Post-Game Talk: 1/21/18 - Vancouver Canucks 0 @ Winnipeg Jets 1

[Addison Rae]

Haha i get it haha (assuming its a joke lol)

I wish it was a joke, son.

 

[Nucker101]

Haha i get it haha (assuming its a joke lol)

deadass

it's all real, I was his IG hypeman and lived through it all

 

[Hit the post]

Pretty sure your mum still feeds you by the spoon M2B.

My mum still feeds me by premastication. Course, she's like 60+ years old & I'm 40+ years old.

 

[Shareefruck]

No for sure I admit it wasn't the best comparable, but he also certainly didn't bring a ton of offense to a line with Torres and Hansen. I actually agree that he should have been Selke worthy, but in reality he wasn't. While the Selke is meant to go to the best defensive forward, it goes to the best two way forward something Malhotra certainly is not.

Also, lets be clear, the reason it was one of the best third lines in hockey if not the best third line in hockey was because of his defensive play. They certainly chipped a few big goals in, but he was not here for his point totals. He was here to shut down opponents which he did. I don't think people here would sour on that version of Manny if he scored 5g 20p because of how effective he was. Gaunce is also nowhere near the level of Manny, but he's also not anchoring the 3rd line on the best team in the league. He's a 4th line winger on a bottom 3 team who also coincidentally has the worst defence in the league behind him.

You can only expect so much out of a 4th line defensive winger on this team. Virtanen isn't as good defensively, and also isn't producing at all or showing any signs of physicality. Not only that but Gaunce's shooting percentage is exceedingly low and as someone else posted here he actually gets more high quality shots than Virtanen.

2017/18 Gaunce > 2017/18 Virtanen because Gaunce's defensive play has more of an impact on the game than Virtanen's offensive play.

I think you're focusing a bit too heavily on the comparison to Malhotra. I admitted that it was a bit dishonest, but I also tried to clarify what I meant. It's that good offense can overcome bad defense, and good defense can overcome bad offense.

As mentioned, I'm focusing on the Malhotra part because it's the only part that I continue to disagree with.

I think he was quite a solid offensive contributor that year. Very few 3rd lines that are used strictly in defensive situations against the best players put up 35 points (Malhotra scored at a 34 point pace, btw), especially while playing with equal or worse offensive players. It's actually MORE offensively impressive than the 35-45 point seasons that a two-way guy like Higgins got on the second line while playing with Kesler (Malhotra also put up higher totals when played with offensive players in past teams). It's not like he was some tunnel-vision-stone-hands player where the puck always died on his stick. Even if he was only as good defensively as someone like Santorelli, that would have still been impressive offensive contribution on a third line, IMO.

Malhotra was a better offensive player than Torres that year (who nobody complained about being offensively challenged). He just happened to play a less flashy game that revolved more around support, distribution, and control rather than attacking. Didn't turn out to be any less effective.

Hell, he was pretty consistently scoring at a 35-40 point pace the four or five previous years (38, 37, 33, 25, 44, 37). I completely disagree that he was an example of a guy whose defensive abilities made up for a lack of offensive ability. He was deservedly known as a high end two-way third liner when in the prime of his career, no more offensively challenged than guys like Hansen or Higgins.

 

[Intangibos]

As mentioned, I'm focusing on the Malhotra part because it's the only part that I disagree with.

I think he was quite a solid offensive contributor that year. Very few 3rd lines that are used strictly in defensive situations against the best players put up 35 points (Malhotra scored at a 34 point pace, btw), especially while playing with equal or worse offensive players. It's actually MORE offensively impressive than the 35-45 point seasons that a two-way guy like Higgins got on the second line while playing with Kesler (Malhotra also put up similar totals when played with offensive players in past teams). It's not like he was some tunnel-vision-stone-hands player where the puck always died on his stick. Even if he was only as good defensively as someone like Santorelli, that would have still been pretty effective offensive contribution on a third line, IMO.

Malhotra was a better offensive player than Torres that year (who nobody complained about being offensively challenged). He just happened to play a less flashy game that revolved more around support, distribution, and control rather than attacking. Didn't turn out to be any less effective.

