Speculation: Your 2015-16 opening night lineup

[TheWanderer]

Sedin - Sedin - Vrbata
Baertschi - Horvat - Virtanen
Burrows - McCann - Hansen
Dorsett - Sutter - Vey
(Higgins), Prust
Cracknell?

Edler - Tanev
Hamhuis - Weber
Hutton - Sbisa
Bartkowski

Miller
Markstrom



It sickens me how Sutter was brought here to finally play above the 3rd line, with good linemates rather than behind Malkin/Crosby and with the terrible Pens depth. Yet... here we are, and we have two young centers in Horvat and McCann (who is still trying out, to be fair) who are showing to be way better options to play with the skill players than Sutter, who has now become our defacto checking center. And sure, he's better at that than Bonino... but man.

With that contract, we basically have to turf him or else we lose one of McCann/Horvat because of our costs down the middle. Or we say goodbye to the Sedins. Thanks Sutter... thanks Benning.

 

[Jyrki]

Sedin - Sedin - Vrbata
Baertschi - Horvat - Virtanen
Burrows - McCann - Hansen
Dorsett - Sutter - Vey
(Higgins), Prust
Cracknell?

Edler - Tanev
Hamhuis - Weber
Hutton - Sbisa
Bartkowski

Miller
Markstrom



It sickens me how Sutter was brought here to finally play above the 3rd line, with good linemates rather than behind Malkin/Crosby and with the terrible Pens depth. Yet... here we are, and we have two young centers in Horvat and McCann (who is still trying out, to be fair) who are showing to be way better options to play with the skill players than Sutter, who has now become our defacto checking center. And sure, he's better at that than Bonino... but man.

With that contract, we basically have to turf him or else we lose one of McCann/Horvat because of our costs down the middle. Or we say goodbye to the Sedins. Thanks Sutter... thanks Benning.

It's not really Sutter's fault if someone threw a bushel of money at him before he could prove he was actually worth the money.

 

[BigTruzz]

Sedin-Sedin-Vrbata
Baertschi-Horvat-Virtanen
McCann-Sutter-Hansen
Prust-Cracknell-Dorsett
Vey

Edler-Tanev
Hamhuis-Weber
Hutton-Bartowski
Sbisa

Miller
Markstrom

When Higgins is healthy trade him for a 2nd.

 

[TheWanderer]

Sedin-Sedin-Vrbata
Baertschi-Horvat-Virtanen
McCann-Sutter-Hansen
Prust-Cracknell-Dorsett
Vey

Edler-Tanev
Hamhuis-Weber
Hutton-Bartowski
Sbisa

Miller
Markstrom

When Higgins is healthy trade him for a 2nd.

People are so obsessed with trading Higgins. Does anybody actually have a good reason for that?

 

[me2]

People are so obsessed with trading Higgins. Does anybody actually have a good reason for that?

Because Benning's acquisitions and contacts are so bad they can't trade them.

 

[biturbo19]

I don't understand the desire to not play vrbata with the twins.

By the miller goaltending wins logic the team won a helluva lot more when these guys played together.

Agreed.

It seems so obvious and simple. It worked. Vrbata clearly seems to want it, the Twins don't seem to mind having him riding shotgun as a finisher. It frees up a lot of other interesting combinations down the lineup too, as Burrows is so much more versatile.

That'd absolutely be a starting point for a lineup imo.

 

[Horse McHindu]

People are so obsessed with trading Higgins. Does anybody actually have a good reason for that?

Yes - he has value and has an excellent cap hit. His contract is moveable. Benning and WD are also committed to having Dorsett and Prust to protect the kids.

Moving Higgins allows you have all three of Virtanen, McCann, and Hutton up here for the whole season. The extra 2.5 million in cap space also gives us options.

 

[vanuck]

https://twitter.com/jsportsnet/status/650898600252342272

Bye bye Vey?

Vey to Utica pls

People are so obsessed with trading Higgins. Does anybody actually have a good reason for that?

On that contract, hell no. You'd at least be looking to move other guys like Prust, Sbisa, Vey and Dorsett before good value contracts like Higgins. Or at least a smart GM would...

