on a team, Prust and Dorsett are two of the best actual hockey players you can get in that vein. If you ignore their respective contracts and how Prust was acquired, you can actually get fairly excited about what the Canucks' fourth line might look like next season.<br />
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While he doesn't do much offensively, Prust is a solid defensive forward, whose ability on the penalty kill will help in the absence of Brad Richardson. He's also physical, with a tendency to go over the line into dirtiness, which will please a certain segment of Canucks fans.<br />
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<b>No qualifying offer for Yannick Weber pays off</b><br />
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Jim Benning took a risk when he didn't extend a qualifying offer to Yannick Weber. By doing so, he avoided the possibility of arbitration, which could have awarded Weber a significant amount of money, but he also made Weber an unrestricted free agent who could have bolted to another team.<br />
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Instead, the risk paid off, and Weber re-signed with the Canucks at minimal cost on a one-year deal, likely banking on having a big year with the Sedins and cashing in as a free agent next year.<br />
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The Canucks didn't extend qualifying offers to a number of other restricted free agents, however, and we can safely assume they will no longer be in the Canucks organization going forward. Ryan Stanton, Cory Conacher, Brandon McMillan, Michael Zalewski, Peter Anderssson, and Joacim Eriksson were all released to free agency.<br />
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McMillan and Zalewski both take up roster spots that the Canucks might prefer occupied by younger players. Andersson and Eriksson are heading to Europe, necessitating the addition of a couple replacements for the Comets, and Benning added Taylor Fedun and Richard Bachman on the first day of free agency. Conacher is heading to Europe as well, <a href="http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2015/06/18/report-cory-conacher-signs-in-swiss-league/">signing in Switzerland</a> after a disappointing playoff run that may have sealed his fate, scoring just 8 points in 25 games.<br />
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The big surprise was Ryan Stanton. He may have had a terrible sophomore season, but his strong rookie year suggests he could rebound. Benning had his eyes on Matt Bartkowski, however, and Stanton became superfluous.<br />
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<b>4th round pick Dmitri Zhukenov to play in QMJHL next season</b><br />
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We have limited information on the Canucks' fourth round pick from the 2015 draft, Dmitri Zhukenov. He's described in scouting reports as a skilled offensive forward, but his production in the MHL in Russia looks underwhelming.<br />
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Thing is, the MHL is still a fairly new league and it's hard to know what we should expect from players in that league. Meanwhile, Zhukenov's performance at the Ivan Hlinka tournament and U-18 World Championships look a lot more promising and his highlight reel certainly induces some excitement.<br />
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Fortunately, it looks like Zhukenov will be playing in North America next season, as he has been drafted 10th overall by Chicoutimi in the QMJHL import draft. High draft picks in the import draft are generally only used on players the team is certain will be coming over to play. It seems clear that Zhukenov wants to play in the NHL rather than stay in Russia to play in the KHL, which is a good sign for the Canucks.<br />
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<b>Nick Bonino recommends the medical use of pierogies</b><br />
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Finally, Nick Bonino had four wisdom teeth removed and eased his pain with frozen pierogies.<br />
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When you don't have ice bags use frozen pierogies. Cook onions in butter, mix, eat later <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wisdomteethrecoverytricks?src=hash">#wisdomteethrecoverytricks</a> <a href="http://t.co/XYAeFobYBf">pic.twitter.com/XYAeFobYBf</a></div>
— Nick Bonino (@NickBonino) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickBonino/status/616353150140870657">July 1, 2015</a> </blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-14111035494575027802015-07-05T08:00:00.000-07:002015-07-05T08:00:01.238-07:00Canucks prospects drag a bus, Perry Pearn tortures a metaphorThe Canucks released the first video of the prospects in action at this year's development camp and it's a combination of fun and cringe-inducing.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Shoutout to Jake Virtanen, who is rocking a polo shirt tucked into a nice pair of slacks, while everyone else is wearing shorts. Okay, everyone else except Jordan Subban, who is looking slick as hell in his all-black ensemble.<br />
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Meanwhile, Mackenze Stewart is wearing a tank top. Come on, Mackenze, step your fashion game up, at least to make up for that haircut.<br />
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As for the video itself, it's pretty neat to see a bunch of dudes pull a school bus with a rope, but you could see where this whole thing was going right away.<br />
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First, Perry Pearn calls on Jake Virtanen to pick three teammates to try to pull the bus (and all the other prospects) by themselves. Virtanen tags Stewart, Anton Cederholm, and Brock Boeser, but, shockingly, they can't do it.<br />
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At this point, I'd like to point out that two of the Canucks' top prospects have had serious back injuries that have derailed their careers. Obviously, Cody Hodgson and Zack Kassian didn't injure their backs trying to pull a bus, but still, this doesn't seem like the best way to start off camp.<br />
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In any case, after Virtanen, Stewart, Cederholm, and Boeser utterly fail, Pearn grabs six more guys. Together, the ten prospects are able to slowly move the bus, using the power of teamwork.<br />
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Then a few other guys get out and push the bus in the opposite direction and it slows everything down. I almost feel like Pearn threw this part in just because he wasn't expecting the ten guys to actually pull the bus. "Oh crap, they actually did it. I thought it would take everyone to actually move the bus. Uh...quick, you guys get in front of the bus where you're at risk of getting run over!"<br />
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Finally, everyone gets off the bus and works together. With everyone pulling their weight except Thatcher Demko, who is coming off surgery and is clearly just holding the rope up in the air, the bus moves easily! Hooray!<br />
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All good, right? Everyone's learned a valuable lesson about teamwork and working together and pulling in the same direction and... oh no. Why is Perry Pearn talking?<br />
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Pearn, who we learned last year is <a href="http://vansunsportsblogs.com/2014/10/27/you-should-probably-watch-this-wackadoo-video-of-the-canucks-doing-team-building-exercise/">fond of these types of activities</a>, torturously explains the point of the exercise, which I can guarantee every single one of those players already understood. You can see it in their faces as Pearn talks: they all have identical, "Yeah, Perry, we get it. Please, please stop talking."<br />
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But he keeps going, over-explaining the concept of teamwork to a group of guys that have been members of teams for pretty much their entire lives.<br />
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Pearn ends his talk by saying, "The Vancouver Canucks organization, we'd like to have, when we go out to play, 20 guys on the rope pulling the bus in the right direction. And we think if we do that, we're going to have a lot more success."<br />
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I think, if you do that, you're going to end up with a lot of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAHgjLjQhQE">two-minute minors for roping</a>.Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-81676648538952786882015-07-03T07:37:00.000-07:002015-07-03T07:37:00.045-07:00Canucks begin 2015 development camp, featuring fewer invitees<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;">
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The Canucks kick off their 2015 prospect development camp today in Shawnigan Lake, with 29 players scheduled to attend, including all of their selections from the 2015 draft. Over the next week, the prospects will go through various on-ice and off-ice training sessions designed to introduce or reinforce what it takes to play professional hockey in the Canucks system and send players away with a plan for the off-season.<br />
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Most of the players attending the camp are Canucks draft picks or free agent signings, with the rest of the camp roster filled out with undrafted and unsigned free agents. These invitees are a cheap way to add to a team's prospect pool as there is no cost in assets to invitee them or even to sign them afterwards. A team like the Canucks that has (in principle) money to spend shouldn't hesitate to cast a wide net by inviting a large number of free agents in hopes that a diamond emerges from the rough.<br />
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This year, however, the Canucks have invited just 10 undrafted and unsigned free agents to their development camp, a lower number than in previous years.<br />
