Curtis Valk

[DCantheDDad]

At 5'9" the odds are very much against him but don't completely dismiss Curtis Valk based on his height alone. What if Martin St.Louis or now Tyler Johnson had never been given a chance because of their height?

Heck, several teams gave up on MSL before he stuck in the league.

 

[Luck 6]

Massive differences between Santorelli and Valk.

Speaking their names in the same sentence only shows the unrealistic expectations on a kid that's got a couple goals in the easiest of circumstances. (In relation to the Canucks.)

I won't argue with that, Santorelli had proven far more heading into last season than Valk has right now. I don’t even expect Valk to play in the NHL this season, so in that sense he’ll likely be forgotten by the end of October and Santorelli isn’t a fair comparable. Right now, Valk has played well enough to earn a spot at camp, that is all. I’m hoping he does well enough to earn an AHL contract, it would be nice to have some high skill scoring depth in the AHL. He’ll likely become more of an Andrew Ebbett than a Mike Santorelli, but I’ll reserve my judgement until I see him play.

 

[Serac]

What is with the argument against the guy ?
Does anyone actually expect Valk to play in the nhl if we offer him a contract, at least for this upcoming season ?
We all seem to be on board he'd go to Utica, in which case, I don't see how there's a justifiable argument against a guy who has a scoring touch, which we (and in turn, I assume Utica) need
Also good for Shinkaruk if he has a linemate he has had chemistry with before and some familiarity (if, and I hope he does, HS goes to Utica)
Why not give the guy a contract, that I can't really see as hurting us in any way

 

[Bad Goalie]

5'10 .. maaaybe, 5'11 sure. 5'9 ... I don't care how built you are (and he's not) you must be significantly good to make an impact. He's potted a couple goals against non-pro goalies in a prospects tourney and a couple in a scrimmage.

His ceiling is Utica IMO, so, yeah, like I said. Forgotten by Halloween if he reaches his ceiling. That's being positive.

If his ceiling is Utica, what's the harm in signing him and sending him there? From that point it's all up to him and his coaches.

 

[Bad Goalie]

What is with the argument against the guy ?
Does anyone actually expect Valk to play in the nhl if we offer him a contract, at least for this upcoming season ?
We all seem to be on board he'd go to Utica, in which case, I don't see how there's a justifiable argument against a guy who has a scoring touch, which we (and in turn, I assume Utica) need
Also good for Shinkaruk if he has a linemate he has had chemistry with before and some familiarity (if, and I hope he does, HS goes to Utica)
Why not give the guy a contract, that I can't really see as hurting us in any way

I think this has been the crux of my commentary. The Shink piece is even more of a reason. Shink assisted on his first goal in yesterday's scrimmage. Most of us agree that Shink will start the season in Utica. A little familiar chemistry wouldn't hurt a bit.

 

[tantalum]

Valk has a tough road ahead of him to make the NHL. He likely won't. However, while many only judge a contract space by NHL potential I don't. You need good guys in the minors, even ones who don't really have a NHL future. Valk, if he continues to have a strong camp, could be a guy that develops into a solid contributor on the score sheet in the AHL. And that is worth something, but he needs to continue having a good camp to earn that contract.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

If his ceiling is Utica, what's the harm in signing him and sending him there? From that point it's all up to him and his coaches.

Totally - and im rooting for this. Im just managing expectations. Utica signing would be a success

 

[Craz1bo1]

Willie just said on TSN1040 that Jim is currently talking to Valk's agent and trying to work something out.

 

[NoShowWilly]

Willie just said on TSN1040 that Jim is currently talking to Valk's agent and trying to work something out.

once players are sent down to junior they no longer count as a contract, correct?

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Willie just said on TSN1040 that Jim is currently talking to Valk's agent and trying to work something out.

