Kevin Bieksa Performance

[Rey]

He's never been that good, but the Canucks need him because he's the only one at the backend who doesn't mind getting into scrums, and fights. Kind of pathetic, really. Without him, teams can basically take free shots at our goalie and nobody will do anything about it. Just like, when the teams best players get cheap shotted and injured, no one does a thing.

 

[John Bender*]

He's never been that good, but the Canucks need him because he's the only one at the backend who doesn't mind getting into scrums, and fights. Kind of pathetic, really. Without him, teams can basically take free shots at our goalie and nobody will do anything about it. Just like, when the teams best players get cheap shotted and injured, no one does a thing.

Even then...........how intimidating is he really?

 

[vector209]

Rey is right, though. Unless the Canucks can find someone better at the job (highly unlikely), then the team needs him for that element of toughness, no matter how marginal it may be.

It gets rather old watching scrums involving one Canuck getting ganged up on. If the Sedins are on the ice, it's pretty much a guarantee that at best, it'll be a 3 on 5 in favor of the other team. Take Casual K out and it drops to 2 on 5.

 

[Rey]

Even then...........how intimidating is he really?

It's hard to say because the team is so soft. We're lucky this year that the team faces a bunch of bad teams so it's hard to evaluate but we'll probably get our butts handed to us in a faster pace/playoff environment. The Canucks team lacks so much team toughness as it is, its hard to see the Canucks moving him and trust me, I've wanted him gone since his last contract.

Edler was the only guy on our back end that can delivery real bone crushing hits, but he isn't doing it. Bieksa has trouble with larger and faster forwards but he's the only one that fights/pushes back. Just cause he does that, it makes us harder to play against compared to the other guys that can get punched in the face and do nothing.

Sure, we have Kassian but team is lacking team toughness. He could be Donald Brashear all he wants, but one tough guy doesn't make a difference. Team needs to be surrounded by guys, that can also play the game. That's what we're kinda hoping for in Steve Pinizzotto.

 

[Rey]

Rey is right, though. Unless the Canucks can find someone better at the job (highly unlikely), then the team needs him for that element of toughness, no matter how marginal it may be.

It gets rather old watching scrums involving one Canuck getting ganged up on. If the Sedins are on the ice, it's pretty much a guarantee that at best, it'll be a 3 on 5 in favor of the other team. Take Casual K out and it drops to 2 on 5.

Best case scenario is to replace Bieksa with a puck moving defense man with toughness, which kills 2 birds with one stone. There's actually quite a bit of these guys - Sheldon Souray, Ed Jovanovski types. Risky, but fills team needs.

Then again, hard to do anything at all since the D's filled with No trades.

 

[LiveeviL]

I guess Edler is taking it a bit easy with hitting hard after his surgery, it is after all not very long ago. But i hope he will get going during playoffs.

 

[biturbo19]

Why hasn't he been re-united with Hamhuis yet? Garrison is playing the right side with Hamhuis, theoretically Garrison should be able to slot back with Edler. Edler must be injured though, and considering Garrison's good job at handling heavy assignments, maybe the coaches feel Edler couldn't handle the heavy lifting?

Strange, considering HamJuice was our strongest pairing...

The #1 factor in Bieksa's ridiculous play this year.

Also dealing with some groin issues and whatnot which are hindering his mobility...but unless his brain muscle is connected to his groin, so many of the things he's done this year cannot be passed off as simply being banged up.

It's been clear from the day Bieksa signed his 'big deal' to me at least, that he is only worth that contract if he's playing with Hamhuis.

The two of those guys are more than the sum of their parts. Hamhuis complements Bieksa's erratic nature providing a calming influence and cleaning up disasters. Bieksa complements Hamhuis' relatively passive gameplay by running all over the place and making things happen.

