Post-Game Talk: SJ 7, Canucks not quite as many as 7. Part 2.

[thekernel]

Trial by tire-fire. What a shame it was for the Canucks lay an egg in front of their teenage goaltender. As much fun as it was to experience this game in the flesh at Rogers Arena, the team performance was unacceptable given the context.

First off, I don't attribute much if any blame at all towards DiPietro. I don't think there's a single goal you could count that wasn't some lucky play or some grade A scoring chance resulting from junior-level coverage. Gudbranson didn't finish his line change and as a result, got out-worked and out-skilled on their first goal. Second and third goal don't need much explaining. Fourth goal, I got mad at whoever let Hertl slip in alone, but upon realizing it was Horvat I had to wonder why he was the last man back in the first place.

To the credit of the crowd, they gave a lot of love to Mikey. We all cheered his first NHL save without any hint of facetiousness, we all knew he was being absolutely hung out to dry, and when the final seconds ticked down there were no extraneous boos.

Hey, how bout that Pettersson pass though.

You know, it's funny, I also attended Markstrom's first Canuck start (also against San Jose IIRC?), where he got pulled after 3 goals on 4 shots. Gotta think he'd be the guy to talk to after a start like this.

 

[Var]

Yes, i am calling him a "liar". It was exactly that, or you didn't understand one singe thing of what PR is.

Mike is not a dummy, but someone with a brain cell must agree that you don't go crying into an interview after your first game where you got stomped. However, no one can say he is ok. I would add that he better not be ok and this one stings a lot, because it will help him long term. But people can't write that even if you got lit up in your first NHL game, everyhting is going to be ok and it will be easily forgotten. It won't.

And TG better be supportive. He is the one to blame. And Benning, for a whole other reasons. And I am sure someone will find an excuse for these two, as always.

He's not a liar, he's just not weak. Not everyone blames other people or gets down on themselves. And if you think toughening up in front of the media is a given, take a look at Hitchcock these days.

 

[4Twenty]

Hilarious that basically the kid would've had to cry in his post game interview for some people to actually raise questions for why this organization found themselves in the position of needing to play a CHL goalie against the 2nd best scoring team in the league.

And no....people are not clamouring for them to trade assets for another goalie....people are mad the organization didn't have the foresight nor a contingency plan for what happened.

 

[VanJack]

Hilarious that basically the kid would've had to cry in his post game interview for some people to actually raise questions for why this organization found themselves in the position of needing to play a CHL goalie against the 2nd best scoring team in the league.

And no....people are not clamouring for them to trade assets for another goalie....people are mad the organization didn't have the foresight nor a contingency plan for what happened.

Completely agree with this. Being forced to put in a 19-year old CHL goalie against one the top teams in the NHL is an epic fail in the executive suite. People are casting blame at the players in front of him. But in fact is the Canucks blueline does what it always does-- cough up a string of guilt-edged scoring chances. But no Markstrom to bail them out this time.

The only guy who should be embarrassed is Benning. His teen-age goalie must have felt like clay pigeon behind the worst collection of blueliners in the NHL.

 

[Star Ocean]

Three more games then canucks is off for 5 days again. Wtf, it feels like they barely play this season.

 

[DownGoesMcDavid]

Good thing they traded nilsson

Lmao theres no pleasing the fanbase.


Alot if ppl were thrilled we moved Nillson to make room for Demko.

Now all of a sudden its a bad move ?

 

[Hit the post]

You know, it's funny, I also attended Markstrom's first Canuck start (also against San Jose IIRC?), where he got pulled after 3 goals on 4 shots. Gotta think he'd be the guy to talk to after a start like this.

Not that similiar though as Markstrom had already 40+ NHL games under his belt by the time he got his first Canuck start and 24? years old at the time. DiPietro is 19 and hadn't even played a single professional hockey game (Markstrom had a fair number of games at the AHL level by that point).

But hopefully he can talk to the kid and talk to him about his struggles and how he got over it.

Lmao theres no pleasing the fanbase.


Alot if ppl were thrilled we moved Nillson to make room for Demko.

Now all of a sudden its a bad move ?

LOL all you want.

Leaving ZERO goalies callups from your farm other than a 19 year old raw rookie is Elmer type stupid. But that's just my opinion. It's not like this problem couldn't have been fixed WEEKS ago.

 

[Star Ocean]

Lmao theres no pleasing the fanbase.


Alot if ppl were thrilled we moved Nillson to make room for Demko.

Now all of a sudden its a bad move ?

Demko seems extremely injury prone.

 

[crazychimp]

Damn that sucks, didn't see the game but I hope he gets a chance to redeem himself after that.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

It's not like the Canucks are the only team to have to call on an non nhl goalie because of injury. The Avs called up, and were forced to play, a lesser junior goalie last year (or was it 2 years ago). That's not even counting all the guys who dressed as backups that would have been an even bigger joke than starting DiPietro. We were 1 injury away from having to insert UBC's goalie (or was it Simon Fraser? it was definitely 1 of the Vancouver area universities) some years ago.

