IntangiBo
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- Aug 15, 2014
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.
If only we could combine Hansens speed/hustle with Vrbata's mind and finish...
That's called $7.5M a year.
Post-Game Talk: Dank you very much (Canucks beat Sens 4-3 in OT)
- Thread starter thepuckmonster
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That's called $7.5M a year.
1) We have too many injuries to really roll 4 lines. Jensen and DeFazio are really playing because we have too many forwards hurt at the same time. As such, their ice time were limited and as 4C, Horvat's ice time was limited. Jensen started the game on the 3rd line which was why he had more minutes, he switched places with Vey midway through the game (mostly because Vey was playing well). The 4th line did have a good game and did get some ice time late in the 3rd, which is a good sign for all of them.
Also Horvat has been 28 - 24 overall in the circle. Not bad but honestly if he wants to make the team, he needs to do a bit better with his consistency. Mostly because he now has 2 games @ 25% (SJS being the other). Its the only way he can earn WD's trust and be depended on for key faceoffs. The other thing is Horvat needs to score... its tough with the line-mate he has but if he doesn't score, its hard to argue wasting a year on his ELC/RFA status to keep him here... more so when he'll be replaced once everyone is healthy (and that's assuming don't add anyone at the deadline). Matthais, who was likely the one to lose his spot if Horvat made the team has been playing outstanding lately (outplayed Horvat without a doubt) so it doesn't make sense for Horvat to replace him. Richardson has had a few bad games recently but played great before that. Even Hansen has up'd his game lately. The rest... there's really no argument at all for Horvat displacing them.
2) Jensen is up as injury replacement. Its good experience for him and its a reward for him due to playing well in Utica. Remember he gets paid a LOT more in the NHL than in Utica. Not to mention our 4th line is more offensive than past years. After all Horvat is on it and you could argue he's pretty skilled offensively. Our 3rd line scored a goal tonight too (after Jensen was taken off). So its not like Jensen won't be given chances to score. Its an opportunity for him and if he starts scoring, it would give him more chances... if nothing else it beats being in Utica. I do wish WD would consider making some changes to the 2nd PP unit... they haven't scored since the first game of the season so they can't really do much worst. Jensen's speed and shot could be a huge asset there.
3) Every goalie has their ups and downs. Like i said during Miller's hot streak, its unlikely he can keep it up. Just like he won't play poorly every game either. He was getting some bounces during his hot streak and pucks he didn't see just hit him. Honestly he didn't play poorly today either... just need to work on rebound control. Part of the reason for his poor rebound control might be the fact he had nothing to do for long periods of time. Its hard to stay sharp when the action is in the other end for minutes. Kinda like how SJS recently lost to us... Niemi because SJ pretty much controlled the game.
4) They are on it due to lack of options Stanton/Sbisa (when healthy) are both worst options than Hamhuis. Tanev might be an option or might not. Tanev has no shot at all and the 2nd unit seems to relay on the point shot (which Tanev can't provide). If teams start game planning for Tanev on the 2nd unit PP, you might see teams just ignore him completely and put more pressure on the other 4 players. I do agree that the 2nd PP unit needs some work and likely some personal change (i.e. not the entire 2nd line or maybe a 4 forward set).
biturbo19
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- Jul 13, 2010
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People are saying that if Vrbata (or basically anyone but Hansen) had been on that first line we would have had more goals are choosing to ignore how much of an impact Hansen has on creating space and time for the Twins.
Watch him puck retrieve when the Sedins fudge a pass up. Watch his boardplay when the D men dump the puck in. He's amazing at generating space for them, much like Bertuzzi used to do for Naslund/Morrison.
He may be god awful at finishing, but a lot of the chances that line have been generating have been in part due to his hustle that someone like Vrbata cannot offer.
If only we could combine Hansens speed/hustle with Vrbata's mind and finish...
His name is Nicklas Jensen.
This game shouldn't have been close. Only thing that made it that way was Anderson, the lack of finish by the Canucks and an off night for Miller.
The Good
Sedins - game illuminated how fantastic these guys are. Just flying around tonight with the puck on a string. On top of their game right now
Hansen - don't think he should be overly criticized for not doing more to read off the Sedins. Lots of their line mates have had trouble with this. Often the Sedins are not only faking out their opponents but also their own players. In this game, Hansen was again a work horse and huge on the forecheck and the backcheck. Maybe the best two player on the team right now. Don't know that he has ever skated better than he is right now.
