Linden "Playoff Performer?" Vey - Part III

[Ho Borvat]

If he can't put on muscle during the time when a typical body grows, he is not going to suddenly put on muscles in the next 3 months.

Actually, early-mid twenties are an ideal time to build mass/strength.

Not saying Vey is going to get strong (relative to his peers), but 3+ months is plenty of time to focus on powerlifting/sport specific exercises and increase strength.

 

[Scurr]

Actually, early-mid twenties are an ideal time to build mass/strength.

Not saying Vey is going to get strong (relative to his peers), but 3+ months is plenty of time to focus on powerlifting/sport specific exercises and increase strength.

Yeah. People will say that he either should have or already has tried this before. I'm sure the urgency to get stronger changes when you go from lighting up the AHL to spinning your wheels in the NHL.

 

[biturbo19]

The talk about how much worse Vey was late in the season is fair, but also i think kind of glossing right over the way he was used late in the season, and how different that was from his "spoonfed" early season opportunities.

Kicking off the season, yes, Vey was given that prime PP opportunity and was actually producing at a more impressive rate. Later in the season, he wasn't getting "spoonfed" prime opportunities, he was bouncing in and out of the lineup, spending stints in the pressbox, wasn't getting any PP time on either unit, and was largely playing with guys like Dorsett (as mentioned above).

It's really disingenuous to portray his final point totals in the context of "being spoonfed minutes" all year, because that isn't actually what happened. He was spoonfed minutes early and was producing at a much higher pace. As he fell out of favour due to other weaknesses in his game (literal weakness chief among them), he was no longer being "gifted" real offensive opportunities, or the PP situations which are clearly his bread and butter as a player...and not surprisingly, the offense dried up pretty significantly. Though his defensive play did seem to be taking some small steps forward later in the year...still a long ways to go, strength would help immensely.

It's still not a good sign, but it's a very different trend than the dishonest efforts to paint his entire season with the same brush. The real case is, he produced far better when "spoonfed" better offensive opportunities - shouldn't be surprising...with the inverse being true as well.

 

[Ho Borvat]

Yeah. People will say that he either should have or already has tried this before. I'm sure the urgency to get stronger changes when you go from lighting up the AHL to spinning your wheels in the NHL.

I really don't know enough about his offseasons to comment on this kind of stuff regarding Vey. I just hope Takahashi has a good program in place, and Vey gets the desired results from their offseason plan with him.

At 6' and 190 lbs hes really not as undersized as people make him out to be. Not saying hes huge, but hes really not much different size-wise than Bonino (on paper). And Bonino was a guy who wasn't a full time NHL'er until he was 26.

Again, I don't know where he fits on the depth chart, or if he'll be with the team on opening day even. But if his biggest weakness is strength/speed, at least its something that is easy enough to work on.

 

[arttk]

I really don't know enough about his offseasons to comment on this kind of stuff regarding Vey. I just hope Takahashi has a good program in place, and Vey gets the desired results from their offseason plan with him.

At 6' and 190 lbs hes really not as undersized as people make him out to be. Not saying hes huge, but hes really not much different size-wise than Bonino (on paper). And Bonino was a guy who wasn't a full time NHL'er until he was 26.

Again, I don't know where he fits on the depth chart, or if he'll be with the team on opening day even. But if his biggest weakness is strength/speed, at least its something that is easy enough to work on.

Well if you see pictures of him, especially his arms, dude looks like a stickman really.
Not hopeful that he will be able to gain any more. I mean the Kings are really good at developing prospects , probably one of the best in the last couple years and it says something when they've given up.

 

[me2]

I'm not as down on Vey as most of the posters here.

He needs to improve his strength and speed. If he does, he's an NHL player moving forward.

If he doesn't, he isn't. Pretty black and white.

Skill wise, he's definitely got the hands, vision, decision making to play in the NHL.

