Post-Game Talk: Game #20: Ducks 3, Canucks 1 - Petition to move into Metropolitan division

[BassMason]

Nothing has changed in my view about this team after this road swing. The Canucks were only outplayed against the Kings which wasn't even as bad as the scoreline would have you believe, the other three games they matched or outplayed their opponent but a couple of bounces didn't go their way. This team is good enough to make the playoffs and we'll see how the season unfolds.

ding ding ding!

 

[strattonius]

Gillis is not a serious threat in the offseason. Coming off getting swept, and you sign a player that was scratched in 27/29 games for LA. And any chance of dominance in the O-zone dies with Tanev. Fakes shot, doesn't pass, weak ass shot that gets blocked without effort, and the play is dead. Corrado is so much better. Flames fans in the Trade sections are drooling over Tanev, with some massive canuck haters having great desire for Tanev. Cammalleri is perfect for this team, but Gillis will instead hope for Hansen and Schroeder to be our saviors

Richardson might be the worst example you could possibly could give. Kudos! He was signed as a 4th liner and has exceeded expectations. Santorelli would have been another terrible example you you could use. If anything this shows Gillis is savy in the offseason - perhaps the exact antithesis of your point.

And complaining about Tanev is a little perplexing. He isn't an offensive dynamo, we all know this (good job on the observation). However, he has improved and isn't even expected to provide much offense for the team...or did you expect all of our defensemen to clip 40 pts? Tanev is serviceable and dependable. He is in the upper echelon of the league for a 5/6 defender.

And there's something called a salary CAP...have you heard of it? It is nearly impossible to fit Cammalleri on this team.

It's actually pretty impressive that almost every single thing you wrote was totally incorrect. Kudos once again!

 

[Rotting Corpse*]

Canucks PP sucks. How many goals does Higgins, Burrows and Santorelli have on the PP?

None.

We have two from Daniel, two from Kesler, one from Henrik and one from Garrison. That's it. That's all. Zero PP goals from the second unit PP; 1 PP goal from our defense corps. Pretty unreal.

 

[JuniorNelson]

Canucks are using Kesler on the top line at the cost of a second line. This couldn't work forever. The Sedins looked burnt out today. Injuries might be a factor.

I feel concerned that Luongo is not entirely healthy. I do not think his mobility is as crisp as normal.

The defense doesn't look like a top ten unit any more. They are overplaying on some plays, trying to follow the new system. Tanev looks to weigh a hundred and forty pounds. Hamhuis is WTF sometimes. Bieksa isn't the fleet join the rush guy he was. Garrison looks soft.

Every area of the team has huge question marks, but they have been playing well enough to cover them. They only did this through the extended minutes of a few guys. It won't work every night.

 

[Derp Kassian]

Think we should all put that Paper Tiger Anaheim narrative to a rest, very good team this year with injuries and only getting better. They also find goalies like seemingly nothing.

 

[canuck4life16]

Richardson might be the worst example you could possibly could give. Kudos! He was signed as a 4th liner and has exceeded expectations. Santorelli would have been another terrible example you you could use. If anything this shows Gillis is savy in the offseason - perhaps the exact antithesis of your point.

And complaining about Tanev is a little perplexing. He isn't an offensive dynamo, we all know this (good job on the observation). However, he has improved and isn't even expected to provide much offense for the team...or did you expect all of our defensemen to clip 40 pts? Tanev is serviceable and dependable. He is in the upper echelon of the league for a 5/6 defender.

And there's something called a salary CAP...have you heard of it? It is nearly impossible to fit Cammalleri on this team.

It's actually pretty impressive that almost every single thing you wrote was totally incorrect. Kudos once again!

exactly there the salary cap and two trade have to agree......and Cammalleri return is likely high.... a prospect, a player, and 1st round pick

AND how can fans think MG is not on the phone trying to make trades? You don't know that?

 

[Seatoo]

exactly there the salary cap and two trade have to agree......and Cammalleri return is likely high.... a prospect, a player, and 1st round pick

AND how can fans think MG is not on the phone trying to make trades? You don't know that?

