Cupless44
Registered User
- Jun 25, 2014
- 7,154
- 3,298
Hornqvist for Virtanen + Roussel?
Boeser - Pettersson - Hornqvist would be a dirty ass line.
NO. In no scenario should this rebuilding team be trading 22 year olds for 30 year olds
Hornqvist for Virtanen + Roussel?
Boeser - Pettersson - Hornqvist would be a dirty ass line.
Agreed. But then Jim says we need to more 30 yos as they are the key to winning the cup.NO. In no scenario should this rebuilding team be trading 22 year olds for 30 year olds
I have been saying this all year. Jake has speed, hands, and toughness. Petey could use him like a Gretzky fire hydrant with those skills. I think this would get great value out of Jake with little downside for Petey. Jake can drive to the net or break for the net. If Petey expects just those two plays on offense, he can make use of that as a decoy, blinding the goalie, delivering a perfect pass. Endless opportunities.Agreed he should be in our top 6. And I also am with you on the idea of him playing LW. He can play both but the coaching staff acts like he can only play RW.
I have been saying this all year. Jake has speed, hands, and toughness. Petey could use him like a Gretzky fire hydrant with those skills. I think this would get great value out of Jake with little downside for Petey. Jake can drive to the net or break for the net. If Petey expects just those two plays on offense, he can make use of that as a decoy, blinding the goalie, delivering a perfect pass. Endless opportunities.
Not sure if you remember but this was tried last year and JV dragged Petey down like an anchor on his line.
I like JV but hes not a good fit with EP. iirc correctly Jake played his best hockey when centered by Sutter (someone correct me if Im wrong here)
Still makes me shake my head how that line had 10 points in a preseason game once...and then was immediately broken up and never put back together again until months later when all the fluke chemistry had vanished. The next game after the 10 point one the line became Baertschi -- Vey -- Virtanen and did nothing. Zero. Gee, wonder who the weak link was there, huh? GJ, Willie D.Agreed, altho I felt JV played his best with Horvat and Bearcheese
Still makes me shake my head how that line had 10 points in a preseason game once...and then was immediately broken up and never put back together again until months later when all the fluke chemistry had vanished. The next game after the 10 point one the line became Baertschi -- Vey -- Virtanen and did nothing. Zero. Gee, wonder who the weak link was there, huh? GJ, Willie D.
Do you think you can make a single post without making a straw man? Like, one?For 2yrs Virtanen was barely surviving as a NHLer in any capacity yet you guys think he should have been strapped to Horvat and Baertschi because of a pre season game??
Even if Virtanen plateaus at his current levels of offensive production, I would hang onto him and work on his defensive game. Try and turn him into a constructive third liner who can contribute the odd goal, be solid defensively, and provide a physical presence in the lineup. Those guys cost a premium when trying to acquire them later - so it makes sense to develop our own.
He has enough tools to be a positive contributor. I just hope we don’t give up and move on.
Exactly this. The Canucks community (or any hockey community I guess) has a tendency to undervalue or overvalue their own players. History and expectations factor in. A 23 year old UFA who just scored 15 goals in 70 games and can skate like he does would be highly sought after. JV isn't a project like Etem, he's a young player that needs to grow in certain areas but still has upside.I agree. Take a player like Brett Connolly. High draft pick, never met expectations, but he ended up providing value on a Stanley Cup winning team.
Jake will be turning 23 next season and earning $1.25M AAV and coming of a 15 goal season. That's solid value.
I still think that Virtanen has the skills package, talent, and work ethic to get better by rounding out his game and finding a niche in the league.
I agree. Take a player like Brett Connolly. High draft pick, never met expectations, but he ended up providing value on a Stanley Cup winning team.
Jake will be turning 23 next season and earning $1.25M AAV and coming of a 15 goal season. That's solid value.
I still think that Virtanen has the skills package, talent, and work ethic to get better by rounding out his game and finding a niche in the league.
Virtanen is young, skates well, hits hard, scored 15 goals.
Will he be that 25 goal second line banger? NOPE.... but he could be valuable in a bottom 6 role, especially if he takes another step forward in his development this year. Readjust your expectations.
Exactly this. The Canucks community (or any hockey community I guess) has a tendency to undervalue or overvalue their own players. History and expectations factor in. A 23 year old UFA who just scored 15 goals in 70 games and can skate like he does would be highly sought after. JV isn't a project like Etem, he's a young player that needs to grow in certain areas but still has upside.
Virtanen is young, skates well, hits hard, scored 15 goals.
Will he be that 25 goal second line banger? NOPE.... but he could be valuable in a bottom 6 role, especially if he takes another step forward in his development this year. Readjust your expectations.
It is curious that he sometimes shys away from a hit. I wonder if this has more to do with simple decision making. The knock has been hockey IQ, I think this could be part of that. He's unsure when to make the hit and when not to. He needs to be taught that, if in doubt, make the hit. The hits he does make are the ones he lines up well in advance. And this supports the decision making hypothesis.I honestly think if JV can pot 15-20 goals a year and be solid defensively that he'll be a valuable part of our team. I would like to see him play more physical... at times last year it looked like he would shy away from a hit at the very last minute. Not sure if this was due to injury or him worried about taking a penalty. Either way, I would like to see him throw more big clean hits and stick up for his teammates when needed (like he did in that game against Tampa Bay at home). If he puts it all together, he could easily turn the narrative 180 degrees and become a fan favorite here in Vancouver.
Another thing I'd like to see is JV in front of the net on the PP. I know he's historically known to score most of his goals off the rush but what is there to lose at this point in trying? Our PP often looks stale and predictable, anyways. He's a big body that could create havoc for other dmen and if he pots a few goals on the PP to start the year it could really do miles for his confidence (as he seems like a completely different player when he's playing with confidence and on his game).
I still think Jake has 20 goal potential and his speed and physicality make him a very useful player for this team. We should not give up on him at 22 for the value he would return at this time. He has improved incrementally the past 2 seasons, not just in goals but in his game a as a whole.
If they could ever get him to drive to the net with speed consistently...
Another thing I'd like to see is JV in front of the net on the PP. I know he's historically known to score most of his goals off the rush but what is there to lose at this point in trying? Our PP often looks stale and predictable, anyways. He's a big body that could create havoc for other dmen and if he pots a few goals on the PP to start the year it could really do miles for his confidence (as he seems like a completely different player when he's playing with confidence and on his game).
I still think Jake has 20 goal potential and his speed and physicality make him a very useful player for this team. We should not give up on him at 22 for the value he would return at this time. He has improved incrementally the past 2 seasons, not just in goals but in his game a as a whole.
If they could ever get him to drive to the net with speed consistently...
I dunno what you mean by "20 goal potential." If you mean he can hit it once or twice in his career like Jannik Hansen, I'd buy it. I don't think he'll be a regular 20-goal scorer, though. He's simply too limited offensively. He's also never going to generate much in the way of scoring chances for his linemates due to atrocious on-ice vision. The place he could potentially see a real improvement in his game is on the defensive side of the puck. If they can work on his two-way game he could be a valuable third-line winger.
Virtanen was Gaudette's most common forward linemate all season.Did we ever try Gaudette with Virtanen last year?
I feel like they could be a good fit for each other. A playmaking winger would complete that line perfectly....Doonskoi?
I think you can be limited offensively and still score 20 goals in the league. And not generating scoring chances for his linemates impacts his assist totals much more so than his goal totals.
With that said, it's anyone's guess as to the type of career Virtanen will end up having.