Recalled/Assigned: Brendan Gaunce called up

Lindgren

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Jun 30, 2005
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I'm eager to see how they'll treat Gaunce in the last 20 games.Hope gets to play his natural position and 10+ minutes.If they recalled him to play on the wing and he gets 6-7 minutes per game then f*** it.

Exactly my feelings.
 

Bad Goalie

Registered User
Jan 2, 2014
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I wonder if they are legitimately considering throwing McCann in Utica next year. I think it would be the right course of action barring an awesome camp given how his season has went, but the optics wouldn't be great. Would make it seem like their development strategy was a waste of time.

With McCann in Utica we would have 5 centres with 3 having the option to move to wing (even if it's not ideal for Gaunce or probably for Granlund as well).

I know this will get me ***** slapped and told to get out of Vancouver business because I don't have any idea what I'm talking about, but here goes anyways.

Can anyone there be truly honest for one minute instead of Blue and Green blood stream brain fogged? Take all of the centers in Vancouver possession in both the NHL and AHL and stack them up. Sedin is a #1 center. Bo is going to be an NHL player, but not a #1, maybe not even a star #2 (he will be able to take that role, but will he star in it). He would be a definite star #3. The rest of the centers are not NHL star #1s. McCann is maybe going to be a good one and seems more likely to be the #2.

Before you start bashing, just look at the state of the game. Look at every good team in the NHL, teams that contend for the top spot. They all have a star at #1 center. That guy established himself at that position at a pretty early age and when he wasn't number 1 he was taking a regular shift at #2 or putting up big points on a wing, with everyone raving about how good he was going to be. The rest of the hockey world outside of Vancouver is not talking about any Canucks in that vein. Jimbo is stacking the lineup with outcasts and bottom 6 players with every move he makes. Sutter was a #3 and that's what he is still. Bo is being forced to be a #2 and he is treading water compared to the rest of the league's #2s on any contender.

I know the Canucks are not contenders. No one can rightly say whether they are rebuilding or retooling. The moves of this management team don't illustrate their knowledge of which it is either. They aren't acquiring the kind of draft picks that teams like Toronto and Calgary are amassing to try and attain those players that will make them contenders. They are not acquiring the kind of players that show a retool either. Their farm is not rich in prospects showing a ceiling higher than bottom level, NHLers either. The whole system is in a form of developmental chaos.

Until the Canucks acquire players that are capable of comparable play to the rest of the league's top lines this franchise will continue to flounder in a sea of hurt of their own making. How is Jimbo going to obtain the Toews, Kane, Crosby, Malkin, Kopitar, Ovechkin, Tavares, Eichel, McDavid, Mathews, Parise, Keith, Weber, Suter types when he continually passes up chances for high draft picks, trades away #2s and 3's, and continues to stock his roster with guys other teams gave up on, and extends unrealistic contracts for guys no one else would pay that kind of money and then is cap strapped when he tries to add to his roaster and can't free up that space because no one else can afford those guys at that salary level. He's not tryng to trade Stamkos. He'd be trying to trade Sbisa, Sutter, or Miller on anchor contracts. It's been recently reported that Miller maybe getting an extension rather than just playing out his contract. Benning just doesn't stop.

This appears to be a franchise locked into going nowhere for years to come. The best they can hope for is the borderline playoff team and an early exit. Just enough talent to hang in there, but never enough to take off. Their ownership team seems not only satisfied with that, but committed to it. Thus, never low enough in the draft to acquire key top level pieces and constantly trying to figure out a way to get players marginally better than what they have and forever bailing while the ship continues to take on water. This management team is completely at a loss for any semblance of solution. It will take brilliant minds, and probably several, very ballsy management teams willing to tell Aquaman he is wrong and be willing to take a stand until the dope either listens or sells, in order to right this ship.