Go home you're drunk

 

[canuck4life16]

ding ding ding!

this I think it just an overeaction..... ! two losses and here come the negative!

 

[strattonius]

Go home you're drunk

Cammalleri is a 30-40 goal scorer and Calgary would be reluctant to trade one of their more established NHL'ers (they aren't taking he Oiker route) What do you think it would take? Over priced but actually sounds about right.

 

[Vankiller Whale]

That's the difference between not looking at names and looking simply at effectiveness. It's why I framed the argument with a 35 point ES value for Burrows, to get it away from talking about names.

Anyway, the production argument against that 2nd line, even in hypotheticals, has been crushed IMO. The ES production has been there for Burrows and Higgins. Santorelli looks to be joining them. Clearly your issue is with PP production and not with a line scoring at ES, because as far as that goes, it's there for all to see and track. I'll let that point, and the point above, speak for themselves as I bow out of this portion of the discussion.

I have an issue with you bringing up Perry, who was clearly having an off year. In contrast Perry is on pace for 82 ES points(will probably come down a bit as the year goes on though) and 62 ES points in his Hart year, which is nearly twice as much, even before factoring potency on the PP.

Santorelli doesn't have to keep it up. He could get worse, in fact, and still do the job. He can drop to the magic 35 ES points and still fulfill the job of a 2nd line C pretty well. Your entre argument hinges on PP production. At ES, there is no argument to be made against the 2nd line, as a line, from the existing information.

And once again, why should a player's ineffectiveness on the power play make him more appealing? Our power play is tied for third worst in the league, but we're supposed to be satisfied with guys who have no history of producing well on the power play and are not likely to develop that ability anytime soon given the stage they are at in their careers.

 

[B4NND1T*]

Richardson might be the worst example you could possibly could give. Kudos! He was signed as a 4th liner and has exceeded expectations. Santorelli would have been another terrible example you you could use. If anything this shows Gillis is savy in the offseason - perhaps the exact antithesis of your point.

And complaining about Tanev is a little perplexing. He isn't an offensive dynamo, we all know this (good job on the observation). However, he has improved and isn't even expected to provide much offense for the team...or did you expect all of our defensemen to clip 40 pts? Tanev is serviceable and dependable. He is in the upper echelon of the league for a 5/6 defender.

And there's something called a salary CAP...have you heard of it? It is nearly impossible to fit Cammalleri on this team.

It's actually pretty impressive that almost every single thing you wrote was totally incorrect. Kudos once again!

The point isn't that Tanev will get points, it's that he prevents others from getting them by sucking **** in the offensive zone. Like the opposite of MA Bergeron. Corrado is a cheaper, more effective version in the future and Tanev is a luxury for only a bit longer. Corrado has an accurate rocket, Tanev has a flaccid joke .

Camalleri would be acquired easily if Tanev was the centerpiece. No cap issues

How oblivious are you? While teams who lost repaired and improved their teams, EX: Eriksson, Iginla, Lecavalier, Horton, Alfredsson, Ribeiro etc, we are stuck with a man who would rather sign outcasts and rejects to an aging core and preserve his job rather than improve the product.

2011-2012 Offseason. Marco Sturm. Nuff said

 

[Towel-Power]

More finish please.

 

[Drop the Sopel]

Haven't seen many comments about Lack. I can't help but wonder if he's on par with Luongo already. Will need to see more but his technical ability, size and calm demeanor instills a lot of confidence. Wouldn't be surprised to see him match Lou save for save from here on out. Looks like the real deal - certainly better than the guy he used to back up in Jacob Markstrom.

 

[StringerBell]

Overall a good effort. Thought they outplayed Anaheim but couldn't get a bounce. However, Ducks do a great job of blocking shots and getting their stick in the lanes. Very defensively sound and while they let Vancouver do a lot around the fringes really tough to work the puck into the slot. Frustrating game against a team that just wants to keep it defensively tight and attack of your mistakes.