2nd line - created ton of chances. Only criticism was they should have put away some of their chances better. Bonino continues to show a greater ability to use his line mates than Kesler. Very deft with the quick pass. Might question his defense at times but even here usually makes the smart play. Board work, especially by Higgins. was very good by this line.
Matthais - people have been talking up his potential for years. The package seems so good you wonder why he hasn't produced more. I think he vastly improved from last year and seems to have much more focus. If this team can get Kassian back and playing well they have the nucleus of a good line. This would be even truer if Horvat can step up and center this line. Be a very heavy line to play against. One thing for sure is that Matthais is playing himself into a good contract position
Tanev - while getting more apparent that Tanev doesn't have the offensive upside you'd hope, he is game in and game out out most effective d-man. His speed is ridiculous at times. Never quits working and is critical in the improved play of Edler.
Stanton - getting back to being solid. Learning to play with Bieksa (not an easy task) and showing good coverage in his own end.
The Not so Good
Miller - maybe based on comparison to earlier games but starting to let in some goals he wasn't before. Definitely second best goal tender in this game. You wonder if Miller is going to have some issues adjusting to the crazy travel schedule of the Canucks.
Jensen - to me its always been a question of whether Jensen can sustain his game for an extended period. Can see he has to work very hard to stay in the play at this level. Makes a good spurt now and then but then falls out of the play. In the AHL he seems increasingly comfortable with the speed and movement of the play but obviously not so much at this level.
Other thoughts
Vey is IMO getting better. Has the puck on his stick more and getting some separation from check. Had his head up and making plays in this game. Defense is still a struggle but breaking out of his zone better. I think you still have to know, however, that this match up was a lot easier for players like Vey than games against strong teams such as LA where he will continue to get pressured out of the play. Would say that I really doubted this player at first and thought Jensen might be better. Might be that Jensen is, in the long run, the better player but not right now.
Bieksa scored and got on the positive side of the +/- ledger in this game but I still don't think he is playing very well. I don't see him as being in the flow of the play of the team. This team is all about working things through as group. Getting the puck out of your zone, keeping in the other zone, etc... is a group process. To me Bieksa is often not on the same page and is still trying to control the game on his own. IMO, he has to move the puck quicker, give quicker support, move quicker to position himself when he doesn't have the puck (such as getting up to his blue line when the puck is moved out of his zone) and play with more focus and concentration.
The Good
Sedins - game illuminated how fantastic these guys are. Just flying around tonight with the puck on a string. On top of their game right now
Hansen - don't think he should be overly criticized for not doing more to read off the Sedins. Lots of their line mates have had trouble with this. Often the Sedins are not only faking out their opponents but also their own players. In this game, Hansen was again a work horse and huge on the forecheck and the backcheck. Maybe the best two player on the team right now. Don't know that he has ever skated better than he is right now.
2nd line - created ton of chances. Only criticism was they should have put away some of their chances better. Bonino continues to show a greater ability to use his line mates than Kesler. Very deft with the quick pass. Might question his defense at times but even here usually makes the smart play. Board work, especially by Higgins. was very good by this line.
Matthais - people have been talking up his potential for years. The package seems so good you wonder why he hasn't produced more. I think he vastly improved from last year and seems to have much more focus. If this team can get Kassian back and playing well they have the nucleus of a good line. This would be even truer if Horvat can step up and center this line. Be a very heavy line to play against. One thing for sure is that Matthais is playing himself into a good contract position
Tanev - while getting more apparent that Tanev doesn't have the offensive upside you'd hope, he is game in and game out out most effective d-man. His speed is ridiculous at times. Never quits working and is critical in the improved play of Edler.
Stanton - getting back to being solid. Learning to play with Bieksa (not an easy task) and showing good coverage in his own end.
The Not so Good
Miller - maybe based on comparison to earlier games but starting to let in some goals he wasn't before. Definitely second best goal tender in this game. You wonder if Miller is going to have some issues adjusting to the crazy travel schedule of the Canucks.
Jensen - to me its always been a question of whether Jensen can sustain his game for an extended period. Can see he has to work very hard to stay in the play at this level. Makes a good spurt now and then but then falls out of the play. In the AHL he seems increasingly comfortable with the speed and movement of the play but obviously not so much at this level.
