Recalled/Assigned: Frank Corrado (AHL), Zach Hamill (AHL), and Brendan Gaunce (OHL) sent down

[Catamarca Livin]

Disgraceful.

The guy made the team. Badly outplayed the two established players ahead of him.

This comes after all the talk heading into camp about 'veterans losing jobs' and 'young guys needing to step up'. Alberts was just horrendous, as bad as he could possibly be. He should have lost his job. Awful player.

And the ridiculous thing is that we're sending down the one young player who looks ready to make an impact at this level, while we keep up two forwards who don't look remotely ready at all.

I've been a big Gillis supporter, but stuff like this makes you wonder if he's losing he plot. Reminds of the 2007 training camp where Edler was sent down after being the team's best player in preseason, while a hopelessly unready Mason Raymond was kept on the squad.

I've read some posts saying this may be a waiver move, so i will wait and see. People saying it is better to be a top pair dman in Utica than a 6th dman in the show are out to lunch. Should the Sedins have developed in the AHL until they became top 6 forwards, how about Burrows, Kesler, Hansen. Should Tanev still be in the minors being a top d man. I see no evidence that d men develop better playing a couple years in the AHL. It is just conjucture. The best of everything is in the NHL. He will be in the NHL this year, i do not agree with this move because the Canucks are better with Corrado in the lineup. Also good behaviour should be rewarded. He outplayed Weber and Alberts and should be rewarded. Of course if this is a short term move to keep assets perhaps it is acceptable.


Agree totally with everything said above!! One more point we wasted a year of Corrado's ELC for what!!!!! If he is not ready now why was he ready last year. We wasted a year so they could send him down to the AHL this year. He was good enough last year, he is better now and will get better all year. Playing against inferior AHL players will not improve him as much as playing in the NHL. He is already bettter than the players there. I think either way he will develop i do not see one reason to send him down. He is a competitor with an edge, he is better than Weber defensively and better than Alberts at basically everything important to a team winning.

 

[Superpest]

Reason why Corrado got sent down?

Tortorella wants to have 7 defensemen and 2 extra forwards. Sending Alberts or Weber to the AHL would mean having to waive them. The risk of losing either is too great, and we don't have the depth to afford that.

 

[Grub]

Reason why Corrado got sent down?

Tortorella wants to have 7 defensemen and 2 extra forwards. Sending Alberts or Weber to the AHL would mean having to waive them. The risk of losing either is too great, and we don't have the depth to afford that.

Also part of the reason is that Torts system is different. The top 5 defencemen will get the majortiy of ice time.. no longer the AV system where the top guy only gets 21 minutes. The sixth guy is prob going to get 8 min.

 

[B-rock]

What's the status of Ryan Whitney's playing ability at this point?
He was left unsigned by St. Louis and could be an option on the back end.

Gillis has cap space and I'm pretty sure he has planned on picking someone up either off the waiver wire or from a team that is tight to the cap.

Every year he waits to see what happens in camp and then usually makes a move in the first month or so.

 

[Danrik]

That argument doesn't work. Raymond and Brunner didn't sign until last week.

Except Raymond and Brunner should be in the NHL and both were obviously looking for more than the league minimum.

 

[Ernie]

I don't think Gillis minded burning a year. He might have even preferred it. All they had to do was not play him in game 4 of the playoffs - when they were already down 3-0 and had virtually no chance of coming back.

Corrado still won't be a UFA until the age of 27. His ELC will expire when he's 22. The calculation may be that re-signing him to a bridge contract will be cheaper at the age of 22 instead of 23.

Take Edler as an example. If he'd signed his bridge contract a year earlier, would he have earned $3.25m per season, or something considerably less?

With a player like Corrado, who they are likely reasonably certain will be a regular roster player by the time his ELC expires, and may even be a top four defenceman by that time, it could be a worthwhile gamble to move him into a bridge contract as early as possible.

 

[arsmaster*]

There are a lot of posts with no foresight over the last few pages. Corrado will become a better player down the line by eating tough minutes in Utica, than he will in 12 minutes a night here.

He won't be down there all year anyways.

 

[B-rock]

There are a lot of posts with no foresight over the last few pages. Corrado will become a better player down the line by eating tough minutes in Utica, than he will in 12 minutes a night here.