Looks like a lot of frustrating years ahead for the followers of Canucks and Comets hockey. Ownership is doggedly convinced it knows something and the hires it takes on to run things are selected due to their ability to be controlled. Thus, aside from the one nice run of success and another short one, this franchise has not been a factor in the NHL and Aquman and company won't be any time soon and he seems okay with that as long as he makes his money like Ballard was in Toronto for years and that franchise has yet to recover from his reign and those that followed him. They may finally be on the right track as they have relented to strong mindedness on the part of their management team who has the reins in their hands at least for now. That's what it will take in Vancouver, but someone has to be smart enough to find that team as Shanahan was and Aquaman needs someone smart enough to steer him to that catalyst. Linden certainly failed at that capacity.

One can always hope. That's all we as fans can actually do. The rest is always going to be out of our hands.
 
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Pip

Registered User
Feb 2, 2012
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Granduland
I'm not going to bash your view - it's reasonable and I agree. I'm just wondering why you quoted me as I couldn't figure out your post was in any way a reply to my post about what to do with our centres next season.

I am well aware that we are ****ed
 
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Szechwan

Registered User
Sep 13, 2006
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4,966
I know this will get me ***** slapped and told to get out of Vancouver business because I don't have any idea what I'm talking about, but here goes anyways.

Can anyone there be truly honest for one minute instead of Blue and Green blood stream brain fogged? Take all of the centers in Vancouver possession in both the NHL and AHL and stack them up. Sedin is a #1 center. Bo is going to be an NHL player, but not a #1, maybe not even a star #2 (he will be able to take that role, but will he star in it). He would be a definite star #3. The rest of the centers are not NHL star #1s. McCann is maybe going to be a good one and seems more likely to be the #2.

Before you start bashing, just look at the state of the game. Look at every good team in the NHL, teams that contend for the top spot. They all have a star at #1 center. That guy established himself at that position at a pretty early age and when he wasn't number 1 he was taking a regular shift at #2 or putting up big points on a wing, with everyone raving about how good he was going to be. The rest of the hockey world outside of Vancouver is not talking about any Canucks in that vein. Jimbo is stacking the lineup with outcasts and bottom 6 players with every move he makes. Sutter was a #3 and that's what he is still. Bo is being forced to be a #2 and he is treading water compared to the rest of the league's #2s on any contender.

I know the Canucks are not contenders. No one can rightly say whether they are rebuilding or retooling. The moves of this management team don't illustrate their knowledge of which it is either. They aren't acquiring the kind of draft picks that teams like Toronto and Calgary are amassing to try and attain those players that will make them contenders. They are not acquiring the kind of players that show a retool either. Their farm is not rich in prospects showing a ceiling higher than bottom level, NHLers either. The whole system is in a form of developmental chaos.

Until the Canucks acquire players that are capable of comparable play to the rest of the league's top lines this franchise will continue to flounder in a sea of hurt of their own making. How is Jimbo going to obtain the Toews, Kane, Crosby, Malkin, Kopitar, Ovechkin, Tavares, Eichel, McDavid, Mathews, Parise, Keith, Weber, Suter types when he continually passes up chances for high draft picks, trades away #2s and 3's, and continues to stock his roster with guys other teams gave up on, and extends unrealistic contracts for guys no one else would pay that kind of money and then is cap strapped when he tries to add to his roaster and can't free up that space because no one else can afford those guys at that salary level. He's not tryng to trade Stamkos. He'd be trying to trade Sbisa, Sutter, or Miller on anchor contracts.

This appears to be a franchise locked into going nowhere for years to come. The best they can hope for is the borderline playoff team and an early exit. Just enough talent to hang in there, but never enough to take off. Their ownership team seems not only satisfied with that, but committed to it. Thus, never low enough in the draft to acquire key top level pieces and constantly trying to figure out a way to get players marginally better than what they have and forever bailing while the ship continues to take on water. This management team is completely at a loss for any semblance of solution. It will take brilliant minds, and probably several, very ballsy management teams willing to tell Aquaman he is wrong and be willing to take a stand until the dope either listens or sells, in order to right this ship.

