News Article: Canucks Second Line Worries

[HometownHockey]

Canucks Second Line Worries

The Canucks are relying on some longshots for secondary scoring in their top 6.

The Canucks second line is a bit of a mess right now offensively. As it sits the best guess from me is a Higgins-Bonino-Burrows line. Bonino is a lock at 2C, Benning made sure that he was in the deal with Anaheim so that he had a replacement for the departing Ryan Kesler.

READ MORE...
http://www.hometownhockey.ca/hockey/HH0600.php

Click to read more...

 

[Barney Gumble]

I'm more worried about the makeup of our 3rd line than our 2nd line.

Bonino had his baptism of fire last season & handled it well. We've got a guy currently penciled in the #3C spot with just a "cup of coffee" in the big show so far.

 

[y2kcanucks]

I'm more worried about the makeup of our 3rd line than our 2nd line.

Bonino had hid baptism of fire last season & handled it well. We've got a guy currently penciled in the #3C spot with just a "cup of coffee" in the big show so far.

Agreed. Our second line is completely horrible that it won't act like a second line. It's a lost cause. Why worry about it when we can worry about the makeup of our third line right? I mean, a team with so many third liners it's concerning to think of how many options we have for that line.

 

[Barney Gumble]

Agreed. Our second line is completely horrible that it won't act like a second line. It's a lost cause. Why worry about it when we can worry about the makeup of our third line right? I mean, a team with so many third liners it's concerning to think of how many options we have for that line.

Because those capable 3rd line wingers will be taking up spots in the 2nd line.

 

[y2kcanucks]

Because those capable 3rd line wingers will be taking up spots in the 2nd line.

Actually I think our 2nd line is likely fine, we don't have a first line. But I digress.

Higgins, Burrows, Hansen, Bonino, Matthias, Horvat, Vey. We have a slew of "third liners" for next season.

 

[canuck4life16]

Nope it be ok. Strong winger and weaker center will be ok.

 

[BassMason]

Article says "Alex Burrows is a relative lock on right wing" but I disagree. Kassian needs to take that spot and run with it. Burrows can play either wing. 2LW and 3C are our major holes up front IMO.

Also names Virtanen as a long shot out of training camp, but he will be injured IIRC.

 

[groov2]

It blows me away how short fan's memories can be.

Have people watched Bonino play? He is a very good hockey player and buries the puck. Does he improve on last years numbers? Maybe not, but he is a professional athlete and will work his bag off to prove to his new team and himself that he can be even better.

Kassian looked very good last year and progressed very well throughout the corse of the season, and this was all with low minutes and zero PP time; why do we not believe that he will continue progressing into a good second liner? Should we not give him the benefit of the doubt that he might just improve once again with another progressive season under his belt?

Burrows has a terrible first 3/4 of the last season as he was riddled with injuries and just had some of the worst luck a player can have; he still played hard and played well. Then in the last 1/4 he was actually getting rewarded with points. He has always given 100% every game, every shift, scoring some of the biggest goals in this teams history as a first line winger. What does this guy have to do to earn our respect as a good second line hockey player?

On top of this, we have so much internal competition this year with a coach who encourages it. We have young players who really want jobs. The players will work that much harder to not lose their jobs. I just don't get all the doom and gloom in this city.

 

[LeftCoast]

Burrows will move to his natural position on the LW and Kassian will play RW. While Bonino is not as good as 2011 Kesler, he's as least as good as 2014 Kesler and a better play maker who will get more out of his linemates.

 

[sk8er]

It blows me away how short fan's memories can be.

Have people watched Bonino play? He is a very good hockey player and buries the puck. Does he improve on last years numbers? Maybe not, but he is a professional athlete and will work his bag off to prove to his new team and himself that he can be even better.

Kassian looked very good last year and progressed very well throughout the corse of the season, and this was all with low minutes and zero PP time; why do we not believe that he will continue progressing into a good second liner? Should we not give him the benefit of the doubt that he might just improve once again with another progressive season under his belt?

Burrows has a terrible first 3/4 of the last season as he was riddled with injuries and just had some of the worst luck a player can have; he still played hard and played well. Then in the last 1/4 he was actually getting rewarded with points. He has always given 100% every game, every shift, scoring some of the biggest goals in this teams history as a first line winger. What does this guy have to do to earn our respect as a good second line hockey player?

On top of this, we have so much internal competition this year with a coach who encourages it. We have young players who really want jobs. The players will work that much harder to not lose their jobs. I just don't get all the doom and gloom in this city.

what?
you mean you dont know? the Sedins are done, Bonino sucks, Vey is garbage, Burrows needs to go. blah, blah, blah...did I forget anything?
oh yeah, the coaches are all inexperienced, and so will suck this year also....there I think I got it all......

 

[bo2shink*]

what?
you mean you dont know? the Sedins are done, Bonino sucks, Vey is garbage, Burrows needs to go. blah, blah, blah...did I forget anything?
oh yeah, the coaches are all inexperienced, and so will suck this year also....there I think I got it all......