He won't be down there all year anyways.

Testify!

 

[Jyrki]

What's the status of Ryan Whitney's playing ability at this point?
He was left unsigned by St. Louis and could be an option on the back end.

Gillis has cap space and I'm pretty sure he has planned on picking someone up either off the waiver wire or from a team that is tight to the cap.

Every year he waits to see what happens in camp and then usually makes a move in the first month or so.

Quite honestly, Whitney looked like Cam Barker. He can make passes but that's it. He's as soft as ever, and injuries have taken a serious toll on his skating ability.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

So the purpose of training camp was to see who would be 6th and 7th between Alberts and Weber.
Seriously though, I thought Corrado was better than both of Weber and Alberts. Weber reportedly has more offensive upside but is weaker defensively. I thought Corrado provided about the same offence and played much better defensively. In fact I think he has a fair amount of offensive upside from what I saw,
The bottomline is that the fight for the 6th spot on defence was fixed from the beginning. Corrado had no shot of making the team out of camp unless there was an injury. He'll be back up when the first injury happens and I have a feeling that he won't be going down again after that.

 

[stevecanuck16]

Reason why Corrado got sent down?

Tortorella wants to have 7 defensemen and 2 extra forwards. Sending Alberts or Weber to the AHL would mean having to waive them. The risk of losing either is too great, and we don't have the depth to afford that.

Exactly. Corrado was sent to Utica, not Azkaban. He'll be back. If the team thinks they can sneak Weber through waivers next week when more cuts are made around the league, Corrado will be back immediately. If not, he'll play premium minutes in Utica until one of our defensemen inevitably gets injured, and then he steps right into the lineup.

People saying this is politics are being overdramatic. It's asset management, plain and simple. If the team lost one of Alberts or Weber right now, I can guarantee you they would be losing a draft pick to acquire a replacement at the trade deadline.

 

[denkiteki]

Exactly. Corrado was sent to Utica, not Azkaban. He'll be back. If the team thinks they can sneak Weber through waivers next week when more cuts are made around the league, Corrado will be back immediately. If not, he'll play premium minutes in Utica until one of our defensemen inevitably gets injured, and then he steps right into the lineup.

People saying this is politics are being overdramatic. It's asset management, plain and simple. If the team lost one of Alberts or Weber right now, I can guarantee you they would be losing a draft pick to acquire a replacement at the trade deadline.

Exactly... its asset management and not shocking. If someone gets hurt (rather D or forward), i wouldn't be one bit surprise if Corrado gets called up. Heck i wouldn't be surprised if Corrado gets called up after 5 games when ZK's suspension is over. It makes more sense for us to carry an extra forward right now due to having 2 forwards hurt and our best replacements are ones that can't be called up after being sent down (aka sent to Jr.).

At the same time, with asset management, it makes no sense for either HS or BH to stay more than 9 games unless they are going to contribute this year (aka not 4th line and no way as an extra forward) so one of them will likely be sent down even if they "make the team" and odds are probably both will be gone after 9 games... again that's another likely position that Corrado will be called up.

Also remember Tanev's first year, he was up and down between AHL and NHL despite the fact he probably should've been on the roster.

 

[thefeebster]

I agree with most of what MS has said here. This is a joke and not unlike the Team Canada incident. Goes into camp with the impression that he has a chance to make the team with a strong camp, does everything asked of him and outplays several players competing for the same spots, only to be cut in the end. Unjust.

I also agree with those highlighting the absolute hypocrisy shown by Gillis. This summer he made a big show about how their young players need to start developing at the NHL level. Just more lip service.

To people saying it's reminiscent of Schroeder's movement last season with Ebbett, i don't see that at all. It's not one game from now, not 5 games, not 9 games from now that Corrado will be back up here. Did you guys miss Tort's comments that they would revisit Corrado at USA Thanksgivings/Christmas? That's not just a paper transaction.

 

[Outside99*]

These were the correct moves IMO.

The decision on Gaunce all depends what you view as his potential. If you think his absolute max is as a defensive third liner, then yes, you would keep him. But I think the organization believes he has more to offer than that. We saw more potential worth a free look from both Shinkaruk and Horvat.