Looks like a lot of frustrating years ahead for the followers of Canucks and Comets hockey. Ownership is doggedly convinced it knows something and the hires it takes on to run things are selected due to their ability to be controlled. Thus, aside from the one nice run of success and another short one, this franchise has not been a factor in the NHL and Aquman and company won't be any time soon and he seems okay with that as long as he makes his money like Ballard was in Toronto for years and that franchise has yet to recover from his reign and those that followed him. They may finally be on the right track as they have relented to strong mindedness on the part of their management team who has the reins in their hands at least for now. That's what it will take in Vancouver, but someone has to be smart enough to find that team as Shanahan was and Aquaman needs someone smart enough to steer him to that catalyst. Linden certainly failed at that capacity.

One can always hope. That's all we as fans can actually do. The rest is always going to be out of our hands
.
What? You're preaching to the choir here, not sure why you'd think anyone would disagree with that. People have been saying the exact same thing rather loudly for the past year.
 

Bad Goalie

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Jan 2, 2014
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I'm not going to bash your view - it's reasonable and I agree. I'm just wondering why you quoted me as I couldn't figure out your post was in any way a reply to my post about what to do with our centres next season.

I am well aware that we are ****ed

"a reply to my post about what to do with our centres next season."

I started on centers and basically after the first 3 (Sedin, Bo, and Sutter) and took off on the fact they don't have the caliber of centers in house to move forward with after Henrik to get anywhere past mediocre which was the gist of the rest of my post. Your post just became my bouncing off point.

You okay with that? Yes/no? Hope it was fine. Meant no serious take on your post.
 
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Bad Goalie

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Jan 2, 2014
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I'm eager to see how they'll treat Gaunce in the last 20 games.Hope gets to play his natural position and 10+ minutes.If they recalled him to play on the wing and he gets 6-7 minutes per game then f*** it.

Benning stated he was going to take a good look at the prospects in Utica. Thus, I don't think Gaunce is up for the duration, but due to cap space will be bringing them in one at a time and taking his look with Willie running their ice time and line mates therefore not really getting the look the management team really wants. That's the way it's worked with the call-ups since Willie has been behind the bench.

Why worry? Benning doesn't need much of a look to make that kind of decision anyways. He can assess that talent in minutes. Witness Hunter, one game on the 4th line and he knew his AHL scoring wouldn't translate to the NHL. Traded him for another bottom 6 guy. He is beyond mind boggling.
 
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Jyrki21

2021-12-05
Sponsor
Not exactly uncommon for young centers to break in on the wing. So far all tbe developmental moves this organization has made re: Gaunce have turned out golden.
Kind of like how not letting Hutton play in the AHL playoffs turned him into an NHLer, right? As long as we're doing post hoc fallacies.

I'm confident they will do what's best for the player, even if it's not what some fans prefer.
Whence does this confidence arise? Even their most entrenched supporters must admit their decision-making raises an awful lot of eyebrows.
 

Frankie Blueberries

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Jan 27, 2016
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Boston won with Bergeron and Krejci as centres, neither who are star #1 centres. Just need guys that can step up their game in the playoffs and find another gear, which Horvat looks to be capable of.
 

racerjoe

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Jun 3, 2012
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Vancouver
Boston won with Bergeron and Krejci as centres, neither who are star #1 centres. Just need guys that can step up their game in the playoffs and find another gear, which Horvat looks to be capable of.

Bergeron is a two time team Canada Olympic Gold medal guy. Pretty sure he should qualify as a number 1 center, but maybe that is just me.
 

Frankie Blueberries

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Jan 27, 2016
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Didn't know 65 point centres were bona fide #1Cs. We should be fine with Horvat based on his progression then, which was my original point.
 

alternate

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Jun 9, 2006
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Kind of like how not letting Hutton play in the AHL playoffs turned him into an NHLer, right? As long as we're doing post hoc fallacies.

Did I say anything remotely like this? C'mon man, you're way to intelligent to be posting drivel like this.


Whence does this confidence arise? Even their most entrenched supporters must admit their decision-making raises an awful lot of eyebrows.

