Post-Game Talk: [GM 73] Canucks defeat Blackhawks | 4-2 | Di Giuseppe, Petterson(2), & Boeser

[DonnyNucker]

I have rein in my clear top 8

So do I. Just saying the actual draft order will be wildly different than your top 8. It always is

 

[Icebreakers]

Kuzy playmaking is underrated.

 

[credulous]

Back to back early games. Of course they looked flat

i'm not saying they are bad because they were bad this game. i'm just saying no one can seriously use this game as evidence they are good

 

[CherryToke]

I know this was just the Hawks and they currently absolutely suck. The Abbotsford Canucks should beat them.

Having said that, this felt like one of those games that good teams just find a way to win. Tired after playing less than 24 hrs ago, we really didn't look good, get a lucky one, then just show up enough to win.

They beat the Bruins 6-3 and Sens 5-0 in their last two home games.

 

[Quinntessential]

If this level of play holds up till next trade deadline I’d be onboard with trading the 2024 and 2025 first round picks to dump OEL and acquire another Hronek level defender. Maybe trade 2 2nds for an elite 3C to go all-in before Petey gets paid.

 

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

Think things that could’ve been done better is giving Demko a 50/50 spilt and maybe playing some of the young guys more but those guys are really struggling.

The usage is what bothers me. Hughes playing insane minutes and usage is not sustainable for the whole season. Demko playing some many straight games was not necessary. Probably not great for someone recovering for injury. Not playing Wolanin top 4 minutes and usage was a miss. Podkolzkin should be in PDG spot.

 

[Gstank]

Kuzy playmaking is underrated.

"Not a play driver" Thomas Drance

 

[dez]

If Nils Aman wants to continue to play center he better learn to win faceoffs, 0 for 7 today and drops to 37% on the season.

 

[rypper]

Good teams find ways to win. Playoff push continues.

Their 0% chance of making it has increased to 0%. Man, so tight almost like a playoff game.

 

[MS]

The usage is what bothers me. Hughes playing insane minutes and usage is not sustainable for the whole season. Demko playing some many straight games was not necessary. Probably not great for someone recovering for injury. Not playing Wolanin top 4 minutes and usage was a miss. Podkolzkin should be in PDG spot.

Hughes playing so much has been terrific - he's absolutely thrived on it and levelled up into the best play of his career. Great players play lots and if he's showing he can be a great player who plays lots you take that and you run with it. Same as Pettersson. The McDavids and MacKinnons of this league play 22 minutes/game and both the team and Pettersson want him to be at that level, and he's showing he can do it. That's f***ing outstanding.

They've tried Podkolzin on higher lines and he keeps playing himself out of it. I can't blame them when Di Giuseppe just keeps playing so well every night. They're trying establish culture and a meritocracy and one guy has earned those minutes and one guy hasn't,

I like Wolanin more than anyone but his usage was fair and he's not going to be playing top-4 minutes next season.

Agreed on the goaltending. I think they could have done all the things they're doing but lost an extra game or two by playing the backup more and it wouldn't have changed much.

 

[Russian_fanatic]

Lmao this is exactly like last season. This team decides to "turn it on" and compete when everyone has packed it in.

You have a shot at a generational hometown talent, and you decide to compete against Chicago, SJ, and Anaheim. This may be "fun", but it definetly ain't smart long term.

 

[Cancuks]

Come on team! Let's catch the Sens so we have 0% at Bedard!! This is all that matters now.

 

[tradervik]

I think that 6'2 205lbs is a measurement from when he was drafted. It seemed small because I remember all the talk about him being hulking from like 3 years ago, I distinctly remember a listing of like 6'3 or 6'4 and 217lbs around that time too

PJ had a recent article in the Province where he mentioned McDonough grew 7 inches (!) after his 16th birthday.

 

[tradervik]

I have rein in my clear top 8

You have a clear top 8 but is there a general consensus on the top 8? My impression is that there isn’t so who knows how the Canucks have ranked the prospects. I’m also sceptical of “tiers”. I still have trouble getting over the Virtanen draft but I remember people saying there was a clear top 5 and were mad the Canucks dropped to 6th OA and therefore missed out on drafting Michael Dal Colle.

 

[Hansen]

PJ had a recent article in the Province where he mentioned McDonough grew 7 inches (!) after his 16th birthday.

I remember when I went through Judd Brackett’s twitter account shortly after he was fired he used to congratulate players for committing to ncaa and keep tabs on prospects of interest before he was our director of scouting. Guys like McDonough were on his radar from 14-15

You look through now and see names like Jeremy Swayman, Sampo Ranta (Avs now in NHL), Jack Malone (2019 pick), Zegras, Noah Cates, Tyler Madden, etc all from 2016ish

Anyways after a first glance Im eating crow about McDonough, the reports of his skating being awful were clearly hyperbolic

 

[Shareefruck]

The usage is what bothers me. Hughes playing insane minutes and usage is not sustainable for the whole season. Demko playing some many straight games was not necessary. Probably not great for someone recovering for injury. Not playing Wolanin top 4 minutes and usage was a miss. Podkolzkin should be in PDG spot.

Playing Podkolzin over PDG at this point would be a complete farce.

The only part of this I find agreeable is the Demko thing.

 

[MS]

The run of play since the trade deadline has generated substantially more increased asset value on guys playing for the NHL team than we've lost in the draft. People get this insane tunnel vision on one thing and just totally ignore the rest of the picture.

Just to continue on from this and finish the point :

- dropping 2 or 3 spots in the draft

vs.