Other thoughts
Vey is IMO getting better. Has the puck on his stick more and getting some separation from check. Had his head up and making plays in this game. Defense is still a struggle but breaking out of his zone better. I think you still have to know, however, that this match up was a lot easier for players like Vey than games against strong teams such as LA where he will continue to get pressured out of the play. Would say that I really doubted this player at first and thought Jensen might be better. Might be that Jensen is, in the long run, the better player but not right now.
Bieksa scored and got on the positive side of the +/- ledger in this game but I still don't think he is playing very well. I don't see him as being in the flow of the play of the team. This team is all about working things through as group. Getting the puck out of your zone, keeping in the other zone, etc... is a group process. To me Bieksa is often not on the same page and is still trying to control the game on his own. IMO, he has to move the puck quicker, give quicker support, move quicker to position himself when he doesn't have the puck (such as getting up to his blue line when the puck is moved out of his zone) and play with more focus and concentration.
kanucks25
Chris Tanev #1 Fan
Because the things he does don't end up in the highlight package or stats sheet so people don't appreciate it.
Also, it always makes me chuckle when people say he doesn't "drive the offense" (gotta love that analytics buzz-phrase) as if consistently turning away the other team's top players and making tape-to-tape outlet passes under a 2-man fore-check doesn't initiate offense/o-zone time. I guess if you aren't going coast-to-coast like Karlsson, you don't help your team offensively.
Okay, but when did Hamhuis and Bieksa develop shots? Even if I was to agree that Tanev doesn't have a shot (I disagree but this argument won't go well for me so I won't bother), it's not any worse than what Ham Juice offers. Tanev is also a better passer and much more poised than either of them, so really him not being on the PP is a true head-scratcher.
Tanev isn't an amazing option but, unfortunately, he might be the best we have. Every time somebody argues against Tanev being on the PP, they point out his faults yet fail to remember that the guys currently on the PP have the exact same weaknesses and then some.
StIllmatic
Registered User
Good summary, but I still Tanev can contritubte more offensively if given a chance too. At even strength he pushes the play more than any other defender and both his passing and vision are amazing. He needs to be a staple on the powerplay.
krag
Registered User
- Feb 13, 2013
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I'd still say Bieksa has a better shot than Tanev, but Hamhuis is for sure not a substantially better option when it comes to power play offense, and I'd feel safer in regards to giving up short handed chances with Tanev on the blue line than either of those two.
I'll even go so far as to say I'd be ok with using four forwards on the second unit if Tanev was the safety net on the point. Lately though the most glaring problem for the second power play group has been even getting the puck into the offensive zone with any kind of control and until that is solved, using four forwards might be a little too sketchy.
biturbo19
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- Jul 13, 2010
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Is Tanev really not being "given the chance to" contribute more offensively though? He gets opportunities, he just consistently manages to look like a player who is out of his element at the other end of the ice. He makes very good outlet passes (probably the best on our team), one of our best defencemen at carrying the puck up and dishing it off to the forwards to move in. He makes a lot of smart plays to keep the cycle alive. But he's not a player who looks comfortable making the aggressive offensive reads that a true offensive contributor from the blueline tends to make.
It's not a slight on Tanev really...he's an oustanding defenceman and he's already blown all expectations completely out of the water. I'm just extremely skeptical of the notion that Tanev is ever going to develop into something he's not, as a real offensive dynamo. If he continues to track as a ~30pt defensive rock who contributes very nicely to the transition game, that's one heck of a player. That's our next Dan Hamhuis.
The fixation on getting Tanev on the PP is just kind of wistful to me. People want him to be good at that stuff...he's just not. It's not just that his shot is weak and makes him a complete non-threat as a PP option...it's that it takes him for ****ing ever to load his shot up, and it still just dribbles out disappointingly. And that he seems naturally inclined to back off conservatively by default on any remotely questionable play. There's zero reason to respect him as a shooting option on the point, and that makes it more difficult for everyone else on a PP with him. It's not productive.
Besides...why would you want to artificially jack up Tanev's point totals in a contract year anyway?
biturbo19
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4 Forwards on the 2nd Unit is always a terrible idea, even if you have a "safety net".
Given that they almost exclusively see time on the back half of a powerplay opportunity...you don't want to risk getting caught with 4 forwards out there when the PP ends. So that leaves you with the 2nd Unit rolling out typically with less than a minute to go in a PP, and then 30 seconds or less into the PP, you have to completely disrupt the momentum of the PP unit and effectively concede your man advantage by swapping that 4th forward for a defenceman with a line change. So you burn a big chunk of the back half of your PP swapping pieces around to get ready and prepare for the return to 5v5 play.
