Confirmed with Link: Canucks name Travis Green as Head Coach

[vadim sharifijanov]

comparing goldy (or jake)’s rope with leipsic’s is a total red herring here. though, yes i did originally bring it up because, as ms notes, coach’s son. goldobin, virtanen, and leipsic should all be given chances to succeed.

we should be comparing the opportunies goldobin gets to fellow passive players who don’t get results on the ice, like granlund and gagner, or eriksson most of the time. on a rebuilding team, these are all literally no future players.

 

[MS]

Leipsic took penalties, but taking penalties sometimes shows you are battling, you are engaged. I didn't think he was the worst player on the ice at all. The fact is, when Leipsic was given a chance on the top line, he played like a "man possessed" (tehe), when Goldobin was given chances on the top line (and he has, don't say he hasn't) you forget he's even playing. He's invisible. He's floating, he's not in the corners battling, he's not diving to hold the puck in the zone. He's thinking about his next latte or something.

Green certainly favors Leipsic because of their history, but Green also favors Leipsic because those memories aren't of Leipsic floating around the ice doing nothing. It's memories of Leipsic playing high event hockey, which is what he's doing for him again (for now).

Leipsic had a very good first game. He had a pretty invisible 2nd game with some major defensive lapses, and was frankly brutal for most of the Islanders game (I said in the GDT it was one of the weirdest games I've ever seen a player have). He wasn't playing 'like a man possessed' for that 2nd game or most of that 3rd game. He was getting outbattled everywhere for pucks, making poor/lazy defensive plays, and taking penalties because he was getting caught on the wrong side of the play.

Goldobin has had 1 game in his 36 games as a Canuck where he's played more than what Leipsic has played in his lowest TOI game as a Canuck. Leipsic played more in his debut than Goldobin ever has as a Canuck.

And again, I don't disagree that Leipsic is a better prospect than Goldobin. But from his very first shift, he was put in a completely different position to succeed than Goldobin has ever been given, and his treatment after mistakes has again been completely different from every other young player under Green. Like, it literally took until the 12th game of the season this year before Brock Boeser was given as much icetime in a game as Leipsic was handed in his debut.

 

[MisfortuneCookie]

Leipsic had a very good first game. He had a pretty invisible 2nd game with some major defensive lapses, and was frankly brutal for most of the Islanders game (I said in the GDT it was one of the weirdest games I've ever seen a player have). He wasn't playing 'like a man possessed' for that 2nd game or most of that 3rd game. He was getting outbattled everywhere for pucks, making poor/lazy defensive plays, and taking penalties because he was getting caught on the wrong side of the play.

Goldobin has had 1 game in his 36 games as a Canuck where he's played more than what Leipsic has played in his lowest TOI game as a Canuck. Leipsic played more in his debut than Goldobin ever has as a Canuck.

And again, I don't disagree that Leipsic is a better prospect than Goldobin. But from his very first shift, he was put in a completely different position to succeed than Goldobin has ever been given, and his treatment after mistakes has again been completely different from every other young player under Green. Like, it literally took until the 12th game of the season this year before Brock Boeser was given as much icetime in a game as Leipsic was handed in his debut.

I think it's obvious that Green makes player decisions based on what he sees at practice and in the gym. He's put young players in positions to succeed, sometimes they succeed and sometimes they fail, sometimes Green makes up his mind fairly quickly (and it probably has to do with what he's seen in between games, which we'll never know).

I can't say that I saw the same negative things from Leipsic that you saw. He hasn't been perfect, but he's at least been involved. He had a weird first period against the Isle, he admitted it, and Green said in the media scrum that it was, indeed, an awful first for him. He's gotten more ice time than Goldobin because he's done more in a single week to earn it, just on the ice, than Goldobin has in a year on and off the ice.

Goldobin will be making decent money and sleeping with Russian puck bunnies next season. I'm sure that's what he dreams about while he's sleeping during his shifts. No value lost. I don't care. He's exactly the type of player that I don't want on this team. No heart, at least none that I can see. Leipsic seems to be the opposite. Even if it looks 'weird', at least he's visible. He's displayed great tenacity and has quick hands as well as good vision, connecting some pretty ridiculous passes. Goldobin does everything at half-speed, it looks like he drinks cough syrup before games.

 

[MS]

I think it's obvious that Green makes player decisions based on what he sees at practice and in the gym. He's put young players in positions to succeed, sometimes they succeed and sometimes they fail, sometimes Green makes up his mind fairly quickly (and it probably has to do with what he's seen in between games, which we'll never know).

I can't say that I saw the same negative things from Leipsic that you saw. He hasn't been perfect, but he's at least been involved. He had a weird first period against the Isle, he admitted it, and Green said in the media scrum that it was, indeed, an awful first for him. He's gotten more ice time than Goldobin because he's done more in a single week to earn it, just on the ice, than Goldobin has in a year on and off the ice.