The Good

Sestito - probably based here on expectations as much as play. But he was effective he creating some physical presence and jamming around in front of the net. Whole 4th/ 3rd??? line had some decent shifts and looks to be taking on at least some personality.

Bieksa - Pushed the play as much as he good. Have to love the heart. Mistakes for sure, but he was again the the Canuck best player

Burrows - dogged effort however needs to start scoring. Must be back with the Sedins

Lack - played another solid game. Other goalie looked super but Lack couldn't be faulted for anything. Garrison had to take the body with Perry on the first goal instead of just puck watching . He takes Perry's stick and there is no way he can reach around for the shot

The Bad

Kesler - clear at the end that Kesler has lost a step. Just way too many turnovers. Play keeps dieing on his stick

Tanev - his down low play in his own end is getting disturbing. Wear and tear of the season is catching up on him. Gets into games with big strong teams and he starts getting exposed. Big down turn in his play recently

The Ugly

Kassian - if he doesn't start playing better the Canucks are going to have to fess up to very bad trade. Looks clueless and and either he is lazy or simply confused. Does not appear to be quick enough mentally to anticipate much. Skates aimlessly into traps or glides right out of the play. Seems totally lost in coverage in his own end and plays extremely soft.

At any rate, team is thru a difficult part of the season and still in relatively decent playoff position. However, needs to get off the slide it is on quickly

Appreciated. I missed the game tonight and came here to hear how it went. This was by far the only post worth reading.

It's two games people. Think about how you felt about this team 36 hours ago going into the Kings game. No two games can be bad enough to merit the kind of response seen here. There's a reason teams always preach not getting too high after wins or too low after losses: it's a long season.

We just came off a four game roadtrip through the heart of the toughest division in hockey and arguably outplayed the opposition in 3/4 games. Let's stop holding down that panic button for a second here -- it's already on its last legs and the season's only a quarter over.

 

[SighReally]

Haven't seen many comments about Lack. I can't help but wonder if he's on par with Luongo already. Will need to see more but his technical ability, size and calm demeanor instills a lot of confidence. Wouldn't be surprised to see him match Lou save for save from here on out. Looks like the real deal - certainly better than the guy he used to back up in Jacob Markstrom.

You're selling Markstrom short. Even though I don't believe he'll be anything better than an average starter or in the worst case, a journey man #1B, right now he's getting lit up by an absolutely abysmal defence and system they're playing. You thrust Lack into a situation like that I doubt you'd have the same tone as you are right now; regardless of the defensive break downs we've had, they're nothing compared to what the defence has done to the goalies in Florida.

 

[Rotting Corpse*]

1234

 

[StringerBell]

1234

Too slow on the edit haha, I already saw what you wrote

 

[strattonius]

The point isn't that Tanev will get points, it's that he prevents others from getting them by sucking **** in the offensive zone. Like the opposite of MA Bergeron. Corrado is a cheaper, more effective version in the future and Tanev is a luxury for only a bit longer. Corrado has an accurate rocket, Tanev has a flaccid joke .

Camalleri would be acquired easily if Tanev was the centerpiece. No cap issues

How oblivious are you? While teams who lost repaired and improved their teams, EX: Eriksson, Iginla, Lecavalier, Horton, Alfredsson, Ribeiro etc, we are stuck with a man who would rather sign outcasts and rejects to an aging core and preserve his job rather than improve the product.

2011-2012 Offseason. Marco Sturm. Nuff said

I still don't understand your point. Tanev is a 5/6 defenseman he isn't expected to increase offensive production, he is expected to play solid in his own zone and PREVENT goals. Why can't the team have both Corrado and Tanev? And why do you neglect to mention these players in their own zone? The fact that you can't see Tanev's value and assess his strengths shows you're oblivious, not me my friend. It's a weak argument for you; Tanev is playing important minutes and succeeding in the NHL and Corrado is developing in the AHL. How much further can you take this really?

Curious how you think there wouldn't be CAP issues with Cammalleri. Please explain that as well...