It's silly and doesn't work.
Pip
Registered User
Given the state of our second unit, I just wonder why more change hasn't happened. Kassian seems like the obvious choice once he's back, but maybe try some other guys who could be effective. It's not as if it's going to get any worse. I understand not throwing Jensen/Horvat out there since they don't seem to be in the long term plan this season.
For Tanev, I don't see why he wouldn't get a look over Hamhuis. Personally I find him to be a better passer with a similar shot. Tanev oftentimes is also forced to be more defensively-conscious given that he plays with kind of a wild card in Edler. There could be some offensive potential being stifled there, but we won't know unless he gets a shot.
For Tanev, I don't see why he wouldn't get a look over Hamhuis. Personally I find him to be a better passer with a similar shot. Tanev oftentimes is also forced to be more defensively-conscious given that he plays with kind of a wild card in Edler. There could be some offensive potential being stifled there, but we won't know unless he gets a shot.
shottasasa
Registered User
Some thoughts:
Not a good game for Miller at all. Two massive rebounds and cheated hard on Turris' goal not getting square and leaving the far side wide open. He has looked excellent in a couple of games but as the sample size grows that terrible even strength save percentage is becoming slightly more concerning. Hopefully he can get in a groove and string some more sound games together.
Sedins and Hansen were just awesome to watch tonight. I can't believe any one is complaing about Hansen playing with them, he was absolutely one of the reasons this line played in one half of the ice all night. He may have missed a couple of looks but his puck retrieval and cycling were helping keep the Sedins in the zone and creating. He will bury some chances if he plays like that consistently with them. It seems some people want to ride a narrative into the ground no matter what happens.
Matthais was great tonight, he really is starting to play with confidence and take advantage of his tools. Hopefully when Kassian gets back he finds his game quickly because they make a fearsome duo if they are both playing well. I like Richardson but I still think he ideally should be on the 4th line. I would love to see Horvat step up and take that spot but it doesn't look like he is going to get that chance. I don't know if Vey is an answer there as a Matthais-Vey-Kassian line would be an adventure in their own zone.
Second line was great, Burrows at his best makes them very tough to play against. If I was an opposing player I would want to beat him over the head with my stick. Repeatedly.
I was a bit annoyed the 4th line didn't get more time, none of them played poorly in fact, before WD juggled the 3rd and 4th lines they were looking good. I think though Willie wants to play 4 lines there is that extra pressure to play it safe as you are being very closely scrutinised as a rookie coach especially as the Canucks are in a good playoff spot. I think the top coaches like Babcock or Quennville can take more risks playing rookies in bigger roles as their reputations are already established. Having said that I don't really blame WD for this and am a fan of his overall work.
Tanev and Edler were once again stellar. Top pairing and seemingly getting better and more consistent.
Bieksa and Stanton were decent, I liked Bieksa in the offensive end this evennig but once again he had a few mishaps in the defensive end. He particularly seems to have some trouble against the boards lately.
Hamhuis and Weber were ok, i prefer Sbisa to Weber on that pair because of the physicality he brings and I don't think Weber's offense is that much better to outweigh what Sbisa can bring.
Well onwards and upwards, top of table feels pretty damn good after hiow last year ended.
Not a good game for Miller at all. Two massive rebounds and cheated hard on Turris' goal not getting square and leaving the far side wide open. He has looked excellent in a couple of games but as the sample size grows that terrible even strength save percentage is becoming slightly more concerning. Hopefully he can get in a groove and string some more sound games together.
Sedins and Hansen were just awesome to watch tonight. I can't believe any one is complaing about Hansen playing with them, he was absolutely one of the reasons this line played in one half of the ice all night. He may have missed a couple of looks but his puck retrieval and cycling were helping keep the Sedins in the zone and creating. He will bury some chances if he plays like that consistently with them. It seems some people want to ride a narrative into the ground no matter what happens.
Matthais was great tonight, he really is starting to play with confidence and take advantage of his tools. Hopefully when Kassian gets back he finds his game quickly because they make a fearsome duo if they are both playing well. I like Richardson but I still think he ideally should be on the 4th line. I would love to see Horvat step up and take that spot but it doesn't look like he is going to get that chance. I don't know if Vey is an answer there as a Matthais-Vey-Kassian line would be an adventure in their own zone.