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Technically speaking, there are actually 11 invitees. Curtis Valk is the 11th, since he's not actually in the Canucks system. Last season he was signed to an AHL contract with the Utica Comets, but spent the season in the ECHL, where he scored at just short of a point-per-game pace, racking up 30 points in 31 games before suffering a <a href="http://canucksarmy.com/2015/2/2/curtis-valk-injured-out-for-the-season">season-ending knee injury</a>.<br />
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The Canucks themselves don't seem to see Valk as an invitee, however, as he's not marked as such on the released roster, essentially considering the Comets as an extension of the Canucks.<br />
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Last year, the Canucks had 16 invitees at their development camp, including Valk, so it's disappointing to see fewer this year. The 10 invitees this year may still see a standout that earns a contract, but the odds are slimmer with a smaller group.<br />
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The Canucks should be well aware of the benefits of invitees. Ronalds Kenins, who was such a pleasant surprise for the Canucks this past season, was an <a href="http://vansunsportsblogs.com/2013/07/13/2013-canucks-development-camp-invitees-forwards-part-two/">invitee to the Canucks' 2013 development camp</a>, while defenceman prospect Evan McEneny, who will also attend this year's camp, was an <a href="http://vansunsportsblogs.com/2012/07/03/the-2012-development-camp-invitees-defence-part-2/">invitee in 2012</a>.<br />
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Kenins emerged from a group of 16 invitees, including 9 forwards. McEneny was one of a whopping 24 invitees in 2012, including 9 defencemen and 11 forwards. Jeremie Blain was one of those invitees as well, eventually signing with the Canucks after a year with the Chicago Wolves, the team's AHL-affiliate at the time.<br />
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The Canucks missed out on Josh Jooris among those 24 invitees in 2012, as he returned to the NCAA for another year before signing with the Calgary Flames. He scored 24 points in 60 games with the Flames last season.<br />
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Clearly, there is talent to be found among invitees. Though the vast majority are undrafted and unsigned for a reason, some players slip through the cracks of the NHL scouting system and need a closer look in a camp setting.<br />
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Perhaps there's something to be said for taking a more focussed approach with a smaller group of invitees. Perhaps Jim Benning and co. prefer to focus on the players already in the organization, though I suspect Benning will eagerly embrace an opportunity to do some more scouting.<br />
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It just seems odd to me that the Canucks wouldn't invite as many potential prospects as possible.<br />
<br />Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-74468665131856614692015-07-02T11:12:00.001-07:002015-07-02T14:50:29.913-07:00Canucks re-fire Gillis by proxy, firing Gilman, Henning, and Crawford<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;">
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In retrospect, my reaction to the Zack Kassian trade may have been over-the-top. My take was tinged by how much I like Kassian, who is an odd, if troubled, character. I felt like he got a raw deal last season, getting scratched when it was undeserved, which ultimately submarined any trade value he might have had. I didn't take into account Kassian's back injury or whatever off-ice issues he might have, because when he was healthy and on the ice he was an effective player, just not always effective in the way the Canucks wanted him to be.<br />
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Having been up since 6:30 am with two sick kids might have also played a role.<br />
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I still don't like the trade, but I can accept at least some of the reasoning behind it. It feels like the wrong move to make even if Kassian had to go, but maybe Benning is right and Kassian will never reach his potential. The trade could very well be just a minor move with little impact.<br />
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Today, however, the Canucks made a move that could be far more damaging to the team's future, sweeping the front office clean of the remains of the Mike Gillis era, firing Assistant GMs Laurence Gilman and Lorne Henning, and Director of Player Personnel Eric Crawford.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>All three are great people who are intelligent and good at what they do, but it's entirely likely that they have a different vision for what makes a good hockey team than Jim Benning does. It's entirely likely that they disagreed with a number of Benning's moves and said so. And it's understandable that Benning would want people in those positions who agreed with his vision for the future of the Canucks.<br />
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I only know Henning and Crawford by reputation, but I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Gilman a couple of times. He was always incredibly accommodating and willing to talk, including when I was even more of a nobody than I am now.<br />
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One occasion in particular sticks out in my memory: it was when the Chicago Wolves were the Canucks' farm team and they were in Abbotsford to face the Heat. Gilman and some of the Canucks scouts came out to the game and I ran into Gilman in the hallway near the press box. He was clearly on his way somewhere, but when I said hello he immediately stopped and spoke to me for several minutes about prospects and the Canucks. He only stopped when we both realized that the intermission was over and the puck had dropped again.<br />
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Gilman was Gillis's salary cap wizard, helping the Canucks through some tricky times with the cap, constantly shifting players to the IR and AHL to keep the team cap-compliant and somehow always find space to add players at the trade deadline. He will be missed in the Canucks front office and I'm sure he'll have another job in hockey as soon as he wants one.<br />
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Laurence Gilman squeezed hilarious value out of the 2010-11 Canucks roster. They had a $10 million goalie with a $59.4M cap...</div>
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThomasDrance/status/616670606365454336">July 2, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Henning and Crawford's contributions are harder to quantify -- it's always difficult to parse out each individuals contributions in hockey management -- but Crawford was brought in to help clean up some of the mess left by Ron Delorme. He was primarily responsible for Gillis's final draft as a GM in 2013, which was easily his best and one of the best in recent history. Somehow, Delorme remains employed by the Canucks and Crawford does not.<br />
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Henning, meanwhile, had the Utica Comets in his portfolio of responsibilities and they just made a run to the Calder Cup Finals.<br />
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This isn't a surprising move, by any means. Really, it was inevitable that Benning clean up the front office and bring in more of his own people and it's surprising that it took a full season for it to happen. It's still upsetting to see good people lose their jobs, particularly in the wake of the moves made in the last week by the current management team.Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-45570238102997380532015-07-01T08:13:00.001-07:002015-07-01T21:21:59.586-07:00Recapping the Canucks' first day of 2015 free agency<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;">
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I'm not going to lie, I wasn't planning on spending my Canada Day inside watching TSN's 47 different panels break down the Phil Kessel trade and pay lip service to everything else. Not only are we no longer with the Vancouver Sun, the Canucks weren't expected to be particularly active in free agency, preferring to look for bargains, which are generally found later in the summer.<br />
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But then my boys came down with a contagious virus, scuttling any plans to go out to Canada Day celebrations. So I was stuck inside for the day, flipped on TSN, signed in to Twitter, and got swept up in the wackiness of free agent frenzy.<br />
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Now, what was once a liveblog is now a recap. Follow along with me as I experience the ups and downs of Jim Benning's second go-around at free agency.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>8:10 am</b> - Amazingly, things have already happened. Instead of waiting hours for the first action of the day, but the Nashville Predators have already resigned Mike Ribeiro, the Flames' have re-signed Karri Ramo, Mike Giordano has signed an extension with the Flames, Kevin Bieksa (sob) has signed an extension with the Ducks, and the Stars have signed Patrick Eaves.<br />
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Stuff! Happening!<br />
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<b>8:21 am</b> - Most upsetting thing about Free Agent Frenzy so far? The Q-Ray commercials. Like, people know that's a scam, right? "Ionized" bracelets don't work.<br />
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All I'm hoping for from the Canucks today is that they re-sign Yannick Weber. Otherwise, not giving him a qualifying offer is going to look awfully silly.<br />