And Gillis isn't a big name free agent *****. If you'd rather we fly Glen Sather in I'm curious what the reaction would be around here I think Gillis did improve the team with Richardson and Santorelli. So far they have been total steals - money puck at its finest.

 

[SighReally]

Pretty funny how bipolar a lot of people are. Most of them had already written off this season as a transitional period as the Canucks were hamstrung by the lowered cap. Suddenly, when we start winning, we're off to the races asking why we haven't signed FAs to expensive contracts to bolster our second line or haven't traded for top liners (while forgetting that they had previously anguished over the fact that we had no one coming up from the farm) when we lose two games in back-to-back in a hard road trip. Literally sharks in water that taste blood of defeat and decide to go on a frenzy. I understand it's frustrating to see our group lose with stretches of poor play in this most recent game but I feel it's better to keep a cool head and to step back and think rationally.

Fact is, unless Gillis decides to go in all in this season (an unwise move in my opinion), we play with what we have and improve internally as a group while exchanging a few inexpensive outside parts with shedding teams like Florida to tweak our team. With the upcoming cap projected to rise, maybe Gillis will throw a shiny new bone at our bipolar fanbase to settle them down for a bit. One can only hope.

 

[canuck4life16]

I still don't understand your point. Tanev is a 5/6 defenseman he isn't expected to increase offensive production, he is expected to play solid in his own zone and PREVENT goals. Why can't the team have both Corrado and Tanev? And why do you neglect to mention these players in their own zone? The fact that you can't see Tanev's value and assess his strengths shows you're oblivious, not me my friend. It's a weak argument for you; Tanev is playing important minutes and succeeding in the NHL and Corrado is developing in the AHL. How much further can you take this really?

Curious how you think there wouldn't be CAP issues with Cammalleri. Please explain that as well...

And Gillis isn't a big name free agent *****. If you'd rather we fly Glen Sather in I'm curious what the reaction would be around here I think Gillis did improve the team with Richardson and Santorelli. So far they have been total steals - money puck at its finest.

I don't understand the post some were FA signing and some were trade......we don't have the cap space to do it........Alfresson and Iginla are doing fine but they old......Horton is injuried prone, and I rather not overpaid for a FA because the choices are not great

Again CAP SPACE we just don't have enough

 

[strattonius]

I don't understand the post some were FA signing and some were trade......we don't have the cap space to do it........Alfresson and Iginla are doing fine but they old......Horton is injuried prone, and I rather not overpaid for a FA because the choices are not great

Again CAP SPACE we just don't have enough

The biggest GM gaffes are often through free agency. Going for the big names is often an all-in. And to be honest, I'm not even convinced Cammalleri makes this team better if it's at the expense of Tanev and Hansen - just hypothetically.

 

[yoss]

More finish please.

Yes, exactly. Sedinery been little flat last couple games, curious as to what the top line will look like next game. Burrows back there? Keep beastmodo in tact?

 

[mossey3535]

I haven't liked Tanev's game all road trip. Sure he blocks lots of shots but I feel like he is responsible for goals on half-hearted block attempts every 2-3 games.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Yes, exactly. Sedinery been little flat last couple games, curious as to what the top line will look like next game. Burrows back there? Keep beastmodo in tact?

I think I'm done with Beastmodo. But I wanna keep Santo on line 2, though.

 

[vanuck]

Also, you can't ask more of a team than for them to put in an effort (which they have) and stick to the system. Hopefully as a result of doing that, you win more games than you lose, but the way you guys act you'd think there isn't even another team out there.

3 road games in 5 nights against some of the top teams in the league? Yeah, you're going to lose some of those.

Make that 3 in 4, actually. To outplay the other team in score-close situations on the road with the injuries we have is a good sign that we can still compete and should be right there with these teams.

Nothing has changed in my view about this team after this road swing. The Canucks were only outplayed against the Kings which wasn't even as bad as the scoreline would have you believe, the other three games they matched or outplayed their opponent but a couple of bounces didn't go their way. This team is good enough to make the playoffs and we'll see how the season unfolds.

Agreed.