Pre-Game Talk: [#NHL24Playoff]: Canucks vs Wild - Play In Rounds. [Best of 5]

[Fedz]

What could be incredibly fun to watch is how our young stars do in their inevitable match ups.

Have to think Petey and Miller (and whoever they have with them) is going to see a healthy dose of Ryan Suter and/or Jared Spurgeon, one of the league's best shut down D in the last 10 years and one of the league's most underrated D in the last 5 years. How does Petey do in that situation? I'd like to think he rises to the occasion but you never know. Minnesota likely wants Staal up against Petey at home.

Hughes is going to go up against Fiala you'd think and this is going to be really interesting. Two young superstars going head to head. That could be really fun to watch. Hughes will absolutely be a massive discussion in the Minnesota Wild coaches room and they will have a game plan. Will be interesting to see how a team game plans against him over a playoff series. Has Hughes ever seen consistent pressure from the likes of Foligno, Staal, Hartman, Greenway?

How does Horvat do matching up against Staal and Fiala? I like our chances there although Staal has the experience advantage. Bo strikes me a a total playoff player. Will he be able to produce offensively will still doing a job in his own zone? Does Green flirt with going Petey and Miller against Staal and Fiala at home early in series? Let the kid play?

The more I think about it, our youth could be a real advantage. Young guys usually start seasons well (I could be talking out my you know what with that comment but just what I've believed) and then usually fade.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

What could be incredibly fun to watch is how our young stars do in their inevitable match ups.

Have to think Petey and Miller (and whoever they have with them) is going to see a healthy dose of Ryan Suter and/or Jared Spurgeon, one of the league's best shut down D in the last 10 years and one of the league's most underrated D in the last 5 years. How does Petey do in that situation? I'd like to think he rises to the occasion but you never know. Minnesota likely wants Staal up against Petey at home.

Hughes is going to go up against Fiala you'd think and this is going to be really interesting. Two young superstars going head to head. That could be really fun to watch. Hughes will absolutely be a massive discussion in the Minnesota Wild coaches room and they will have a game plan. Will be interesting to see how a team game plans against him over a playoff series. Has Hughes ever seen consistent pressure from the likes of Foligno, Staal, Hartman, Greenway?

How does Horvat do matching up against Staal and Fiala? I like our chances there although Staal has the experience advantage. Bo strikes me a a total playoff player. Will he be able to produce offensively will still doing a job in his own zone? Does Green flirt with going Petey and Miller against Staal and Fiala at home early in series? Let the kid play?

The more I think about it, our youth could be a real advantage. Young guys usually start seasons well (I could be talking out my you know what with that comment but just what I've believed) and then usually fade.

That's exactly what the Canucks have done every year lately; start off like gangbusters then fade down the stretch as the season slogs on. What they'll essentially be doing is starting over from preseason once they get going again. The question is will they get the calls and will Minny be able to shut Pete and Hughes down.

 

[dombrova22]

What could be incredibly fun to watch is how our young stars do in their inevitable match ups.

Have to think Petey and Miller (and whoever they have with them) is going to see a healthy dose of Ryan Suter and/or Jared Spurgeon, one of the league's best shut down D in the last 10 years and one of the league's most underrated D in the last 5 years. How does Petey do in that situation? I'd like to think he rises to the occasion but you never know. Minnesota likely wants Staal up against Petey at home.

Hughes is going to go up against Fiala you'd think and this is going to be really interesting. Two young superstars going head to head. That could be really fun to watch. Hughes will absolutely be a massive discussion in the Minnesota Wild coaches room and they will have a game plan. Will be interesting to see how a team game plans against him over a playoff series. Has Hughes ever seen consistent pressure from the likes of Foligno, Staal, Hartman, Greenway?

How does Horvat do matching up against Staal and Fiala? I like our chances there although Staal has the experience advantage. Bo strikes me a a total playoff player. Will he be able to produce offensively will still doing a job in his own zone? Does Green flirt with going Petey and Miller against Staal and Fiala at home early in series? Let the kid play?

The more I think about it, our youth could be a real advantage. Young guys usually start seasons well (I could be talking out my you know what with that comment but just what I've believed) and then usually fade.

I think the kids are going to fire on all cylinders. From top to bottom - Petey/Boeser/Bo/Virt/Gaud/(Big Mac if he plays)/Hughes are all going to shine.