Second line was great, Burrows at his best makes them very tough to play against. If I was an opposing player I would want to beat him over the head with my stick. Repeatedly.
I was a bit annoyed the 4th line didn't get more time, none of them played poorly in fact, before WD juggled the 3rd and 4th lines they were looking good. I think though Willie wants to play 4 lines there is that extra pressure to play it safe as you are being very closely scrutinised as a rookie coach especially as the Canucks are in a good playoff spot. I think the top coaches like Babcock or Quennville can take more risks playing rookies in bigger roles as their reputations are already established. Having said that I don't really blame WD for this and am a fan of his overall work.
Tanev and Edler were once again stellar. Top pairing and seemingly getting better and more consistent.
Bieksa and Stanton were decent, I liked Bieksa in the offensive end this evennig but once again he had a few mishaps in the defensive end. He particularly seems to have some trouble against the boards lately.
Hamhuis and Weber were ok, i prefer Sbisa to Weber on that pair because of the physicality he brings and I don't think Weber's offense is that much better to outweigh what Sbisa can bring.
Well onwards and upwards, top of table feels pretty damn good after hiow last year ended.
biturbo19
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While i completely agree, that 2nd Unit is massively dysfunctional...i just don't think Tanev is the magic elixir to fix it. A guy like Jensen to me, is a prime candidate to play a bit part there. The PP is where he does work, that's his niche contribution...like Vey has been to the top unit this year. As you said, Kassian is another obvious candidate to man the 2nd Unit.
Tanev seems to be falling into a great role where he plays a ton of EV and PK minutes, and i can understand not wanting to push that up into the upper echelon, even with added "soft" PP minutes where he's debatable as an improvement over Bieksa for example. I'd rather shunt Tanev's minutes toward the defensive end of things, personally. If Tanev were a bonafide PP wizard, obviously i'd feel differently about things...but i haven't seen any real indication that he's particularly confident in the offensive end even 5v5.
It's a crappy situation no matter what, because we have essentially 1 reasonable PP defenceman among the lot, and a 2nd decent PP defenceman who struggles enough 5v5 that he's not a viable every day defender candidate when everyone is healthy. That's not enough to go around. Manning the 1st Unit with only 1 D-man is a start. But no matter what the case...we're short 2 good PP defencemen...one of Bieksa/Hamhuis is going to have to do. Maybe at some point Sbisa is given a look there, he's got a better shot than most on our blueline and he's shown a penchant for the aggressive pinch (50-50 pucks to the net wooooooooo
) and at times seems to roam around even when he shouldn't. Maybe even Stanton gets a look there, as he has shown a decent ability to pinch up and get pucks to the net at least. But our blueline really isn't built to staff a pair of quality powerplay units, no matter how you shuffle it. And forcing Tanev into that role probably doesn't fix much of anything, and breaks some other things like the minute balance they've got going with the blueline.
DCantheDDad
DisplacedNuckfan
The one work collegue of mine who actually watches hockey (what is wrong with people?) is a big Sens fan, so this win was very important to me. Thank you, Canucks for allowing me to really rub this one in!
BeardyCanuck03
@BeardyCanuck03
Tanev will never put up the offensive numbers that will make him a "good" offensive dman. He may have a couple 30-40 point seasons if he's in the right situation when he's in his prime (like hamhuis) but for the most part he'll be a 20-30 point dman. I see Jake Muzzin having a similar career in LA.
Shareefruck
Registered User
I think Tanev at this point is still a more effective powerplay quarterback than Bieksa/Hamhuis, though.
Jimson Hogarth*
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- Nov 21, 2013
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While i completely agree, that 2nd Unit is massively dysfunctional...i just don't think Tanev is the magic elixir to fix it. A guy like Jensen to me, is a prime candidate to play a bit part there. The PP is where he does work, that's his niche contribution...like Vey has been to the top unit this year. As you said, Kassian is another obvious candidate to man the 2nd Unit.
Tanev seems to be falling into a great role where he plays a ton of EV and PK minutes, and i can understand not wanting to push that up into the upper echelon, even with added "soft" PP minutes where he's debatable as an improvement over Bieksa for example. I'd rather shunt Tanev's minutes toward the defensive end of things, personally. If Tanev were a bonafide PP wizard, obviously i'd feel differently about things...but i haven't seen any real indication that he's particularly confident in the offensive end even 5v5.