Hell, he was pretty consistently scoring at a 30-40 point pace the four or five previous years (38, 37, 33, 25, 44, 37). I completely disagree that he was an example of a guy whose defensive abilities made up for a lack of offensive ability. He was deservedly known as a high end two-way third liner when in the prime of his career, no more offensively challenged than guys like Hansen or Higgins.

I don't disagree. I'd easily say Malhotra's season was more impressive than Higgins', although I do think Higgins was out of this league far too soon. There was no reason a team couldn't have picked him up to play on the 4th line. However, Malhotra was absolutely elite. I didn't mean to say his defensive game overcame his offensive game at all. I just mean that if he didn't have the level of defensive ability he had, he would not be considered elite. He would be a solid 3rd liner rather than probably the best 3C in the league that year. I don't mean to downplay him at all or say Gaunce is even worthy of being compared to him.

What I meant, although I admittedly didn't articulate it very well, is that defensive play is just as important as offensive play. Weak point totals can be overlooked if a player is spending most of his time in the offensive zone and isn't getting scored on too often, especially against quality players. If the Sedins had very low point totals, but were able to spend their whole shifts in the offensive zone regardless of competition, would they be quality 3rd-4th liners? I think so. Gaunce, however, still gets scored on than a higher rate than he scores and has some work to do. I just think he plays a solid defensive game and I do think his lack of production is somewhat misleading. I just meant Malhotra was a defense first player who could chip in offensively. Again, if Malhotra scored 5G/20p, I don't think anybody would have been too hard on him because of how good he was for us defensively.

Personally I think Malhotra's loss in 2011 was as bad or at least close to as bad as losing Hamhuis was. He was an integral part of this team and I certainly don't mean to downplay him at all. While he would never ever win a Selke because the people voting much prefer 2 way players like Kesler, Datsyuk and Burrows, I think Malhotra was certainly deserving of a nomination for that season due to the actual guidelines for the Selke. Absolutely elite 3C.

Consider Hansen as another example. People here claimed he had hands of stone despite scoring 9g/29p in 2010 and 16g/39p in 2011. He even scored at a 40+ point pace in 2012. Though a lot of the heat was because he managed to get himself into scoring positions consistently and then didn't put it in. He was a player that made me think if he had hands he could have scored 30+ if not 35+ on those versions of the Canucks. Regardless, if Hansen was truly offensively challenged I don't think anyone would have had a problem with him because of how strong his defensive play was. My comments on Malhotra were hyperbole to illustrate my point and it was unfortunately done poorly.

 

[Shareefruck]

Sure, I don't disagree with that.

 

[RobertKron]

Oh, hey, you forgot to address the part where they replied with exactly what you asked them to clarify. What's your take on that?

GUYS IM CONCERNED THAT RUNE HAS FALLEN DOWN A WELL

 

[elitepete]

i stole bovinder's girl the chick he described as looking like evgeni malkin with a nice ass

Was she wearing a jockstrap on her face?

 

[racerjoe]

GUYS IM CONCERNED THAT RUNE HAS FALLEN DOWN A WELL

Send Lassie!

 

[M2Beezy]

GUYS IM CONCERNED THAT RUNE HAS FALLEN DOWN A WELL

Of all the possibilities of his sudden disappearance I seriously DOUBT that is the reason Robbie

 

[M2Beezy]

Anyways someone better make a new gdt or ill have to and then the first page will be Rooney bckmu whinig about the op

 

[Addison Rae]

deadass

it's all real, I was his IG hypeman and lived through it all

no hype on the last photo?

 

[Ozone]

You'd think that as a NHL defenseman once himself - this would be the one area Benning could've have rebuilt decently. He inherited a Tanev in his prime. He can make a pairing look halfway decent regardless whoever that other D might be. That's almost half the job done there. Edler was what, 28 years old when Benning was hired. Hardly over the hill. That's another top 4 spot filled. Hamhuis was still good enough to buy Benning some time back in 2014. Sure there was a problem offensively with the blueline when Benning came aboard - but jeebus they even ain't all that great defensively right now.

Benning blew his *** on a guy that can't even be in the bloody lineup since he seems to suffer from the Salo disease.

Here here! Good post. Well said....

 

[PG Canuck]

High danger chances
Virtanen: 44.8%
Gaunce: 46.7%

Burn down the wing, fire a low percentage bad angle from the boards.

It’s all he ever does. It gets me out of my seat!