Kel Varnson
Registered User
- Oct 31, 2017
- 472
- 188
It wouldn't really be "gifting" him a spot if he is clearly the best option available. Pettersson is likely the 3rd best forward on the roster already.
I think some of you here need to just look at this in a business scenario. Canuck will get more fans attending if Petterson stays with the big club. He will be given a spot in the NHL.
Pettersson is virtually a lock for the Canucks on opening night. With the departure of Henrik, Daniel and Vanek, the Canucks are short a 100 scoring points or so. Who else is going to pick up the slack? Gagner? Eriksson?
Canucks are so desperate for scoring up front it wouldn't surprise me that even a kid like Dahlen, if he shows any life in training camp might be kept around.
Finally you make a good pointLots of players never play a single game in the AHL without being “gifted” anything. AHL is a development league. If Pettersson doesn’t need it, he shouldn’t go.
Finally you make a good point
2019-20 season:I can't remember who wrote it, but there was a link that appeared in my feed on Chrome where someone made estimates for Canucks goals. I believe Boeser and Horvat were 35 and 30 respectively, which would be great. Pettersson would have 42 according this guy. Leading the team.
Bold prediction.
But there is a lot of hype surrounding Pettersson from a lot of sources.
I am looking forward to seeing him play as part of our team.
Pettersson played just seven games at centre last year, but he wants to be a centre. The Canucks want him to be a centre. So why wait?
If there are going to be growing pains as Pettersson adjusts to the position in the NHL, the earlier he can get through them the better. Why put it off?
The Canucks are much more eager to get him playing centre than people seem to think and their free-agent moves support that. They didn’t acquire anyone who could even compete with Pettersson for that hole created by Henrik Sedin’s retirement.
This is what I'm leaning towards too. Eventually, if he's kept on the wing, I could see Horvat being his centre and Boeser drop down a line with Gagner as his centre. They performed well together last year when Vanek was the other winger and Gagner could be a sufficient enough passer to get Boeser the puck.Put him with Eriksson as a mentor and Gagner as his centre to start, I guess.... Or perhaps Dahlen makes the team and could go on his wing, who knows. All I know is, this team is a jumbled mess.
As a C, he did have a four-point game late in the season, lol. I believe it was the game where he passed Peter Forsberg's U-20 mark.
For what that's worth. I'm cautiously optimistic he'll be tried at C and it won't be any sort of impediment to him.
Going from recall, the majority of his draft season in Allsvenskan was spent at C. Benning and the media referenced him as a "playmaking centre iceman" during the draft. I don't think his success at RW in his draft + 1 year clouds this assessment. It's a bonus, not a restriction.
I think the concern is that he spent most of last season on the wing. At C there were reportedly some issues with his defensive game (i.e. he wasn't great). He dominated Swedish hockey as a winger so I am optimistic that he can step in and contribute offensively as an NHL winger right away. But since he didn't dominate Swedish hockey as a C, I am not too optimistic that he can step in and contribute offensively as an NHL C right away and not be an absolute liability defensively.
Pettersson will get the same treatment as the Sedins
Emil PetterssonWhose that hes with Jagr or Hamhuis or some sort of combination (j/k)??
I think the concern is that he spent most of last season on the wing. At C there were reportedly some issues with his defensive game (i.e. he wasn't great). He dominated Swedish hockey as a winger so I am optimistic that he can step in and contribute offensively as an NHL winger right away. But since he didn't dominate Swedish hockey as a C, I am not too optimistic that he can step in and contribute offensively as an NHL C right away and not be an absolute liability defensively.