 

[VanillaCoke]

Fiala is a flashy, scoring left winger, while Horvat is a center who's a beast in the d-zone and anchors their second line. Centers are more valuable at the best of times, and even more so in the playoffs.

Yeah thanks for reiterating exactly what I said.

 

[VanJack]

Let's face it, by the time the players get back on the ice for this year's Stanley Cup playoffs, they'll have been off for close to four and a half months. It'll be like basically starting a new season. And for good measure, it looks like they could be playing in the summer blast furnace of either Vegas or Phoenix.

Besides the inevitable injuries that will come after moving from training camp drills and scrimmages directly into intense 'do or die' playoff games, it's hard to say which team might have an advantage.

My sense is that Minnesota, with its group of veterans, might be at something of a disadvantage. It could take them longer to get back in game shape, and they could be more brittle when the physical intensity ramps up. But that's only a 'guess' on my part.

Certainly the fact that Markstrom and Pettersson have never missed a beat of practice time on Sweden's ice sheets during the CVOID lockdown, should be a huge advantage. And they could be 'difference-makers' in a short series.

But at the end of day, it's beyond depressing that we'll be lucky if this series starts before early August, which is still more than 90 days away.

 

[m9]

Let's face it, by the time the players get back on the ice for this year's Stanley Cup playoffs, they'll have been off for close to four and a half months. It'll be like basically starting a new season. And for good measure, it looks like they could be playing in the summer blast furnace of either Vegas or Phoenix.

Besides the inevitable injuries that will come after moving from training camp drills and scrimmages directly into intense 'do or die' playoff games, it's hard to say which team might have an advantage.

My sense is that Minnesota, with its group of veterans, might be at something of a disadvantage. It could take them longer to get back in game shape, and they could be more brittle when the physical intensity ramps up. But that's only a 'guess' on my part.

Certainly the fact that Markstrom and Pettersson have never missed a beat of practice time on Sweden's ice sheets during the CVOID lockdown, should be a huge advantage. And they could be 'difference-makers' in a short series.

But at the end of day, it's beyond depressing that we'll be lucky if this series starts before early August, which is still more than 90 days away.

90?

 

[Hammer79]

90?

It just feels like it.

 

[Johnny Canucker]

More to the game of hockey than just being able to put up points

not much more.

 

[dombrova22]

Are we ever going to get some concrete answers such as host cities/start dates etc? Or are they just delaying this as long as possible to then say ' sorry folks we have to forget about these playoffs and focus on next year '

 

[rypper]

Are we ever going to get some concrete answers such as host cities/start dates etc? Or are they just delaying this as long as possible to then say ' sorry folks we have to forget about these playoffs and focus on next year '

Even if they decide on hub cities, it still has to go to the players for a vote. There's no guarantee they even agree to play yet.

 

[tantalum]

A bunch of NFL and MLB players are testing positive this week. I'm not even remotely confident that the season/playoffs will end up being completed. Especially because in the states everyone has their blinders on and there are going to be major hot spots soon (companies don't have blinders on but governments do). In our neck of the woods the first wave is actually just hitting. Hospitalizations up 20% day on day the past week. Hospitals frantically expanding COVID ward capacity and city councils voting to continue on with re-opening cities.

 

[timw33]

A bunch of NFL and MLB players are testing positive this week. I'm not even remotely confident that the season/playoffs will end up being completed. Especially because in the states everyone has their blinders on and there are going to be major hot spots soon (companies don't have blinders on but governments do). In our neck of the woods the first wave is actually just hitting. Hospitalizations up 20% day on day the past week. Hospitals frantically expanding COVID ward capacity and city councils voting to continue on with re-opening cities.

I have very little confidence that they will be able to complete playoffs if the have any hub cities in the US.

 

[vanuck]

A bunch of NFL and MLB players are testing positive this week. I'm not even remotely confident that the season/playoffs will end up being completed. Especially because in the states everyone has their blinders on and there are going to be major hot spots soon (companies don't have blinders on but governments do). In our neck of the woods the first wave is actually just hitting. Hospitalizations up 20% day on day the past week. Hospitals frantically expanding COVID ward capacity and city councils voting to continue on with re-opening cities.

Hell, one Bruins and one Penguins player tested positive already. I still don't see this season resuming as being a sure thing.

 

[LordBacon]

Hell, one Bruins and one Penguins player tested positive already. I still don't see this season resuming as being a sure thing.

