Willie Desjardins (Part 2) - So far, So good.

[MS]

Positives so far :

- seems like a good guy who has fostered a very positive mood in the dressing room and around the team - total players' coach who seems to be making decisions in conjunction with our core group.

- system is improved and more fun to watch. Far better breakouts.

- really like what he's done with the PK - 10 forwards seeing icetime there, total team effort.

- has had a positive impact on Edler (although I think much of that is just playing him with Tanev) and we've seen substantial improvement there.

- love how he rolls 4 lines. And how he clearly doesn't like dressing Sestito-types.

Negatives so far :

- PP selections, in particular on the 2nd unit, are a catastrophe. Just keeps trotting out players who have proven for a decade they're ineffective on the PP - Burrows, Higgins, Hansen, Hamhuis, Bieksa. Meanwhile Kassian, Tanev, Weber sit.

- not sold on how tight he runs his bench. Had a lot of trouble getting the Sedins away from Weber in the Nashville game despite last change, allowed Colorado's top line to ventilate the Sbisa pairing in the first Avalanche game. Changes and too many men penalties also a problem. Really question whether he can keep up with a Quenneville or Sutter in a playoff game at this point.

- doesn't seem to make many (any?) adjustments on the fly. Even in blowouts, doesn't change initial lines/PP groupings. Frustrating at times.

- handling of Kassian, who is a hugely important player for this franchise, has been poor. Needs to play more. So does Tanev, and Lack has been thrown under the bus really. Frustrating to see our younger players who are ready to step up as top players be held back and given limited icetime.

Generally speaking, though, he's done a solid job so far and is off to a good start.

 

[GetFocht]

Positives so far :

- seems like a good guy who has fostered a very positive mood in the dressing room and around the team - total players' coach who seems to be making decisions in conjunction with our core group.

- system is improved and more fun to watch. Far better breakouts.

- really like what he's done with the PK - 10 forwards seeing icetime there, total team effort.

- has had a positive impact on Edler (although I think much of that is just playing him with Tanev) and we've seen substantial improvement there.

- love how he rolls 4 lines. And how he clearly doesn't like dressing Sestito-types.

Negatives so far :

- PP selections, in particular on the 2nd unit, are a catastrophe. Just keeps trotting out players who have proven for a decade they're ineffective on the PP - Burrows, Higgins, Hansen, Hamhuis, Bieksa. Meanwhile Kassian, Tanev, Weber sit.

- not sold on how tight he runs his bench. Had a lot of trouble getting the Sedins away from Weber in the Nashville game despite last change, allowed Colorado's top line to ventilate the Sbisa pairing in the first Avalanche game. Changes and too many men penalties also a problem. Really question whether he can keep up with a Quenneville or Sutter in a playoff game at this point.

- doesn't seem to make many (any?) adjustments on the fly. Even in blowouts, doesn't change initial lines/PP groupings. Frustrating at times.

- handling of Kassian, who is a hugely important player for this franchise, has been poor. Needs to play more. So does Tanev, and Lack has been thrown under the bus really. Frustrating to see our younger players who are ready to step up as top players be held back and given limited icetime.

Generally speaking, though, he's done a solid job so far and is off to a good start.

Given the personnel he has, he has done an outstanding job. There are no negatives in my eyes, he has done everything he can with the current line-up and has found early success. If he continues this type of results, he will be a jack adams contender.

 

[Bures Elbow]

Him allowing Horvat to take the opening face off with the Sedins...really really fantastic thing to do.

Sold me just on that. Reveals a lot.

 

[ShouldveDraftedFiala]

Disagree with putting Bonino on the first PP. I think we keep Vrbata with the Sedins at all times and let them ride the highs and lows so come crunch time they are a perfectly messed unit.

Bonino has been driving the offence for the 2nd line and we should be putting Kassian with him on the PP asap. Give the 2nd unit a different a different look. Leave Tanev on the 2nd unit because his passes are so ****ing crisp and accurate. Have him setting up Bonino for one timers and his other D partner with one timers while Kassian plants himself in front of the goalie and Higgins looks for garbage goals and digs the puck out of the corner.