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<b>8:30 am </b>- Jason Botchford is TSN's man in Vancouver for Free Agent Frenzy and he went bold with a purplish-pink shirt and a bright purple, blue, and pink tie. It's a great look, but it clashes badly with the Canucks' green and blue behind him on the wall. You have to colour-coordinate with your surroundings, Botch. You don't have to match, you just have to go.<br />
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It's like hockey's version of Hollywood Squares with <a href="https://twitter.com/botchford">@botchford</a> hanging in the lower left <a href="http://t.co/QIyTNvwjXq">pic.twitter.com/QIyTNvwjXq</a></div>
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) <a href="https://twitter.com/patersonjeff/status/616267794410156032">July 1, 2015</a><br />
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<b>8:57 am</b> - Nevermind, the most upsetting thing about Free Agent Frenzy is the Conservative attack ads on Justin Trudeau. Not for any political reason, really, but because they're just so bad. Trudeau wants to get rid of income splitting for families, a policy that only affects, like, the top 5% of income earners? He must want to get rid of pension splitting for seniors too!<br />
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That's just bad logic, not to mention flatly contradicting the facts. Man, I don't even like Trudeau, but these attack ads make me want to like him.<br />
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Anywho, enough politics; back to the FRENZY!!!<br />
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Okay, so nothing's happened since all the re-signings and extensions this morning.<br />
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<b>9:03 am</b> - Yesssssssss<br />
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Hearing Yannick Weber will re-sign in VAN for one year and $1.5M</div>
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) <a href="https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/616274986433687552">July 1, 2015</a><br />
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<b>9:06 am</b> - Seriously, that's an amazing deal for Weber, who's likely to be a top-four defenceman for the Canucks next season and be a trigger-man on the point of the first-unit power play. $1.5 million for one year is cheap as anything.<br />
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Of course, it makes sense for Weber as well, as with Bieksa gone, he has a great chance to establish himself on Dan Hamhuis's right side at even-strength, rack up some points with the Sedins on the power play, and cash in as an unrestricted free agent next year.<br />
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"I'm going to spend a full 82 games as a right-handed trigger on the 1st PP unit with the Sedins then make $4 million a year for the next 5"</div>
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThomasDrance/status/616275349505212416">July 1, 2015</a><br />
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<b>9:11 am</b> - Oh no...oh no...<br />
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TSN just reported that the Canucks signed <i>Mike</i> Weber to a one year, $1.5 million deal. That's...embarrassing. They look utterly confused. Ray Ferraro just had to scramble for something to say about Mike Weber and had nothing.<br />
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First mistake of the day. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreeAgentFrenzy?src=hash">#FreeAgentFrenzy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash">#Canucks</a> <a href="http://t.co/w4tl8Mhydi">pic.twitter.com/w4tl8Mhydi</a></div>
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyTrett/status/616278038037159936">July 1, 2015</a><br />
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<b>9:16 am</b> - Five minutes later, they correct it to Yannick Weber and immediately Ray Ferraro has things to say. You could tell he was thrown for a loop when James Duthie said "Mike" Weber and he was much more in his element when it was corrected.<br />
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Mike Weber, meanwhile, is still under contract with the Buffalo Sabres.<br />
<b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>9:28 am</b> - TSN apparently doesn't have enough cameras or something, because they keep swooping in on the panels with a steadicam rig, giving TSN's coverage a bit of a P.T. Anderson feel.<br />
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<b>9:45 am</b> - There have been a bunch of signings, with some good defencemen taken off the market. Matt Hunwick to the Leafs, Andrej Sekera to the Oilers, and Francois Beauchemin to the Avalanche.<br />
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The Hunwick signing is a great one for the Leafs, I like the Sekera deal for the Oilers, and the Beauchemin signing makes sense for the Avalanche, even though it's probably a year too long. I'm confused, teams are making reasonable deals. Where's all the stupid money?<br />
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<b>9:52 am </b>- Looks like the Canucks are losing Brad Richardson. Hard to be too broken up about it with the Canucks wanting to make room for youth, but I liked Richardson. I always thought he was underrated offensively (and a little overrated defensively).<br />
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Brad Richardson is close to signing a three-year deal with ARI. AAV of $2.08</div>
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/616286494530109440">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<b><br /></b>
There's just no way the Canucks could afford to pay Richardson over $2 million for three years.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>9:59 am</b> - Hey, the Canucks did a thing! Another thing! They've done two things!<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="pl">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash">#Canucks</a> sign d-man Matt Bartkowski.</div>
— Irfaan Gaffar (@sportsnetirf) <a href="https://twitter.com/sportsnetirf/status/616289271477997569">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<b><br /></b>
<b>10:01 am</b> - Completely overshadowing the Bartkowski signing, the Penguins have acquired Phil Kessel from the Leafs. There were rumblings of this during the draft, but I honestly didn't think it would happen.<br />
<br />
There are going to be a lot more pieces to this trade, but Crosby just got himself a sniper. The Penguins should be an exciting team next year.<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<b>10:04 am</b> - The Matt Bartkowski is an interesting one. He's 27 and has played just 131 NHL games. He doesn't have any offensive upside -- he has yet to score a regular season goal in his career, though he does have one in the playoffs -- but he's reasonably effective defensively.<br />
<br />
Here's a visualization of his impact over the last three seasons. You can see that he's a borderline top-four defenceman and legitimately a very good bottom pairing defenceman.<br />
<br />
<br />
<script type='text/javascript' src='http://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'></script><div class='tableauPlaceholder' style='width: 654px; height: 669px;'><noscript><a href='http://ownthepuck.blogspot.ca/'><img alt='Dashboard 1 ' src='http://public.tableau.com/static/images/BR/BRBCF4QB5/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class='tableauViz' width='654' height='669' style='display:none;'><param name='host_url' value='http%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='path' value='shared/BRBCF4QB5' /> <param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='http://public.tableau.com/static/images/BR/BRBCF4QB5/1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='showVizHome' value='no' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='showVizHome' value='no' /><param name='showTabs' value='y' /></object></div>
<b><br /></b>Here's the thing: Bartkowski is a left-side defenceman. Does he slot in ahead of Luca Sbisa on the depth chart or will he be the seventh defenceman? With Corrado and Clendening both waiver eligible and Weber re-signed, will the Canucks carry 8 defencemen on the roster?<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>10:15 am</b> - The Bartkowski signing is a pretty inexpensive, one-year deal. You can see now why Jim Benning didn't give Ryan Stanton a qualifying offer. With this in the works, they simply didn't need him anymore. It's too bad, really, because I don't think Stanton is really as bad as he performed last season.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="de">
Vancouver signs Matt Bartkowski, one-year, $1.75M. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TSN?src=hash">#TSN</a></div>
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) <a href="https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/616292708324352000">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<b><br /></b>
<b>10:20 am</b> - The Leafs get Nick Spaling, Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, a 1st round pick, and another unknown pick for Phil Kessel and a couple minor league players. The Leafs are retaining $1.25 million of his contract as well.<br />
<br />
Have to like that trade for the Penguins. The retained salary eases their cap somewhat and they desperately needed a goalscoring winger. They got an elite one.<br />
<br />
The Leafs, though, get a nice prospect in Kapanen and a first round pick to get another. There's some potential for the future. They also lose Kessel, which was apparently important to them. Culture change, I guess.<br />
<br />
Man, the Penguins are going to be fun to watch.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>10:32 am</b> - The Flames continue to build on their excellent draft weekend, signing Michael Frolik for $4.3 million for five years. Pretty nice signing to boost their top-six. Flames could be good next season, folks.<br />
<br />
I don't think the Canucks are in as much trouble in the Pacific Division as others think, but they're still going to be a bubble team.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>10:39 am</b> - According to TSN, the Bartkowski deal is <i>not</i> a one-year, $1.75 million deal. It's actually a two-year, $1.2 million deal. But, according to the Canucks' press release, it <i>is </i>a one-year deal. Is it for $1.2 or $1.75 million? Who knows?<br />
