Post-Game Talk: Canucks def. Preds - 5-2 - Hat-Trick Petey!

[Fraser28]

Would be thrilled if even a single one of our prospects hits. When you have a good team with depth, the idea of adding a Willander or a Lekkerimaki or a Bruz or whoever else that have actually hit their projection is really exciting

I’m fully expecting Willander to become a Top 4 D-man on our team in 2-3 years, and Lekk to become a Top-6 winger in 2-3 years. Very exciting times honestly.

 

[petterdaddy]

Just watched Rick’s post game now — I cannot express what a f***ing breath of fresh air it is listening to him. I was an idiot for assuming he wouldn’t be a cerebral guy and I should have given Alvin more benefit of the doubt in his choice. Really doesn’t seem like there could be a better coaching fit for this team right now. Immediately goes to bat for JT, doesn’t feed the media narrative, good shit all around.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Sloppy start to the game for the canucks and then some slop in the middle. Outside of that very solid. I guess what I "liked" was that even in the slop there was some semblance of structure and they didn't get themselves completely torched and of course Demko did what he needed to do.

Really like how Kuz has played these last 4 or 5 games. He's going to the net but more importantly he's back checking hard and breaking up some plays on that back check. His defensive play may not ever be great but the effort is there now. That will gain him a lot of rope with Tocchet.

The PS...mostly Pettersson's fault IMO. He made the dangerous pass at the blueline. If Myers doesn't back off it is a 3-on-0 because I don't think he was getting to that puck. Also hilarious to see a NHL player fall on a PS. That's something I would do.

Lafferty I like. Hoglander I though with another good bottom 6 game. Beauvillier starting to play better and at some point he'll get a bunch of goals in a short period of time. Garland was decent but his shot selection is so Mason Raymond-esque.

Joshua...good lord he is not good so far this year. He's only in the lineup because of his size at this point. If the canucks upgrade the size on the wings Joshua will be hard pressed to have a NHL job playing like this.

Friedman...seems solid. Nothing flashy. Low event. Which is what you want from a 6/7 type guy.

Tocchet....finally a coach that makes players accountable. But he does it in a respectful way. He sends the message and then gives the player a chance to prove they heard the message. There is no real dog house Tocchet...or rather if a player finds himself in the dog house it will because of not incorporating the feedback into their game.

Agreed on the play that caused the penalty shot...Myers had a split second decision as to pinch (and accept the pass) or hang back..He chose the latter..EP put him in a tough spot there (RT mentioned EP's GA's in this game..he wasnt the only one)..It could have been a 3 on 0.

Myers back up to 20 minutes a game , and a +2..RT praising his play.

RT not happy overall with the way the team played..In the 1st , they were giving up odd man rushes left and right...Good enough to squeak out a win against Nashville, but would most likely have been a loss against a solid team like Dallas.

 

[MS]

Just watched Rick’s post game now — I cannot express what a f***ing breath of fresh air it is listening to him. I was an idiot for assuming he wouldn’t be a cerebral guy and I should have given Alvin more benefit of the doubt in his choice. Really doesn’t seem like there could be a better coaching fit for this team right now. Immediately goes to bat for JT, doesn’t feed the media narrative, good shit all around.

Yeah, after years of having Travis Green talk about the team playing well in fluky wins or 'that's a good team over there' whenever there was a poor performance, it's such a breath of fresh air to have a coach saying things that line up with what all of us know we're seeing.

Agreed on the play that caused the penalty shot...Myers had a split second decision as to pinch (and accept the pass) or hang back..He chose the latter..EP put him in a tough spot there (RT mentioned EP's GA's in this game..he wasnt the only one)..It could have been a 3 on 0.

Myers back up to 20 minutes a game , and a +2..RT praising his play.

RT not happy overall with the way the team played..In the 1st , they were giving up odd man rushes left and right...Good enough to squeak out a win against Nashville, but would most likely have been a loss against a solid team like Dallas.

It was poor play/whiffed pass from Pettersson but if that was Hughes or Hronek or even Cole at the point they would have made a quick read and stepped up and rescued that play and it's a non-issue.

You could literally see Myers' sloooooooow processing speed there as he was trying to figure out what to do, and by the time he had processed what was happening, backpedaling was the only option.

It wasn't the 'wrong' play given his limitations but a better player would have made a better play there.

 

[petterdaddy]

Yeah, after years of having Travis Green talk about the team playing well in fluky wins or 'that's a good team over there' whenever there was a poor performance, it's such a breath of fresh air to have a coach saying things that line up with what all of us know we're seeing.

Exactly. So much of the fan experience for the last decade has been management and coaches insulting our intelligence and attempting to pander half baked excuses that wouldn’t fool a preschooler (we can’t rebuild because sedins, etc). It’s been thoroughly unenjoyable more than the actual quality of the team.