Vrbata would still be there of course. Bonino would replace Vey.

Having Vey and Kassian on the 2nd would provide plenty playmaking ability for that unit. Add in Burr for a net front presence and it would be effective enough.

Bonino just deserves to be on the 1st. His shot is too good.

 

[absolute garbage]

Given the personnel he has, he has done an outstanding job. There are no negatives in my eyes, he has done everything he can with the current line-up and has found early success. If he continues this type of results, he will be a jack adams contender.

That doesn't make any sense. Do you just ignore the negatives that MS posted there or disagree with him? Because he specifically typed how some of the _personnel_ decisions have been bad. And I cannot see how any of those are debatable.

Just because he's been mostly good doesn't mean he's been perfect. And it's okay to admit that.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

That doesn't make any sense. Do you just ignore the negatives that MS posted there or disagree with him? Because he specifically typed how some of the _personnel_ decisions have been bad. And I cannot see how any of those are debatable.

Of course they are debatable. Those are only one person's views.
Personally, I've been fine with the development of Kassian which has been the approach taken by three successive coaches with him. Contrast that with how Hodgson was developed in Buffalo.

 

[Ryp37]

Of course they are debatable. Those are only one person's views.
Personally, I've been fine with the development of Kassian which has been the approach taken by three successive coaches with him. Contrast that with how Hodgson was developed in Buffalo.

Going back to last year Kassian not on the second unit pp just doesn't make sense

He very clearly has excellent vision, can thread the needle and has been really really solid along the boards this year yet Hansen and Dorsett are getting put out there

 

[absolute garbage]

Of course they are debatable. Those are only one person's views.

Tell me how can you argue in favor of the horrid 2nd PP unit that scored one fluky goal in the season opener, has done nothing in the following 12 games but stayed pretty much the same personnel wise during this whole time?

Do not forget that this unit has notoriously bad PP players who shouldn't even be there in the first place. It's not like this last stretch of ineffectiveness is a surprise to anyone.

When you have the type of players that can succeed in the PP watching this ****show from the bench (like Kassian, and Tanev and Weber on D), it's just plain and simple terrible decision from the coaching staff to not make a change at any point. It's one thing to not know it beforehand, which is acceptable given they are new to the organisation and such, but this is not.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Going back to last year Kassian not on the second unit pp just doesn't make sense

He very clearly has excellent vision, can thread the needle and has been really really solid along the boards this year yet Hansen and Dorsett are getting put out there

I think the coaches are using the second PP as a carrot for Kassian to get him to improve his overall game. As a former minor league coach myself, I sometimes used that approach too.
I'd be surprised if we don't see him on the PP soon but he needs to earn it by playing consistently every night.

 

[Reckage]

Disagree with MS on the handling of Kassian.

His time in Vancouver has been like snakes and ladders. Up to the first line, down to the fourth, up to the second, down to the third. Wash, rinse, repeat.

It has to be drilled into him that one or two good shifts does not a promotion make. If he wants more ice time, he has to has to show a body of work, over many games, that indicates he deserves to be moved up or get powerplay time.

Liked what I saw from him in the win last night over Colorado. If he can continue playing like that game after game, none of this flash and disappear stuff, he'll force the coaches into giving him a bigger role.

And, if it happens that way, that's a good thing.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Disagree with MS on the handling of Kassian.

His time in Vancouver has been like snakes and ladders. Up to the first line, down to the fourth, up to the second, down to the third. Wash, rinse, repeat.

It has to be drilled into him that one or two good shifts does not a promotion make. If he wants more ice time, he has to has to show a body of work, over many games, that indicates he deserves to be moved up or get powerplay time.

Liked what I saw from him in the win last night over Colorado. If he can continue playing like that game after game, none of this flash and disappear stuff, he'll force the coaches into giving him a bigger role.

And, if it happens that way, that's a good thing.

Well said! He's taken too many nights off this season still.
Let him earn more ice time and a place on the second PP.

 

[IntangiBo]

Disagree with MS on the handling of Kassian.