<br />
Frankly, after the Mike Weber blunder earlier today, I'm leaning towards TSN getting this one wrong. They're scrambling to get all the details on the Phil Kessel deal and likely don't have time to get the Bartkowski deal right. They're dropping the ball on their Canucks coverage today. Haven't even seen Jason Botchford since they introduced him and his pink shirt this morning.<br />
<br />
<b>10:51 am</b> - More Canucks news, more or less.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash">#Canucks</a> sign goalie Richard Bachman.</div>
— Irfaan Gaffar (@sportsnetirf) <a href="https://twitter.com/sportsnetirf/status/616302404951105536">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<b><br /></b>Richard Bachman should head to Utica to split starts with Joe Cannata. With Joacim Ericsson heading to Europe, the Comets needed another goaltender and Bachman has been pretty good in the AHL, but not so good that Cannata won't get any playing time. He was lights out against the Comets in the playoffs, though, so that might have played a role.<br />
<br />
Bachman also has a bit of NHL experience, with mixed results, but he could get some time with the Canucks next season if injuries strike. Willie Desjardins is somewhat familiar with Bachman from his time as the head coach of the Texas Stars, so might have put in a good word.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>11:01 am</b> - Joe Haggerty is reporting that Zack Kassian is getting traded to the Canadiens. I'm prepared to be very upset, but I'll wait until someone else reports it.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Hearing from a source that Zack Kassian has been dealt to the Habs</div>
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) <a href="https://twitter.com/HackswithHaggs/status/616303700777242624">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>11:03 am </b>- ARGH!!!!!!<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
VAN has traded Zack Kassian. Trade call pending.</div>
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/616305305023025152">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>11:06 am</b> - I'm going to miss Zack Kassian a lot. He was a bit of unpredictable chaos on what was often a very predictable team last season. He's also still just 24. This could really look bad for the Canucks in a couple years. Heck, one year.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, maybe Kassian never puts it all together. Maybe all the concerns about his character aren't overblown. Maybe the return from the Canadiens makes it all worth it?<br />
<br />
But no matter what, the Canucks are going to be a more boring team next season without Kassian.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>11:20 am</b> - You have got to be effing kidding me.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash">#Canucks</a> acquire <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandonPrust8">@BrandonPrust8</a> from Canadiens for Kassian & 2016 5th rounder. Release - <a href="http://t.co/i9gzp7rwsM">http://t.co/i9gzp7rwsM</a> <a href="http://t.co/n1sA4SUjBe">pic.twitter.com/n1sA4SUjBe</a></div>
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/VanCanucks/status/616308645219987456">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>11:25 am</b> - There's no spinning this one. This is a terrible trade. Jim Benning traded Zack Kassian, who is a 24-year-old power forward brimming with potential, for Brandon Prust, a fourth-liner who is a <i>pending UFA</i>. To make it even worse, the Canucks threw in a fifth round pick.<br />
<br />
Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Let's get younger! Trades 24 year old Zack Kassian for a 31 year old Brandon Prust.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash">#Canucks</a></div>
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech) <a href="https://twitter.com/ryanbiech/status/616308436498657280">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>11:31 am</b> - Seriously, I can't emphasize this enough: Prust is a pending UFA. The Canucks traded Kassian and a pick for a <i>pending UFA</i>.<br />
<br />
*flips the pool*<br />
<br />
<b>11:34 am </b>- Hey look, a distraction from my Kassian rage!<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash">#Canucks</a> sign defenceman <a href="https://twitter.com/tfedun88">@tfedun88</a>. Release - <a href="http://t.co/TJ9LY3vFT8">http://t.co/TJ9LY3vFT8</a> <a href="http://t.co/a3oiqnXWyV">pic.twitter.com/a3oiqnXWyV</a></div>
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/VanCanucks/status/616312789011955713">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<b><br /></b>Taylor Fedun has been very good in the AHL after battling back from a badly broken leg in 2011. He has 11 NHL games under his belt and acquitted himself fairly well in them with 2 goals and 6 points. He's a good depth acquisition for the Canucks that will help the Comets a lot.<br />
<br />
He's yet another right-handed defenceman in the system, which will make it tough for him to get a call up this season unless the Canucks face some serious injury troubles on the right side.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>11:43 am</b> - James Duthie just asked the reporter in Montreal, "What do you see as the reasoning behind Montreal's end of the move?"<br />
<br />
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA<br />
<br />
Who knows why Montreal would be interested in acquiring a 24-year-old former first round pick with top-six upside who is an RFA at the end of his current, cheap deal? Why in the world would they want to acquire that player (and a pick) for a fourth-liner who fights and kills penalties and is a UFA at the end of his current, $2.5 million deal?<br />
<br />
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE THE REASON?!?!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>11:54 am</b> - If you really want to trade Zack Kassian, fine. But if all you can get in a Kassian trade is Brandon Prust, it's simple: don't trade him during the off-season. Keep him, stick him with the Sedins, hope for the best, then trade him during the season.<br />
<br />
I'm going to be upset about this for a while, in case you can't tell.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>12:02 pm</b> - How much money should be allocated to a team's fourth line? How much of a team's cap space can be spent on the fourth line before you hurt the rest of the team?<br />
<br />
The Canucks will have Brandon Prust ($2.5 million) and Derek Dorsett ($2.65 million) on the fourth line next season. That's $5.15 million on the fourth line with just two players. That's already too much to spend on the fourth line and you still need to add a third player.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, the Canucks have some cheap, young centres to potentially play between them: Linden Vey ($1 million), Brendan Gaunce ($863,333), Cole Cassels ($589,166), Alex Friesen ($575,000), or Joseph LaBate ($925,000). Lot of questions with any of those players -- Vey is sketchy on faceoffs and seems to be better on the wing and the others are all untested prospects -- but at least they'll have a cheap centre to balance out the expensive fourth line wingers.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>12:11 pm</b> - You know what makes me feel better? My three-year-old walking into the living room wearing a blanket as a cape and a pink toque on his head, excitedly shouting about how he "found a helmet."<br />
<br />
You sure did, buddy. You sure did.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>12:48 pm</b> - I appear to still be upset:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
If Derek Dorsett is such a great “culture carrier” for Canucks, why didn’t they sit him next to Zack Kassian so they could rub shoulders?</div>
— Borb McKenzie (@ADanielWagner) <a href="https://twitter.com/ADanielWagner/status/616329780607221761">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-conversation="none" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Why waste his culture carrying talents on a guy like Bo Horvat, who already had great character and work habits?</div>
— Borb McKenzie (@ADanielWagner) <a href="https://twitter.com/ADanielWagner/status/616329881257951232">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-conversation="none" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
If Dorsett can only carry culture to players who already seem to have it, then why pay him a premium to be a culture carrier?</div>
— Borb McKenzie (@ADanielWagner) <a href="https://twitter.com/ADanielWagner/status/616330062850301952">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-conversation="none" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
It’s almost as if being a “culture carrier” is a complete meaningless phrase. It’s almost as if paying extra for that intangible is dumb.</div>
— Borb McKenzie (@ADanielWagner) <a href="https://twitter.com/ADanielWagner/status/616330401779445763">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/ADanielWagner">@ADanielWagner</a> hard to know what happens in the dressing room. Maybe Zack wanted more than a shoulder rub and things got awkward.</div>
— Zac Goodman (@zac_goodman) <a href="https://twitter.com/zac_goodman/status/616330362566762496">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-conversation="none" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/ADanielWagner">@ADanielWagner</a> he sat between them. just imagine 9 without DD's magical powers</div>
— Jason Botchford (@botchford) <a href="https://twitter.com/botchford/status/616332055660531712">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-conversation="none" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/botchford">@botchford</a> Good lord, he already was sitting next to Kassian? Apparently he dropped all the culture at Horvat’s stall.</div>
