Player Discussion Micheal Ferland

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Previous Thread: Confirmed with Link: - Canucks sign F Micheal Ferland to a 4-year, $3.5M AAV Deal


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He'd mentioned he was on the cusp of ignoring me.

Ferland, even if he were a carbon copy of someone on our roster (I'm guessing Roussel is the similar player) having two grinding pests that can put up 30 (maybe 40 in Ferlands case) isn't a bad thing at all. If all of our bottom six were like these two we would be in much better shape. You mention using these resources to "make our team better long term". How? It's cap space and a roster spot. We don't have many players nearly ready to step in, nor are we short on cap space to sign anyone of value (if this Eriksson trade rumour is true).

A top six, physical, hard skating forward that can play all three positions isn't steep at a first and a third. You said yourself that we could be in a playoff spot this year. So a 16th+ overall pick is currency for pieces like Miller. We are just caught in this idea that it's going to be our pick winning the lottery somehow.

As for Myers, there are Jets fans that are upset he has left. He was being used as a shutdown D in Buffalo and Winnipeg, which is clearly not his forte. He is a more offensive D and that is one of the things the board has been screaming for on our back end for years. He's not a number one, but that doesn't mean he's not valuable enough to contribute. I don't see him being sheltered, but likely paired with Edler, who is more responsible defensively, but I can't fathom a Gudbranson/Pouliot situation, which is what it sounds like people are expecting. We all agree our D from last year needed to be improved, and it had, so is it that it didn't improve enough on paper? How do we improve it otherwise? Would we have felt better trading this year's first or Horvat for Barrie or Subban (likely Woo, Juolevi and matching picks)? I'm not saying it's a great cap hit or term, but it's not terrible and it seems this board is hoping he is a trainwreck (which I don't think he will) so they can continue to complain about management.

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[DL44]

Not a player that excited me about acquiring... but one that feels better when you hear about how his teammates and fans felt about him.

Liked the idea of Johansson's skill and production better and Dzingel's speed.

I'm looking very forward to seeing how Ferland's skillset fits into the lineup and how it manifests itself toward his line's production and effectiveness.

Can't wait actually!

 

[F A N]

I don't think Ferland is comparable to Roussel. I actually think Leivo is a better comparison with Ferland in terms of their offensive game with Ferland having a much greater track record of success with skilled players. Ferland at his best (i.e. first half) is a very effective complementary player to the stars.

 

[NoShowWilly]

it'd be nice to see this team throw the body more consistently. might pump some others up to do the same. always annoys me how this team comes out ball busters the first week and then quickly become a bunch of non event players.

 

[Baby Pettersson]

Not a player that excited me about acquiring... but one that feels better when you hear about how his teammates and fans felt about him.

Liked the idea of Johansson's skill and production better and Dzingel's speed.

I'm looking very forward to seeing how Ferland's skillset fits into the lineup and how it manifests itself toward his line's production and effectiveness.

Can't wait actually!

Where can one hear about how his teammates felt about him. Really curious to hear what they have to say!

 

[elitepete]

We actually have a decent amount of physicality at forward now.
Ferland, Roussel, Virtanen, Horvat, Miller, Leivo, Beagle.

Am i missing anyone?

 

[Soups On]

We actually have a decent amount of physicality at forward now.
Ferland, Roussel, Virtanen, Horvat, Miller, Leivo, Beagle.

Am i missing anyone?

Sutter. He's got huge balls.

 

[Jay Cee]

When Jim is talking about Ferland it kind of reminds me of Homer talking about a donut.

 

[MS]

We actually have a decent amount of physicality at forward now.
Ferland, Roussel, Virtanen, Horvat, Miller, Leivo, Beagle.

Am i missing anyone?

Guys like Leivo and Beagle (and even Horvat) might have some size to work along the walls but aren't physical at all in the traditional sense. Leivo might throw the fewest hits in the NHL for a player his size.

 

[I am toxic]

"Well, Scott Wheeler of the Athletic, what do you think of the acquisition of Ferland?"

"I really like him, I think it will be a good acquisition if he remains consistent."

"Well, Scott, the last couple seasons his scoring has really dropped off in the second half of the season. Thoughts?"

"Yeah, he has been inconsistent the last two seasons."

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Guys like Leivo and Beagle (and even Horvat) might have some size to work along the walls but aren't physical at all in the traditional sense. Leivo might throw the fewest hits in the NHL for a player his size.

Leivo does not throw hits per se..but to my eye, usually wins board battles.

 

[MS]

Leivo does not throw hits per se..but to my eye, usually wins board battles.

Which I noted in my post. Leivo is a weird one in that he seems good along the boards but at the same time seems allergic to the dirty areas in front of the net.

 

[Hodgy]

Leivo just isn't a very good player. He's a borderline NHL player that received way more minutes than he deserved because the Canucks had barely any talent upfront. Even if is he was physical, which he isn't really, it wouldn't make a huge difference because he isn't a very good player.

 

[F A N]

Which I noted in my post. Leivo is a weird one in that he seems good along the boards but at the same time seems allergic to the dirty areas in front of the net.

Leivo has a decent wrist shot and he seems to do a pretty good job of sneaking behind the coverage. He also has good enough hands to consistently direct (weak) shots on net that has managed to go in for him.

