Derek Roy has been invisible as a Canuck

[particularsolution]

"Kevin Connauton Exceeding Expectations"

http://www.defendingbigd.com/dallas...vin-connauton-update-dallas-stars-daily-links

 

[Wheatley]

"Kevin Connauton Exceeding Expectations"

http://www.defendingbigd.com/dallas...vin-connauton-update-dallas-stars-daily-links

So they're planning on having KC in the NHL next season? All the power to them I guess. Hope it works out.

 

[fancouver]

no thanks to him
aside from that slashing he did that led to a goal for hamhuis, he was not good at all.

small and not good and also small

 

[Hammer79]

"Kevin Connauton Exceeding Expectations"

http://www.defendingbigd.com/dallas...vin-connauton-update-dallas-stars-daily-links

It was a small price to pay on the gamble. KConn hadn't shown much NHL upside this past season, and a few successful AHL games with the Stars farm club isn't going to convince me that he turned the corner. Losing the late 2nd rounder was annoying, but by that point of the draft we're well past the sure-fire NHL'ers anyway.

The acquisition ended up not working out, but it was worth a try to boost the offense and the cost was relatively low.

 

[biturbo19]

I do agree with those that say Roy isn't playing with the same quality of wingers in Vancouver that he has elsewhere, and that will affect his production. On the other hand, though, I really haven't seen that many times when he gift-wrapped scoring chances for wingers and they flubbed them. Maybe a small handful of times, but nothing alarming.

No, I think the root of the problem (not just with Roy) is a major identity crisis, as Ferraro said, combined with some bad bounces and lack of confidence.

See, this is my biggest issue with the idea of bringing Roy back. When we're talking about a guy likely looking for a deal in the $5M+ ballpark...for a small, largely 1-dimensional 'offensive' center who can't win draws...it should be a guy who can truly carry a line, even if he isn't gifted the greatest of wingers. I'm not seeing much evidence that Roy is that sort of player...

 

[Castle1*]

I was excited about the trade and us getting Roy. It was probably only because our GM failed to get us a centre any sooner and we had almost none for most of this short lousy season.

But the trade certainly did not work out for us in my opinion. Roy had a couple flashes of good playmaking. But he was largely invisible. There is no way in hell this guy is worth 5m.

Bye Roy and good riddance.

 

[Bleach Clean]

See, this is my biggest issue with the idea of bringing Roy back. When we're talking about a guy likely looking for a deal in the $5M+ ballpark...for a small, largely 1-dimensional 'offensive' center who can't win draws...it should be a guy who can truly carry a line, even if he isn't gifted the greatest of wingers. I'm not seeing much evidence that Roy is that sort of player...

He's not one dimensional. Roy has, over his career, been an every situation player. Rough stint at the dot against a great face-off team is colouring perceptions here.

About the aspect of carrying a line: We think Kesler can carry a line, but really, he's a solo player. He "works" wherever he is because he doesn't use his wingers regardless. So he gives us a false impression of him leading a line as a result. Roy is the opposite, he needs some wingers to make plays with, but he can also get more out of them too. Much more. So while Kesler seems like he's worth 5m because he can "carry" a line, it's actually the perception that he can that makes it acceptable to us as fans.

Roy is a 1st line talent. I would pay him the 5m to keep him. Kesler money. Put a proper system in place here, and surround him with wingers that make plays, like Higgins, and I have little doubt he will show better than he has. This is the 4th 1st line talent on this team, should he be retained.

 

[Smokey McCanucks]

Roy won't be back, Raymond neither. Lousy trade, lost our second in a really deep draft and one of our better D prospects for a couple months of a guy who didn't do much. I didn't like this trade, never liked this trade, everyone said I was stupid but I said Gillis was doubling down on 12. Y'all laughed at me and said Roy was exactly what we needed, but what we really needed was to stand pat and keep our picks and prospects.

 

[digger18]

He's the fourth 1st line talent to put up 3rd line numbers in the playoffs......Adios!

 

[Bleach Clean]

He's the fourth 1st line talent to put up 3rd line numbers in the playoffs......Adios!

Yes, get rid of the 1st liners too. Who needs 1st liners amirite?

 

[ZZamboni]

So the first handful of games, most Canucks fans seemed to love what Roy brought to the team. He seemed to really impress. What's the general opinion now? As a Sabres fan, I saw plenty of Derek in different times of the season and how he played. Thoughts on his future? Thanks.

Sorry our expansion brothers lost the 1st round

 

[Aphid Attraction]

So the first handful of games, most Canucks fans seemed to love what Roy brought to the team. He seemed to really impress. What's the general opinion now? As a Sabres fan, I saw plenty of Derek in different times of the season and how he played. Thoughts on his future? Thanks.

Sorry our expansion brothers lost the 1st round

You know something is wrong when you expansion cousin is also your expansion brother...