— Borb McKenzie (@ADanielWagner) <a href="https://twitter.com/ADanielWagner/status/616332266445373441">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
<br />
<b>1:10 pm</b> - The quotes coming out of Jim Benning's press conference are just making me more upset and I've got two boys to get down for nap time. They tend to notice when I'm tense and absorb it, making it tough to get them to sleep.<br />
<br />
*deep breaths*<br />
<br />
<b>1:19 pm</b> - Jim Benning's press conference is now on TSN. It's just as frustrating hearing the quotes as reading them on Twitter.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>1:25 pm</b> - Jim Benning makes a baffling mix of great moves and mind-bendingly frustrating moves.<br />
<br />
I love the Yannick Weber contract. It's a great "show-me" deal that gives him the opportunity to earn more money in the future, but keeps him cheap for one more season. I'm satisfied with the Matt Bartkowski signing, as he's a useful bottom pairing defenceman on a reasonable deal. Taylor Fedun and Richard Bachman are good AHL signings, providing some depth for the Canucks and support for the Comets.<br />
<br />
Then there's the Zack Kassian trade.<br />
<br />
The contract signings at the end of the season? Chris Tanev's extension was superb. Luca Sbisa's was horrendous.<br />
<br />
Free agent signings last year? Radim Vrbata was a great signing. Ryan Miller was completely unnecessary and led directly to having to trade Eddie Lack at this year's draft.<br />
<br />
It's so frustrating to see the same man make decisions that I love and fully support and decisions that I just outright hate.Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-14137154462719995542015-06-30T21:10:00.001-07:002015-06-30T21:36:36.984-07:00Canucks won't miss Bieksa and Lack, but we will<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;">
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<br />
Considering the success the Anaheim Ducks had <i>last</i> summer in prying an impact player out of Vancouver for very little, it's hardly surprising that, this summer, Jim Benning's phone rang once again.<br />
<br />
And once again, the Ducks got their man, adding Kevin Bieksa to their collection of former Canuck pests. Now they need only Alex Burrows and they'll finally have all three blue properties. Then they can start building houses and hotels.<br />
<br />
Bieksa joins Ryan Kesler, and while their journeys to the Honda Center are but a year apart, they're very different. Kesler jumped ship. Bieksa nobly swore he was going down with it. Either way, they both washed up on the same island. Turns out loyalty isn't worth much in hockey.<br />
<br />
In the end, the Bieksa trade turned out to be a small one. When it looked as though he was headed to the San Jose Sharks, there were more pieces involved in the trade. But now he goes to Anaheim, and in return, the Canucks get a second round pick.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>That doesn't sound like much, but it's important to remember that Benning spent the whole weekend trying, and failing, to get a second-round pick. It's all he ever wanted. It was his official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle, and every time he thought he was close, someone would dash his dreams, saying, "you'll put your eye out." In the end, though, he got it. Benning is probably pleased as punch right now.<br />
<br />
Canucks fans, not so much. This trade, like the Eddie Lack trade, is a confusing one. On the one hand, it's really not a big deal, and the Canucks probably won't miss these players all that much. But it <i>is</i> a big deal, dammit, because <i>we</i> will.<br />
<br />
Kevin Bieksa was awesome. He was hilarious. He could always be counted on for a quip. And when the Canucks were down, well, he didn't always pick them up, but he usually provided a little catharsis by fighting somebody. As bloggers, we'll miss him, because the majority of these guys give us nothing. Kevin Bieksa gave us a lot.<i></i><br />
<span class="st" data-hveid="41"></span><span class="st" data-hveid="41"><br /></span>
<span class="st" data-hveid="41">On the ice, though, the team won't suffer this absence much. At 34, Bieksa's lost a step. He's not a core player anymore -- he's reached that stage of his career where his best bet is to <i>complement</i> a core. In Vancouver, it's a safe bet that his role can be filled by Yannick Weber, if he returns. Weber filled in for Bieksa on Dan Hamhuis's right side after Bieksa's injury, then never relinquished the gig. And if he's not re-signed, one of Frank Corrado or Adam Clendening can likely do it. Either way, the Canucks have <i>at least</i> two options commensurate to what Bieksa was giving them. And now they're out from under the final year of a contract that was set to pay him $4.6 million. Plus Benning got that second.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="st" data-hveid="41">Same goes for Lack, a fine goaltender, but hardly the sort that makes you change your entire organizational plan. He was good for the Canucks in the back half of last season, but only good enough to be included in a goalie market that included Cam Talbot, Robin Lehner, and Martin Jones, and few were even willing to say he was the cream of that crop. </span><br />
<span class="st" data-hveid="41"><br /></span>
<span class="st" data-hveid="41">In the end, the Canucks got less for him than Jones and Lehner drew, and while you can argue that <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.ca/2015/06/perception-of-eddie-lack-as-backup-hurt.html">this is because GMs have Lack miscast as a backup</a>, it's also possible that GMs have Lack properly cast as an average goalie with a very nice smile. There's nothing wrong with average. Some of my closest friends are average. And in some places, like Carolina, average is a serious upgrade. But in Vancouver, the Canucks aren't losing anything but their best tweeter. Jacob Markstrom, two years younger than Lack and with a higher ceiling, can do what he did.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="st" data-hveid="41">Again, this isn't to say Lack's a bad person. My word, Lack is the complete opposite. But you can't wring an extra draft pick out of an opposing GM because your asset is funny. As Wyatt Arndt said after the Lack trade, the real loss is <a href="http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/06/eddie-lack-the-person-the-biggest-loss-of-all/">Eddie Lack the person</a>. But if it's any consolation, the Canucks will still have a full team of players next season, and your resilient human spirit will probably allow you to move on from Eddie Lack and find a new favourite player before training camp is even through.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="st" data-hveid="41">What the Canucks lost in Lack and Bieksa can't really be measured. Both players were intangibles personified (which is sort of a strange phrase, since if your intangibles come to life, they're pretty tangible, I'd say). The team didn't really get weaker. But the room is poorer without question.</span><br />
<span class="st" data-hveid="41"><br /></span>Harrison Mooneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03261557020279875141noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-38544798573401376662015-06-30T13:26:00.000-07:002015-06-30T13:31:31.782-07:00Perception of Eddie Lack as a backup hurt trade return<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;">
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Canucks fans had mostly come to accept that Eddie Lack would be traded heading into the draft. They weren't happy about it, but had accepted it. The combination of the Ryan Miller signing and Jacob Markstrom's outstanding season for the Utica Comets made it inevitable.<br />
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The hope, however, was that the Canucks would get good value for the fan favourite. Some wildly optimistic fans began imagining trade packages that might fetch a high first-round pick, while others simply hoped for a second round pick, perhaps in a package with other picks or prospects.<br />
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Instead, Lack fetched just a third round pick and a seventh in 2016. Sure, it was a high third round pick, but the return was underwhelming and disappointing.<br />
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The problem is a matter of perception. Many Canucks fans saw Lack as a number one goaltender, only prevented from being so by a veteran goaltender in front of him. The rest of the league, however, seemed to see him as a backup without much upside and, for a backup, a third and a seventh is an understandable return.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>According to Jim Benning, the Carolina Hurricanes didn't acquire him as an upgrade to Cam Ward, but as an upgrade to Anton Khudobin.<br />
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Carolina acquired Lack to be a backup to Cam Ward- GM Jim Benning on <a href="https://twitter.com/TSN1040">@TSN1040</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash">#Canucks</a></div>
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech) <a href="https://twitter.com/ryanbiech/status/615907454937726976">June 30, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Quite frankly, Lack <i>is </i>an upgrade on Ward, who has a career .910 save percentage, and the Hurricanes are likely to be pleasantly surprised, assuming they ever give Lack a chance to run as the starter.<br />
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What makes the Lack return look worse, however, is the return other goaltenders fetched on the trade market.<br />
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The most recent was Martin Jones, who got the Bruins a 1st round pick in 2016 and Sean Kuraly, the 4th best prospect in the Sharks' system according to The Hockey News. That was after Jones was part of the return for Milan Lucic.<br />