 

[bossram]

Leivo just isn't a very good player. He's a borderline NHL player that received way more minutes than he deserved because the Canucks had barely any talent upfront. Even if is he was physical, which he isn't really, it wouldn't make a huge difference because he isn't a very good player.

He's quite literally the best possession player on the team. And as a result, his defensive impacts are sterling. He's invaluable to a team like ours at his price point.

He doesn't have the speed, skill, or IQ to be a real offensive force. But his possession game is built for a low-event 3rd line. Or as 3rd wheel to more skilled players.

 

[Hoghandler]

He's quite literally the best possession player on the team. And as a result, his defensive impacts are sterling. He's invaluable to a team like ours at his price point.

He doesn't have the speed, skill, or IQ to be a real offensive force. But his possession game is built for a low-event 3rd line. Or as 3rd wheel to more skilled players.

Yeah, I don't agree that he's a poor player. He's fundamentally strong defensively, wins a ton of puck battles, strong along the walls and doesn't turn the puck over a lot. Offensively, his strength is the big shot.

It's also easy to forget how poorly he was developed in Toronto, where he sat in the press box for the better part of 2 full years without getting to even play 20 games in either season, AHL and NHL combined. We still don't know if Leivo has shown his best hockey yet, as he only has 133 games under his belt.

I like the idea of slotting him next to Beagle in a checking role. He has the defensive ability to handle that assignment and doesn't need a playmaker to create offense. Could be a valuable piece there, even if he's only playing 12 minutes a night and giving you 10-12 even strength goals.

 

[lawrence]

Anyone think he can provide protective services for boeser pettersson Hughes etc ? We need some of that. Don’t want our boys to get bullied.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Anyone think he can provide protective services for boeser pettersson Hughes etc ? We need some of that. Don’t want our boys to get bullied.

I 'm sure he'll provide every bit as much protection to the skill guys as Gudbranson did.

 

[Hoglander]

Anyone think he can provide protective services for boeser pettersson Hughes etc ? We need some of that. Don’t want our boys to get bullied.

He had better, it's the #1 reason as to why he was signed. Jimbo's acquisitions all seem to disappoint though, so I'm not getting my hopes up. I doubt DimJim even discussed it with Ferland, to be honest.

 

[Hoghandler]

We actually have a decent amount of physicality at forward now.
Ferland, Roussel, Virtanen, Horvat, Miller, Leivo, Beagle.

Am i missing anyone?

You're missing our most active hitter from last season, Tyler Motte. He averaged close to 3 hits/game.

Tanner Pearson as well was 4th amongst our forwards with 1.5 hits/game.

The upgrade at forward over the last year in terms of size and physicality is actually quite staggering. Fans that like that side of the game have waited a very long time to see that element in Vancouver. Looks like a solid mix of high end skill and size. The prospect of Podkolzin joining the ranks in the near future could be the most exciting of all. He would really round out that forward corps if he can translate his game.

 

[elitepete]

Guys like Leivo and Beagle (and even Horvat) might have some size to work along the walls but aren't physical at all in the traditional sense. Leivo might throw the fewest hits in the NHL for a player his size.

They bring different kinds of physicality.

Virtanen is the opposite, he throws open ice hits but doesn’t engage much in the corners or in front of the net.

 

[elitepete]

You're missing our most active hitter from last season, Tyler Motte. He averaged close to 3 hits/game.

Tanner Pearson as well was 4th amongst our forwards with 1.5 hits/game.

The upgrade at forward over the last year in terms of size and physicality is actually quite staggering. Fans that like that side of the game have waited a very long time to see that element in Vancouver. Looks like a solid mix of high end skill and size. The prospect of Podkolzin joining the ranks in the near future could be the most exciting of all. He would really round out that forward corps if he can translate his game.

You may be exaggerating a bit but I agree that we have become more physical and that might be a good thing

Now if only we had more skilled forwards and the defense wasn’t complete shit.

 

[F A N]

Anyone think he can provide protective services for boeser pettersson Hughes etc ? We need some of that. Don’t want our boys to get bullied.

I think he will but I hope he doesn't drop his gloves all that much. He has concussion issues and has injured himself in fights in the past.

He had better, it's the #1 reason as to why he was signed. Jimbo's acquisitions all seem to disappoint though, so I'm not getting my hopes up. I doubt DimJim even discussed it with Ferland, to be honest.

I don't think that's the #1 reason he was signed.

 

[bossram]

He had better, it's the #1 reason as to why he was signed. Jimbo's acquisitions all seem to disappoint though, so I'm not getting my hopes up. I doubt DimJim even discussed it with Ferland, to be honest.

It better not be. Signing anyone for the "protection factor" is beyond foolish.

Deterrence doesn't exist. Lucic didn't stop Savard's career from being ended. Gudbranson on the ice didn't stop anyone roughing up Petey. Lucic still doesn't save McDavid any hassle.

Ferland is a fine enough player and has some skills that'll suit our team. The price point is reasonable (though because of Benning's far more egregious moves, our overall cap situation is quite bad). Those are the reasons you sign him. Not because of some myth that he'll stop other teams from taking runs at Petey.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

I don't think that's the #1 reason he was signed.

Well why target him over more skilled wingers available then?

no hockey community on the planet is as depressed as Canucks fans, lol, well the ones here. hahaha.

Winning usually helps.