I guess there is the concern that he's going to get minutes on this team next year due to the coaching staff, but that's a coaching issue, not a Linden Vey issue, imo.


edit: I wouldn't trade him for a late pick at this point. Bad asset management,

some actual "recouping"

 

[Luck 6]

I'm not nearly as down on Vey as other people are. I see a center who was a PPG AHL player who scored 25 points in his rookie NHL season, that is all. I get that he was 23 last season, but many good players take extra time to establish themselves. I just want to see progression, Vey did have some moments this past season. I'm expecting 35-40 points from him this coming season, I think that would be a good showing for him.

 

[Powder]

Article on Vey's past season and Summer plans.

http://www.tsn.ca/vey-hopes-off-season-work-leads-to-bounce-back-season-with-canucks-1.332448

Days after the Canucks’ season ended earlier than anyone in Vancouver had hoped it would, rookie Linden Vey sat down with team president Trevor Linden for his exit interview.

Vey told Linden that, in a strange way, he was glad the Canucks’ playoff run was over - and it wasn’t because he sat as a healthy scratch for five of the six first-round games against the Calgary Flames.

“I didn’t wish for us to be out, it wasn’t anything like that,†Vey said. “I just knew that meant I would get the summer that I needed. Sitting out, I already had a lot of time to look at where things went wrong. I was really honest. My preparation last summer wasn’t what it needed to be.â€

Last summer, Vey was deep in the Kings' long run to the Stanley Cup as a black ace. He practised every day until Los Angeles won the Cup on June 13. By the time he finally made it back to Saskatoon, his home base, it was June 25. Three days later he was blindsided by a trade to the Canucks, dealt for a second-round pick.

“You take 10 days or 15 days off to relax after a long season, then you turn around and it’s mid-July. The summer was almost over,†Vey said. “I’m not making excuses.
“The season [with the Canucks] didn't go the way I wanted. I came in with big expectations to put up numbers. It was a big learning curve.â€

Now, Vey is in the middle of what he calls “the biggest summer of my life.â€
That isn’t hyperbole. Vey turned 24 on Friday. The Canucks parted ways with forward Shawn Matthias, who chipped in 18 goals last season, putting more minutes up for grabs on Willie Desjardins’ top three lines.

Vey will battle with wunderkind Bo Horvat in training camp for Vancouver’s third-line centre role.

Horvat, now 20, made more with less rope than Vey last season despite playing approximately 150 fewer minutes. In 68 games, Horvat tallied 13 goals and 25 points, compared to Vey’s 10 goals and 24 points in 75 games.

Nearly 123 of those additional minutes of ice time for Vey came with the man advantage. Horvat saw just 17 minutes all season on Vancouver’s talented power play, which finished ninth in the NHL.

Vey said his biggest issue last season had nothing to do with adjusting to the NHL’s pace of play, a hurdle many young players struggle with. Instead, it was that his game lacked consistency. Vey was nearly a point-per-game player in his last two AHL seasons with the Manchester Monarchs.

“I’ve always been a fairly skilled guy wherever I’ve played. I could afford to take nights off in other leagues and maybe still put up numbers,†Vey admitted.

“In this league, you need to be willing to bring your ‘A’ game every night, or at least nine out of 10 nights. You look at our team in Vancouver; we bring it every day, in practice and in games. That’s why they’ve been able to be successful for so long.â€

If the Canucks are going to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs next season in a much deeper Pacific Division, they’ll need more from both Vey and Horvat - two players who can help fill out a top-heavy, veteran lineup.

Anaheim and Calgary are now the class of the division. The Kings view last April’s near–miss of the postseason as more anomaly than anything else, and the Oilers appear to finally be headed in the right direction. That doesn’t even include the new-look Sharks, who will be playing a different style under Peter DeBoer and have added Martin Jones in net.

Vey was back in Vancouver this week, a departure from his normal summer routine. He wanted to be front and centre with the Canucks training staff, eager to put in the extra work required. He was in the gym with teammates Chris Higgins and Sven Baertschi on Thursday.

Vey will soon be heading back to Saskatoon, but he plans to return to Vancouver for a three-week training session with Canucks strength and conditioning coach Roger Takahashi in August.

