Post-Game Talk: [GM81] Canucks defeat Ducks | 3-2 | Boeser, Kuzmenko, & Miller

MS

1%er
Mar 18, 2002
53,683
84,506
Vancouver, BC
That was a late season meaningless game if ever there was one. Nice to see Pettersson get to 100 points.

- Hirose looks very good. Not perfect but his adjustment to this level has been incredibly quick. At this point you have to think he's highly likely to be on the roster to start next season.

- McWard gets himself into lots of good shooting positions and directs lots of pucks toward the net. Skating needs work and you can see rawness pop up in his game you don't see with Hirose.

- Beauvillier has turned into a pumpkin and played himself down to the 4th line. Scouting reports from NYI about his streakiness were deadly accurate. Has contributed almost nothing over the last 10 games.

- Studnicka has been much better in the last few games. It absolutely sucked for him to get so sick and lose 12 pounds right around the time Tocchet was hired and his play totally tanked when he returned. Playing like this he looks like he could be a useful depth player.

- McDonough also had a better game. Like McWard, he's 100% Abbotsford-bound next year and hopefully can be a quality player there.

- Demko was outstanding. Great for him to finish the season on a high in his last few games.

One more game.
 

604

Registered User
Nov 1, 2011
7,288
1,493
Amazing that Pettersson's 100th point was on a Boeser goal. At one point we thought Boeser was the Daniel to Pettersson Henrick. Injuries have real done Brock in but glad he got to be the guy who cashed in a Petey's milestone.

I’m not a Boeser guy but speaking of crazy historical stuff, it’s also interesting to see that he’s outscored Barzal in 2 of the last 3 seasons (in part due to injuries).
 

VanJack

Registered User
Jul 11, 2014
21,303
14,526
Apparently a lot of scouts thought McWard was returning for his junior season at Ohio State, but when he decided to turn pro the Canucks moved in swiftly.....and you can see why.

His skating and awareness is getting better out there every game......and he's able to direct a lot of pucks at the net. Thought this was his strongest game to date.

He'll probably spend some time in Abby next season, but clearly the Canucks have something with this player.
 

Knight53

#6 #9 #17 #35 #40 #43
Jun 23, 2015
9,302
5,584
Vancouver
Gotta give props to management team with getting Kuzmenko (star top line winger) and Hirose( potential top 4D) for free.

Massive turn around for Miller, his value will be through the roof at the draft, going to be interesting what they do with him.
 
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ohnoeszz

Registered User
May 5, 2010
1,108
266
McWard has a nice ability to suddenly pop into the play and he problem solves well. He's a bit too sloppy right now with very low minutes but you see the potential. I've really liked the physical side of his game. He flashed real recovery speed tonight. That combined with his reach and ability to play the body bode well for his defensive ability in an open game.

Hirose seemed to miss a stretch of play in the 3rd. He looked good when on the ice. Kuzmenko goal was a Hirose stretch pass to beat all 5 defenders on the PP. Later on a PP, his passing and puck movement was very noticeable when he came down to the half-wall. Another notable play to help cover the puck in front of Demko at one point - super detailed player.

Does anyone disagree that Burroughs is a nice player? Just a solid hard-nosed always there vet? Id also like to point out he and Hughes led the D in SH toi.

It would be great if we can get an extension done here as I think he projects great as a 3RD for us and he can clearly play up with Hughes.

Assuming OEL isn't removed and Myers is, that would leave us with just 1 D spot to focus on:

Hughes-???
OEL-Hronek
Hirose-?Burroughs?
 

Svencouver

Registered User
Apr 8, 2015
5,252
9,960
Vancouver
That was a late season meaningless game if ever there was one. Nice to see Pettersson get to 100 points.

- Hirose looks very good. Not perfect but his adjustment to this level has been incredibly quick. At this point you have to think he's highly likely to be on the roster to start next season.

- McWard gets himself into lots of good shooting positions and directs lots of pucks toward the net. Skating needs work and you can see rawness pop up in his game you don't see with Hirose.

- Beauvillier has turned into a pumpkin and played himself down to the 4th line. Scouting reports from NYI about his streakiness were deadly accurate. Has contributed almost nothing over the last 10 games.