He did ok,
But did not make an impact in the end
Though we never keep lines together when they have chemistry, he should have stayed with Higgins
We are in a cap crunch and he will get more as a FA so look for him to walk

 

[Drop the Sopel]

So the first handful of games, most Canucks fans seemed to love what Roy brought to the team. He seemed to really impress. What's the general opinion now? As a Sabres fan, I saw plenty of Derek in different times of the season and how he played. Thoughts on his future? Thanks.

Sorry our expansion brothers lost the 1st round

Didn't play with enough desperation or energy for my liking. If you're small and don't bring a physical element, you need to pursue the puck with some real purpose. Didn't see anywhere near enough of that from Roy.

Didn't like how he was used either and he really wasn't put with the type of forwards needed to get the most out of him.

Judging by Gillis' post season presser, I don't believe he will be retained. Can't blame Gillis for not wanting to throw big money at Roy - the Canucks are really up against it with the cap.

 

[Fat Tony]

So the first handful of games, most Canucks fans seemed to love what Roy brought to the team. He seemed to really impress. What's the general opinion now? As a Sabres fan, I saw plenty of Derek in different times of the season and how he played.

In isolation, it was a good trade to get him. In the context of a struggling team that was more than one player from truly contending, it was a not a great move.

Thoughts on his future?

I don't think there's enough will on either side to get a deal done.

 

[ZZamboni]

You know something is wrong when you expansion cousin is also your expansion brother

Funny thing is, after I typed that.. I was like ... Hmmm that doesn't look right but, oh well.






Thanks for the opinion. It seems looking at things from an outside perspective, the Canucks have a similar problem as the Sabres COUSIN. Decent talent, not great leadership core to take a team deep into the playoffs. Vanek, Sedins, Pominville, Roy, etc ..... Talented players... Poor leaders. As a Sabres fan I would love a D.Brown, S. Weber, R. Callahan type of captain and leader. Guys like Vanek and Sedins are great complimentary pieces to make a team highly competitive but can't be heavily relied upon for gritty playoff hockey. The Sabres have been ridding themselves of the older core players like Roy and Gaustad, and I think Vanek and/or Miller will be moved next.

Just my O.

Good luck in the partial rebuild.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Didn't play with enough desperation or energy for my liking. If you're small and don't bring a physical element, you need to pursue the puck with some real purpose. Didn't see anywhere near enough of that from Roy.

Didn't like how he was used either and he really wasn't put with the type of forwards needed to get the most out of him.

Judging by Gillis' post season presser, I don't believe he will be retained. Can't blame Gillis for not wanting to throw big money at Roy - the Canucks are really up against it with the cap.

To me, it comes down to how confident Gillis is in moving Booth/Ballard, when It comes to retaining Roy. If they can be moved with ease, he should absolutely re-sign Roy. However, I too don't think he will.

Good centres are so hard to find. It would be a shame to lose him for that reason alone. I fear that we will back here again, next year, looking for a C solution to insulate the team.

Gillis also said that Schroeder was only good at times. So it leaves me wondering how he's going to remedy the 3C position on the team... Trade for a bigger, younger 3C with 2nd line upside... Easier said than done.

 

[Drop the Sopel]

To me, it comes down to how confident Gillis is in moving Booth/Ballard, when I comes to retaining Roy. If they can be moved with ease, he should absolutely re-sign Roy. However, I too don't think he will.

Good centres are so hard to find. It would be a shame to lose him for that reason alone. I fear that we will back here again, next year, looking for a C solution to insulate the team.

Gillis also said that Schroeder was only good at times. So it leaves me wondering how he's going to remedy the 3C position on the team...

The reason I think Gillis will move on is because when Botchford asked him why he targeted Roy when the team needed more braun his first comment was there wasn't much available. You would think his first comment would have spoken to Roy's ability to produce and track record - that was an afterthought in his response.

Gillis really has his work cut out for him. The 3rd line centre position is a glaring hole, as is a lack of size AND skill in the top 6. IMO he will need to look at moving guys like Hansen, Burrows, Bieksa and possibly Edler to fill some of these difficult to fill holes. Hansen specifically hasn't been mentioned much but I wouldn't be surprised if he's used to fill that 3C hole. Hansen is a valuable trade chip, yet doesn't bring anything the team isn't already getting out of other players like Higgins and Burrows...

 

[Bleach Clean]

The reason I think Gillis will move on is because when Botchford asked him why he targeted Roy when the team needed more braun his first comment was there wasn't much available. You would think his first comment would have spoken to Roy's ability to produce and track record - that was an afterthought in his response.

Gillis really has his work cut out for him. The 3rd line centre position is a glaring hole, as is a lack of size AND skill in the top 6. IMO he will need to look at moving guys like Hansen, Burrows, Bieksa and possibly Edler to fill some of these difficult to fill holes. Hansen specifically hasn't been mentioned much but I wouldn't be surprised if he's used to fill that 3C hole. Hansen is a valuable trade chip, yet doesn't bring anything the team isn't already getting out of other players like Higgins and Burrows...

