Post-Game Talk: Canucks @ Wild | No Winnesota for the Canucks. Lose 6-2.

[polarbearcub]

I'm all for sending mccann to the juniors. Call up Friesen and gaunce

 

[valkynax]

I think I'm gonna stop giving even a quarter of a flying **** about this team until we get some consistent 50 pts prospects.

 

[Ainec]

I am still a loyal follower of the cult of Horvat

 

[polarbearcub]

I am still a loyal follower of the cult of Horvat

I'm not worried about horvat at all.

 

[PG Canuck]

I'm not worried about horvat at all.

Ditto.

 

[HiiTzMeAgain]

He's a second line player, he should contributing offensively, what's he have..2 goals?

Instead of ******** on Dorset and Prust, the focus should be on the middle six, they've been invisible all season. Time to sit some some of these guys and bring up Shink, Grenier or Jensen, couldn't be any worse.

Agreed. The middle six has been AHL caliber at best this year. Vrbata looks like he's just trying to stay healthy for the golf course in the summer and the rest of the 'depth scoring' is just not good enough. That being said, I think the most urgent issue on this team is on defence. Injuries not withstanding the play in the defensive end has been rough at best and a full on fire sale at worst. This has been a problem all year, even when bodies were healthy. Clearly a personnel problem at this point.

 

[Nomobo]

I'm not worried about horvat at all.

I don't see a second line centre in him tho.

 

[polarbearcub]

I don't see a second line centre in him tho.

I do.

 

[NoShowWilly]

i don't think your coaching level was/is high enough Willie. tonight or any other night. im done with you.

 

[Nomobo]

I do.

I hope you're right but you have to admit that he looks pretty bad out there right now, sophomore slump or not.

 

[orcatown]

Don't think things are turning out much different than many expected. Even on paper the team didn't look like it could compete with the better teams and clearly it can't. Injuries are hurting the team but don't think Hamhuis was playing well and Sbisa was no better than ordinary. Having Sutter back would help but wouldn't be a huge game changer from we saw out of hmm earlier in the season.

Team has gone with some young players that aren't ready, vets who are far past their best before date and AHL types as fill ins.

The worry now is that Benning makes some panic move that hurts the future while having no chance of turning the situation around in any meaningful way.

The Good

Give Miller some credit for holding them for awhile. Defense around him was exceedingly bad and often d-men did not look in a mood to compete.

The Bad

Horvat - Only time he was effective was in the third when Wild were giving it a token effort. Is very poor on the PK and main reason it is so bad. Really having a terrible season

Prust - has he thrown in the towel? Looked slow and disinterested. Maybe anticipating a dateline trade back to the Habs

Cracknell - starting show why he's been a journeyman lifer in the minor pros. His line gives it a go but seemingly has no chance of scoring.

McCann - can't really play in his own end. Fact that the team has little other choice than go with him tells you all you need to know about the lack of depth at center and present state of the team.

Tanev - since his injury his play has dramatically fallen off. Making poor positioning decisions and seems to have lost the quickness he showed in the past. Both him and Edler really struggled

The Ugly

Weber - looks absolutely incompetent. Shoved around at will and poor with the puck. Any team with size that can get the puck to end wall renders Weber useless. Looks like he is guessing a lot on defense and appears lost.

Bartkowski - probably the worst. Even Weber looks ok in comparison. Use to be that he could rush the puck a bit but doesn't even try that any more. Teams are simply dumping the puck in on him, quickly banging him off puck and then busting to the goal. Has zero ability to clear the front of his net. Like Weber constantly concedes the blueline.

Higgins - mails it in game after game. Just awful. Cheats to get chances (which he does nothing with anyhow) and feeble once physical force is used against him. Looks completely done as a player.

You could easily add to this list as no one played well. Have to think the wheels are coming off and the only real hope is that management may be forced to begin a rebuild.

 

[KeninsFan]

I was watching the game at the gym. It got so bad people asked the staff to switch over to TSN's basketball highlights

 

[Canucks LB]

Horvat is simply just a bad PK player, it happens, not everybody can be good at everything. Leave him off the PK, simple as that. Let him rest with that time instead, and use the energy for future shifts.