And Corrado going to the AHL is the obvious move. Torts is known for playing his top 4 a lot more than the bottom pairing. Corrado was great but didn't show enough to knock someone out of the top 4. Corrado will be called up when either a) we need another top 4 defenseman or b) it's the end of the year and we want him to improve our bottom pairing. Right now he benefits from ice time and responsibility in the AHL.

And in a strange way Alberts played an okay preseason. Don't get me wrong, he was mind numbingly horrible at defense. But he expended all his energy trying to inflict pain on the opposition and was quite successful in that regard. When results don't matter I'm perfectly happy with him choosing to destroy Hall in exchange for giving the Oilers a 2 on 0. In a very limited role Alberts has shown himself to be effective in the past. For only 600k that's worth keeping around as a 7th D.

I thought Gaunce showed a high level toolbox. Making nifty passes in tight, good positioning, won some puck battles, made some good defensive plays and generated some offense. They said he was standing around a bit and was behind the play at times, which is fair. If he can improve his foot speed and endurance (assuming lack thereof is why players don't move their feet), he'll be a good one.

 

[vancityluongo]

To the people saying Horvat is gonna get sent down right before Weise comes back...why not just keep a scrub like Hamill around for that purpose then, and let Bo go back to London early to get settled in? Horvat and Shinkaruk should definitely see some game action, but no more than 9 games.

I agree with most of what MS has said here. This is a joke and not unlike the Team Canada incident. Goes into camp with the impression that he has a chance to make the team with a strong camp, does everything asked of him and outplays several players competing for the same spots, only to be cut in the end. Unjust.

I forgot about that. Poor guy.

Gillis is alienating all the good Ontario boys. Hodgson, Tanev, Dave Gagner and now Corrado.

 

[Grub]

To the people saying Horvat is gonna get sent down right before Weise comes back...why not just keep a scrub like Hamill around for that purpose then, and let Bo go back to London early to get settled in? Horvat and Shinkaruk should definitely see some game action, but no more than 9 games.



I forgot about that. Poor guy.

Gillis is alienating all the good Ontario boys. Hodgson, Tanev, Dave Gagner and now Corrado.

Why did the Jets keep Sheifel for less then 9 games giving him a taste of the NHL before sending him down?

These kids will use the brief stint as great motivation in juniors. I don't expect Bo to stay but giving him a taste of what's to come will only bring benefits. He will come back with a more confident mindsent in the OHL.

 

[opendoor]

Did you guys miss Tort's comments that they would revisit Corrado at USA Thanksgivings/Christmas? That's not just a paper transaction.

He also said he didn't want Corrado playing 8-9 minutes a night which is probably a good indication of how he plans to structure the defense's minutes. If true, I'm not sure I buy the idea that his development would be better served in the NHL. If we see Alberts/Weber playing 15+ minutes a night then I'll agree that this was a mistake, but if the #6 guy ends up sitting on the bench most of the night I think this is probably the right decision.


I also don't really think the comparisons to Edler in the 07-08 camp are apt, as Edler was 21 years old and had already spent an entire year in the AHL/NHL prior to that. Corrado has only 13 games of pro experience under his belt. It's hardly a crime to have him get started in the AHL as a 20 year old and then take it from there.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

He also said he didn't want Corrado playing 8-9 minutes a night which is probably a good indication of how he plans to structure the defense's minutes. If true, I'm not sure I buy the idea that his development would be better served in the NHL. If we see Alberts/Weber playing 15+ minutes a night then I'll agree that this was a mistake, but if the #6 guy ends up sitting on the bench most of the night I think this is probably the right decision.


I also don't really think the comparisons to Edler in the 07-08 camp are apt, as Edler was 21 years old and had already spent an entire year in the AHL/NHL prior to that. Corrado has only 13 games of pro experience under his belt. It's hardly a crime to have him get started in the AHL as a 20 year old and then take it from there.

Did anyone hear that? That was the sound of hitting the nail on it's head.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

He also said he didn't want Corrado playing 8-9 minutes a night which is probably a good indication of how he plans to structure the defense's minutes. If true, I'm not sure I buy the idea that his development would be better served in the NHL. If we see Alberts/Weber playing 15+ minutes a night then I'll agree that this was a mistake, but if the #6 guy ends up sitting on the bench most of the night I think this is probably the right decision.