 

[tiny103]

It sickens me how Sutter was brought here to finally play above the 3rd line, with good linemates rather than behind Malkin/Crosby and with the terrible Pens depth. Yet... here we are, and we have two young centers in Horvat and McCann (who is still trying out, to be fair) who are showing to be way better options to play with the skill players than Sutter, who has now become our defacto checking center. And sure, he's better at that than Bonino... but man.

With that contract, we basically have to turf him or else we lose one of McCann/Horvat because of our costs down the middle. Or we say goodbye to the Sedins. Thanks Sutter... thanks Benning.

im willing to give him some time to adjust to playing with our players and in this system before I give up on him. hes got some habits to play out of.

 

[brokenhole]

Vey to Utica pls



On that contract, hell no. You'd at least be looking to move other guys like Prust, Sbisa, Vey and Dorsett before good value contracts like Higgins. Or at least a smart GM would...

Lol look at the comments on Shannon..guy is so out of touch on the Canucks, almost always wrong.

 

[crazyforhockey]

Agreed.

It seems so obvious and simple. It worked. Vrbata clearly seems to want it, the Twins don't seem to mind having him riding shotgun as a finisher. It frees up a lot of other interesting combinations down the lineup too, as Burrows is so much more versatile.

That'd absolutely be a starting point for a lineup imo.

Thats where horvat 2nd line has to consistently score (without)Vrbata to ensure that vrbata stays on sedin line

Now and during playoffs

 

[ItsAllPartOfThePlan]

Lol look at the comments on Shannon..guy is so out of touch on the Canucks, almost always wrong.

iirc...Shannon was mostly wrong in the Gillis Era. he's been pretty accurate since Benning took over. I could be wrong though


from Bob Mckenzie:
Looks like Jared McCann, Jake Virtanen, Ben Hutton will open season on VAN roster. Does that mean Vey and Corrado on waivers? See at noon.

 

[ATypicalCanadian]

Vey to Utica pls



On that contract, hell no. You'd at least be looking to move other guys like Prust, Sbisa, Vey and Dorsett before good value contracts like Higgins. Or at least a smart GM would...

Those guys aren't the most appetizing to GM's I'd imagine. If Benning actually moved Vey and Prust I think most would be shocked. I think management is still love sick for Pizza though and Dorsett I can be fine with.

 

[vanuck]

Lol look at the comments on Shannon..guy is so out of touch on the Canucks, almost always wrong.

I haven't read any of his articles recently but this was pretty much the case a few years ago.

Those guys aren't the most appetizing to GM's I'd imagine. If Benning actually moved Vey and Prust I think most would be shocked. I think management is still love sick for Pizza though and Dorsett I can be fine with.

Definitely not, but that they're willing to admit that Vey wasn't good enough and waived him is a start I guess.

 

[NoShowWilly]

Sedin Sedin Vrbata
Baertschi Horvat Virtanen
Burrows Mccann Hansen
Cracknell Sutter Dorsett
Prust

Edler Tanev
Hamhuis Bartkowski
Hutton<->Sbisa(Should have been Biega)
Weber

Miller
Markstrom

 

[Disappointed EP40]

Also a point on Higgins versus Prust in the line-up.

Higgins can play up and down from 2nd to 4th. If any guy falters or goes down to injury, we need his type of player over this nonsense mentoring, enforcing, "sticking up for the youth" BS.

 

[Street Hawk]

Sedin Sedin Vrbata
Baertschi Horvat Virtanen
Burrows Mccann Hansen
Cracknell Sutter Dorsett
Prust

Edler Tanev
Hamhuis Bartkowski
Hutton<->Sbisa(Should have been Biega)
Weber

Miller
Markstrom

Likely to be twins with Vrbata.

But, don't see WD putting 3 youngsters together. Either Hansen/Burrows with Bo.

Sutter with Jake and Burr/Hansen

McCann with 2 of the other guys.

Boggles my mind to have over $5 million for Prust and Dorsett.

 

[TruKnyte]

Likely to be twins with Vrbata.

But, don't see WD putting 3 youngsters together. Either Hansen/Burrows with Bo.

Sutter with Jake and Burr/Hansen

McCann with 2 of the other guys.

Boggles my mind to have over $5 million for Prust and Dorsett.

