Post-Game Talk: Pre-Season GM 7: Canucks 5 @ Edmonton 2 - Cracknell the Defender Edition

[polarbearcub]

@kenwardskorner: Potential @vancanucks forward lines vs Oilers:

Baertschi-Horvat-Virtanen
Burrows-Vey-Hansen
Kenins-McCann-Cracknell
Prust-Sutter-Dorsett

Love that top line

 

[Ho Borvat]

A
Baertschi - Horvat - Vey
Burrows - McCann - Virtanen
Hansen - Sutter - Kenins
Dorsett - Cracknell - Prust

Hutton - Biega
Hamhuis - Weber
Bartkowski - Sbisa

Markstrom/Bachmann

Like it or not, Vey and Baertschi are going to be given every conceivable chance to succeed. I could also see Horvat and Sutter rotating as deemed necessary - maybe even McCann, too.

Im growing on the idea of moving Vey over to the wing (especially with the emergence of McCann).

I know a lot of people have Baertschi pegged into the top-6, but that seems similar to the treatment Vey got last year.

I like the idea of Bae and Vey competing for a roster spot because it creates competition between 2 guys essentially trying to prove they belong in the NHL.

Sedin Sedin Burrows
Bae* Horvat Vrbata
Dorsett McCann Hansen
Kenins Sutter Prust
/Vey*

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Interesting line combos tonight.

And man - Hutton faces his biggest challenge yet: surviving a night being paired with Sbisa. If he manages to look good doing that...well, welcome to the NHL.

 

[Nuckles]

@kenwardskorner: Potential @vancanucks forward lines vs Oilers:

Baertschi-Horvat-Virtanen
Burrows-Vey-Hansen
Kenins-McCann-Cracknell
Prust-Sutter-Dorsett

Love that top line

Baertschi-Horvat-Virtanen

Good.

Burrows-Vey-Hansen
Kenins-McCann-Cracknell

Vey still getting preferable treatment from daddy. He should be swapped with McCann.

Prust-Sutter-Dorsett

Good, Sutter deserves those linemates with how he has played.


Also, Gaunce better not be cut. I hope he's getting the game off after getting bloodied last game.

 

[D0ctorCool]

Interesting, the Canucks are going with a pretty green roster again, with some character veterans sprinkled in....would love to see them shut-down those high-priced Oiler bonus babies....and I wonder if the Oil might regret passing on Markstrom when he was on waivers last year.

It's like management keeps waiting for the kids to fail so they can finally send them down.
We're inching closer and closer to the regular season, everyone's roster is mostly set, and we have a pile of kids outplaying almost every single one of our veterans.

These kids are making Benning's life a living hell.

 

[Addison Rae]

Vey still getting top 6 minutes? such a joke

 

[Nuckles]

I like how we have all the left handed d-men paired with each other and both of the right handed d-men paired with each other. Genius.

 

[VanJack]

Interesting line combos tonight.

And man - Hutton faces his biggest challenge yet: surviving a night being paired with Sbisa. If he manages to look good doing that...well, welcome to the NHL.

LOL...yes, if you want to get a true read on a guy just pair him with Sbisa....if he survives and thrives, he's definitely got an NHL future....sort of like the old Timex Watch torture test.

 

[Bettman Returnz]

Hope that doesn't mean Gaunce has been cut already

Am i the only one who thinks that Gaunce has played his way on to this team? Him and McCann! I love Virtanen but not convinced he's quite ready to make that next step.

 

[MS]

Am i the only one who thinks that Gaunce has played his way on to this team? Him and McCann! I love Virtanen but not convinced he's quite ready to make that next step.

To me, Gaunce looks like the best bet to stick and it's absolutely ridiculous they haven't tried him at center to see if he could fill the #4 spot.

Everything about his game looks ready to contribute at both ends of the rink in an NHL bottom 6.

 

[Ho Borvat]

Am i the only one who thinks that Gaunce has played his way on to this team? Him and McCann! I love Virtanen but not convinced he's quite ready to make that next step.

To me, Gaunce looks like the best bet to stick and it's absolutely ridiculous they haven't tried him at center to see if he could fill the #4 spot.

Everything about his game looks ready to contribute at both ends of the rink in an NHL bottom 6.

I think with all the players who would need to be sent back to juniors, or are waiver eligible are factoring into Gaunce not making the team.

Im assuming hes gonna be a top callup, but because they can send him down (and they can't send Vey/Baertschi/McCann/Virtanen) he probably doesn't have a great shot at being on the opening night roster (unless people are moved out)

 

[polarbearcub]

I think gaunce will be with the team by the end of the year.

 

[rypper]

Baertschi better show us something with those line mates.

 

[tc 23]

No, it just means they can't ice 30 players.

