Bruce Here It Is: Play Podz at Centre

[Izzy Goodenough]

I fear Podz will never reach his true potential on the wing and the Nucks will ruin another prospect.

For those of you who remember Esa "The Grate One" Tikkanen, Podz is as close to him as any player I have seen since Esa retired.

Larionov played Podz at Centre and even said he projected him as a Centre in the NHL.

Bruce Almighty should try Podz at Centre on the third line instead of Dries.

Even when Podz is not scoring, he will likely be their most effective shutdown guy since Kesler.

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[Cancuks]

It might happen if they trade Horvat.

 

[VanJack]

The time to have tried Podkolzin at center was at training camp and in the exhibition schedule. But Bruce' there it is' Boudreau stuck with the status quo.

I doubt they'd experiment now unless the Canucks are felled by a rash of injuries.

 

[kanucks25]

I know some people scoff at this notion but to me it's worth a try.

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

The time to have tried Podkolzin at center was at training camp and in the exhibition schedule. But Bruce' there it is' Boudreau stuck with the status quo.

I doubt they'd experiment now unless the Canucks are felled by a rash of injuries.

They are playing Dries as their 3rd line centre and on many nights, unfortunately, he is getting crushed.

I think it is time to try Podz in his place. It is hard to imagine he would be worse.

BTW: Podz appears to be one of the best passers on the team, so let him show off this skill.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

I wouldn't be against trying it out...but right now he's got enough on his plate trying to keep it together on the wing.

Centre is a lot more of tougher position to play than wing IMO

 

[sting101]

Yes how about we get him to being a reliable productive top9 forward before we ask him to play a new position

 

[PuckMunchkin]

I fear Podz will never reach his true potential on the wing and the Nucks will ruin another prospect.

For those of you who remember Esa "The Grate One" Tikkanen, Podz is as close to him as any player I have seen since Esa retired.

Larionov played Podz at Centre and even said he projected him as a Centre in the NHL.

Bruce Almighty should try Podz at Centre on the third line instead of Dries.

Even when Podz is not scoring, he will likely be their most effective shutdown guy since Kesler.

Tikkanen was the most infuriating player to play against. That was his most defining characteristic.

 

[Raistlin]

Tikkanen was the most infuriating player to play against. That was his most defining characteristic.

infuriating because he kept yammering some unintelligible faerie language in your ear while chopping yanking tripping and pushing you around. Pod is a puck hound that is always trying too much that he gets in his own way, he has to simplify his game. 'The Grate one' I thought is Claude Lemieux, who is an even worse POS player to sic on you to make sure you feel miserable every shift.

 

[Hoglander]

This is asking a lot. I mean A LOT. This team is brutal enough at developing players at their natural position, and Pod has been struggling this year so far.
If we were going to try it (Pod would probably be the best candidate for it), I would say send him to the AHL to work on it there first - but we all know that the farm team can't develop players either.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

infuriating because he kept yammering some unintelligible faerie language in your ear while chopping yanking tripping and pushing you around. Pod is a puck hound that is always trying too much that he gets in his own way, he has to simplify his game. 'The Grate one' I thought is Claude Lemieux, who is an even worse POS player to sic on you to make sure you feel miserable every shift.

Yeah. Tiki talk + playing physical to the point of crossing the line sometimes.

Claude is something entirely different, where Tikkanen was a pest Claude was predatorial...

 

[BoHorvat 53]

This is asking a lot. I mean A LOT. This team is brutal enough at developing players at their natural position, and Pod has been struggling this year so far.
If we were going to try it (Pod would probably be the best candidate for it), I would say send him to the AHL to work on it there first - but we all know that the farm team can't develop players either.

Playing a player at a new position in the grand scheme of things won't negatively affect their trajectory - if he's going to be a bust, some odd games playing at centre instead of the wing won't make a difference, but it could elevate his game and amplify the things he's good at. He's defensively responsible enough that I actually would not mind this at all.

 

[Hyzer]

Incredibly dumb idea.

Playing centre is harder than wing. Pod can barely do anything as a winger. What makes you think him as centre will do anything?

And "playing a player at a new position" won't negatively affect their trajectory. That is so silly - so you're saying that putting a new, young, learning player into a harder position with more responsibilities when he's not doing that well as a winger, won't do anything to his development? Absolutely ludicrous

 

[Tact]

I’m gonna have to agree - the time to experiment with this was during training camp and exhibition.

Now is not the time.

 

[vancityluongo]

would rather trade him for an equivalent level center prospect over trying this, tbh

and that's not saying i'd trade him

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

It is unfortunate that Larionov doesn't have a clue.

When Miller and Lazar shifts back and forth between wing and centre there must be collective astonishment.and disorientation.

All we are saying is give Podz a chance.

 

[4Twenty]

The kid barely knows what’s going on playing the wing. He’ll end up trending even more to passive defensive play.

 

[MS]

I've said since he was drafted that his skillset would seem to translate to being a high-leverage two-way C.

However, at this point when his confidence is at a low ebb does not seem like the time to throw something like this into the mix.

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

The kid barely knows what’s going on playing the wing. He’ll end up trending even more to passive defensive play.

Please clarifying, are you talking about Miller, Lazar or Podz?

 

[me2]

There is always the AHL.

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

There rolling out Dries again at third line centre with PodZ drawing in a LW.

It means HogZ is sitting out.

PodZ at Centre would allow HogZ stay in the lineup.

What a world, Dries instead of HogZ with PodZ.

 

[tantalum]

He is struggling in the NHL at wing. It would be a very odd thing to see him be better at center.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

There rolling out Dries again at third line centre with PodZ drawing in a LW.

It means HogZ is sitting out.

PodZ at Centre would allow HogZ stay in the lineup.

What a world, Dries instead of HogZ with PodZ.

Aren't they something like 5 wins and 1 loss with Dries in the lineup.?..In the one loss against the Sabres, Dries was on the ice for every goal against...He's had some good games though.

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

I appreciate Dries hustle etc etc but the fancy analytics suggest he is getting caved; more or less what many project PodZ to suffer, if he were ever to get a chance to play centre.

But we may never know.

 

[Huhu]

Can he play defense?