Player Discussion Jake Virtanen, Pt. XXI

Jakes point totals for this season?


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Diamonddog01

Diamond in the rough
Jul 18, 2007
11,014
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Vancouver
He now has 1 goal in his last 12 games. (or 3 goals in 25 games)

Can you fellers now at least entertain the idea that JV has not changed much as far has his play with the puck goes?

I still maintain that he had puck luck to start the season and was riding a high from that.

His play away from the puck has IMO improved even if his on ice shot stats don't reflect that when comparing to last years numbers.

I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. He was obviously scoring on some fluke shots, but I also absolutely feel that his offensive zone play has improved. Unfortunately he's been unlucky lately. Case in point was a few games ago when he was in the offensive zone and sends a pass to the pinching defenceman. Who in that case sadly happened to be Gudbranson - he looked to pass it again and then shoots a muffin into the goalie. It was a good pass and one he previously would not have made. It should've resulted in a much better scoring chance then it did. I've noticed a few plays like this - and of course you have to look at the fact that the team has just stopped scoring of late too.
 

Cupless44

Registered User
Jun 25, 2014
7,154
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Such a colossal disappointment. Anyone without homer goggles could tell he was scoring flukey goals, and now he's right back to the 10-goal bottom 6er he's always gonna be.

Should've let a potato draft instead

I think that is bit harsh. I think you will see better offensive numbers if the Canucks actually commit to Virtanen staying on the 2nd unit power play over totally useless offensive, non deserving players like Grandlund and Eriksson who need to be off this roster and give him an extended run with Horvat instead of Eriksson and Roussel.

Against the Leafs, without Pettersson, when most all the forward looked totally ineffective and useless, Virtanen was the only forward skating and looking dangerous. Not saying we drafted a star by any means, but he can be a more useful player than you think and deserves more icetime than some of the stiffs Green cant seem to stop playing.
 
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Hoglander

I'm Höglander. I can do whatever I want.
Jan 4, 2019
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Midtown, New York
I think that is bit harsh. I think you will see better offensive numbers if the Canucks actually commit to Virtanen staying on the 2nd unit power play over totally useless offensive, non deserving players like Grandlund and Eriksson who need to be off this roster and give him an extended run with Horvat instead of Eriksson and Roussel.

Against the Leafs, without Pettersson, when most all the forward looked totally ineffective and useless, Virtanen was the only forward skating and looking dangerous. Not saying we drafted a star by any means, but he can be a more useful player than you think and deserves more icetime than some of the stiffs Green cant seem to stop playing.

A little harsh, I guess. I certainly prefer him to Granlund and Eriksson, but still a pretty huge disappointment for where he was drafted.
 

Pip

Registered User
Feb 2, 2012
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It would be really disappointing if he doesn’t at least hit 20 goals considering his hot start. I agree his game away from the puck is much improved, but he’s not overly physical and his production has fallen completely off.
 
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elitepete

Registered User
Jan 30, 2017
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He needs to go to the net more. Not just when he has the puck, but when he doesn’t have it as well. He should park his ass in front and try to get rebounds, tip ins, and screen the goalie.

He should be harder to move from the front of the net than the average forward given his size and weight.
 

Cupless44

Registered User
Jun 25, 2014
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He needs to go to the net more. Not just when he has the puck, but when he doesn’t have it as well. He should park his ass in front and try to get rebounds, tip ins, and screen the goalie.

He should be harder to move from the front of the net than the average forward given his size and weight.

Agreed. If they can ever get him to consistently drive to the net more results will come.
 

Shareefruck

Registered User
Apr 2, 2005
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He needs to go to the net more. Not just when he has the puck, but when he doesn’t have it as well. He should park his ass in front and try to get rebounds, tip ins, and screen the goalie.

He should be harder to move from the front of the net than the average forward given his size and weight.
The thing is, he's one of the weaker players on the team with regards to this talent/potential. You can't expect a player to be good at it just because they're big. It's a skill.

Soft players like Granlund, Baertschi, Sutter, and Eriksson are all significantly stronger net front presences and have a better knack for it than he does.
 

