Chris VandeVelde

[King Forsberg]

Chris VandeVelde roaring back?

 

[chupanibre]

I've gotta give this guy credit. I've been pretty hard on him since the call up, but he really has exceeded my expectations.

 

[GKJ]

I think his numbers are normalizing a bit. He shot 10% in the AHL, and now in 84 NHL games he's up to 10.6. In the games he played last year, they trusted him more than they thought.

He also falls into the category of "ex-Oilers who do well elsewhere"

 

[DeflatedFootball7]

I admit I loathed him at first because I thought he was being given opportunities that would be better for someone else.

But he's made me shut up. Him and Bellemare have been nice to have on the 4th line.

Now if we could just get rid of Rinaldo.

 

[JDinkalage Morgoone]

Vandevelde deserves Rinaldo's spot. He can bring everything Zac does, except for the stupid, dirty penalties.

 

[bb12]

was never a fan but cant deny the guy has worked his ass off to be considered as a servicable 4th liner for very cheap.

 

[Rebels57]

I'm happy for VandeVelde. He has a knack for scoring timely goals and clearly works his ass off. As long as he isn't flanking a top line and is relegated to the 4th line, he can be a solid player.

 

[bb12]

This might be crazy but does anyone feel he could potentially be as servicable as Patrick Maroon was on a top line. He isnt skilled but works hard in those areas. Would he or the team benefit from him playing with top talent?

 

[Curufinwe]

I like him much more on the wing than at center. I was annoyed when it seemed liked he was keeping Laughton out of the lineup, but if he keeps Rinaldo out of the lineup from now on I'll be happy.

 

[Tripod]

Keep him on the 4th line....fine. It's when Berube starts putting him on the 1st line when I get pissed.

 

[SchennSational1022*]

I still don't think he is that good even as a 4th liner, a few decent games won't change that. Not looking forward to seeing him here in the long term.

 

[Vikke]

I'd rather have him than Rinaldo, but that's not saying much.

 

[ILoveStephanieBrown]

if he keeps on playing well throughout the rest of the season, I dont see what's wrong with him as a long term 4th line option. He's better than some 4th liners on recent Cup winning teams, like Jordan Nolan for example.

 

[Rebels57]

This might be crazy but does anyone feel he could potentially be as servicable as Patrick Maroon was on a top line. He isnt skilled but works hard in those areas. Would he or the team benefit from him playing with top talent?

No. That is in fact crazy. That's the line of thinking that had us criticizing Berube.

Maroon is a good addition to the Getzlaf line because of his size. He gets to the net and jams up plays to free pucks up for Getzlaf and Perry. He also has a decent set of mitts on him. VV doesn't have Maroons size and strength so he can't be utilized in that type of role.

 

[Cootsfanclub]

He's been pretty productive as far as fourth liners go, his P/GM is on the higher end in that regard. It would be nice if he could win faceoffs or kill penalties.

 

[OriginJM]

yo i regret hating on this guy

sorry vdv

 

[mja]

I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but for the last stretch of games 76-78-40 has been our most consistent line. Granted, they've gotten ideal ice-time, but they've played well.

That said, Vinny, please retire. Thanks.

 

[OriginJM]

edit

 

[SchennSational1022*]

I'm still not thrilled with this guy, but I think it's due more to the fact how much ****face Berube overplays them.

 

[ILoveStephanieBrown]

he should be on the team next season no questions asked

 

[Larry44]

he should be on the team next season no questions asked

Absolutely. He's earned another chance. He skates, hits, makes plays and scores. I don't think you can ask for much more from a 4th liner.

 

[deadhead]

People have some ridiculous expectations for a 4th line winger, if VV can get you 10 goals, check and play on the PK, he's a valuable player. You can't pay for 12 1st line wingers.

VV's clearly an upgrade over Akeson and Rinaldo (who would be a solid player if he could score like VV, but he's made zero progress in developing offensive skills). With White healthy, you can forget about Akeson playing for the Flyers again.

 

[HighOFFHockey]

People have some ridiculous expectations for a 4th line winger, if VV can get you 10 goals, check and play on the PK, he's a valuable player. You can't pay for 12 1st line wingers.

VV's clearly an upgrade over Akeson and Rinaldo (who would be a solid player if he could score like VV, but he's made zero progress in developing offensive skills). With White healthy, you can forget about Akeson playing for the Flyers again.

VV is exactly the type of player we want on the 4th line. He's played well all season. He does exactly what a 4th line player is supposed to do. I was arguing with people in the Nick Cousin's thread on what a 4th line player is supposed to be. They all saw Cousin's as 4th line player and I believed he was either 3rd liner or higher or he wont play in the NHL. VV only supports my opinion.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

VV is exactly the type of player we want on the 4th line. He's played well all season. He does exactly what a 4th line player is supposed to do. I was arguing with people in the Nick Cousin's thread on what a 4th line player is supposed to be. They all saw Cousin's as 4th line player and I believed he was either 3rd liner or higher or he wont play in the NHL. VV only supports my opinion.

I still think Cousins should start as our 4th line center next season. If we can get another top 9 winger at some point, then have Raffl-Cousins-Vdv as our 4th. That looks good.

 

[Breeze 44]

I too owe him an apology....he has played hard and done a really good job on that 4th line. Gotta give him his props, he's played good defensive hockey as well.