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Cam Talbot and a seventh round pick earned the Rangers a second, third, and a seventh from the Oilers. Robin Lehner and a David Legwand salary dump nabbed a first round pick (21st overall) for the Senators from the Sabres. After the Hurricanes acquired Lack, they traded Khudobin for James Wisniewski, who the Ducks evidently had no use for but is still a very good puck-moving defenceman.<br />
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Why did Jones and Lehner fetch first round picks? How did Khudobin get the Hurricanes a top-four defenceman? Why did Talbot get a second round pick and Lack didn't?<br />
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Again, it's about perception: Jones has less than half the NHL experience as Lack and is only 2 years younger, but everyone around the league seems to agree that he'll be a number one goaltender for years to come, perhaps because of his 7 shutouts in just 34 games.<br />
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Lehner has average career numbers, with a save percentage 7 points worse than Lack's in a similar number of games played, but Lehner is just 23 and was a second round pick in 2009. There's a perception that he will be a very good starter if given the opportunity, which he'll certainly get in Buffalo.<br />
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As for Khudobin, his return has more to do with the perception of Wisniewski. The Ducks saw no value in Wisniewski -- he played in just 13 games for the Ducks after they acquired him last season and he didn't make a single appearance in the playoffs. The Ducks instead ran with five lefties on defence ahead of the right-handed Wisniewski. This was a bad idea, but the Ducks, for whatever reason, didn't like him.<br />
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Talbot is the one where it might not just be perception: his career save percentage through the first 57 games of his career are legitimately stunning -- a .931 save percentage and 2.00 goals against average -- and he has a strong high-danger save percentage that suggests his success will continue. It's unsurprising that the Rangers tried to get a first round pick for him and his return shouldn't reflect badly on the Lack trade.<br />
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Lack may turn out to be better than any of the other goaltenders dealt in the last few days, but his current perception, as inaccurate as it might be, hurt the Canucks' chances of getting good value in a trade.<br />
<br />Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-25447514016561672015-06-30T09:18:00.000-07:002015-06-30T10:28:25.406-07:00PITB Buys In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A little over four years ago, Harrison and I brought Pass it to Bulis to the Vancouver Sun. As of today, our partnership with the Sun has come to an end. The newspaper industry is going through a great deal of change. Until now, that's been a good thing for us. This time it wasn't.</div>
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A lot has changed for us as well in those four years. I now have two sons and a third likely to be born within the next two weeks. Harrison moved to Vancouver. These are both very expensive changes. Harrison would argue equally expensive. Harrison is a dope.</div>
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Since PITB is not longer at the Sun, we are no longer being paid to write about the Canucks. This may just be a temporary state of affairs, however. </div>
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This doesn't mean we'll stop. We enjoy what we do, and we've simply worked too hard to let PITB die. It will likely mean less content for a little while, as we need to find ways to feed kids/pay for outrageously expensive Vancouver housing.<br />
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<span style="color: #500050;">We feel a little like </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX3px_Ivs44" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Galadriel</a><span style="color: #500050;">: </span><i style="color: #500050;">We will diminish, and go into Blogspot, and remain Pass it to Bulis.</i><br />
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For the time being, we're back where we began five years ago. We hope you'll continue to read and support us as we figure out the next step.</div>
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<br />Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-17583026526383071242011-04-12T17:48:00.001-07:002011-10-13T09:53:29.670-07:00PITB Sells Out<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QagDGLEXc9L6LTQmUaRa8Y-2DHX1VL1eoQohzq-pmJUC9Kgdd2f0F1l8yBdRcGNM7sFsI-Ti4SlrXtPe9wJPdaFgVjhqLUdyGrcaPFcIthM4GqC9GvFJMkHvJQz3qRax4Etu3Whyfl4/s1600/sellout.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QagDGLEXc9L6LTQmUaRa8Y-2DHX1VL1eoQohzq-pmJUC9Kgdd2f0F1l8yBdRcGNM7sFsI-Ti4SlrXtPe9wJPdaFgVjhqLUdyGrcaPFcIthM4GqC9GvFJMkHvJQz3qRax4Etu3Whyfl4/s400/sellout.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594869813528403234" /></a><div>In case you missed it, <b>Pass it to Bulis has joined the Vancouver Sun</b> just in time for the playoffs. For those who think we're selling out, understand that selling out requires the promise of far more money than we're forecasted to receive.</div><div><br /></div><div>Make sure you update your bookmarks to <a href="passittobulis.com">passittobulis.com</a> (or <a href="http://vancouversun.com/passittobulis">vancouversun.com/passittobulis</a>) rather than http://passittobulis.blogspot.com.</div><div><br /></div><div>Updates will no longer be posted to Blogspot. Wish us luck adapting to a finicky new Wordpress engine.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rest assured, we will continue to provide the same quality of commentary on the Canucks that you have come to know and love, and that we do not intend to become [bigger] jerks. The only reason this was at all possible is because we have the greatest readers in Internet history and we don't intend to lose sight of that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now<b> <a href="http://vansunsportsblogs.com/topics/hockey/pass-it-to-bulis-hockey/">go here</a></b>, because that's where we are now.</div>Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-57791422316552303722011-04-12T13:00:00.000-07:002011-04-12T16:42:10.391-07:00The Best of the Sedins, 2010-11 (10-6)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9zVcqMQyqUTnoOAXexXiVdjB20Rxo3PSCUrEFy5izCtiKYfykpTSuvQ_AHjeqWxp-HwEM0IdalmYZMg3gAmi_zFeuT-Toz6-QdmAyoMZ2V4p9HeqHlNURjqsGpwU4VgYUPUfQjQHSE4/s1600/1033.Henrik-Sedin-Steve-BoschPNG1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9zVcqMQyqUTnoOAXexXiVdjB20Rxo3PSCUrEFy5izCtiKYfykpTSuvQ_AHjeqWxp-HwEM0IdalmYZMg3gAmi_zFeuT-Toz6-QdmAyoMZ2V4p9HeqHlNURjqsGpwU4VgYUPUfQjQHSE4/s400/1033.Henrik-Sedin-Steve-BoschPNG1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594738592706371074" border="0" /></a>PITB's <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.com/2010/04/inaugural-post-best-of-sedins-09-10.html">first post ever</a> was a top 5 countdown of the best Sedin goals of last season, posted exactly a year ago today. We thought, in honour of our first birthday, and the fact that the Sedins are <span style="font-style: italic;">totally balls</span>, it was time to return to our roots. What are blogs for if not for lists?<br /><br />Unlike last year, there is no <span style="font-style: italic;">de facto</span> number one, but there are about fifteen plays worthy of a spot in the top five. As a result, we've doubled the list, and will now be counting down the top <span style="font-style: italic;">ten</span> Sedin plays of 2010-11. Be warned: this list is highly subjective. <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-are-your-top-five-moments-of.html">Last week's post</a>, in which we shared 12 wizardous candidates, proved consensus on this issue to be impossible. As a result, we just decided to go with our gut, and I can safely say that my gut's never steered me wrong (apart from the time it asked for a bacon sundae).<br /><br />Anyway. Here are plays 10 - 6. Check back here at 4pm sharp for the final five.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------<br /></div><br /><span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a name='more'></a></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">10</span> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://youtu.be/iFTtghFFUx0">December 23, vs the Columbus Blue Jackets</a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A lot of people fail to realize that Daniel Sedin is a power forward who loves to comes out from behind with a guy draped all over him. Here, we see him actually draw the defender, wait for contact, then make an incredible back pass right into the slot for Henrik. Commentator John Garrett simply exhales. I imagine his sentiments are echoed by most of Ohio.<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iFTtghFFUx0" allowfullscreen="" width="640" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">9</span> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://youtu.be/s8RRtVq8IH0">December 28, vs the Philadelphia Flyers</a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This is actually a give-and-go between Alex Burrows and Daniel Sedin, but it still counts as Sedinery. Burr gets a pass because he spends a lot of time under Sedin tutelage. His patience is impressive here, as is Kimmo Timonen's draw to the button.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/s8RRtVq8IH0" allowfullscreen="" width="640" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">8</span> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://youtu.be/NG0l9W_LTzg">January 07, vs the Edmonton Oilers</a><br />This ludicrous lob play was utilized the Sedins to start a number of breakouts, but this is the prettiest finish. After Burrows lofts it over two zones, the twins go in two-on-one. Theo Peckham's job, in this situation, is to take away the pass, but the Sedins still manage to make two. Henrik's saucer pass is absolutely perfect, as is Daniel's backhand deke for the goal.