Motte and Bailey

Registered User
Jun 21, 2017
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He should play with Pettersson and Boeser. Stop with the nonsense about never playing guys on their off wing Travis. Jake might not mesh with Pettersson right away but we have the luxury of giving them a year or two to develop chemistry. Jake’s IQ is improving enough for me to believe he can keep up with EP given enough repetition.
 

PG Canuck

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Mar 29, 2010
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It should not take "a year or two" for player to gain chemistry. I'd say after a month or two, you should know if they mesh well together or not. Hell, after a few weeks you can just tell some players aren't going to ever work.

I have no idea who Virtanen would mesh well with because his offensive game is so erratic. He may be "improved" in the offensive zone, by which he actually is looking to make plays, but it's nothing great. He still has his terrible old habits of firing pucks from weird/terrible angles and never driving the net. It seems like he gives the puck away more often than not in the offensive zone because he doesn't hang onto it to look for plays.

He says he wants to be a player other hate playing against, but he's the furthest thing from that IMO. He's 47th in the NHL in hits,and 3rd on the Canucks. He's fairly physical but hits really doesn't mean much in terms of being a pest/annoying. Some were saying he could be a Tom Wilson type, and I think that is such a stretch of a comparison. He is nothing like Wilson, and will probably never have an impact on games like Wilson has had.

Virtanen is good without the puck, luckily, for his own good. Otherwise, not sure if he would be treated any different than Goldobin is right now.
 

vanarchy

May 3, 2013
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It should not take "a year or two" for player to gain chemistry. I'd say after a month or two, you should know if they mesh well together or not. Hell, after a few weeks you can just tell some players aren't going to ever work.

I have no idea who Virtanen would mesh well with because his offensive game is so erratic. He may be "improved" in the offensive zone, by which he actually is looking to make plays, but it's nothing great. He still has his terrible old habits of firing pucks from weird/terrible angles and never driving the net. It seems like he gives the puck away more often than not in the offensive zone because he doesn't hang onto it to look for plays.

He says he wants to be a player other hate playing against, but he's the furthest thing from that IMO. He's 47th in the NHL in hits,and 3rd on the Canucks. He's fairly physical but hits really doesn't mean much in terms of being a pest/annoying. Some were saying he could be a Tom Wilson type, and I think that is such a stretch of a comparison. He is nothing like Wilson, and will probably never have an impact on games like Wilson has had.

Virtanen is good without the puck, luckily, for his own good. Otherwise, not sure if he would be treated any different than Goldobin is right now.
I agree. His shot selection in particular drives me crazy more than any player on the team.
 

Cupless44

Registered User
Jun 25, 2014
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It should not take "a year or two" for player to gain chemistry. I'd say after a month or two, you should know if they mesh well together or not. Hell, after a few weeks you can just tell some players aren't going to ever work.

I have no idea who Virtanen would mesh well with because his offensive game is so erratic. He may be "improved" in the offensive zone, by which he actually is looking to make plays, but it's nothing great. He still has his terrible old habits of firing pucks from weird/terrible angles and never driving the net. It seems like he gives the puck away more often than not in the offensive zone because he doesn't hang onto it to look for plays.

He says he wants to be a player other hate playing against, but he's the furthest thing from that IMO. He's 47th in the NHL in hits,and 3rd on the Canucks. He's fairly physical but hits really doesn't mean much in terms of being a pest/annoying. Some were saying he could be a Tom Wilson type, and I think that is such a stretch of a comparison. He is nothing like Wilson, and will probably never have an impact on games like Wilson has had.

Virtanen is good without the puck, luckily, for his own good. Otherwise, not sure if he would be treated any different than Goldobin is right now.

Since when has Travis Green ever given Virtanen a month or two on a good line?????

He is lucky if he isn’t taken off a good offensive or top 6 line after 1 game or even a couple of periods.

Yet Eriksson can be trotted out game after game on Horvat’s wing while scoring 3 goals in 28 games and being invisible most nights.
 