It's like a nuclear reaction. Basically...Bieksa is a 'catalyst' on the ice. Without the right partner out there to stabilize things, you get a meltdown. Bieksa is the reactor...a total powerhouse who can make things happen in a big way. Hamhuis is the 'control rod' that you use to regulate the rate that things happen. By his lonesome, Bieksa is Chernobyl. And by his own lonesome, Hamhuis is a boring inert lump of metal. Better off together.

garrison and edler suck together because they're both too slow, would be surprised to see those two together for an extended time ever again

This is the issue though. And it's why the jury is still out on the Garrison deal for me. Now that Garrison has shown some ability to play well on the Right Side...i think you have to revisit the pairing though. The footspeed between the two is a real concern for me...but if it doesn't work, we have a real problem on our blueline. Because Edler+Bieksa just doesn't work.

 

[professorchaos]

Hamhuis and Bieksa......meh. Not impressed.

Edler...........

Ballard has played great most games, poopy some, forward others. Won't be a Canuck much longer, don't know how I feel about that, depends on return (if any) I guess.

Tanev, most consistent dman so far, deserves an award for it considering his counterparts.

Garrison is proving to be a great pickup, continually getting better and better (footspeed be damned, he replaced Salo for crying out loud).

Alberts has certainly upped his play, certainly a serviceable seventh. Barker a serviceable eighth, can't ask much more from him.

 

[Bougieman]

Here's the thing about KB: If he's not playing well, it's because he's injured or bored.

But when he plays well (which is more often than not despite what some of our fanbase would have you believe), he's one of our best. Wouldn't ever want to get rid of him.

 

[Orca Smash]

I actually think he plays fine in big games or intense games, its when canucks play a poor team or the game is meaningless (we have president trophy locked up) is when i notice him go into casual mode. He acts almost like certain games are beneath him and not worth his effort. Tonight for example.

 

[jimmythescot]

I don't think it was a coincidence that the 'Canucks in a tailspin' section of the season was at the same time as Bieksa's injury. And the return to squeaking out wins was the same time as his return. He's not playing especially well, but he's nowhere near as bad as you guys are making out.

 

[MikeK]

I actually think he plays fine in big games or intense games, its when canucks play a poor team or the game is meaningless (we have president trophy locked up) is when i notice him go into casual mode. He acts almost like certain games are beneath him and not worth his effort. Tonight for example.

I somewhat agree with this. He has always had that "casual" way about him and it is very frustrating. One thing Bieksa gets props from me on though is his ability to take his game to another level. When games matter such as playoffs games he is 2nd to only Hamhuis on the depth chart. As Bert once said.... "it is what it is"

 

[cotillion]

No bieksa. No wins.

 

[ItsAllPartOfThePlan]

Looks to me like he is still laboring a bit out there.

 

[Tobi Wan Kenobi]

lol Hamhuis has not been "horrible" he's been our best defenseman. A lot of what he does goes unnoticed. His positioning is usually flawless and he has the best stick on our team. He can single handedly nullify a corner.

 

[luongo321]

lol Hamhuis has not been "horrible" he's been our best defenseman. A lot of what he does goes unnoticed. His positioning is usually flawless and he has the best stick on our team. He can single handedly nullify a corner.

Hamhuis seems off compared to previous years. Not sure why.

Bieksa has always been inconsistent. When he's one, he's really on but that happens very rarely. If his nameplate had BALLARD on the back, he'd be in the pressbox.

 

[Tiranis]

lol Hamhuis has not been "horrible" he's been our best defenseman. A lot of what he does goes unnoticed. His positioning is usually flawless and he has the best stick on our team. He can single handedly nullify a corner.

No, Garrison has been our best defenseman for a while now. Defensively, Hamhuis is the one that's tagging along right now. If anyone else had the type of giveaways that Hamhuis did last night, they would already have a thread about them calling for a buyout. Pretty sure he's injured though.

He's had a groin injury, hasn't had a steady partner but still plays the toughest minutes on our team. Underrated.