His time in Vancouver has been like snakes and ladders. Up to the first line, down to the fourth, up to the second, down to the third. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Do you have a 4 yo, too? I am sick of that ******* game. You are mixing your metaphors though.

 

[Reckage]

Do you have a 4 yo, too? I am sick of that ******* game. You are mixing your metaphors though.

I have that celiac thing. Means I have to avoid barley and rye. If I can't have mixed drinks, at least I can enjoy some mixed metaphors.

 

[GetFocht]

They way they're handling Kassian is perfect, I'm sure Canucks brass have a better understanding of his personality and know what's an effective method of motivating him. He's in the midst of developing his physical/two-way game and when he's ready, he can take those skills to an offensive role.

 

[MS]

Disagree with MS on the handling of Kassian.

His time in Vancouver has been like snakes and ladders. Up to the first line, down to the fourth, up to the second, down to the third. Wash, rinse, repeat.

It has to be drilled into him that one or two good shifts does not a promotion make. If he wants more ice time, he has to has to show a body of work, over many games, that indicates he deserves to be moved up or get powerplay time.

Liked what I saw from him in the win last night over Colorado. If he can continue playing like that game after game, none of this flash and disappear stuff, he'll force the coaches into giving him a bigger role.

And, if it happens that way, that's a good thing.

Kassian got off to a slow first 5 games after a preseason injury, but has been consistently good for the last 6-8 games. And was consistently our best forward in the 2nd half last year (not that that's saying much).

Playing 11:50/game isn't enough. Kassian should be up in the 13-14 minute range at worst. And yeah, should be on the 2nd unit PP both for the sake of his development and for the sake of the team winning games.

Our 3 most important young players on the roster are Kassian, Tanev, and Lack. All 3 have seen their role or icetime drop from last season, despite improved play in the case of the first two. I don't see how this is a good thing.

 

[Drop the Sopel]

Our 3 most important young players on the roster are Kassian, Tanev, and Lack. All 3 have seen their role or icetime drop from last season, despite improved play in the case of the first two. I don't see how this is a good thing.

The team is also much deeper, as well as 100% healthy. Not to mention they are rolling 4 lines and 3 defense pairings.

Suspect those minutes will creep up as the season goes along, and injuries come into play. Kassian and Tanev showing prolonged strong play will also drive their minutes upward.

I also wouldn't view Lack as an important young player. He's 27 soon - older than Nick Bonino...

 

[MS]

The team is also much deeper, as well as 100% healthy. Not to mention they are rolling 4 lines and 3 defense pairings.

Suspect those minutes will creep up as the season goes along, and injuries come into play. Kassian and Tanev showing prolonged strong play will also drive their minutes upward.

I also wouldn't view Lack as an important young player. He's 27 soon - older than Nick Bonino...

Hasn't stopped Edler's TOI from going up over last year ...

So you're saying you're satisfied that Kassian is playing 11:50/game and satisfied with the player decisions on our 2nd unit?

 

[Diamonddog01]

Kassian got off to a slow first 5 games after a preseason injury, but has been consistently good for the last 6-8 games. And was consistently our best forward in the 2nd half last year (not that that's saying much).

Playing 11:50/game isn't enough. Kassian should be up in the 13-14 minute range at worst. And yeah, should be on the 2nd unit PP both for the sake of his development and for the sake of the team winning games.

Our 3 most important young players on the roster are Kassian, Tanev, and Lack. All 3 have seen their role or icetime drop from last season, despite improved play in the case of the first two. I don't see how this is a good thing.

Agreed regarding more ice-time for Kassian, but 14 min may be a bit high. I'd like to see

Sedin - Sedin - Vrbata: 20
Higgins - Bonino - Vey: 15
Burrows - Horvat - Dorsett - 12
Matthias - Richardson - Kassian: 13

with the bottom 6 playing more or less depending on how the line is playing.

 

[MS]

Agreed regarding more ice-time for Kassian, but 14 min may be a bit high. I'd like to see

Sedin - Sedin - Vrbata: 20
Higgins - Bonino - Vey: 15
Burrows - Horvat - Dorsett - 12
Matthias - Richardson - Kassian: 13

with the bottom 6 playing more or less depending on how the line is playing.

