Player Discussion Jake Virtanen, Pt. XXI

[DL44]

I appreciate your hopefulness. But... his overall production in four years of pro hockey means you can't just gloss over the actual stats.

I appreciate your love of numbers and probably spreadsheets... but Virtanen's improvement the last 8-10 games goes beyond his actual stats.
As stated in the post you quoted.

 

[Javaman]

Why's that?

I was referring to him being a fan favorite by the way, not in terms of skill. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that

Okay, that makes sense.

My hope/expectation is that each of the other 3 will be regarded as elite for a significant chunk of their career. If they end up at the same level as a 20-goal Virtanen, that would be a pretty big disappointment.

But I think I misinterpreted the point you were trying to make. My bad.

 

[Javaman]

I appreciate your love of numbers and probably spreadsheets... but Virtanen's improvement the last 8-10 games goes beyond his actual stats.

To restate my response, what is your justification for claiming that his past 10 games are more representative of Virtanen than another or larger sample of his games?

 

[Canucks1096]

3 goals in his last 19 games is the real Virtanen?

Or

8 goals in his first 20 games is the real Virtanen?

 

[bandwagonesque]

3 goals in his last 19 games is the real Virtanen?

Or

8 goals in his first 20 games is the real Virtanen?

If the most meaningful grievance you have about Jake's play is that his goal scoring is distributed asymmetrically in a small sample, it stands to reason that you're probably more excited about his improvement than anyone. Glad to hear it.

 

[Regress2TheMeme]

Jakes was always a raw prospect. He turned out to be a lot more raw than any of us would have liked for the draft pick that was used on him. It stands to reason that he's going to improve as more parts of his game come up to being at the NHL level. He's come a long way and still has a lot more he can and should be able to improve on. Getting hung up on his production from the first couple of seasons, on a really, really bad Canucks team, coached by Willie D. is ignoring some important context.

 

[Addison Rae]

The game Virtanen played against Winnipeg was the best professional hockey game I've ever seen him play, he was the best player on the ice and was absolutely fantastic driving possession against the best line in the entire NHL.

I'm pretty indifferent about Travis Green, don't hate him don't love him, but you got to admire the work he's done with Virtanen who looked like a completely lost prospect in 2016/2017 under Willie.

I'd like to see more aggression in his game, that's really the only complaint I have about him right now, but this year has been a massive success for him.

 

[Zippgunn]

Jakes was always a raw prospect. He turned out to be a lot more raw than any of us would have liked for the draft pick that was used on him. It stands to reason that he's going to improve as more parts of his game come up to being at the NHL level. He's come a long way and still has a lot more he can and should be able to improve on. Getting hung up on his production from the first couple of seasons, on a really, really bad Canucks team, coached by Willie D. is ignoring some important context.

It's weird isn't it? Willie nearly ruined Jake, sent Tryamkin running away screaming and basically wrecked the team so badly that even now most of what is wrong with this team can be traced to him. And yet... and yet he still keeps getting hired for big league gigs in hockey. Bizarre...

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

It's weird isn't it? Willie nearly ruined Jake, sent Tryamkin running away screaming and basically wrecked the team so badly that even now most of what is wrong with this team can be traced to him. And yet... and yet he still keeps getting hired for big league gigs in hockey. Bizarre...

Have you looked at the standings lately...?

 

[Zombotron]

This wasn't Part 3. Somewhere along the way, someone forgot to label a discussion thread. This is Part 21, lol.

Previous threads added to OP.

 

[Regress2TheMeme]

It's weird isn't it? Willie nearly ruined Jake, sent Tryamkin running away screaming and basically wrecked the team so badly that even now most of what is wrong with this team can be traced to him. And yet... and yet he still keeps getting hired for big league gigs in hockey. Bizarre...

You don't have to be a hater to feel like Willie wasn't a good NHL coach. Gulutzan didn't give me much reason to love him either. That was a bad period for the whole franchise and you can't really point to the coaching as some exception.

Whoever was at fault, Virtanen wasn't handled well by the organization. He was coming off rehab, he spent a lot of time in the press box. It seems like he was rushed into the show for marketing purposes and he wasn't ready for it. That really put his rawness on display and I think it did have a negative impact for his confidence.

