My opening night lineup, if I'm making it today.
Twins-Vrbata
Baertschi-Horvat-Virtanen (you have go back to this line after last night)
Burrows-Sutter-Hansen
Prust-McCann-Dorsett
Cracknell
Edler-Tanev
Hamhuis-Hutton
Biega-Bartkowski
Weber-Sbisa
I'd carry 8 dmen.
I think both Vey and Corrado get down to Utica.
Maybe because they realize that playing a sport for a living has inherent risk with injuries, so your career may get cut short. .....Not saying they can't go to school when they retire, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest younger minds learn easier than older ones, so why not? Sets you up for life.
Is it easier to get a degree at 18-21 than at 40? Yes.
Is it easier to play in the NHL at 18-21 than at 40? Equally yes.
Biega simply isn't an everyday NHL blueliner. Good piece for the farm and decent enough depth guy in the 8-10 slots, but no way he's a top 6 guy.
Biega simply isn't an everyday NHL blueliner. Good piece for the farm and decent enough depth guy in the 8-10 slots, but no way he's a top 6 guy.
And Weber, while I don't love him as a 5 on 5 defender, he has improved since he first got here and as long as he's here it's tough not putting his rhs on the PP. Anyone take the over for this season on his 11 goals from last year?
I think we agree but I have to call you out here. "Equally" yes? Speaking as someone who went back and got a tough quantitative master's degree at age 35, this is not even remotely true. Yes, it was slightly more difficult in some ways, but in other ways I got a lot more out of the experience. If you can get a degree at 21 you can get one at 40. The same is not true of playing in the NHL.
Why?
what makes Bartkowski more of a top 6 guy?
When you start playing regular season games with line matching Biega will be exposed in his own zone.
Bartkowski and Sbisa bring size and physical play to the table. Both are better skaters. And despite the echo chamber's claims otherwise, both are better at doing defensive things vs NHLers than Biega is.
I don't want to come across as hating on Biega, he's a valuable piece for the farm and a decent emergency fill in. But if he's in your top 6 you're competing for top lottery odds.
I really like the way Biega skates. I think he's one of the most mobile defensemen I've seen with the Canucks in a while. He has speed and poise when he carries the puck; he skates effortlessly, and looked especially good last night. On a few occasions he wound up in the defensive zone and then breezed through the neutral zone with ease. I have been extremely impressed with his puck-moving ability and his mobility.When you start playing regular season games with line matching Biega will be exposed in his own zone.
Bartkowski and Sbisa bring size and physical play to the table. Both are better skaters. And despite the echo chamber's claims otherwise, both are better at doing defensive things vs NHLers than Biega is.
I don't want to come across as hating on Biega, he's a valuable piece for the farm and a decent emergency fill in. But if he's in your top 6 you're competing for top lottery odds.
I will be surprised if Boeser signs in two years. Kid seemed pretty committed to getting his degree before jumping to the pros.
When you start playing regular season games with line matching Biega will be exposed in his own zone.
Bartkowski and Sbisa bring size and physical play to the table. Both are better skaters. And despite the echo chamber's claims otherwise, both are better at doing defensive things vs NHLers than Biega is.
I don't want to come across as hating on Biega, he's a valuable piece for the farm and a decent emergency fill in. But if he's in your top 6 you're competing for top lottery odds.
When you start playing regular season games with line matching Biega will be exposed in his own zone.
Bartkowski and Sbisa bring size and physical play to the table. Both are better skaters. And despite the echo chamber's claims otherwise, both are better at doing defensive things vs NHLers than Biega is.
I don't want to come across as hating on Biega, he's a valuable piece for the farm and a decent emergency fill in. But if he's in your top 6 you're competing for top lottery odds.
Sedin - Sedin - Vrbata
Baertschi - Horvat - Virtanen
Burrows - McCann - Sutter
Prust - Cracknell - Hansen
Dorsett
Edler - Tanev
Hamhuis - Weber
Hutton - Bartkowski(Maybe Biega)
Markstrom
Miller
I like these lines a lot actually. Only thing I'd do differently is add Dorsett and remove Prust (even if Dorsett or Hansen has to play LW).
On that McCann/Burr/Sutter line, you can even re-arrange it if the coaching staff feels that Sutter is better suited to C (i.e. McCann-Sutter-Burrows).
Not bad at all.
Biega is actually bigger than Bartkowski. Weight is much more important than height. Bartkowski is undersized.
Biega and Bartkowski play the exact same style of game. Excellent skaters who can carry the puck out of the zone, have a decent first pass, and try to play physical for their size. Except Biega is a smarter player with better fundamentals and gap control, and is more consistently physical. And has a better shot. And better character/leadership attributes.
As for Sbisa, he's just garbage and worse than Biega at both ends of the rink. Probably the worst regular defender in the NHL last year. He's not an argument for anything except the scouting incompetence of Jim Benning.
I really like the way Biega skates. I think he's one of the most mobile defensemen I've seen with the Canucks in a while. He has speed and poise when he carries the puck; he skates effortlessly, and looked especially good last night. On a few occasions he wound up in the defensive zone and then breezed through the neutral zone with ease. I have been extremely impressed with his puck-moving ability and his mobility.
Bartkowski isn't big.
Line matching has exposed Sbisa already, Ryan Stanton outproduced, outpossessed and got scored on less.....he had to sign a two-way league min contract, because the NHL old boys club says if you were a first round pick you get more chances than anyone else.
Nevertheless, I'm getting tired of reading your passive aggressive remarks like "echo chamber".
Wanna hear something else funny, in Sbisa's career season, he was a top 4 dman on a lottery team.
Biega is actually bigger than Bartkowski. Weight is much more important than height. Bartkowski is undersized.
Biega is actually bigger than Bartkowski. Weight is much more important than height. Bartkowski is undersized.
Biega and Bartkowski play the exact same style of game. Excellent skaters who can carry the puck out of the zone, have a decent first pass, and try to play physical for their size. Except Biega is a smarter player with better fundamentals and gap control, and is more consistently physical. And has a better shot. And better character/leadership attributes.
As for Sbisa, he's just garbage and worse than Biega at both ends of the rink. Probably the worst regular defender in the NHL last year. He's not an argument for anything except the scouting incompetence of Jim Benning.
jimson hogarth said:Garrison for Linden-Vey? Meh
As for Sbisa, he's just garbage and worse than Biega at both ends of the rink. Probably the worst regular defender in the NHL last year. He's not an argument for anything except the scouting incompetence of Jim Benning.
Watching Hutton make confident moves coming out of his own end and not just firing the puck out off the glass to get out of trouble has won me over. Not one of our other dmen has the ability to do that.
worst in the NHL? i understand that this is a time of great hyperbole around here but even still, no. that's not right.