Horvat on the PK is simply not working.

Without sbisa and ritchardson, our PK is a disaster.

 

[Proto]

Just great to see this team putting in the solid effort to develop the kids even when they lose. Just great. What solid logic there was behind Benning's masterful re-working of the roster after the team collapsed due to fan noise and Ferland hits last spring. Good stuff.

 

[NuxFan09]

Horvat is simply just a bad PK player, it happens, not everybody can be good at everything. Leave him off the PK, simple as that. Let him rest with that time instead, and use the energy for future shifts.

Horvat on the PK is simply not working.

Without sbisa and ritchardson, our PK is a disaster.

Thing is, he was projected to be a great two-way match-up centre and I've never heard of those kinds of players not killing penalties. It actually seems absurd. If he's not going to kill penalties, he better damn well put up 2nd line centre numbers at the very least. I'm not talking about RIGHT NOW, mind you. I'm talking about projections for his future.

 

[Index]

I was watching the game at the gym. It got so bad people asked the staff to switch over to TSN's basketball highlights

What gym ?

 

[MikeK]

That was a brutal game

 

[me2]

I hope you're right but you have to admit that he looks pretty bad out there right now, sophomore slump or not.

I think his long term role will be the defensive conscience/muscle between playmaking/scoring wingers. I don't see him being the offense driver on his line though.

 

[Intangibos]

I guess we coulda sent mccan down, or have Richardson instead of cracknell, but Richardson doesn't change this season

Oh no, definitely not. I just think Richardson would help out Horvat's development, instead of throwing him into the deep end Edmonton style. I argued last season that the Richardson disposal was crazy. We let Richardson walk, and then had to trade for Prust to get some 'toughness' which we had just lost in Richardson. Although Richardson doesn't have as many staged fights, he was always there for his teammates on the ice and I think actually got nasty from time to time. Plus he was by all accounts good in the room.

Sutter is that defensive center (although I'd argue Bonino isn't that much worse than Sutter in that regard). However, Bonino + Richardson would > Sutter because of how important depth is. I was quite vocal at the times of the Prust / Sutter moves that although Richardson wasn't directly part of the deals, adding his walking to the deals and they become quite bizarre.

Basically, although the players we're letting walk to free agency aren't a big deal, they represent assets that we later spend trying to replace them.

 

[canucksfan]

Oh no, definitely not. I just think Richardson would help out Horvat's development, instead of throwing him into the deep end Edmonton style. I argued last season that the Richardson disposal was crazy. We let Richardson walk, and then had to trade for Prust to get some 'toughness' which we had just lost in Richardson. Although Richardson doesn't have as many staged fights, he was always there for his teammates on the ice and I think actually got nasty from time to time. Plus he was by all accounts good in the room.

Sutter is that defensive center (although I'd argue Bonino isn't that much worse than Sutter in that regard). However, Bonino + Richardson would > Sutter because of how important depth is. I was quite vocal at the times of the Prust / Sutter moves that although Richardson wasn't directly part of the deals, adding his walking to the deals and they become quite bizarre.

Basically, although the players we're letting walk to free agency aren't a big deal, they represent assets that we later spend trying to replace them.

He signs Dorsett to a 2.6 millon dollar contract when Richardson would have been a lot better to keep.

 

[damack]

A few more efforts like that one and no one will have to complain about Miller's contract any more, he'll be begging for a trade.

 

[Hit the post]

I'm not worried about horvat at all.

Yeah he's a future core player for this team. He'll turn out ok.

I hope you're right but you have to admit that he looks pretty bad out there right now, sophomore slump or not.

Not currently the best environment for him. Patience.

 

[Win One Before I Die]

Willie the Twitch.
Fire him.

 

[timw33]

Please send McCann to the WJC and then consider sending him back to the OHL.

Hopefully Virtanen goes back to the Hitmen too. Just not really worth keeping them around.

 

[PM]

I missed most of the game tonight, what was with the Sedins ice time? Was there an intelligent reason that Henrik only played 11 minutes? He somehow got 2 points in those 11 minutes as well.