Huh? At no point this season has Bieksa played the toughest minutes. Hamhuis, Garrison and Edler have all played tougher minutes this year. Bieksa has finally been put into tougher situations over the last 8 games or so, but prior to that he was easily 4th on the team in terms of competition.

 

[MikeK]

Hamhuis seems off compared to previous years. Not sure why.

Bieksa has always been inconsistent. When he's one, he's really on but that happens very rarely. If his nameplate had BALLARD on the back, he'd be in the pressbox.

I think that is really unfair for you to compare Bieksa to Ballard. Bieksa may have his moments but he is so much more valuable then you're giving him credit for.

 

[dustyrockon]

Hamhuis seems off compared to previous years. Not sure why.

Bieksa has always been inconsistent. When he's one, he's really on but that happens very rarely. If his nameplate had BALLARD on the back, he'd be in the pressbox.

So ballard is even worse ? lol

I think Bieksa should get a time out for a game., it worked for Sergei Kost, huge abandonment on a play, causes a goal, benched next game, game after got a goal an assist +1.

however hes been terrible since lol

 

[cc]

Lol, I don't think so. I see him handcuffing Edler whenever they're paired together way more than the other way around.

I disagree. When edler was suspended, the Canucks didn't miss a beat and won both their games. The same cant be said when bieksa was injured. Edler gets beaten one on one more often than any other Canuck dman from what I can see but you are entitled to your opinion.

 

[Barney Gumble]

I disagree. When edler was suspended, the Canucks didn't miss a beat and won both their games. The same cant be said when bieksa was injured. Edler gets beaten one on one more often than any other Canuck dman from what I can see but you are entitled to your opinion.

Having Barker *and* Alberts at the same time in the lineup during that span certainly didn't help. But yes, I'd say Bieksa has been less erratic than Edler. Neither though is anywhere playing at the level I'd want them to be at.

 

[BROCK HUGHES]

Hamhuis and Bieksa......meh. Not impressed.

Edler...........

Ballard has played great most games, poopy some, forward others. Won't be a Canuck much longer, don't know how I feel about that, depends on return (if any) I guess.

Tanev, most consistent dman so far, deserves an award for it considering his counterparts.

Garrison is proving to be a great pickup, continually getting better and better (footspeed be damned, he replaced Salo for crying out loud).

Alberts has certainly upped his play, certainly a serviceable seventh. Barker a serviceable eighth, can't ask much more from him.

The whole D core is over-rated.Beiska needs to show that he is worth the contract he is getting from the Canucks.Actually they all do!

 

[cc]

Having Barker *and* Alberts at the same time in the lineup during that span certainly didn't help. But yes, I'd say Bieksa has been less erratic than Edler. Neither though is anywhere playing at the level I'd want them to be at.

I just don't see how bieksa warrants this much discussion compared to edler. Edler has been garbage. It was first speculated that it's because he wasn't used to the right side but even after he was moved to the left, his play still sucked. Defensively, it seems almost to be Alberts level bad.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Why hasn't he been re-united with Hamhuis yet? Garrison is playing the right side with Hamhuis, theoretically Garrison should be able to slot back with Edler. Edler must be injured though, and considering Garrison's good job at handling heavy assignments, maybe the coaches feel Edler couldn't handle the heavy lifting?

Strange, considering HamJuice was our strongest pairing...

While I would like to see them reuniting, I am somewhat wary because AV has this obsession with trying Edler on the right whenever he slots in with Garrison. It's never worked but good god does he think it will.

 

[B-rock]

lol Hamhuis has not been "horrible" he's been our best defenseman. A lot of what he does goes unnoticed. His positioning is usually flawless and he has the best stick on our team. He can single handedly nullify a corner.

I agree. All this talk about hamhuis being horrible this year is bordering on comical. He had a bit of a tough stretch to start but has rounded back into form. Without hamhuis this team goes nowhere. He's the best of the back end.