- Studnicka has been much better in the last few games. It absolutely sucked for him to get so sick and lose 12 pounds right around the time Tocchet was hired and his play totally tanked when he returned. Playing like this he looks like he could be a useful depth player.

- McDonough also had a better game. Like McWard, he's 100% Abbotsford-bound next year and hopefully can be a quality player there.

- Demko was outstanding. Great for him to finish the season on a high in his last few games.

One more game.
Hard for me to get much of a read on most guys (r.e. Studnicka, Beauvillier, etc.) with the roster the way it is atm. This may sound like a bit of a cop-out, but its easier for me to take information from positive performances like Hirose's than negative ones. I think theres a lot of experimenting being done, exposing guys to different parts of the lineup and different parts of the game (this is the only way I can excuse Kuzmenko's treatment), and I'm relucant to form any hard takes on anyone or on their fitness for the lineup until I see everyone back and in more definite spots and clearly defined roles.
 

canuckking1

Registered User
Feb 8, 2015
12,764
13,739
Kuzemenko on the cusp of 40 goals and plays 14 minutes in a meaningless game against the duck and is stapled to PP2. Rick is a clown for his treatment of Kuze.
 
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Svencouver

Registered User
Apr 8, 2015
5,252
9,960
Vancouver
McWard has a nice ability to suddenly pop into the play and he problem solves well. He's a bit too sloppy right now with very low minutes but you see the potential. I've really liked the physical side of his game. He flashed real recovery speed tonight. That combined with his reach and ability to play the body bode well for his defensive ability in an open game.

Hirose seemed to miss a stretch of play in the 3rd. He looked good when on the ice. Kuzmenko goal was a Hirose stretch pass to beat all 5 defenders on the PP. Later on a PP, his passing and puck movement was very noticeable when he came down to the half-wall. Another notable play to help cover the puck in front of Demko at one point - super detailed player.

Does anyone disagree that Burroughs is a nice player? Just a solid hard-nosed always there vet? Id also like to point out he and Hughes led the D in SH toi.

It would be great if we can get an extension done here as I think he projects great as a 3RD for us and he can clearly play up with Hughes.

Assuming OEL isn't removed and Myers is, that would leave us with just 1 D spot to focus on:

Hughes-???
OEL-Hronek
Hirose-?Burroughs?
I feel like someone is gonna end up playing on their off-side. Hirose has been great, but it'd be a shame for Wolanin to not get a look next year, too.
 
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Fren

Registered User
Feb 18, 2023
154
285
Kuzemenko on the cusp of 40 goals and plays 14 minutes in a meaningless game against the duck and is stapled to PP2. Rick is a clown for his treatment of Kuze.
It's the Russian in the NHL stigma. They're all bad defensively because... reasons
 

CanucksMJL

Context apologist.
Jul 6, 2009
728
804
It's the Russian in the NHL stigma. They're all bad defensively because... reasons
Come on now. It's totally reasonable for the coach to try to teach and reinforce good habits to a guy new to the league. The team doesn't need to win. They don't need to pump his stats for a trade. Most importantly the tough-love isn't cratering his offensive confidence/ability.
 

Cancuks

Former Exalted Ruler
Jan 13, 2014
3,884
3,253
At the EI office
The kids on defense look promising but the sample size is way too small and we haven't been facing top notch opponents. Remember how good Rathbone looked in his brief stint in 2020 after being signed.
 
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PuckMunchkin

Very Nice, Very Evil!
Dec 13, 2006
12,402
10,079
Lapland
Kuzemenko on the cusp of 40 goals and plays 14 minutes in a meaningless game against the duck and is stapled to PP2. Rick is a clown for his treatment of Kuze.
First goal that Kuz didnt seem excited to score.

Would anyone trade Hirose for a late first round pick right now? Would anyone trade McWard for an early 2nd? Huge value pick ups by Vancouver.
No because of how old they are and how there is no cost controlled elc years.
 

CanucksMJL

Context apologist.
Jul 6, 2009
728
804
No because of how old they are and how there is no cost controlled elc years.
Hirose has many cost controlled years because he's an RFA. It sounds like you are not aware of the fact that a player on an ELC that hits their performance targets turns a 900K cap into a $3m cap.
 

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