The ridiculous assortment of random, not worthy of playing in the nhl, goalies who have dressed for games is a situation the entire league should be embarrassed about. Jim Benning, however, is responsible for that f***ed up mess of a defence. Has there ever been a player who got worse every year they were in the league? Gudbranson is the only one I can think of.

 

[Hit the post]

It's not like the Canucks are the only team to have to call on an non nhl goalie because of injury. The Avs called up, and were forced to play, a lesser junior goalie last year (or was it 2 years ago). That's not even counting all the guys who dressed as backups that would have been an even bigger joke than starting DiPietro. We were 1 injury away from having to insert UBC's goalie (or was it Simon Fraser? it was definitely 1 of the Vancouver area universities) some years ago.

Chris Levesque (sp?) was an emergency situation. This clearly wasn't the same as there was no viable goalie callup from the Comets for about a MONTH. Elmer was caught sitting with his pants down. This is ALL on him (as per usual, the Comets get ignored by Elmer & Co. and this is the result).

 

[thekernel]

Not that similiar though as Markstrom had already 40+ NHL games under his belt by the time he got his first Canuck start and 24? years old at the time. DiPietro is 19 and hadn't even played a single professional hockey game (Markstrom had a fair number of games at the AHL level by that point).

Not that similar? That's just being dense on purpose. Of course there's differences.

 

[moog35]

Lmao theres no pleasing the fanbase.


Alot if ppl were thrilled we moved Nillson to make room for Demko.

Now all of a sudden its a bad move ?

Getting rid of Nilsson was a good move and still is.

Not signing a depth goalie when Demko originally got hurt is the problem. Sign a guy like Leighton who had NHL experience or even some ECHL scrub with pro experience to be your sacrificial lamb if needed. It’s better than playing a 19 year old kid who has never even had a pro training camp or pre season game.

 

[Hit the post]

Not that similar? That's just being dense on purpose. Of course there's differences.

Settle down, I didn’t mean my reply to come off as snarky. If it gave that impression, then I apologize. It’s just my opinion that the situations aren’t remotely comparable. Agree to disagree. Peace.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Chris Levesque (sp?) was an emergency situation. This clearly wasn't the same as there was no viable goalie callup from the Comets for about a MONTH. Elmer was caught sitting with his pants down. This is ALL on him (as per usual, the Comets get ignored by Elmer & Co. and this is the result).

THIS was also an emergency situation. Legit nhl quality goalies don't grow on trees apparently. It's Jim's job to figure it out, but every team in the league is a 2 or 3 injuries away from playing a guy who's going to get lit up. I guess it would have been better to have some journeyman minor league goalie in there, instead of our top junior age prospect, but the results likely would have been the same.

Really not trying to be a Benning apologist here, but wasn't there a team in the east who dressed their equipment manager as backup a while ago? Jim is clearly not the sharpest stick in the forest, but that could be said about quite a few nhl gm's. At least when it comes to planning for goalie emergency's.

 

[VanJack]

What is it with this team and either the mis-diagnosis of injuries or just flat out pursuing the Trumpian method of 'alternate facts"? First Demko was 'day-to-day', now he's on IR.

It's not like DiPietro was some beer league guy they had to drag out of the stands in an emergency. He's been here practicing for more than week--only one injury to Markstrom away from being forced to play. I thought Green kind of threw Jimbo under the bus in the post-game presser. Saying as of now he's the backup goalie, so they have to play him. Really!?

Sometimes you're just slack-jawed at the sheer incompetence of the guys in the executive booth for this franchise.

 

[Hit the post]

THIS was also an emergency situation. Legit nhl quality goalies don't grow on trees apparently. It's Jim's job to figure it out, but every team in the league is a 2 or 3 injuries away from playing a guy who's going to get lit up. I guess it would have been better to have some journeyman minor league goalie in there, instead of our top junior age prospect, but the results likely would have been the same.

Really not trying to be a Benning apologist here, but wasn't there a team in the east who dressed their equipment manager as backup a while ago? Jim is clearly not the sharpest stick in the forest, but that could be said about quite a few nhl gm's. At least when it comes to planning for goalie emergency's.

I guess I just see it differently. It was a potential problem that could be fixed long ago. It’s still a problem right now that is the issue. There was no “backup” plan so to speak.

 

[DarrenX]

'Jumbo' Joe Thornton on with Dan Murphy after the game saying he 'felt really bad for DiPietro'. Not sure how some of the Canucks felt. But when your opponent takes time out to offer condolences, it should be an embarrassment not just to the Canuck players. How about Benning stepping forward with some condolences of his own for putting a junior goaltender in this position in the first place?

They could probably offer an apology to the ticket-buying fans while they're at it. I'm glad I didn't spend $$ to watch Bambi go out to fight Godzilla.