It's a crappy situation no matter what, because we have essentially 1 reasonable PP defenceman among the lot, and a 2nd decent PP defenceman who struggles enough 5v5 that he's not a viable every day defender candidate when everyone is healthy. That's not enough to go around. Manning the 1st Unit with only 1 D-man is a start. But no matter what the case...we're short 2 good PP defencemen...one of Bieksa/Hamhuis is going to have to do. Maybe at some point Sbisa is given a look there, he's got a better shot than most on our blueline and he's shown a penchant for the aggressive pinch (50-50 pucks to the net wooooooooo
This is way off. You'd trust Sbisa on a pp?
You're really far off on your assessment of Tanev and have undersold him for a long time. It's funny seeing people falling in love with traits like a hard shot and thinking that's what a good pp qb should have. And No he hasn't been getting offensive opportunities, he has however been creating them at 5 on 5 however. The fact that he isn't finishing them shouldnt be a slight on him, he's creating high end scoring chances by reading the play and being able to skate to areas at even strength, something sadly No one else on the defence can really do right now.
The traits that you're not seeing, that are more important than a hard shot fyi, are:
- his ability to skate. There's No one on the d core even close in this regard. His skating with the puck gets him out of the zone with ease facing multiple forecheckers, he'd be by far the best option to carry the Puck up ice on the pp. He actually keeps his head up as well.
- decision making. Rarely will you see him make a dumb pass or pinch at bad times.
- Puck handling. Again probably the best on the team. Can skate at high speed without losing it and still ends up making tape to tape passes.
- passing. He is a great passer, something that would be a lot easier at 5 on 4.
He quite easily deserves a pp chance over Bieksa or Hamhuis. Not using him because he's in a contract year is pathetic, and is a huge blunder on Bennings part prior to the season. Much like you, they either didn't know what they had or still can't see he's Vancouver's best defencemen.
Jabba The Hutton
Nucks STH
Tanev just switched agents, so I wonder if they will start finalizing contract numbers soon. And whether this will have an impact on his usage as you are suggesting.
kanucks25
Chris Tanev #1 Fan
How does playing against opposing top lines with zero power-play and having the least o-zone starts amongst our D-men count as being given offensive opportunities? That's about as defensive as an assignment can get. Despite that, you still see him lugging the puck up, dishing it to forwards on the fly and keeping the play alive inside the o-zone constantly, better than any of our other D-men.
Still don't understand why people think Tanev can't develop his offensive skills with simply more experience. When Tanev first came into the league, all he could do was get pasted on the boards and get the puck out quickly against opposing bottom lines. Like you said, he's blown all expectations out of the water and all he needed was time to develop on the ice. Did anyone expect him to be what he is now a few years ago?
His offensive game is miles ahead of what it was when he first started, there's still more there. Before last season he had absolutely no shot, but then he introduced a wrister. This year, he's actually slapping the puck for the first time in his NHL career. Does he have a threatening shot? Not really, but it shows progression. Besides, you don't need to be a boomer to have an effective shot, you just need to get it through and have traffic in front.
All I want is for him to be given that chance to develop on the power-play to see if he can do it, and I don't see much of an opportunity cost if he doesn't perform because IMO Edler isn't as offensively talented as most people think and Ham Juice are hopeless in that role.
polarbearcub
Registered User
I got an email from the canucks yesterday saying they opened up the new expanded part of the concourse which includes a wider area, more food options and more washrooms on both the upper and lower level. Anyone check it out last night ?
mossey3535
Registered User
- Feb 7, 2011
- 13,333
- 9,836
All of his positive attributes lend themselves to what he already does well - initiating transition offence.
None of the things you listed are something that puts a guy over the top on a PP. In fact, since the PP is a more static situation it effectively negates the skating, etc. About the only absolutely beneficial thing you've listed is pinches.
The PP is about overpowering the opposition. If Tanev can just be ignored as a shot option at the point, it's going to make it an essentially 4-on-4 situation.
What a lot of you guys are doing when it comes to Tanev is listing good qualities he has (which are absolutely true) and then conflating that with offensive potential.
The Tanev-Edler pairing plays most (85:33) with the Sedins and 2nd most with Bonino's line (73:09). To me that's enough opportunity. For example, Hamhuis's numbers are reversed - he spends 80-ish minutes with Bonino and 70-ish with the Sedins.
I don't know why he can't just be what he is. It's pretty good already.
BeardyCanuck03
@BeardyCanuck03
Jake Muzzin got 4M, Tanev will get something similar. They are very comparable players.
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