If he was getting a consistent run-out on the #2 PP unit (the same PP TOI that Higgins and Bonino have) he'd be up to roughly 14:00 and that would be about right.

He was playing over 15:00 in the 2nd half last year. He had a big finish to the season (20 ES points in his last 35 games) and seemed primed to break out this year. He needs to be given that opportunity and not pigeon-holed back into grinder minutes.

 

[opendoor]

I also wouldn't view Lack as an important young player. He's 27 soon - older than Nick Bonino...

It's a little different between goalies and forwards. Only 13 of the 64 goalies to play this year are '89 born or younger whereas over 40% of the forwards who've played this year are in that age range. The median age for forwards this year is nearly 2 years younger than it is for goalies.

 

[Pip]

Goalies are different because it usually takes them longer to break into the league. He may be 27, but doesn't have much "miles" on him and is still developing. Getting abandoned by the team on every b2b isn't going to help him. You have to think about the future as well because while Miller has played well, he's likely a 2 year band-aid solution for our goaltending. Lack is clearly the first in line to take that #1 job and I think he's really the only guy as I don't think Markstrom will ever be a quality NHL goalie for us.

Vrbata would still be there of course. Bonino would replace Vey.

Having Vey and Kassian on the 2nd would provide plenty playmaking ability for that unit. Add in Burr for a net front presence and it would be effective enough.

Bonino just deserves to be on the 1st. His shot is too good.

Bonino being a lefty would mean that he would have a very difficult time getting his shot off, so I don't really see the point. Vey has been good there and recently has improved our zone entries with his speed. He's very active in the middle. Not the issue with that first unit.

Would much rather see Bonino and Kassian become the key components of the second unit, with Burrows/Higgins as the third guy.

 

[DL44]

I personally don't see Kassian as a good fit on our PP. Bonino is the better playmaker and is the one distributing on the 2nd unit from the side boards..

Right now they got Hansen playing the Vey-style top of the circles rover.... and Kassian isn't quick enough with his first step to effectively play that role...

If kassian had the capability to be the primary puck handler, you could turn Bonino into the low/slot sniper instead of Higgens... But i don't think Kassian is quite there in vision to be that guy..

Basically our 2nd unit mirrors the top unit in some roles...
Bonino-Burrows - Twins.. Higgens-Vrabata.. Vey-Hansen... Dman-Dman...

With our current PP structure, Kassian doesn't quite fit.

Not yet.


Now if they move to a 2nd unit PP that relies heavily on the blueline to shoot, he could be a great net front presence/low corner distributor... but we don't have the point shots to threaten to play that style...

 

[Pip]

Again with the questioning of his vision. I don't understand how someone can watch Kassian play game in and game out and not come away impressed with his vision. It's his best asset.

 

[Drop the Sopel]

It's a little different between goalies and forwards. Only 13 of the 64 goalies to play this year are '89 born or younger whereas over 40% of the forwards who've played this year are in that age range. The median age for forwards this year is nearly 2 years younger than it is for goalies.

But how crucial is Eddie Lack to the future success of this organization when he's almost 27 years of age - as well as being the 2nd best goalie in the mix with Ryan Miller signed until he's almost 30?

When I think of important young players in Vancouver, Eddie lack doesn't really even register.

 

[DL44]

Again with the questioning of his vision. I don't understand how someone can watch Kassian play game in and game out and not come away impressed with his vision. It's his best asset.

His execution of his passing and capitalizing on what he sees is his best asset..
The range of what he sees could be improved.

He needs to read in anticipate the other side of the ice better still... as soon as incorporates the ability to hit that back door guy. he'll take it to the next level...

When you watch his line play... he has outstanding vision and hands to work the corners, see and hit the guys in the slot just fine... but you can see many times when the line is working, our backside Dman is creeping down and there has been a lot more opportunities there they just don't happen.
That's my assessment anyway... but hey, who am I.