- JT Miller doing a 180 on his disaster season and re-establishing himself as an impact player (and a substantially positive-value asset).

- guys the team would love to move in Myers and Boeser who were playing atrocious hockey under Boudreau have had a decent bounce under Tocchet to increase their value and chances of being moved this summer. Or at least set a platform for better play and getting more value if we're stuck with them. Garland as well has been greatly improved and has made himself more tradeable than under Boudreau.

- Beauvillier was acquired as a marginal value asset (really don't want to get into the 'cap dump' stuff) and has rebuild his value significantly and will set a career-high in points.

- lots of guys have taken a step at various levels. Hughes and Pettersson have been monstrous and played the best hockey of their careers. Joshua and Aman have taken a big step forward and look like guys we move forward with. Di Giuseppe/Wolanin/Brisebois have had positive auditions and earned new contracts and look like positive cheap depth.

- Demko has rebounded and re-established himself after a disastrous start to the season.

And, like, nothing on that 2nd list happens when the team is in disarray and losing most games and tanking out the season. When that happens, everything rots. And it's important stuff, and adds a lot of value - whether it's getting more value in trades or just being able to move guys, or using that improved play and value internally to improve next year. Obviously not all of this will stick, but some of it will, and it matters.

It's just *so* myopic to be stuck in 'we could have drafted 7th and now we're drafting 9th and ITS A TOTAL DISASTER' and I really can't get over the mindset.

And I also can't get over this Mandela Effect that 'we do this every year' when in fact under Benning (and the last year under Gillis) we've generally started OK and then absolutely sucked ass down the stretch for a high draft pick.

 

[dez]

Just to continue on from this and finish the point :

- dropping 2 or 3 spots in the draft

vs.

- JT Miller doing a 180 on his disaster season and re-establishing himself as an impact player (and a substantially positive-value asset).

- guys the team would love to move in Myers and Boeser who were playing atrocious hockey under Boudreau have had a decent bounce under Tocchet to increase their value and chances of being moved this summer. Or at least set a platform for better play and getting more value if we're stuck with them. Garland as well has been greatly improved and has made himself more tradeable than under Boudreau.

- Beauvillier was acquired as a marginal value asset (really don't want to get into the 'cap dump' stuff) and has rebuild his value significantly and will set a career-high in points.

- lots of guys have taken a step at various levels. Hughes and Pettersson have been monstrous and played the best hockey of their careers. Joshua and Aman have taken a big step forward and look like guys we move forward with. Di Giuseppe/Wolanin/Brisebois have had positive auditions and earned new contracts and look like positive cheap depth.

- Demko has rebounded and re-established himself after a disastrous start to the season.

And, like, nothing on that 2nd list happens when the team is in disarray and losing most games and tanking out the season. When that happens, everything rots. And it's important stuff, and adds a lot of value - whether it's getting more value in trades or just being able to move guys, or using that improved play and value internally to improve next year. Obviously not all of this will stick, but some of it will, and it matters.

It's just *so* myopic to be stuck in 'we could have drafted 7th and now we're drafting 9th and ITS A TOTAL DISASTER' and I really can't get over the mindset.

And I also can't get over this Mandela Effect that 'we do this every year' when in fact under Benning (and the last year under Gillis) we've generally started OK and then absolutely sucked ass down the stretch for a high draft pick.

Good points, however there not drafting 9th its going to be 11-13.

 

[MS]

Good points, however there not drafting 9th its going to be 11-13.

We're currently 9th and if it goes a bit lower it doesn't really change my point at all.

 

[Quinntessential]

Agree with @MS like honestly how many young franchise players do we need before pumping the brakes on gunning for lottery picks to get another one? Some teams don’t have any and we have 2-3 if you think Demko will bounce back. We should focus on getting Marian Hossa types to supplement the superstars we already have before blowing it up again.

 

[Kryten]

If this level of play holds up till next trade deadline I’d be onboard with trading the 2024 and 2025 first round picks to dump OEL and acquire another Hronek level defender. Maybe trade 2 2nds for an elite 3C to go all-in before Petey gets paid.

Cant wait that long. Surgery needs to be done this summer to the roster to shed cap to even ice a team next season. Poolman and Pearson who knows whats happening but 1 of OEL/Myers and at least 1 of Boeser/Garland/Beauvillier need to be moved for cap reasons

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

"Not a play driver" Thomas Drance

I'm not a Drance fan..I find his ranting routine insufferable....But is Kuz a play driver?

To me , he seems like an elite 'finisher', while EP does the play 'driving'..

Is there a stat that measures if someone is a play driver?

 

[Peen]

 

[Agent007]

We're currently 9th and if it goes a bit lower it doesn't really change my point at all.

Don’t you think it’s worth at least having a 3% shot at a generational talent? If this was debate between 9th and 11th then sure but seems like they are trending towards 12th or 13th and finishing outside of a shot at bedard seems like a mistake (even if it’s only 3% shot).

 

[Petey But Really Jim]

There's a reason of liking Hughes and Petterson, also the nuts of the Nucks to keep J.T Miller around while everyone out there (not a canuck fan) is basicly saying that he is a cap dump (i dont think that). And there's also a hidden secret.. Considering i am a Finn i feel ashamed to admit this but.. I loved the Nucks during the Sedin era and i always played Vancouver or Detroit on NHL the videogame. Ever since then i have had this mild crush towards Vancouver Canucks, even after the Sedin era. It's been kind of dark for a while now, but i think Nucks are turning a corner. Hopefully as soon as next season.

You didn’t say the magic word yet I think maybe you just forgot to.