It’s nice to have a front office and coach who actually take the time to over explain to us. We want to obsess over every detail, give it to us.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Yeah, after years of having Travis Green talk about the team playing well in fluky wins or 'that's a good team over there' whenever there was a poor performance, it's such a breath of fresh air to have a coach saying things that line up with what all of us know we're seeing.



It was poor play/whiffed pass from Pettersson but if that was Hughes or Hronek or even Cole at the point they would have made a quick read and stepped up and rescued that play and it's a non-issue.

You could literally see Myers' sloooooooow processing speed there as he was trying to figure out what to do, and by the time he had processed what was happening, backpedaling was the only option.

It wasn't the 'wrong' play given his limitations but a better player would have made a better play there.

Agreed, that Myers was slow, and was overwhelmed at the speed of 3 oncoming Pred players..but his read was correct...Probably the only Canuck D who would have been fast enough to nullify that rush would be Hughes or Hronek.

That 1st period was rife with bad reads from the entire team.

 

[Peen]

what makes a good player isn't solely that you make the right reads when everything is going well and within your structure

it's also how well you can cover or make up for deficiencies when things are gone to shit.

 

[MS]

Agreed, that Myers was slow, and was overwhelmed at the speed of 3 oncoming Pred players..but his read was correct...Probably the only Canuck D who would have been fast enough to nullify that rush would be Hughes or Hronek.

That 1st period was rife with bad reads from the entire team.

His initial read was way too slow. I don't think it's just Hughes/Hronek that would have saved that - I think Cole and probably Soucy would have picked up that they had enough time to step up there and grab that puck and retain possession.

Once he had a half-second of hesitation, then yes he made the correct call to back off rather than making things even worse. But that was a very limited play from a limited player, the sort of thing you expect from a $700k Andrew Alberts or from Noah Juulsen.

 

[Svencouver]

Just watched Rick’s post game now — I cannot express what a f***ing breath of fresh air it is listening to him. I was an idiot for assuming he wouldn’t be a cerebral guy and I should have given Alvin more benefit of the doubt in his choice. Really doesn’t seem like there could be a better coaching fit for this team right now. Immediately goes to bat for JT, doesn’t feed the media narrative, good shit all around.

Tocchet has IQ and EQ off the charts and its not what I expected at all out of him. He understands his guys and the game crystal clear and he communicates it crystal clear. Super impressive

 

[petterdaddy]

Tocchet has IQ and EQ off the charts and it’s not what I expected at all out of him. He understands his guys and the game crystal clear and he communicates it crystal clear. Super impressive

If he keeps this up he better win the Jack Adams. Or we riot.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Tocc

Tocchet has IQ and EQ off the charts and its not what I expected at all out of him. He understands his guys and the game crystal clear and he communicates it crystal clear. Super impressive

Agreed. The good coaches learn and adapt from their old jobs as they move on to new organizations. I remember AV saying how he learned so much from his unsuccessful tenure as a young coach in Montreal.

 

[alternate]

Some really ugly, sloppy -- dare I say, scary -- hockey played on this Hallow's Eve.

But I'm old enough to remember when we could win by showing up for just the 3rd, and while we aren't there yet, this game had that feel to it.

Loved Tocc having the balls to bench Miller, and during a PP no less.

Take the 2 points, learn some lessons, and keep building those pillars.

 

[mossey3535]

Yeah this was a loose game but they found a way to win. And "loose" was routinely described as "tight" in the previous 8 years so it's an improvement to me.

 

[mossey3535]

I wouldn't take 1 off the table just yet. I don't think its likely, but I think any time you have a Petey Hughes and Demko quality of player on your team it is a possibility, even if it is a low chance.

Really want one more true top 4 RHD, and bump Myers out. Have really like Friedman. Hopefully this is really what he is.

I think the team still has too many flaws to be #1, but I'm fully on board with us growing into a solid #2 this season.

Myers playing well or not well or whatever is too much variation for a truly excellent team. Cole is 34, he's not a long term solution so we'd probably need to upgrade at two spots on the defence minimum.

Fourth line basically doesn't have a center, Lafferty has done an admirable job filling in but he's not a center. Then what happens when a different center gets hurt?

Still not enough size overall on the wings. Joshua IMO is fine, but he's not playing well at the moment. But nobody else can replace him.

A good disciplined system is gelling it all together even when there's an inevitably less-than-ideal game like last night.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

I don't blame Myers for the penalty shot. He made the right call for not being aggressive and dropping back and had to deal with a 3 on 1.

If I was running the team, I'd waive Joshua and bring up Bains. Joshua is supposed to bring some grit and energy but he doesn't do that so I fail to see the point of keeping him.

Also Friedman is better than advertised.

Again, that was a tough one for Myers..I even know from playing in my formative years, how difficult it is to accelerate from a virtual standstill ,while skating backwards..Having 3 guys baring at you full tilt the other way, would be extremely difficult to defend..The only players that could have recovered on that play would be Hughes/Hronek....Myers is actually a decent skater as well.