“I’ve already worked the hardest I ever have in a summer,†Vey said. “In every league I’ve played in, I made a big jump in my second season. I’m not so much wrried about the points, but I want to get my game to the point where I’m a factor. Last season, I wasn't the same player that got me to the NHL.â€

 

[Jimson Hogarth*]

sounds like Vey is in the right head space at least.

 

[Wisp]

“In this league, you need to be willing to bring your ‘A’ game every night, or at least nine out of 10 nights. You look at our team in Vancouver; we bring it every day, in practice and in games. That’s why they’ve been able to be successful for so long.”

"I need to try at least 90% of the time!" seems like a strange thing for Vey to say.

http://www.tsn.ca/vey-hopes-off-season-work-leads-to-bounce-back-year-with-canucks-1.332448

 

[Scurr]

"I need to try at least 90% of the time!" seems like a strange thing for Vey to say.

http://www.tsn.ca/vey-hopes-off-season-work-leads-to-bounce-back-year-with-canucks-1.332448

There is a lot more to bringing "your 'A' game every night" than simply "trying". He's saying he needs to prepare in a way that allows him to have his 'A' game 9 out of 10 nights.

 

[Wisp]

There is a lot more to bringing "your 'A' game every night" than simply "trying". He's saying he needs to prepare in a way that allows him to have his 'A' game 9 out of 10 nights.

i think you're imagining more nuance to that quote than there actually is.

in any case, that wasn't a criticism of Vey. I'm aware the realities of human performance, just thought it a strange quote.

 

[Scurr]

i think you're imagining more nuance to that quote than there actually is.

I read the whole article to put it into context.

--

He's considered a JB and WD guy… I get it.

 

[Wisp]

I read the whole article to put it into context.

the writer gave it that context.

but this is a silly thing to argue about.

in any case, that wasn't a criticism of Vey. I'm aware the realities of human performance, just thought it a strange.

 

[Horrorshow]

He's considered a JB and WD guy… I get it.

If Daniel Sedin said the same thing it'd be just as strange a quote.

 

[Scurr]

the writer gave it that context.

but this is a silly thing to argue about.

in any case, that wasn't a criticism of Vey. I'm aware the realities of human performance, just thought it a strange.

re: talking about Vey last night and whether there's more there or whether he's done (and whether management should cut their losses). I just read an article where Vey admitted he didn't prepare properly in the Summer last year. That's both encouraging and discouraging.

Encouraging and that he may have much more to give next year and could come back a useful player.

Discouraging that they paid such a high price with someone with work ethic concerns, gave him so much opportunity, and then allegedly fired Zack Kassian out of the sun for similar transgressions.

I guess not…. you decided to take that to a different thread. Seems a strange thing to do.

Playing (being ready to play) during a long playoff run has generally been a pretty good excuse for players to miss training in the offseason. Far more than partying.

 

[DL44]

I found the following quote strange...

“I’ve already worked the hardest I ever have in a summer,” Vey said.

Has he worked hard before, and now he's working harder? then why hasn't he worked harder before? weird.

 

[Horse McHindu]

Linden Vey - I'm not a fan of him yet, but I like where his head is at

Linden Vey - I'm not a fan of him yet, but I like where his head is at:

Although I was a huge fan of the Baertschi trade (and still am), the Vey trade is not something I was thrilled with. Further, given Vey's play last year, the deal soured on me even more.

Having said all that however, I like Vey's attitude and apparent work ethic. My guess is that this is one reason why WD gave him a lot of chances last year as well. In many ways, Vey was perhaps the exact opposite of Kassian.

I hope Vey is successful in improving his defensive game/skillset in this off-season. Vey is a guy that's going to have to win me over as a fan, but I like where this guy's head is at.

 

[Wisp]

I guess not…. you decided to take that to a different thread. Seems a strange thing to do.

1. the criticism was of management, not of Vey... I continue to find the dichotomy of Kassian versus Vey's treatment troubling.