Please tell me it’s Marchand

 

[LuckyDay]

Apparently the League made a ruling in the CBA amendment about using unsigned entry level players and Wild fans are upset about not being allowed to play Kaprizov



Report: Kirill Kaprizov eligible to sign and burn first year, cap recapture amended

How does this ruling affect any of our guys? Does this mean Pod is out?

 

[rypper]

Isn't Podkolzin under contract in the KHL for one more year after this one anyway? So he would have to buy himself out of that before he could sign here.

 

[FroshaugFan2]

Apparently the League made a ruling in the CBA amendment about using unsigned entry level players and Wild fans are upset about not being allowed to play Kaprizov



Report: Kirill Kaprizov eligible to sign and burn first year, cap recapture amended

How does this ruling affect any of our guys? Does this mean Pod is out?

It means Rathbone or any other unsigned prospect can't play for the Canucks in their play in series and playoffs, but they can still burn a year off of their ELC.

Podkolzin was never going to sign this season, so no affect there.

In a typical season unsigned draft picks can sign and play in the playoffs, that's why Wild fans would be upset that Kaprizov cannot.

 

[LuckyDay]

I don't understand. If it was okay to do this in the standard CBA, what is the league's issue with it now? I seem to remember a number of players in the past started their rookie career in the playoffs.

EDIT: I guess there is also something going on with Zach Parise and Suter and cap recapture penalties. A deal to send Parise to the Islanders from the Wild fell through and its also involved in this amendment. Very strange.

 

[flying v 604]

It means Rathbone or any other unsigned prospect can't play for the Canucks in their play in series and playoffs, but they can still burn a year off of their ELC.

Podkolzin was never going to sign this season, so no affect there.

In a typical season unsigned draft picks can sign and play in the playoffs, that's why Wild fans would be upset that Kaprizov cannot.

This could be important towards Rathbone's contract situation. I personally think that he signs here no matter what but given he can opt-out in after his sophomore year and the fact that the States is trending towards another quarantine and there may not even be a college season, it makes sense to try and sign him now. Just from the talk around it, it sounds like he wants to turn pro but his camp wanted to know how things play out. Since any signing up to this point was for next season. Signing now he can burn a year which is a really good incentive.

 

[VanillaCoke]

I don't understand. If it was okay to do this in the standard CBA, what is the league's issue with it now? I seem to remember a number of players in the past started their rookie career in the playoffs.

EDIT: I guess there is also something going on with Zach Parise and Suter and cap recapture penalties. A deal to send Parise to the Islanders from the Wild fell through and its also involved in this amendment. Very strange.

 

[lawrence]

our players with the experience...

Toffoli Cup winner
Pearson Cup winner.
Beagel Cup Winner.
Edler Cup finalist
Tanev Cup finalist
JT Miller cup finalist.
Myers 39 games of playoffs.
Louis Erickson played through 3 rounds in 2008 and 2 in 2014.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

fiala hasn’t proven he’s better than Boeser yet.

I'd put Fiala in the top 3 after Pettersson and Miller, but it's probably largely from recency bias. He had been on quite the steak, with 15 points in his last 10 games and 26 points in his last 18 games, and was a huge reason Minnesota looked to be a playoff team.

 

[Johnny Canucker]

I think the kids are going to fire on all cylinders. From top to bottom - Petey/Boeser/Bo/Virt/Gaud/(Big Mac if he plays)/Hughes are all going to shine.

Horvat is almost done 50% of his nhl career. Hardly a kid anymore.

 

[Signupnow]

Has Pettersson skated in Sweden all this time while others have sat in lockdown? It seems to me that perhaps the Swedish players in this league might have an advantage this post season if that is the case.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

our players with the experience...

Toffoli Cup winner
Pearson Cup winner.
Beagel Cup Winner.
Edler Cup finalist
Tanev Cup finalist
JT Miller cup finalist.
Myers 39 games of playoffs.
Louis Erickson played through 3 rounds in 2008 and 2 in 2014.

It’s good to have some experience on the roster, but our best players for the most part are as yet untested - Pettersson, Hughes, Markstrom and Boeser. I’m confident they can rise to the occasion, and it’s going to be really interesting to see how they do.

Also curious to see how Horvat does. He had a strong playoff debut in his rookie season - wonder if he comes in hungry since there’s been 5 years between appearances for him.