Some elements of their decision making, absolutely. But not those involving player development. EVERY prospect has shown improvement since Benning took the reins. Heck even Grenier and Jensen, who everyone had written off, have got better. I mean which prospects have you been disappointed with their progress since Benning took over?

I dunno, maybe it's just me, but when we see progress across the board from our prospects I gain confidence when 8t comes to decisions made on player development. Seems silly to me to see a player trending up and then complain about the development decisions made to date. YMMV and that's fine, but I see it as a ridiculous position to hold that has zero basis in logic.
 

Gaunce4gm

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Dec 5, 2015
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I think the Granlund 2C thing is blown out of proportion. He played less than minutes than Horvat. He played with Baertschi because they wanted to see if there was chemistry. Evidently there wasn't so I'd be willing to bet Horvat will be up with Baertschi and Virtanen next game. Next year I think we see.

Sedin-Sedin-Hansen/Ufa
Bae-Horvat-Virtanen
Etem-Sutter-Burr
Gaunce-Granlund-Dorsett

McCann starts in Utica

Vey is Utica or extra

That lineup looks a lot younger. ******, but younger.
 

coldsteel79

Registered User
Sep 28, 2015
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sask
I think the Granlund 2C thing is blown out of proportion. He played less than minutes than Horvat. He played with Baertschi because they wanted to see if there was chemistry. Evidently there wasn't so I'd be willing to bet Horvat will be up with Baertschi and Virtanen next game. Next year I think we see.

Sedin-Sedin-Hansen/Ufa
Bae-Horvat-Virtanen
Etem-Sutter-Burr
Gaunce-Granlund-Dorsett

McCann starts in Utica

Vey is Utica or extra

That lineup looks a lot younger. ******, but younger.

Hopefully Hansen, burr are dealt next offseason
 

Addison Rae

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Jun 2, 2009
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Boston won with Bergeron and Krejci as centres, neither who are star #1 centres. Just need guys that can step up their game in the playoffs and find another gear, which Horvat looks to be capable of.

Patrice Bergeron is a star centre and David Krejci led the playoffs in scoring, so he absolutely was a star centre at least in the playoffs. Factor in they also had a hall of fame dman and a goalie with one of the highest peaks ever.
 

Addison Rae

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Didn't know 65 point centres were bona fide #1Cs. We should be fine with Horvat based on his progression then, which was my original point.

Huh? Bergeron is the best two-way player in the league, it isn't just about points for him. There's about 5 centres in the league I'd take over him.
 

Jyrki21

2021-12-05
Sponsor
Did I say anything remotely like this? C'mon man, you're way to intelligent to be posting drivel like this.
I was making an analogy – a technique which, time and again, I have lamented that this board so often does not seem to understand.

Saying that Gaunce has turned out OK therefore their handling of him was good is a post hoc analysis along the lines of saying that Hutton has turned out well because of how he was handled last year. Obviously I don't think either is true. If Gaunce has shown improvement once moved back to his natural position, the simpler explanation would be that he probably should have been kept there in the first place. I can't say that with 100% certainty, but it is the more elegant/intuitive conclusion to be drawn from the facts that we have been presented.

Some elements of their decision making, absolutely. But not those involving player development. EVERY prospect has shown improvement since Benning took the reins. Heck even Grenier and Jensen, who everyone had written off, have got better. I mean which prospects have you been disappointed with their progress since Benning took over?
Well there still aren't a ton of surefire prospects, and a couple of guys are probably playing prematurely in the NHL, so it's hard to say. So I'm not convinced this is definitely true, but if it is, it sure seems like (i) having a stable farm team, and (ii) coaching with that farm team would have a lot more to do with it than whatever direct involvement the parent club's management has had. (Which would be what, anyway, apart from moving Gaunce to wing? Periodic callups? Five minutes of NHL game time on the fourth line out of position?)
 

Frankie Blueberries

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Jan 27, 2016
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Patrice Bergeron is a star centre and David Krejci led the playoffs in scoring, so he absolutely was a star centre at least in the playoffs. Factor in they also had a hall of fame dman and a goalie with one of the highest peaks ever.