2. It was also the continuation of a discussion we had yesterday in the management thread... since it was criticism of the management, it was in that thread.

3. I am happy to discuss Vey but seriously my comments on that quote was that was a strange, atypical thing to say . I'm used to '110%, every night' from athletes. Really, the honesty was refreshing - that's why I mentioned 'the reality of human performance.'

 

[Horrorshow]

I found the following quote strange...

“I’ve already worked the hardest I ever have in a summer,†Vey said.

Has he worked hard before, and now he's working harder? then why hasn't he worked harder before? weird.

I think this summer is the summer he's referring to? His 9/10 quote sounds like Brian Fantana, though.

"You gotta give 100% 90% of the time. In the past I was only giving 100% maybe 50-60%. I gotta find a way to give 100% 40% more."

 

[DL44]

I think this summer is the summer he's referring to? His 9/10 quote sounds like Brian Fantana, though.

"You gotta give 100% 90% of the time. In the past I was only giving 100% maybe 50-60%. I gotta find a way to give 100% 40% more."

Now I have a big problem with Vey..

If the kid only wants to give 40% more than the 60% he was giving, than that only puts him at 84% effort level..

he's turning into a concern of mine.

 

[ahmon]

The talk about how much worse Vey was late in the season is fair, but also i think kind of glossing right over the way he was used late in the season, and how different that was from his "spoonfed" early season opportunities.

Kicking off the season, yes, Vey was given that prime PP opportunity and was actually producing at a more impressive rate. Later in the season, he wasn't getting "spoonfed" prime opportunities, he was bouncing in and out of the lineup, spending stints in the pressbox, wasn't getting any PP time on either unit, and was largely playing with guys like Dorsett (as mentioned above).

It's really disingenuous to portray his final point totals in the context of "being spoonfed minutes" all year, because that isn't actually what happened. He was spoonfed minutes early and was producing at a much higher pace. As he fell out of favour due to other weaknesses in his game (literal weakness chief among them), he was no longer being "gifted" real offensive opportunities, or the PP situations which are clearly his bread and butter as a player...and not surprisingly, the offense dried up pretty significantly. Though his defensive play did seem to be taking some small steps forward later in the year...still a long ways to go, strength would help immensely.

It's still not a good sign, but it's a very different trend than the dishonest efforts to paint his entire season with the same brush. The real case is, he produced far better when "spoonfed" better offensive opportunities - shouldn't be surprising...with the inverse being true as well.

Good post.

I wonder how he looks at the upcoming training camp. He clearly has soft hands.

I see a lot of Baertschi in the canucks projected top 6.

Imo Vey and Baertschi are on the same boat. Skilled guys that need to produce to stay up.

 

[Rey]

Linden Vey - I'm not a fan of him yet, but I like where his head is at:

Although I was a huge fan of the Baertschi trade (and still am), the Vey trade is not something I was thrilled with. Further, given Vey's play last year, the deal soured on me even more.

Having said all that however, I like Vey's attitude and apparent work ethic. My guess is that this is one reason why WD gave him a lot of chances last year as well. In many ways, Vey was perhaps the exact opposite of Kassian.

I hope Vey is successful in improving his defensive game/skillset in this off-season. Vey is a guy that's going to have to win me over as a fan, but I like where this guy's head is at.

Just because he said that? Every player in the league talks the talk and says the right things, but when it comes to actually doing it...

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

That article is interesting because it's probably the first mass media thing I've seen that pegs Vey's season as a disappointment (which it was).

This is something the bloggers and twitterers have been flogging hard, of course.

 

[DL44]

1. the criticism was of management, not of Vey... I continue to find the dichotomy of Kassian versus Vey's treatment troubling.

How is there a dichotomy when Vey's explaining his sub-par summer last yr was due to having a compressed schedule because of the cup run?
Whereas Kassian.. well.. you know..

I don't see where management deserves criticism for some sort of double standard or 'dichotomy'...


Vey lays it out in the article quite clearly what the issue was.. and then you spin that into a 'work ethic concern'.