Obviously not but all of the other prospects who are still around are in this game meaning they're trying to evaluate them still. I just wonder if Gaunce not playing with them means anything.

 

[MS]

I think with all the players who would need to be sent back to juniors, or are waiver eligible are factoring into Gaunce not making the team.

Im assuming hes gonna be a top callup, but because they can send him down (and they can't send Vey/Baertschi/McCann/Virtanen) he probably doesn't have a great shot at being on the opening night roster (unless people are moved out)

I absolutely HATE giving 9-game looks to junior players who haven't earned them just because you can.

To me, you only give a junior player a spot if you think it's likely he's ready to spend the full season, and then use the 9 games as the 'out' if that proves not to be the case, rather than the reverse.

That said, McCann has probably earned a longer look. Virtanen to me has not.

 

[arsmaster*]

Love the 4th line. Costs 3X as much as tampa's top line.

Hoping Virt and Baert can get going next to the Ox.

To be honest I like the linemates McCann is getting. He has to show he can contribute with these types. I think he has it in him. I also hope this is Vey's last game, that line is set up to showcase him. If he fails get him down to Utica.

 

[HankNDank]

Love the 4th line. Costs 3X as much as tampa's top line.

Hoping Virt and Baert can get going next to the Ox.

To be honest I like the linemates McCann is getting. He has to show he can contribute with these types. I think he has it in him. I also hope this is Vey's last game, that line is set up to showcase him. If he fails get him down to Utica.

Obviously a bit of hyperbole there, but in all fairness, if Tampa goes with Drouin-Stamkos-Kucherov, than our 4th line is only 500k less than that line.

 

[NuxFan09]

I absolutely HATE giving 9-game looks to junior players who haven't earned them just because you can.

To me, you only give a junior player a spot if you think it's likely he's ready to spend the full season, and then use the 9 games as the 'out' if that proves not to be the case, rather than the reverse.

That said, McCann has probably earned a longer look. Virtanen to me has not.

Agreed here. I wouldn't have any problem with Virtanen being sent down without even getting his 9 games. He hasn't been bad at all, just hasn't made much of an impact at all. The positive is we saw him doing a lot of the "other" things well (physicality, providing energy etc.). We just need to see him continue to develop his offense because we really didn't see much of that in preseason, besides the PP goal against Calgary.

 

[Bettman Returnz]

May as well cut our loses with Vey. Doesn't fit into our lineup, anywhere! The only reason i've been watching these preseason games are to see how Virtanen, McCann, Gaunce and Hutton do (and they've done great, exciting to see them grow each game). It will definitely influence my interest come the regular season and none/or most are not on the big team... I bet ticket sales will take a bit of a hit too.

 

[Ho Borvat]

I absolutely HATE giving 9-game looks to junior players who haven't earned them just because you can.

To me, you only give a junior player a spot if you think it's likely he's ready to spend the full season, and then use the 9 games as the 'out' if that proves not to be the case, rather than the reverse.

That said, McCann has probably earned a longer look. Virtanen to me has not.

We know Gaunce will get games at some point this year regardless (he had a good camp, and when we run into injuries he will be our #1 callup in all likelihood). Its not a matter of if Gaunce will play, its a matter of when.

For Virtanen/McCann, the decision between keeping McCann/Virtanen around is a lot more black and white. Management really only has 2 games to decide if these guys play any NHL games this year.

 

[Goon42]

I want to see the ultimate pizza battle tonight


Ference - Nikitin
VS
Bartkowski - Sbisa

 

[MS]

We know Gaunce will get games at some point this year regardless (he had a good camp, and when we run into injuries he will be our #1 callup in all likelihood). Its not a matter of if Gaunce will play, its a matter of when.

For Virtanen/McCann, the decision between keeping McCann/Virtanen around is a lot more black and white. Management really only has 2 games to decide if these guys play any NHL games this year.

And again, I don't really care.

You do it on merit based on their play and readiness. You treat every prospect the same.

If Gaunce has had a better preseason than Virtanen and looks like a better fit to help the team more, he should be the one that stays. Doing the opposite is just weak management and horribly unfair to the player who did the best job.

 

[arsmaster*]

Obviously a bit of hyperbole there, but in all fairness, if Tampa goes with Drouin-Stamkos-Kucherov, than our 4th line is only 500k less than that line.

If it's Palat-Johnson-Drouin, I believe they're all under $1m a piece.

 

[StrictlyCommercial]

In a perfect world Vey, Prust, Sbisa and Miller are on a rocket ship to space. Sadly I have a feeling our views of who has earned a spot differ greatly from management.

 

[CherryToke]

Interesting line combos tonight.

And man - Hutton faces his biggest challenge yet: surviving a night being paired with Sbisa. If he manages to look good doing that...well, welcome to the NHL.

everybody falls the first time.