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PG Canuck

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Mar 29, 2010
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Since when has Travis Green ever given Virtanen a month or two on a good line?????

He is lucky if he isn’t taken off a good offensive or top 6 line after 1 game or even a couple of periods.

Yet Eriksson can be trotted out game after game on Horvat’s wing while scoring 3 goals in 28 games and being invisible most nights.

I'm not saying Green has given Virtanen that. That was in response to the quoted poster saying to put Virtanen there for 1-2 years. That is an incredibly pointless amount of time to see if "anything works". I said after 1-2 months you should know if a player has chemistry with others or not - realistically you can see it after a few weeks to see if it'll work or not but Virtanen definitely needs special timing, on everything.

Not sure how well a Pettersson/Virtanen duo would work when Virtanen never drives the net and just in general isn't a dependable player in the offensive zone. His bad habits are still there. Pettersson propping up Virtanen isn't as easy as it seems.
 

TruKnyte

On the wagon
Jan 1, 2012
5,795
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I'm not saying Green has given Virtanen that. That was in response to the quoted poster saying to put Virtanen there for 1-2 years. That is an incredibly pointless amount of time to see if "anything works". I said after 1-2 months you should know if a player has chemistry with others or not - realistically you can see it after a few weeks to see if it'll work or not but Virtanen definitely needs special timing, on everything.

Not sure how well a Pettersson/Virtanen duo would work when Virtanen never drives the net and just in general isn't a dependable player in the offensive zone. His bad habits are still there. Pettersson propping up Virtanen isn't as easy as it seems.

I'd say around 10 games should be enough time.
 

Shareefruck

Registered User
Apr 2, 2005
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Vancouver, BC
Putting Virtanen with Pettersson and Boeser is about as dumb as putting Booth with the Sedins was. It's a complete stylistic mismatch that just doesn't work, unless Virtanen completely reverses his primary weakness. And what reason is there to try to force that round peg into a square hole, when he has perfectly suitable and tailored chemistry and complementary styles with both Horvat AND Gaudette? It's unlikely to work out any better than that (and even Gaunce/MacEwan might potentially work with him down the road). I want them to cultivate those pairings long term, personally.

I actually want them to give Baertschi a serious shot with Pettersson and Boeser. He can leech points in a third-wheel role better than Goldobin can, IMO. Might be the only player on the team who could feasible improve the productiveness of those two even further (if he can stay goddamn healthy that is). Obviously a Burrows type would be better, but those don't grow on trees, and Virtanen isn't it. If Dahlen becomes NHL caliber at some point (odds of that looking very grim right now), stylistically, that would be a good fit.
 
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Bougieman

Registered User
Nov 12, 2008
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Really seemed like he'd turned a corner, and we were getting to see him make the next step in his career, and now in the last 20 games it just seems like he's regressed. I don't get it. Frustrating player. Might be time to move him and get some kind of return. There are other GM's around the league that like reclamation projects, too. Take advantage of that.
 

SillyRabbit

Trix Are For Kids
Jan 3, 2006
7,552
6,324
Honestly would like to see what we can get for him in a trade.

I’d like the Canucks to focus on hockey IQ with Pettersson leading the way. Jake just doesn’t have that.

And worst of all, he doesn’t even use his size properly.

I’m not saying he doesn’t bring anything to the table but I don’t really see him being an important part of the future.

Try to use his draft position to get something of value for him.
 

Billy Kvcmu

Registered User
Dec 5, 2014
27,125
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West Vancouver
Really seemed like he'd turned a corner, and we were getting to see him make the next step in his career, and now in the last 20 games it just seems like he's regressed. I don't get it. Frustrating player. Might be time to move him and get some kind of return. There are other GM's around the league that like reclamation projects, too. Take advantage of that.
He just had a good game, what??
Why do we have to move him any way? He’s on a cheap deal and is a perfect fit on the third line. Not every bottom 6 player needs to be moved
 

M2Beezy

Objective and Neutral Hockey Commentator
May 25, 2014
45,287
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He now has 1 goal in his last 12 games. (or 3 goals in 25 games)

Can you fellers now at least entertain the idea that JV has not changed much as far has his play with the puck goes?