I also don't really think the comparisons to Edler in the 07-08 camp are apt, as Edler was 21 years old and had already spent an entire year in the AHL/NHL prior to that. Corrado has only 13 games of pro experience under his belt. It's hardly a crime to have him get started in the AHL as a 20 year old and then take it from there.

if he's playing the bottom pairing 8 minutes a night, by my math that's an average of 26 minutes for each top 4 guy. I don't see that.
I think the more likely scenario is that the bottom pairing plays 16 minutes leaving 22 minutes for each of the top 4. I think 16 minutes a night is an ideal situation for Corrado. I shudder at the thought of either Alberts or Weber playing that much.
In my mind, Torts' statement was more of an attempt to justify a move that was made for keeping both Alberts and Weber rather than for hockey reasons. A s a pure hockey decision the kid was by far the better of the three guys fighting for the last position and is ready for the NHL.

 

[fancouver]

He also said he didn't want Corrado playing 8-9 minutes a night which is probably a good indication of how he plans to structure the defense's minutes. If true, I'm not sure I buy the idea that his development would be better served in the NHL. If we see Alberts/Weber playing 15+ minutes a night then I'll agree that this was a mistake, but if the #6 guy ends up sitting on the bench most of the night I think this is probably the right decision.


I also don't really think the comparisons to Edler in the 07-08 camp are apt, as Edler was 21 years old and had already spent an entire year in the AHL/NHL prior to that. Corrado has only 13 games of pro experience under his belt. It's hardly a crime to have him get started in the AHL as a 20 year old and then take it from there.

Well said.

Need to put things into perspective. Corrado has plenty of time in the big show. In fact depending on his development, I could see him making Tanev replaceable as a top 4 guy.

The Canucks probably don't want Corrado playing the 5th and 6th defenceman. maybe they want him in the top 4 and some seasoning in the AHL is how he'll get better.

 

[shortshorts]

I don't see how Alberts can be any better than Stu Bickel to Torterella after that pre-season.

 

[Balls Mahoney]

I don't really have a problem with this. Why wouldn't you want your top defensive prospect to get number one minutes in the AHL when there isn't an opening for him in the top four of the NHL? And as much as Alberts is a headache around here, Corrado and him play vastly different games. So again, I don't have a problem with this.

 

[Wetcoaster]

Per John Tortorella on sending Corrado to the AHL:

"Frankie had a goal and assist, and we just sent him to Utica. I thought he started off (training camp) really well and, the middle part, it looked like he just lost a little bit of the confidence. But he has to go play. We're not going to keep a young guy here to be a sixth guy or a seventh guy who's playing eight or nine minutes. He can go down there and play 25, 30 and, hopefully, maybe revisit where he's at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and see where we go."​

Is that Canadian or American Thanksgiving, Torts???

 

[Pip]

I agree with most of what MS has said here. This is a joke and not unlike the Team Canada incident. Goes into camp with the impression that he has a chance to make the team with a strong camp, does everything asked of him and outplays several players competing for the same spots, only to be cut in the end. Unjust.

I also agree with those highlighting the absolute hypocrisy shown by Gillis. This summer he made a big show about how their young players need to start developing at the NHL level. Just more lip service.

To people saying it's reminiscent of Schroeder's movement last season with Ebbett, i don't see that at all. It's not one game from now, not 5 games, not 9 games from now that Corrado will be back up here. Did you guys miss Tort's comments that they would revisit Corrado at USA Thanksgivings/Christmas? That's not just a paper transaction.

The bolded is what annoyed me, because they asked for the youth to come in and earn a spot, Corrado did, and then they sent him down. The reasons are irrelevant when considering that the management and coaching staff have went out of their way to encourage youth to step into the lineup.

 

[BoHorvatFan]

The bolded is what annoyed me, because they asked for the youth to come in and earn a spot, Corrado did, and then they sent him down. The reasons are irrelevant when considering that the management and coaching staff have went out of their way to encourage youth to step into the lineup.

What we hear from management and what they actually do are usually very different.