My post was in response to Bad Goalie's above, worried about our centre depth.
I think Horvat has the potential to become a similar player to Bergeron, which gets us half way to icing a contender in terms of high-end centres. You don't necessarily need 'star' centres to win (I associate the word 'star' with elite).
 

Nucker101

Foundational Poster
Apr 2, 2013
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My post was in response to Bad Goalie's above, worried about our centre depth.
I think Horvat has the potential to become a similar player to Bergeron, which gets us half way to icing a contender in terms of high-end centres. You don't necessarily need 'star' centres to win (I associate the word 'star' with elite).
Bergeron is a star, he gets tougher minutes than most of the other "star" centres and thrives in all 3 zones, possession and goal wise. Just having him on the roster frees up the other 3 centers for better opportunities. I love Horvat but chances are that he won't be that good.
 

leftwinglockdown

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Apr 29, 2011
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3
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My post was in response to Bad Goalie's above, worried about our centre depth.
I think Horvat has the potential to become a similar player to Bergeron, which gets us half way to icing a contender in terms of high-end centres. You don't necessarily need 'star' centres to win (I associate the word 'star' with elite).

That's hopeful at best. Bergeron is probably the best two-way player in the world. The guy destroys the analytics numbers against the toughest competition and still puts up 65 points a year.

Bo has a long way to go to get to that level. He needs to fix his defense first before we can even put him and Bergeron in the same sentence.
 

Pump n Dump

Registered User
Sep 2, 2009
474
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North Vancouver, BC
I was making an analogy – a technique which, time and again, I have lamented that this board so often does not seem to understand.

Saying that Gaunce has turned out OK therefore their handling of him was good is a post hoc analysis along the lines of saying that Hutton has turned out well because of how he was handled last year. Obviously I don't think either is true. If Gaunce has shown improvement once moved back to his natural position, the simpler explanation would be that he probably should have been kept there in the first place. I can't say that with 100% certainty, but it is the more elegant/intuitive conclusion to be drawn from the facts that we have been presented.

I question this premise. Based on nothing more than following the Utica Comets board, my take was that Gaunce was doing very well at wing by the end of last season. I also believe that his performance has picked up after recovering from a thumb injury in either December or January. The fact is that your analysis can be labelled post hoc also.
 

Aphid Attraction

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Jan 17, 2013
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My post was in response to Bad Goalie's above, worried about our centre depth.
I think Horvat has the potential to become a similar player to Bergeron, which gets us half way to icing a contender in terms of high-end centres. You don't necessarily need 'star' centres to win (I associate the word 'star' with elite).

I for one see what you are saying and agree with your point. Strong center depth is enough to contend IF we have other positions hit their highest potential or exceed expectations.

If Horvat or McCann get close to projected ceilings at this stage, and Boeser and Virtanen do the same or one eceedes that, then it becomes the same story, did one of our D take the step to a no1, makeing a peering with Tanev.

At that stage it comes down to sginings and trades...
 

Bad Goalie

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Jan 2, 2014
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I question this premise. Based on nothing more than following the Utica Comets board, my take was that Gaunce was doing very well at wing by the end of last season. I also believe that his performance has picked up after recovering from a thumb injury in either December or January. The fact is that your analysis can be labelled post hoc also.

Your take from the Utica crowd should have been that he was playing much better by the end of the year compared to his poorer play in the 1st half. Note, he was never BAD.

Gaunce played so well in the playoffs that Green scratched him for a lesser effort than Green expected from him. He's had effort and desire questions in Green's judgement and he's been pushed hard to improve upon it and has little by little to the point where he no longer seemed to be having that problem once he went to center.

This year he started as a better player than he was last season. His numbers haven't changed drastically from his play on the wing this season to his switch to center, but his effort, physicality, and desire have increased decidedly.

Based on this I'd say that Jyrki21 is correct and I'd give the nod to Green for his improved play over the Vancouver management. In fact Green is responsible for every Comets improvement and is single handedly responsible for the rebirth of Baertschi. He had Shinkaruk coming along sweetly and the trade was not a good idea.
 

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