 

[DL44]

To restate my response, what is your justification for claiming that his past 10 games are more representative of Virtanen than another or larger sample of his games?

Dont know If serious.

He's 22 and since the beginning of last season we've seen him take noticable baby steps every 15-20 games.. In one direction. Like a trend. Like he's trending upward.
Consistency is improving.

You notice something different than that when you've watched him play over his last 100+ gms??

 

[logan5]

You don't have to be a hater to feel like Willie wasn't a good NHL coach. Gulutzan didn't give me much reason to love him either. That was a bad period for the whole franchise and you can't really point to the coaching as some exception.

Whoever was at fault, Virtanen wasn't handled well by the organization. He was coming off rehab, he spent a lot of time in the press box. It seems like he was rushed into the show for marketing purposes and he wasn't ready for it. That really put his rawness on display and I think it did have a negative impact for his confidence.

Virtanen was in rehab? I knew he wqas getting in a bit of trouble for going out, but I didn't realize it was that bad. That will stunt your development.

 

[geebaan]

Have you looked at the standings lately...?

Yes, and it affirms how bad he is

 

[Pip]

Virtanen was in rehab? I knew he wqas getting in a bit of trouble for going out, but I didn't realize it was that bad. That will stunt your development.

Rehabbing his injury I think he meant

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Yes, and it affirms how bad he is

agreed..he's f***ing awful...

 

[Vancouver_2010]

Not a fan favourite? The kid who has a literal following of just people drinking beer every time he scores a goal? Not a fan favourite?
Do you actually watch the games?

I say Petterson, Horvat and Boeser is more likely to be a fan favourite than Virtanen. Remember Jason King? Yeah, rookie of the month before disappearing completely. I want to see him play this well in a consistent basis before he is a fan favourite.

 

[Canucks1096]

I think Virtanen is getting overrated,

Before people reply and say no he isn't. Remember what is the meaning of the word overrated.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

He is coming to his own as an effective middle 6er who plays a fun brand of hockey but doesnt utilise the tools he has to the full effect.

 

[PetterssonSimp]

I say Petterson, Horvat and Boeser is more likely to be a fan favourite than Virtanen. Remember Jason King? Yeah, rookie of the month before disappearing completely. I want to see him play this well in a consistent basis before he is a fan favourite.

It’s more about people have recognized the young man’s growth over the last two seasons noticeably, and have started to embrace him as the player he is, rather than the one they expected with such a high pick. V has also done very well to win people over lately, I like how he isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty but is a lot smarter about it now than before. Getting into the faces of the other teams quality players, getting their defence off their game by hitting them hard and clean in the corners!
I don’t see V as the type of fan favourite you seem to deem the term, I see him more in the likes of a Burrows where people love him despite production, and production is more gravy on top of what he does.

 

[BassMason]

I think Virtanens value basically doubles when/if we ever get to the playoffs. Seems to play his best hockey in a hostile environment. I think his LPIO/series (launch player into orbit) will be hovering around 1.5

 

[M2Beezy]

I think Virtanen is getting overrated,

Before people reply and say no he isn't. Remember what is the meaning of the word overrated.

Your like the Johnny Canucker is to Boeser but with Virtanen

FACT

 

[PetterssonSimp]

I think Virtanens value basically doubles when/if we ever get to the playoffs. Seems to play his best hockey in a hostile environment. I think his LPIO/series (launch player into orbit) will be hovering around 1.5

Especially is the Canucks get a chance to knock off an Alberta team. That type of series is where V would shine. Make a few players mad at him, someone gets in his face and pisses him off! Worked last year when he got shot down by the cosplay girl

 

[David Bruce Banner]

I'm going to stick with my pre-season prediction of 35-40 (at least, I think that was my vote).

I don't care about those other guys, I like Jake and think he will be a hell of a player for us going forward. We haven't seen the best of him yet.

 

[stampedingviking]

Who still hasn't completely prove himself just yet. A lot of players can have a hot streak once in a while, i think we need to see him playing at this level in a consistent level before calling him a fan favourite. You might not care about Nylander or Ehlers, but Virtanen will always be compared to those two.

By the general fanbase or the very small sample on here?