I still maintain that he had puck luck to start the season and was riding a high from that.


His play away from the puck has IMO improved even if his on ice shot stats don't reflect that when comparing to last years numbers.
Like much of the team hes on a COLD streak right now. Hes not creating a lot of chances like he was at the start of the year where he was always in position to get the lucky ones or whatever the haters like to call it. Im sure all of us hope he Horvat and others get thru this sooner then later
 

Wry n Ginger

Water which is too pure has no fish
Sep 15, 2010
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Which D from another team could we realistically target in exchange for him right now? Ideally someone in a similar stage of development. ie high potential but still not where they were thought to be at this stage in their careers. Someone that might need a change of scenery to live up to their hype/draft position.
 

PuckMunchkin

Very Nice, Very Evil!
Dec 13, 2006
12,219
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Like much of the team hes on a COLD streak right now. Hes not creating a lot of chances like he was at the start of the year where he was always in position to get the lucky ones or whatever the haters like to call it. Im sure all of us hope he Horvat and others get thru this sooner then later

Could it be that he had a 8 game HOT STREAK?

Instead of this 25 game stretch being all that cold.H is tendencies with the puck had not changed that much.

You are putting unfair expectations on him based on his draft position.
 

Luck 6

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Oct 17, 2008
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I’ve been fairly impressed with Virtanen this year, stat watching aside. Yes I feel there are things I’d like him to do better, but I do think he’s taken a step. Keep in mind he is still only 22 years old and doesn’t turn 23 until long after the season is over, he still has time.

At some point we are going to have to force feed Virtanen top 6 minutes and some power play time, and I think when we start doing that we will see more improvement. The point about his poor shot selection is noted, but I don’t see as much of that when he has talented players around him.

I would expect that maybe next year he gets the full top 6 experience, Green is probably making him earn it a bit more this season. I’m fine with that.
 

Cupless44

Registered User
Jun 25, 2014
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To be fair everyone jumps on Goldy and Jake when they are on "cold streaks" including the coach but it seems to be overlooked that Eriksson, Granlund, Sutter, Roussel, Motte, Schaller, Beagle, are ALWAYS on cold streaks.

Leivo hasnt exactly been lighting it up either.
 
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WestCoast CyberG

Registered User
Nov 5, 2018
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To be fair everyone jumps on Goldy and Jake when they are on "cold streaks" including the coach but it seems to be overlooked that Eriksson, Granlund, Sutter, Roussel, Motte, Schaller, Beagle, are ALWAYS on cold streaks.

Leivo hasnt exactly been lighting it up either.

I couldn't agree more...Goldie, Virtanen and Hutton receive a benching and limited play time in order to "work on their game" as Motte, Granlund and Eriksson produce NOTHING and get regular play including the PP.

Eriksson in particular can't skate, check, score or pass but seems to be a regular fixture on the top6 for some reason, and when you critique his play the "littlethings" comment gets brought up. Pathetic. We should have sent him down instead of Gaudette.

Leivo's play has dropped and the experiment should be done and considered a wash as he provides very little upside.
 

Pip

Registered User
Feb 2, 2012
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To be fair everyone jumps on Goldy and Jake when they are on "cold streaks" including the coach but it seems to be overlooked that Eriksson, Granlund, Sutter, Roussel, Motte, Schaller, Beagle, are ALWAYS on cold streaks.

Leivo hasnt exactly been lighting it up either.

It’s cause there’s hope for Goldobin and Virtanen. I want both of those players to succeed and reach their ceilings so it’s dissapointing when they struggle (offensively or otherwise). I mean we all know Granlund, Schaller, Eriksson, and Motte are brutal while Beagle, Sutter and Roussel and useful but limited players. To me they’re all just placeholders and won’t be significant contributors in a Canucks team going anywhere. Virtanen and Goldobin could be. That’s at least why I am more critical of those players during their cold streaks.
 

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