Twitter link to verify:

Pass it to Bulis retweeted
Blake Ouellet‏@blakeouellet·9 mins
Benning has been talking with Valk's agent according to Desjardins #Canucks

 

[MS]

He's a longshot but showed big talent at lower levels and is standing out against good competition here. Deserves a chance ... and who knows, look what happened with Tyler Johnson.

 

[Guardian452]

5'10 .. maaaybe, 5'11 sure. 5'9 ... I don't care how built you are (and he's not) you must be significantly good to make an impact. He's potted a couple goals against non-pro goalies in a prospects tourney and a couple in a scrimmage.

His ceiling is Utica IMO, so, yeah, like I said. Forgotten by Halloween if he reaches his ceiling. That's being positive.

Probably more like 5'-7'" and 160 lbs. His size means he better be able to score like Theoren Fleury or Paul Kariya. Otherwise he will never make the NHL. If he shows he can create offense against NHL-calibre players and not be a defensive liability in pre-season games, then he's worth signing to an ELC.

 

[me2]

What's with you and this "play some real tougher games and see if he can keep it up" stuff? Players out of Jrs. are signed to contracts based on their Jr. performance and then they are given time to develop or flop in the minors. He has been a good scorer in Jrs. He scored in the tourney when the top prospects didn't. He scored in the scrimmage. If he doesn't pot another, he has still shown it's worth a shot.

I don't see any harm done. It's not like there are four or five other unsigned guys who are lighting it up. There aren't any are there? There is no immediate urgency. When camp ends, why not sign him up and send him off to Utica who can in turn send him to the Zoo if they don't have room. However, with the Comets' scoring prowess of last season, if he can bulge the twines there during preseason as well, he'd be welcome in the Mohawk Valley.

His defensive side can be taught and if he has a hockey mind, he'll pick it up. Jensen and Grenier showed little to no defensive skills when they suited up last season or at least refused to use them. Many posters from Vancouver also argued Jensen didn't have a two way game and the rebuttal was, "Yeah, but he can score. He can learn the defensive end of the game as he goes." How is this kid any different? Again, that's what the minors are for. I don't see the logic in passing up on a project that could in the end do what every team needs, SCORE! If he flops, so be it. Where is the harm in trying? It's not like either club is overloaded with high end scorers.

Never once have I suggested not signing him because of size or anything else. I just don't see the rush to sign him NOW NOW NOW when there is no reason not to wait a few days.

Benning clearly like the guy, they have started negotiations, as they should be starting the sounding out process.

 

[alicia]

Twitter link to verify:

 

[Bure All Day]

 

[Bad Goalie]

Never once have I suggested not signing him because of size or anything else. I just don't see the rush to sign him NOW NOW NOW when there is no reason not to wait a few days.

Benning clearly like the guy, they have started negotiations, as they should be starting the sounding out process.

You will note I said no urgency, but by the end of camp give him a contract and send him to Utica. It sounds like we agree, but that is not how your posts read.

 

[Ho Borvat]

It would be interesting to see if we have a high scoring AHL team this year with Fox, Valk, Horvat, Gaunce, possibly jensen all playing. It would be the first time in a while we would have that much talent on our AHL team.

Keep in mind O'Reilly and Jeffrey are both high scoring AHL'ers as well.

* of note, Horvats not AHL eligible but Shinkaruk is

 

[denkiteki]

Are ELC's not two way contracts?

Not really, beside the fact there are 2 salaries, they are quite different. ELC have max amount for minor league portion of the contract as well as a lot more bonus options than 2 way contracts. The cap hit for ELC can be over 4 million and commonly (for 1st round pick) be worth over a million.

I.e. Jake Virtanen's base salary is 925k but his cap hit can be anywhere between 925k to 1.775mil depending on rather or not he hits some of the performance bonuses. Also his contract can slide next year. The same can't be said about other 2 way contracts. Also his AHL salary is only 70k. Cal O'Reilly who is on a 2 way contract gets paid 600k/100k (aka more than Virtanen would in the AHL) but a lot less in the NHL. Most decent players who are on 2 way contracts will get paid more @ the AHL level than those on ELC. Sanguinetti for example gets 250k in the AHL and 600k in the NHL.