Goldobin will be making decent money and sleeping with Russian puck bunnies next season. I'm sure that's what he dreams about while he's sleeping during his shifts. No value lost. I don't care. He's exactly the type of player that I don't want on this team. No heart, at least none that I can see. Leipsic seems to be the opposite. Even if it looks 'weird', at least he's visible. He's displayed great tenacity and has quick hands as well as good vision, connecting some pretty ridiculous passes. Goldobin does everything at half-speed, it looks like he drinks cough syrup before games.

The only two young players he's put in a position to succeed are Pouliot and Leipsic. And I think we know what they have in common.

Virtanen, Goldobin, Gaunce, Hutton, Stecher, and yes Boeser have all had to work their tails off and over-achieve for every scrap of icetime, and are demoted for the smallest mistake. Or at least in the case of Boeser, this is how it was until it became blindingly obvious he was our best offensive player. Look at Virtanen tonight. Was our best player against NYI, had an average game against Arizona in a game where everyone stunk, and is promptly demoted again so we can shovel top-line icetime at the useless Gagner.

Don't get me wrong - I love how he's handled Leipsic. The problem is how he's handled everyone else. And this goes back to Utica, where every single pro rookie that he was given ended up under-achieving because they weren't put in positions to succeed, either.

 

[MisfortuneCookie]

The only two young players he's put in a position to succeed are Pouliot and Leipsic. And I think we know what they have in common.

Virtanen, Goldobin, Gaunce, Hutton, Stecher, and yes Boeser have all had to work their tails off and over-achieve for every scrap of icetime, and are demoted for the smallest mistake. Or at least in the case of Boeser, this is how it was until it became blindingly obvious he was our best offensive player. Look at Virtanen tonight. Was our best player against NYI, had an average game against Arizona in a game where everyone stunk, and is promptly demoted again so we can shovel top-line icetime at the useless Gagner.

Don't get me wrong - I love how he's handled Leipsic. The problem is how he's handled everyone else. And this goes back to Utica, where every single pro rookie that he was given ended up under-achieving because they weren't put in positions to succeed, either.

Virtanen has been tried in every position. He has no consistency in his effort level. I'm not sure what the deal is with Hutton, but obviously something off the ice is really pissing Green off. I love Stecher, but he's not a top 4 D yet, from what I can see.

Obviously, things aren't perfect. Politics and trying to not make your boss look like an idiot play into it. I hate how Del Zaster and RealGud have been gifted ice time. MDZ apparently works his ass off though, and part of managing a young team is cultivating the team culture so that you don't poison the well.

Boeser was scratched the first two games of the year, for whatever dumb reason (cultivating culture I guess), and was still played huge minutes through some bad droughts. Blame his bum wrist, or whatever, but he hadn't been lighting the lamp since the calendar flipped. Gaunce has had plenty of time to prove himself, and he was playing in his role consistently before his injury. Did you want to see Gaunce on the first powerplay unit?

Leipsic came in and performed immediately, his first shift you could tell there was *energy.* His energy has been consistent, and so have his offensive contributions. Virtanen has been tried everywhere. He has a decent game and then he has a horrible game. I've never seen the kind of effort out of him that I've seen from Leipsic in three games. Finally, after two years, he's *maybe* turned a corner. I don't care if Green plays "favourites" if the favourites play like they give a damn.

I like Stecher a ton. Another player with heart, but I'm not sure his role should be any bigger right now. He hasn't shown much offensive knack (not that any of our D have, but Green and his assistants can't make Jimbo look like too big a fool...).

A lot of things that happen are due to off-ice or behind-the-scenes stuff, or team politics. Usually when something is mysterious, it's because of off-ice issues. Google how many players have been traded in the NHL due to shacking up with a teammate's wife. Those moves are confusing on the surface, and I'm sure the radio stations in the respective cities were flooded with angry callers who had no idea what was really going on (by design, obviously. Those NHL players are all upstanding, clean cut, drug free, no-scandal guys!).

 

[supercanuck]

He probably hated it at the end of his career when all the young guys took away his playing time, and now he is standing up for the poor veteran 4th liners who feel that they can still contribute with their experience on and off the ice.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

He probably hated it at the end of his career when all the young guys took away his playing time, and now he is standing up for the poor veteran 4th liners who feel that they can still contribute with their experience on and off the ice.

Doesn't this stand for every pro player?..regardless of sport.

 

[MisfortuneCookie]

He probably hated it at the end of his career when all the young guys took away his playing time, and now he is standing up for the poor veteran 4th liners who feel that they can still contribute with their experience on and off the ice.

Yeah, I'm sure he's not concerned about success in his new career- coaching - at all. None of these decisions could have anything to do with that...