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NG0l9W_LTzg" allowfullscreen="" width="640" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">7</span> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://youtu.be/GcrEPkJJDwQ">April 09, vs the Calgary Flames</a> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />The most recent goal on our list comes on a partial breakaway. Think about that when you watch it happen. Rather than streak to the net, Daniel curls away, then makes a ridiculous backpass to Henrik that splits three Calgary defenders. Henrik then makes a beautiful one-touch pass to Ryan Kesler, who finishes the play by one-timing the puck.<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GcrEPkJJDwQ" allowfullscreen="" width="640" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">6</span> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://youtu.be/tGiOc_ASjVg">December 31, vs the Dallas Stars</a> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />This is one of the finest executed powerplays you'll ever see. Daniel and Henrik break down the Stars' box like it's the day after Christmas, first with an obscenely high tape-to-tape saucer pass, then a back pass to Alex Edler. Before the Stars realize they've shifted about a foot from the center of the ice, Edler finds Henrik, who pots a one-timer from a difficult angle. it's so fluid it's ridiculous.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tGiOc_ASjVg" allowfullscreen="" width="640" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------<br /><br />10 - 6<br />5 - 1<br /></div>Harrison Mooneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03261557020279875141noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-56674909912268653642011-04-12T00:01:00.000-07:002011-04-12T09:22:14.613-07:00The Chicago Blackhawks Are Bad<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBp7KMPhEnMtTF48wbaePIHnkTP0PE_flGnKMZX1ByD5O5a6SLKOakG7xI3UABh1_eYD_7ymyBSasCn9kkQxDw5RlCAErQ5EW361bwkAvyf3wfXzk0c74CgEgWvxKbgCB7HJtemkswK7w/s1600/Bobby-Hull-SI-Feb-4-64-big-bad-blackhawks.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBp7KMPhEnMtTF48wbaePIHnkTP0PE_flGnKMZX1ByD5O5a6SLKOakG7xI3UABh1_eYD_7ymyBSasCn9kkQxDw5RlCAErQ5EW361bwkAvyf3wfXzk0c74CgEgWvxKbgCB7HJtemkswK7w/s400/Bobby-Hull-SI-Feb-4-64-big-bad-blackhawks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594547835619648962" border="0" /></a>After two consecutive playoff oustings, you'd think it would be difficult to find a Vancouver Canucks fan who has anything but ill will for the Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately, this isn't the case, as <span>some</span> people think the Blackhawks are all right. Yes, some people have a hard time hating a team with plenty of ties to the West Coast. Some people watched Jonathan Toews lead Canada to an Olympic gold medal, and they think he's A-okay. And some people simply have the Blackhawks confused with other things. Good things. Things for which they feel fondness.<br /><br />It's time to clear this up once and for all. People, hear me: the Chicago Blackhawks are bad. BAD. If you think they are good, you obviously have them confused with something else. That thing cannot possibly be the Blackhawks, because the Blackhawks are bad.<br /><br />You may be thinking of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hawk_%28artist%29">Black Hawk</a>, the Lakota artist whose 76 colour drawings are a part of Native American ledger art history. Black Hawk is admirable and sympathetic, especially since he was killed in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wounded_Knee_Massacre">Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890</a>. If you feel admiration and sympathy, you're likely thinking of Black Hawk. You couldn't possibly be thinking of the Chicago Blackhawks, who are neither admirable nor sympathetic. They are the worst kind of bad. They're named after <i><b>atrocities</b></i>.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a>Consider the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hawk_Purchase">Black Hawk Purchase</a>, a land acquisition made in what is now Iowa. This purchase came on the heels of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hawk_War">Black Hawk War</a>, during which Sauk chief <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hawk_%28Sauk_leader%29">Black Hawk</a> was taken prisoner. It was during Black Hawk's captivity that the land was sold, so one would assume he had little bargaining power. He also didn't get a fair shake from historians, who tell us that his motives for waging this dispute were "ambiguous," although there's hardly much ambiguity about defending one's property.<br /><br />Leave it to the white man to extort land and distort history, right? Well, you know who has a lot of white men? <span style="font-style: italic;">The Chicago Blackhawks, </span>who have compounded Black Hawk's humiliation <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">by stealing his name</span>. You know what's not ambiguous? The badness of the Chicago Blackhawks.<br /><br />Still think the Blackhawks are good? You must be confused. Maybe you're thinking of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hawk_Down_%28film%29"><span style="font-style: italic;">Black Hawk Down</span></a>, the Ridley Scott film about a fallen Black Hawk helicopter. Rotten Tomatoes tells us that <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/black_hawk_down/">77% of critics felt this film was "fresh</a>". However, this film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and stars Josh Hartnett. Here's another film on which they collaborated: <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor_%28film%29">Pearl Harbour</a>. That film was historically bad. Also bad? The Chicago Blackhawks, who, sources say, knew about the plan to bomb Pearl Harbour <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">and didn't tell anybody</span>.<br /><br />Okay, that's not true. But that doesn't make them any less bad. They're quite bad.<br /><br />If you think the Blackhawks are good, you're probably thinking of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Blackhawks">Atlanta Blackhawks</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay_Blackhawks">San Francisco Bay Blackhawks</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo_Black_Hawks">Waterloo Blackhawks</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Blackhawks">Iowa Blackhawks</a> or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattling_Black_Hawks">Plattling Black Hawks</a>. What do all these teams have in common? If you think it's their nickname, you're wrong. It's the fact that they are all <span style="font-style: italic;">less bad</span> than the Chicago Blackhawks.<br /><br />You may be thinking of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighthawks">Nighthawks</a>, the classic Edward Hopper painting. Makes sense. It's located at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Institute_of_Chicago">Art Institute of Chicago</a>, which, like the Blackhawks, is in Chicago, but, unlike the Blackhawks, is good. The Blackhawks are bad, like the Great Chicago Fire, which destroyed the Art Institute's original building in 1871. Were the Chicago Blackhawks involved? Perhaps; they're bad. Are they <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">arson</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">ists</span>? They've never gone record saying they're not.<br /><br />If you still think the Blackhawks are good, it's possible you're confusing them with some other kind of hawk. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Hawk,_North_Carolina">Kitty Hawk</a>, perhaps? That North Carolina city is near where the Wright brothers first flew airplanes. That was good, but do you know who later flew airplanes? <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Terrorists</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">,</span> who are bad. And don't think I'm actively trying to get you to associate the Chicago Blackhawks with terrorism, but they <span style="font-style: italic;">did</span> hold a public demonstration of some sort in the streets of Chicago last July. Was it a terrorist rally? <span style="font-style: italic;">We simply don't know.</span><br /><br />You may also be thinking of <span style="font-style: italic;">Nighthawks at the Diner</span>, the classic Tom Waits album based on Edward Hopper's painting. Tom Waits is good. Unfortunately, whenever you think of early period Tom Waits, you run the risk of thinking about Billy Joel, to whom Waits was compared in the late seventies. Billy Joel is bad. What do Billy Joel and the Chicago Blackhawks have in common? <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">No redeeming qualities.</span><br /><br />I could go on. It's also possible you're thinking of blackjack, Jack Black, backhoes, backlogs, backrubs, black hats, black cats, back catalogs, black ops, black cod, black hogs, hockey, Hawkeye, bedrock, Beck, or Black Bond Books. Frankly, you sound confused, so here's a simple maxim to get you through: whatever you're thinking of, it's better than the Chicago Blackhawks.<br /><br />In closing, the Chicago Blackhawks are bad.Harrison Mooneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03261557020279875141noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-53483425108957521372011-04-11T11:00:00.000-07:002011-04-11T11:03:31.457-07:002011 Round One Preview: Chicago Blackhawks<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLWLL7DInnu2quRb5cPtvcdvtqalE98uGIyN-E4pTm3VS0YtBUqZ15JPDYbue1Ie7X9yeIKrOoGIuUA_wQzVn2PngQp2U3RdSpv7tM1x1vrmuCZa08_Z15TNXDLDxUjpN-Gm3zlSp7IlL/s1600/Blackhawks-team-cup-pic.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLWLL7DInnu2quRb5cPtvcdvtqalE98uGIyN-E4pTm3VS0YtBUqZ15JPDYbue1Ie7X9yeIKrOoGIuUA_wQzVn2PngQp2U3RdSpv7tM1x1vrmuCZa08_Z15TNXDLDxUjpN-Gm3zlSp7IlL/s400/Blackhawks-team-cup-pic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594149268810287314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://youtu.be/YVstFr2kgt8">Let's make sure, whatever we do, this never happens again</a>.