 

[denkiteki]

At 5'9" the odds are very much against him but don't completely dismiss Curtis Valk based on his height alone. What if Martin St.Louis or now Tyler Johnson had never been given a chance because of their height?

Its not just his height, his weight is still listed in the low 160s. MSL for example is listed at 180, that's a decent size weight difference. Even JS and Tyler Johnson both are listed at 175 (roughly).

 

[Rey]

Poor Valk should have chosen an Eastern team. Maybe if Johnny Hockey can prove to be a machine this year, then Valk could have a better chance.

 

[biturbo19]

I don't have a problem with extending a contract offer to Valk, but i do think some people are getting a bit carried away with a guy potting a few in a Prospect tournament and a Rookies type scrimmage.

He's very very small, that's going to be a major obstacle when it comes to serious competition at the Pro level. We'll have to see how that goes. He also seems to be a lot worse than i thought he was defensively. The Young Stars tournament in particular...not the most structured hockey or anything, but he just really didn't seem to understand what a Center was supposed to do defensively. Spent way too much time just floating around between the dots and the blueline in his own end...rarely engaged down low, and when he did, wasn't very effective. Just seemed to sort of stand around watching and waiting for others to do the heavy lifting. Even with an expected shift to the Wing, he's going to have a very long ways to go in terms of learning the defensive side of the game at a Pro level.

But...he does have some undeniable offensive ability, and that's something it's hard to argue with taking a flyer on. And he seems to have the ability to force the issue, something that Schroeder never seemed to have here. Though i still think that realistically speaking...it's a good comparison to keep in mind.

I'd be worried about the contract numbers, given that we're above the 50 limit, obviously a handful will slide giving us room to sign Valk. But then...after this season, there is a big heap of going nowhere contracts expiring, so it shouldn't really be a huge issue.

 

[Guardian452]

I'd be worried about the contract numbers, given that we're above the 50 limit, obviously a handful will slide giving us room to sign Valk. But then...after this season, there is a big heap of going nowhere contracts expiring, so it shouldn't really be a huge issue.

The number of contracts aren't a problem. Cassels, Cederhom, Virtanen, McCann & most likely Horvat won't count against the 50 cap. The Canucks can sign 3 or 4 more players.

 

[denkiteki]

The number of contracts aren't a problem. Cassels, Cederhom, Virtanen, McCann & most likely Horvat won't count against the 50 cap. The Canucks can sign 3 or 4 more players.

Add to that you could trade contracts away for next to nothing if you really need to.

After this season, we have Matthias, Dorsett, Richardson, and Sestito all being UFA. Unlikely that all of them return and quite possibly all of them won't be back. I mean sooner or later, you expect some of our prospects to take a few roster spot. Pretty sure someone will take Richardson and Sestito's spot. The other 2 is questionable and i guess it depends on their play this season.

Then there's Jeffrey, O'Reilly, Biega, Sanguinetti as UFA from Utica (or likely Utica). If we have prospects coming up (which we will have a few), then again not all of them will be resigned. Even our RFAs, not all of them will likely be back. Friesen is probably as good as gone. Defazio/Lain probably fill a similar role so probably only 1 of them will be back. Mallet probably won't be back.

There's also Zalewski, Tommernes, Keninis, Grenier, Archibald, Andersson, and Cannata... all of them likely to be back but if they have a bad year, they might not. Note i didn't include Vey, Eriksson, or Corrado since there's little chance we won't resign them.

Basically we are in pretty good contract shape to offer Valk a contract. The question is rather or not we will. I'm hoping we take a flyer on him since we don't have a lot to lose.

 

[Virtanen2Horvat]

But Jim, What about the Meat, and the Potatoes.

 

[Yammer]

Goal-creating is meat. Goal-preventing is potatoes.

That's my theory