You forgot about the owners are jerks, Rogers is a crappy place, tix are too much, it's too damn hot today, Miller lost in 2010 and Sbisa is a cap dump.

 

[jigsaw99]

its okay we're tanking for McDavid

 

[sk8er]

You forgot about the owners are jerks, Rogers is a crappy place, tix are too much, it's too damn hot today, Miller lost in 2010 and Sbisa is a cap dump.

 

[Barney Gumble]

It blows me away how short fan's memories can be.
..cut

huh? where is the "gloom and doom" posts in this thread preceding your post?

 

[groov2]

huh? where is the "gloom and doom" posts in this thread preceding your post?

More or less a collective of every thread these days. With that said, I think everything else I wrote is fair based on the title and article.

 

[LeftCoast]

More or less a collective of every thread these days. With that said, I think everything else I wrote is fair based on the title and article.

It's fair comment and not overly pessimistic. You seem to have forgotten about Kassian and Burrows' natural position is LW.

 

[dave babych returns]

It blows me away how short fan's memories can be.

Have people watched Bonino play? He is a very good hockey player and buries the puck. Does he improve on last years numbers? Maybe not, but he is a professional athlete

Oh okay, good point. End of discussion really.

 

[Barney Gumble]

It's fair comment

Really? Even the Bonino remark? I was the only guy that mentioned him and said he handled that role well last season.

 

[Robert604strom]

To me the article misses a few things,yes burr had 5 goals all season, they all happened to come within a few games. No mention of Kassian at all i see him getting 2nd line time. No mention of Shawn Mattias or mentions of being able to trade Markstrom or Lack for a little insurance(not that they will yeild alot of attention)

 

[groov2]

It's fair comment and not overly pessimistic. You seem to have forgotten about Kassian and Burrows' natural position is LW.

Not at all pessimistic; I'm very excited about what is to come for our team. Every website, including the Canucks own, has Kassian at RW.

With that said, If I'm the coach I try him at LW because power forwards tend to have more success on their off wing so they can hold off opposing players on the rush. Also, considering Kassian is a pass first player, it would allow him to open up to give himself more space to pass on his forehand. Then again, he has to be comfortable in the position he is in!

 

[groov2]

Really? Even the Bonino remark? I was the only guy that mentioned him and said he handled that role well last season.

No, I just wasn't clear with my post. It was not in reference to your comment. It was more or less a comment on the overall pessimism I read these days. I think you are, in fact, very correct.

 

[Barney Gumble]

No, I just wasn't clear with my post. It was not in reference to your comment. It was more or less a comment on the overall pessimism I read these days. I think you are, in fact, very correct.

I realize there are a number of people that will find fault in whatever Benning does or does not do. I don't agree with all of Benning's moves - but overall I don't have a problem with what he has been doing so far.

 

[Ryp37]

If Bonino and Kassian click it'll be fine, I'm expecting kass to get between 40-50 points since he'll have a coach smart enough to put him on the power play.

 

[LeftCoast]

Not at all pessimistic; I'm very excited about what is to come for our team. Every website, including the Canucks own, has Kassian at RW.

With that said, If I'm the coach I try him at LW because power forwards tend to have more success on their off wing so they can hold off opposing players on the rush. Also, considering Kassian is a pass first player, it would allow him to open up to give himself more space to pass on his forehand. Then again, he has to be comfortable in the position he is in!

I agree, sorry, I mistook you for the OP.

I actually like the possibilities of a Burrows Bonino Kassian line - i think with a legitimate heavyweight on his line, Burrows can be far more abrasive. Kassian is also a very good play maker and all three have good hands. But there are questions, I don't know how good Bonino is defensively. Kassian makes his share of mistakes, but Burrows is very good. If as a group they are not good enough defensively, then the "soft minutes" argument has merit. Will the line take too many penalties (Burrows and Kassian)?

So yeah there are questions, but it's pretty hard to have change and a youth movement without allowing unproven players a chance to prove themselves. I guess ideally, you have enough depth that a player that a player develops in a lesser role until he forces a veteran out of that position, but we don't have that kind of depth.

What we do have is a number of young forwards who are going to press for top 9 roles over the next 2 to 3 years. But in the short term we are going to have to rely on unproven options.

 

[701]

To me, an article by some supposedly aware blogger that fails to mention Kassian, while chewing over Higgins and Burrows on the second line, is basically out to lunch. Forgot he was on the team? See ya pal.

Not that Kassian is necessarily a lock for second line RW, but he's without question a very likely candidate. The article had to include his name in order to be credible. He wouldn't be conflicting with Burrows' "natural position" because Burrows shoots left and began his career on that side.

Between Kassian, Burrows, Higgins, Vey, Matthias, and even Shinkaruk, Gaunce, or Fox, there may well in the end be a decent, if not flashy, pair of wingers to flank Bonino.