</span><br /></div><br /><div>For the third year in a row, the Vancouver Canucks will be facing the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup playoffs. After two ignominious defeats in the second round, this year the Canucks will get the chance to exorcise their playoff demons in round one. The match-up is one the media, fans, and players have been eagerly anticipating, but it's not exactly a pure re-match.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Blackhawks of 2010-11 are not the Blackhawks of 2009-10. Last season, the Blackhawks were <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.com/2010/12/maybe-blackhawks-were-just-better-than.html">just plain better</a> than the Canucks. In the off-season, however, due to some <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.com/2010/07/fun-with-letters-to-editor-blackhawks.html">mismanagement of the cap</a> by Dale Tallon, the Hawks said farewell to much of their vaunted depth. Gone are Ben Eager, Andrew Ladd, Kris Versteeg, Brent Sopel, Colin Fraser, Adam Burish, John Madden and Canuck nemesis Dustin Byfuglien. Gone, too, are both goaltenders from last season. Playoff hero Antti Niemi signed with the San Jose Sharks while Cristobal Huet was sent to Switzerland to eat chocolate, wear pocket watches, and design knives.</div><div><br /></div><div><a name='more'></a>There are a lot of new faces on the Blackhawks this season, including long-time rival Marty Turco, who is a shell of his former self. Goaltending duties will instead be handled by rookie Corey Crawford, who has performed admirably, posting a .918 SV% and a 2.27 GAA. Turco, on the other hand, has had a terrible year, posting career lows in save percentage and goals against average. Other new faces include Viktor Stalberg, acquired in the Versteeg trade with the Leafs, Michael Frolik, acquired from the Florida Panthers, and Ryan Johnson. Yes, that Ryan Johnson. Mr. Purple Shins is now sporting a Blackhawks jersey.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, the core of the team has remained intact despite the multitude of moves made around them. Toews, Kane, Sharp, and Hossa anchor a potent offence that finished 4th in the league in goals-for, just 4 goals behind the Canucks. They also boast the leading minute-muncher in the NHL in Duncan Keith, who averages almost 27 minutes per game. While he took a step back from last year's Norris-winning season, particularly defensively, he still put up 45 points. Meanwhile, his partner on defense, Brent Seabrook, surpassed him with a career high 48 points. </div><div><br /></div><div>Honestly, I am shocked that the Blackhawks fell to 8th: I <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.com/2011/03/who-do-canucks-want-to-face-in-first.html">predicted they wouldn't</a> and anticipated a potential second-round match-up against the Stanley Cup Champions, just for its poetic nature. The Blackhawks are too good a team to be the 8th seed. Their +33 goal differential is good for 7th in the NHL, 3rd in the Western Conference. Their first line is stupendous, their second line is dangerous, and their powerplay is potent. So what are they doing in 8th?</div><div><br /></div><div>The issue, of course, is lack of depth. Their defense behind Keith, Seabrook, and Campbell is suspect. Their bottom-six is sketchy and often unreliable. These two issues combined explain their terrible penalty killing, which is 25th in the league. </div><div><br /></div><div>As <a href="http://passittobulis.blogspot.com/2010/12/maybe-blackhawks-were-just-better-than.html">Harrison pointed out</a> earlier this season, the depth players for the Blackhawks last season are making big contributions to their respective teams this season. Andrew Ladd was named captain in Atlanta and led the Thrashers in scoring. Second in team scoring was Dustin Byfuglien, who thrived on the opportunity to play defense again, finishing 4th in the NHL in points amongst defensemen. Kris Versteeg scored 46 points between the Leafs and the Flyers, Brent Sopel blocked 152 shots and led the Thrashers in shorthanded time-on-ice before being traded to the Canadiens, and John Madden led the Minnesota Wild in shorthanded time-on-ice amongst forwards. When you take away these quality players from the Blackhawks, they become a lesser team.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's not to say that the Blackhawks will be easy to beat in round one of the playoffs; they are still a dangerous team, particularly on the powerplay. But the Canucks have been a dominant team all season, winning the President's Trophy while finishing first in both goals-for and goals-against. Which reminds me: there's one other big difference between last season's Blackhawks and this season's.</div><div><br /></div><div>This year, the Blackhawks are the underdogs.</div><div><br /></div>Daniel Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14218580923841725982noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2748120234252907284.post-5211816997142814332011-04-11T00:00:00.000-07:002011-04-11T00:35:12.158-07:00Top 5 Canuck Hipchecks of 2010-11<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXndswzB2dbZDsnicDv0AXrr0cEEvgBn7bmMfvBlTUI-r43OzpkBK54spXwXRm0Kk7zwx9T8hIEUnbUouYoMO3q3TfyAxqcXJxgBOqdDCkNeFx7WSnp7_XOeo7Pw-dUw7S0i7HVCknbY/s1600/nhlwii.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXndswzB2dbZDsnicDv0AXrr0cEEvgBn7bmMfvBlTUI-r43OzpkBK54spXwXRm0Kk7zwx9T8hIEUnbUouYoMO3q3TfyAxqcXJxgBOqdDCkNeFx7WSnp7_XOeo7Pw-dUw7S0i7HVCknbY/s400/nhlwii.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594204364073231506" /></a><div>Some say the hipcheck is a lost art in the NHL, but you'd be hard pressed to find a Vancouver fan that feels this way. The offseason additions of Keith Ballard and Dan Hamhuis, two defenders that love to hip check, made going wide versus the Canucks a downright dicey proposition. Eventually, even Aaron Rome fell in love with the hit, giving the Canucks three guys who could surprise with a hipcheck at seemingly any moment. The result: perhaps the only team in the NHL for whom the hipcheck was common.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not sure Canucks fans realized how spoiled they were this season. With that in mind, PITB has compiled a countdown of the five finest hipchecks thrown by the boys in blue and green in the 2010-11:</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><a name='more'></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">5</span></b><b> <a href="http://youtu.be/p-gh1L7qfV8">Keith Ballard on Viktor Stalberg</a></b></div><div><i>This is a perfectly timed hit, as Ballard comes across the defensive zone to meet Stalberg at the exact moment he reaches the puck. Stalberg is likely expecting a simply bodycheck, but Ballard turns and throws the hip into him instead, absolutely stapling him to the boards.</i> </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/p-gh1L7qfV8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> </div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">4</span> </b> <b><a href="http://youtu.be/YGRQFjhZanM">Aaron Rome on Ladislav Smid</a></b></div><div><i>Rome didn't hipcheck much last season, but Hamhuis and Ballard have clearly inspired him. This is his best of many thrown hips, as he steps into Smid and earns extra points on the follow through.</i> </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YGRQFjhZanM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">3</span> </b><a href="http://youtu.be/ipIC0HCJKdU"><b>Keith Ballard on Evgeni Malkin</b></a></div><div><i>This is a monster hip check on a monster guy. It's also a beautiful defensive play. Malkin's beaten a lot of d-men one on one with his size and speed, but Ballard recovers quickly to take away his lane, then takes the big Penguins center to the corner with a completely unexpected hit.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ipIC0HCJKdU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">2</span> </b><a href="http://youtu.be/Q599OC7UM-4"><b>Dan Hamhuis on Douglas Murray</b></a></div><div><i>My goodness, this is a beautiful hit. Hamhuis times this perfectly, leading Murray to the boards with his body position, and then sending him ass over teakettle the moment he reaches the glass. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q599OC7UM-4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">1</span> </b><b><a href="http://youtu.be/xQIg6zTDP-0">Keith Ballard on Drew Miller</a></b></div><div><i>The finest hipcheck of the year comes when Keith Ballard steps into Drew Miller. It's similar to the one Ballard put on Malkin, but this one is downright obscene. Miller goes flying, and the look on his face when he gets up is priceless. He has no idea what just happened. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xQIg6zTDP-0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>- - - - - - - - - - Bonus Hipchecks! </b><b>- - - - - - - - - - </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>If those five stellar hipchecks aren't enough for you, or if maybe you thought I was kidding when I said the hit was common in Vancouver, here are ten more.</i></div><div><ul><li><a href="http://youtu.be/JvnKIfBkIUc">Keith Ballard on Niclas Wallin</a></li><li><a href="http://youtu.be/JvnKIfBkIUc"></a><a href="http://youtu.be/tkQkM7Wv7v4">Keith Ballard on Carlo Colaiacovo</a></li><li><a href="http://youtu.be/tkQkM7Wv7v4"></a><a href="http://youtu.be/z1Vq-CWedPg">Keith Ballard on Ales Hemsky</a></li><li><a href="http://youtu.be/apv-16mMZk4">Keith Ballard on Tomas Kopecky</a></li><li><a href="http://youtu.be/p-gh1L7qfV8"></a><a href="http://youtu.be/hvgDX9rVLm8">Keith Ballard on David Krejci</a></li><li><a href="http://youtu.be/4OmIiUlz02c">Dan Hamhuis on Jakub Voracek</a></li><li><a href="http://youtu.be/4OmIiUlz02c"></a><a href="http://youtu.be/E8qJfPf8ixg">Dan Hamhuis on Tom Gilbert</a></li><li><a href="http://youtu.be/JfcF4odPB64">Aaron Rome on Sean Avery</a></li><li><a href="http://youtu.be/BHiI1eS9x8U">Aaron Rome on Antoine Vermette</a></li><li><a href="http://youtu.be/I3L2Pd7mSMA">Aaron Rome on JF Jacques</a></li></ul></div><div><br /></div>Harrison Mooneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03261557020279875141noreply@blogger.com13