Joshua is having a tough start, but I think its in the teams best interest to get him going..He brings an element that the team sorely lacks..I get the vibe that he Tocchet pet project, and thats why he stays up.

Not entirely sold on Friedman, but he's a definite upgrade on Juulsen.

 

[Johnny Canucker]

Keep us in the loop little fella.

Will do big boy!

I commend you for still being glass half empty after a start like this. Never change Johnny.

Thank you. It’s not easy.

 

[canuckking1]

Yeah, after years of having Travis Green talk about the team playing well in fluky wins or 'that's a good team over there' whenever there was a poor performance, it's such a breath of fresh air to have a coach saying things that line up with what all of us know we're seeing.



It was poor play/whiffed pass from Pettersson but if that was Hughes or Hronek or even Cole at the point they would have made a quick read and stepped up and rescued that play and it's a non-issue.

You could literally see Myers' sloooooooow processing speed there as he was trying to figure out what to do, and by the time he had processed what was happening, backpedaling was the only option.

It wasn't the 'wrong' play given his limitations but a better player would have made a better play there.

Travis “that’s a good team over” Green never failed to make me laugh when he talked about how good average to mediocre teams were.

 

[MS]

Travis “that’s a good team over” Green never failed to make me laugh when he talked about how good average to mediocre teams were.

I heard that guy give probably 500 interviews over 8 years between Utica and Vancouver and I'm not sure I ever heard him say anything insightful. Bland and defensive, every time.

 

[Grub]

Would you be willing to send out an unprotected 2024 1st rounder now? Dangerous game. But potentially a very high value piece.

In all honesty, I would. It's time for us to go for it. I know some people will be against this, but I've been around to know that our window is only so small before players like Miller are no longer at their prime and other players are expected to get pay raises. If by January this team is still one of the top teams in the playoff table, then you gotta go for it. This is the deepest team i've seen since the Sedin era, we have 2 first line Centers in EP and Miller, Hughes as a franchise D-men and Demko... this is all the recipe for success, we need to insulate them with more support primarily in the D department.

If it takes a first round pick next year then so be it, it'll be a late round pick anways if we do end up being in the top of the tables.

 

[Jay26]

In all honesty, I would. It's time for us to go for it. I know some people will be against this, but I've been around to know that our window is only so small before players like Miller are no longer at their prime and other players are expected to get pay raises. If by January this team is still one of the top teams in the playoff table, then you gotta go for it. This is the deepest team i've seen since the Sedin era, we have 2 first line Centers in EP and Miller, Hughes as a franchise D-men and Demko... this is all the recipe for success, we need to insulate them with more support primarily in the D department.

If it takes a first round pick next year then so be it, it'll be a late round pick anways if we do end up being in the top of the tables.

I think this is the key. If you feel you're ready to go for it, trade next year's pick when the team will presumably be even better and the chances of the pick being low, higher. It gives the team a bit of a safety net if things don't go quite as well as hoped this year.

I'm always against trading the 1st unless the team is already a bonafide contender but I also recognize that we're in this core's prime window so management sort of has no choice but to act. Yes, usually teams have built a deep prospect pool before they go selling assets but due to reasons discussed ad nauseum, this team hasn't done that. Accept it and move forward and worry about building a deep pool the right way when the window is closed.

Gotta act now. But I still have some reservations which is why I feel like trading the 2025 pick is a bit of a compromise. I want to see that PDO come down before I really feel all in.

 

[racerjoe]

I think the team still has too many flaws to be #1, but I'm fully on board with us growing into a solid #2 this season.

Myers playing well or not well or whatever is too much variation for a truly excellent team. Cole is 34, he's not a long term solution so we'd probably need to upgrade at two spots on the defence minimum.

Fourth line basically doesn't have a center, Lafferty has done an admirable job filling in but he's not a center. Then what happens when a different center gets hurt?

Still not enough size overall on the wings. Joshua IMO is fine, but he's not playing well at the moment. But nobody else can replace him.

A good disciplined system is gelling it all together even when there's an inevitably less-than-ideal game like last night.

I probably agree. I haven't really changed my thought on this team from the off season, I think we are a bubble team, and while i may bump that up a bit if this continues and bump the rest of our division down if this continues, I will play devils advocate.

Team structure and goaltending can hide flaws. Lets look at some of those Pittsburg teams that won and how depleted and bad their defense was. A great team with good coaching and depth can hide that.

As much as some players are probably playing better than they should I think we do have enough guys playing worse that are covering those holes.

But if you have a team being lead by a top five 2 way centre, a top 5 defenseman and a top 5 goaltender... that can cover a lot of holes in a team.

I don't think its likely, just that with those 3 guys, being a top 5 NHL team is always on the table...