I think Burrows is a top candidate to be moved. He's a great utility forward, but he doesn't have unique traits that help distinguish himself in the top6. A jack of all trades. With his age, it might make sense to deal him to better fill out the forward corps.

I thought the same thing when Gillis commented on Roy in his presser. I'm still holding out hope that after he re-evaluates his team make-up, and what's likely to become available at C in the future, that he chooses to retain what he has. Don't think he will, but I hope he does.

It's going to be ultra difficult getting a proper C solution if he's letting players like Roy walk.

 

[RoyalRed]

Funny thing is, after I typed that.. I was like ... Hmmm that doesn't look right but, oh well.






Thanks for the opinion. It seems looking at things from an outside perspective, the Canucks have a similar problem as the Sabres COUSIN. Decent talent, not great leadership core to take a team deep into the playoffs. Vanek, Sedins, Pominville, Roy, etc ..... Talented players... Poor leaders. As a Sabres fan I would love a D.Brown, S. Weber, R. Callahan type of captain and leader. Guys like Vanek and Sedins are great complimentary pieces to make a team highly competitive but can't be heavily relied upon for gritty playoff hockey. The Sabres have been ridding themselves of the older core players like Roy and Gaustad, and I think Vanek and/or Miller will be moved next.

Just my O.

Good luck in the partial rebuild.

If I were the Sabres, I would NOT be moving Vanek. Guy's the most underrated goal scorer in the league. I understand what you're saying about Vanek being the type of leader you need in the playoffs - trust me, I can relate to you with the Sedins in Vancouver - but he's still in the prime of his career and the type of piece that every team salivates to get: a goal scorer with slick hands in front of the net who can score goals of all varieties. Vanek doesn't just score pretty goals off the rush with his shot, he has the hands to score the garbage goals as well.

 

[vancityluongo]

Watching LA play, Roy's lack of production is even more sad.

He should've been our Jeff Carter. Our teams makeup on paper is not too dissimilar to the Kings before the deadline last season.

Carter was also said to party too much.

 

[arsmaster*]

I think Burrows is a top candidate to be moved. He's a great utility forward, but he doesn't have unique traits that help distinguish himself in the top6. A jack of all trades. With his age, it might make sense to deal him to better fill out the forward corps.

I thought the same thing when Gillis commented on Roy in his presser. I'm still holding out hope that after he re-evaluates his team make-up, and what's likely to become available at C in the future, that he chooses to retain what he has. Don't think he will, but I hope he does.

It's going to be ultra difficult getting a proper C solution if he's letting players like Roy walk.

Why not move Burrows to #3C?

He was as effective as Roy there and is cheaper than Roy.

Maybe this allows Kesler and Schroeder to work some chemistry and Kassian can truly be given the Sedin minutes?

I think Gillis still views his 3rd line as a checking unit, Higgins-Burrows-Hansen could do that.

That leaves an opening for possibly Booth-Schroeder-Kesler. Or open that spot up to an acquisition.

I'm not too hopeful it will look much different than that, but why not give that a go?

Also, I'm not getting on the "trade our bad reputation" bandwagon. **** that, that's like putting another towel on the stick, and I'm tired of that defeatist bullship.

 

[yoss]

I wish we would have grabbed Shane Doan this season. I think he could have been good for us in the playoffs. His leadership qualities in that Mantracker episode really impressed me.

As for Roy, didn't do anything in for us in round 1, then again he's still relatively new to the team so maybe it's partly to do with that, adjusting to new teammates and system. I would have liked to seen him with Higgins more also, they had good chemistry together and he didn't do much with anyone else.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Why not move Burrows to #3C?

He was as effective as Roy there and is cheaper than Roy.

Maybe this allows Kesler and Schroeder to work some chemistry and Kassian can truly be given the Sedin minutes?

I think Gillis still views his 3rd line as a checking unit, Higgins-Burrows-Hansen could do that.

That leaves an opening for possibly Booth-Schroeder-Kesler. Or open that spot up to an acquisition.

I'm not too hopeful it will look much different than that, but why not give that a go?

Also, I'm not getting on the "trade our bad reputation" bandwagon. **** that, that's like putting another towel on the stick, and I'm tired of that defeatist bullship.

I think management realizes how useful Kesler is at C, and will keep him there as a going concern. Yes, offensively, he needs work. Still, he was much more effective at C than on W, this time around, so I think they will keep him there. Especially if Roy isn't brought back.

Trade our bad reputation is completely reliant on what's coming back. I can go either way with it. It all depends on what comes back.

Burrows at 3C is interesting. I liked some of what I saw there during the season, but I'm not sure he can solidify himself at that spot. If he can, it definitely takes the pressure off finding a better option.

 

[iFan]

Roy isn't getting his 6 million he was looking for, he'll be lucky to get 4 million, I think a team that pays him 4 will be disappointed, I'd much rather have Burrows at 4 over Roy

 

[BoHorvatFan]

Roy has 7 goals in 45 career playing off games.. some first line talent that is.

You wanna win... let the guy walk.