Former Bruins Urho Vaakanainen

[BruinDust]

Looked the part of NHL D-man last night. I can't speak to his play in Providence, maybe he's one of those guys who is better in the NHL than AHL with more structured systems?

 

[8thRoundPick]

Vaak was good, but I noticed a lot of little holes in his game that need to be addressed. He's going to be a good one, but I hope the coaches show him the Flyer's 2nd goal on repeat so he can work on that positioning. What a great game to get called up for though, I'm betting it was surreal for him!

 

[DKH]

Vaakanainen where he should be with a defenseman based coaching staff

he’s got size needs strength probably

is he expansion exempt no matter how many games he plays because on first contract

I believe so

unless he’s traded he should be regular next season in rotation

 

[The don godfather]

Another dman gem found by donny we loaded back there.

 

[TD Charlie]

Looked very very good for the most part. Smooth.... just like how you feel after popping some Urho Vicodin.

I see we have very different reactions lol

UV was excellent though. The defensive depth and the trust I have in the 7th, 8th, 9th! defensemen is more than impressive

 

[BMC]

He had a bit of a rough start but that's to be expected IMO. As the game went on he got much better & with a little more seasoning I think he will be very good.

I was very impressed with him the one time I saw him play in Providence.

 

[kjpm]

Very strong season debut from Vaak. He was getting better as the game went on. Excellent skating, good decision making with the puck. He looks like he's put on some much needed weight since last time he was called up.

A few miscues but nothing too serious. He held on to the puck a bit too long at certain times but that's something he'll adjust to as he plays more NHL games. His stretch pass on Pasta's 2nd goal was a thing of beauty. It was great to see him get some love from Bergy at the end of the game

Bruins lucked out having him exempt from Seattle. It makes the seemingly inevitable loss of one of Lauzon, Gryz or Zboril much more palatable knowing he's waiting in the wings. Their organizational depth at LD is amazing.

 

[SpitfireIX]

He played well. Looked a little nervous which was different then when he had his initial shot with the B's before his concussion. I found then he looked really confident and in-place.

 

[UConn126]

Looked the part of NHL D-man last night. I can't speak to his play in Providence, maybe he's one of those guys who is better in the NHL than AHL with more structured systems?

That, or maybe he isn't engaged enough playing in the minors. He knows he'll have opportunities to play in the big league, like last night, so doesn't want to get hurt playing in the AHL to mess up those chances. On top of that, the rumored no AHL playoffs this year means those games probably feel pretty meaningless.

 

[Alicat]

I like him a lot. His pass to Freddy for the assist was crisp and tape to tape. Can Bruins PR give the announcers his pronunciation tho? Yesterday was painful to listen to outside of Boucher.

 

[TD Charlie]

I like him a lot. Can Bruins PR give the announcers his pronunciation tho? Yesterday was painful to listen to outside of Boucher.

"Euro Vacknin"

NAILED IT

 

[rocketdan9]

I must say he was pretty good last night

Better than he has looked down at Providence?

This is what I was reading before his callup

His 1st passes out of the zone is very crispy. Even slightly better than Zboril I might add

I still need to see how he deals with bigger size/hefty players along the boards/in front of the net

 

[BruinsNetwork]

Better than he has looked down at Providence?

This is what I was reading before his callup

His 1st passes out of the zone is very crispy. Even slightly better than Zboril I might add

I still need to see how he deals with bigger size/hefty players along the boards/in front of the net

When he’s on his game? There are few prospects around that cover their zone, crease better than Vaakanainen can. He’s been a 50/50 player in Providence and I think that’s just because he might view it as a developmental platform rather than an intense league.

That’s 100% speculation and I know nothing of the situation, but that’s what looks like in my eyes. If last night was any indication, I don’t think it’s all that crazy because he looked like himself again towards the end of the game. Impressive poise last night skating over 23 minutes.

FWIW I still absolutely would trade him for Ekholm if that’s what Nashville wants.

 

[veganbruin]

When he’s on his game? There are few prospects around that cover their zone, crease better than Vaakanainen can. He’s been a 50/50 player in Providence and I think that’s just because he might view it as a developmental platform rather than an intense league.