I mean, this is great for the tank, and I hope they play DiPietro every night because I want us to finish last overall and see Benning fired from a cannon.... but it speaks to the incompetence of this organization. They're ostensibly trying to win. This wasn't an emergency or a Chris Levesque situation ... Demko has been hurt for a while now. They knew, and have known for days, that they were one Markstrom groin tweak away from playing a 19 year old kid who doesn't even have any AHL experience. You're telling me they couldn't pick up an experienced warm body from somewhere? This is not a good look for the Canucks.

Oh... and I just looked up who was on the board for the 33rd pick of 2016 (the one we traded away for the mighty Eric Gudbranson)... oh look, Carter Hart! Good thing we traded the pick.

 

[DownGoesMcDavid]

Cant wait till we give up a late pick for a goalie and the same ppl going to complain.

Unless youre fine with us signing an AHL goalie in an AHL contract

 

[DownGoesMcDavid]

They could probably offer an apology to the ticket-buying fans while they're at it. I'm glad I didn't spend $$ to watch Bambi go out to fight Godzilla.

I mean, this is great for the tank, and I hope they play DiPietro every night because I want us to finish last overall.... but it speaks to the incompetence of this organization. They're ostensibly trying to win. This wasn't an emergency or a Chris Levesque situation ... Demko has been hurt for a while now. They knew, and have known for days, that they were one Markstrom groin tweak away from playing a 19 year old kid who doesn't even have any AHL experience. You're telling me they couldn't pick up an experienced warm body from somewhere? This is not a good look for the Canucks.

Which goalie is avilable ?? Theres retired guys like mason or lehtonen. Then AHL scrubs.

 

[ChilliBilly]

Go to Wallmart and get another goalie?

I am pretty sure that JB has been told you can't trade any draft picks this year. McKenna is a borderline NHLer at best, and he didn't clear waivers. The Canucks thought it was time to bring Demko up, what other options did they have. The last thing I want to do in a post is defend JB, but exactly what assets do you plan on giving up to get a decent back goalie that we hopefully never need again. And who are you targeting?

 

[FroshaugFan2]

Cant wait till we give up a late pick for a goalie and the same ppl going to complain.

Unless youre fine with us signing an AHL goalie in an AHL contract

There were plenty of options for acquiring a goalie without giving up a pick.

• Predicate any Nilsson trade on getting an AHL goalie in return.
• Acquire an AHL goalie such as Coreau for future considerations.
• Don't waive McKenna until Philadelphia and Toronto have their goalies return from injury.
• Sign Kulbakov/ Leighton/ any decent AHL goalie to a NHL contract.

 

[StreetHawk]

Cant wait till we give up a late pick for a goalie and the same ppl going to complain.

Unless youre fine with us signing an AHL goalie in an AHL contract

Can’t be using a draft pick. That makes little sense.
The Canucks rolled the dice and busted out. Fine to have mike in the bench in Washington. But after that game they needed to pull the trigger and ink Leifhton to a contract. No reason to bring Mike to Vancouver.

Not sure what the point is to have so many open spots for contracts. Want to save 2 for ncaa guys. I would not sign madden this year. Realistically he’d start in the A next season, so only if he did a pro with the comets would I sign him this season. No rush on him. Just Hughes and Lockwood if needed.

I know that they were waiting for MCKenna to go back on waivers. I don’t get this nhl rule about allowing players to get sent on conditioning stints when they have not gone on IR. If you let a player get rusty that’s on you. Flyers over the weekend told Hart that he was staying for the remainder of the season.

Strong efforts in Chicago and Philly were not rewarded. They stole a game against Calgary and got it handed to them against SJ. Canucks at the end of the day are not a surprise. On pace for 82 points is close to being in line if things landed right for the team. Didn’t know how well Pettersson would translate to the nhl in year 1. It’s the other western teams that have taken steps back that keeps them in the race.

 

[FroshaugFan2]

Go to Wallmart and get another goalie?

I am pretty sure that JB has been told you can't trade any draft picks this year. McKenna is a borderline NHLer at best, and he didn't clear waivers. The Canucks thought it was time to bring Demko up, what other options did they have. The last thing I want to do in a post is defend JB, but exactly what assets do you plan on giving up to get a decent back goalie that we hopefully never need again. And who are you targeting?

Coreau went for future considerations the day after the Nilsson trade.

Acquiring goaltending depth isn't difficult. Benning is just bad at his job.

 

[tantalum]

This isn't about targeting someone or having someone you can "win" with as you're 4th string goaltender. That is likely not a possibility. It's about getting a warm body that isn't an unprepared 19 year old kid...and doing so sometime within the last 5-6 weeks. A conditional pick for someones 4th stringer (or futures). A minimum contract to someone currently sitting on the sidelines. There is no defense for this. There really isn't. And the organization should be absolutely embarrassed.