That’s 100% speculation and I know nothing of the situation, but that’s what looks like in my eyes. If last night was any indication, I don’t think it’s all that crazy because he looked like himself again towards the end of the game. Impressive poise last night skating over 23 minutes.

FWIW I still absolutely would trade him for Ekholm if that’s what Nashville wants.

He seems like he could be a really good player and I still think he is better than Zboril. but a Swap of him for Ekholm could make a lot of sense for both teams.

 

[JCRO]

Lauzon out for a few weeks. Stinks

On the flip side, I hope we get to see more of what Urho’s got!

 

[Tbaybruin]

He seems to be on that”defenceman” learning curve. I’m not sure if he will ever be a number two but I certainly believe he could be a real good 3-4.

 

[JCRO]

He seems to be on that”defenceman” learning curve. I’m not sure if he will ever be a number two but I certainly believe he could be a real good 3-4.

Still way too early to tell. But I agree a real good 3-4 is just fine.

 

[UncleRico]

When he’s on his game? There are few prospects around that cover their zone, crease better than Vaakanainen can. He’s been a 50/50 player in Providence and I think that’s just because he might view it as a developmental platform rather than an intense league.

That’s 100% speculation and I know nothing of the situation, but that’s what looks like in my eyes. If last night was any indication, I don’t think it’s all that crazy because he looked like himself again towards the end of the game. Impressive poise last night skating over 23 minutes.

FWIW I still absolutely would trade him for Ekholm if that’s what Nashville wants.

Why the need for ekholm? Bruins have the 3rd best GAA in the league and allow the least amount of shots against per game. The defensive group has been elite at suppressing shots and in arguably the best division in the nhl right now. If anything we should be targeting scoring help.

 

[veganbruin]

Why the need for ekholm? Bruins have the 3rd best GAA in the league and allow the least amount of shots against per game. The defensive group has been elite at suppressing shots and in arguably the best division in the nhl right now. If anything we should be targeting scoring help.

Bruins D is great and they have a lot of young talent. However that is just it, we don’t know how they are going to look when the games matter. That’s why it is important to have veteran player spliced in with the youth. I’m happy to go into the playoffs with 1 rookie LHD but not 2.

 

[wintersej]

Why the need for ekholm? Bruins have the 3rd best GAA in the league and allow the least amount of shots against per game. The defensive group has been elite at suppressing shots and in arguably the best division in the nhl right now. If anything we should be targeting scoring help.

Ekholm isn't just about adding some experience to the blue line... he outscored Krug at 5 on 5 the last two years as well. The Bruins inability to get 5 on 5 offense from their blue line was a stark contrast to what Tampa did to them. Ekholm replaces Krug's 5 on 5 offense and does so with stout D.

 

[Over the volcano]

Reminds me of a lighter Jay Bouwmeester. Real smooth on his skates and quick and simple in his game. No flash or smash.

 

[UncleRico]

Ekholm isn't just about adding some experience to the blue line... he outscored Krug at 5 on 5 the last two years as well. The Bruins inability to get 5 on 5 offense from their blue line was a stark contrast to what Tampa did to them. Ekholm replaces Krug's 5 on 5 offense and does so with stout D.

I mean mcavoy also out scored krug last year even strength and Carlo was only two points behind krug in even strength scoring. Krug was a very middle of the road even strength point producer.

it’s just that he played nearly 4 minutes per game on the power play the past few years that inflated his point production.

 

[UncleRico]

Bruins D is great and they have a lot of young talent. However that is just it, we don’t know how they are going to look when the games matter. That’s why it is important to have veteran player spliced in with the youth. I’m happy to go into the playoffs with 1 rookie LHD but not 2.

They are literally the best defense in the entire league right now. So we are trying to fix something that isn’t broken?

 

[DominicT]

They are literally the best defense in the entire league right now. So we are trying to fix something that isn’t broken?

Team defense yes, defensemen, no.

 

[ODAAT]

Vaak was good, but I noticed a lot of little holes in his game that need to be addressed. He's going to be a good one, but I hope the coaches show him the Flyer's 2nd goal on repeat so he can work on that positioning. What a great game to get called up for though, I'm betting it was surreal for him!

yeah he didn`t look good on that one but IMO, the good far outweighed the bad in Tahoe, there will be mistakes, there will be games where it`s clear the kid doesn`t have "it". Still a ton to like about this kid