On the upside we have 4 kids in the lineup (5 if you include Baertschi)

 

[HalfPastDan]

Sedin-Sedin-Vrbata
Baertschi-Horvat-Virtanen
Burrows-Sutter-Hansen
Higgins-McCann-Dorsett

Edler-Tanev
Hamhuis-Bart
Hutton-Weber
Sbisa

The forwards work so perfectly if you let them.

 

[TheWanderer]

Yes - he has value and has an excellent cap hit. His contract is moveable. Benning and WD are also committed to having Dorsett and Prust to protect the kids.

Moving Higgins allows you have all three of Virtanen, McCann, and Hutton up here for the whole season. The extra 2.5 million in cap space also gives us options.

I wouldn't bother trading him until the deadline unless a team really came knocking on the door. If we start shopping a player who was injured in pre-season and potentially over-shadowed by rookies, we'd be in a situation where we were selling low. Which I am not in favor of.



For opening roster, I would go with:

Sedin - Sedin - Burrows
Baertschi - Horvat - Virtanen
Dorsett - McCann - Vrbata
Prust - Sutter - Hansen

Edler - Tanev
Hamhuis - Weber
Hutton - Sbisa

Markstrom


I guess. Dorsett AND Prust... what a pain.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Sedin-Sedin-Sutter
Baertschi-Horvat-Vrbata
Burrows-McCann-Hansen
Prust-Cracknell-Virtanen
Dorsett

This makes the most sense.

 

[me2]

Sedin-Sedin-Sutter
Baertschi-Horvat-Vrbata
Burrows-McCann-Hansen
Prust-Cracknell-Virtanen
Dorsett

This makes the most sense.

Playing Virtanen in a role where he will get pigeon holed into just hitting stuff not making plays because his team mates are too slow and lack talent.

Handicaps the Sedins with Sutter.

Deprives the team of Sutter's speedy 2-way game at a centre, Cracknell is not better centre option.

Dorsett is much better than Prust and Cracknell. his speed fits the team better. Sure he might not be as rounded as Prust but at least he can still skate.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Playing Virtanen in a role where he will get pigeon holed into just hitting stuff not making plays because his team mates are too slow and lack talent.

Handicaps the Sedins with Sutter.

Deprives the team of Sutter's speedy 2-way game at a centre, Cracknell is not better centre option.

Dorsett is much better than Prust and Cracknell. his speed fits the team better. Sure he might not be as rounded as Prust but at least he can still skate.

That was TSN's projected opening night line-up. If McCann is staying put (and he obviously is talented enough), he can't be playing behind Sutter. And you can't waste Sutt's on the 4th line. Virtanen can move up and down the line-up.

 

[arsmaster*]

That was TSN's projected opening night line-up. If McCann is staying put (and he obviously is talented enough), he can't be playing behind Sutter. And you can't waste Sutt's on the 4th line. Virtanen can move up and down the line-up.

1-2-3-4 Willie will be sure Sutter plays 13 minutes at EV strength plus PK. He'll get his minutes even on the "4th line".

Cracknell is the easiest guy to sit for game one IMO. Journeyman should just be happy to break camp.

Sutter on the wing should be embarassing for Benning. At least with Prust and Dorsett you could tag it as a "checking line".

 

[quat]

Oddly enough, after 1234 Willie in the playoffs (ie very predictable), I now have absolutely no idea what this guy will do with his roster.

His comments regarding players seem at times entirely devoid of common sense. He puts together a line that explodes for points and shows a ton of chemistry and then refuses to play it again. He continually plays guys that show no consistency and struggle to keep up, while penalizing others for what seem like much lesser infractions.

I think this is the season where he'll define his NHL career. Either he's a lot craftier than he seems (possible) and he gets the team playing well together, or we're going to see him crater the team like he did with the playoffs. If it's the latter, I find it hard to imagine he'll be around for a third season.

I have to add that he's in a pretty tough place with regards to Sutter. Given his strengths and weaknesses as a player, I don't see how you can realistically play him as anything other than as a traditional 3rd or 4th line center ... and given that huge contract, the pressure to force him higher up the lineup must be significant. I have to wonder how involved he was in bringing Sutter to the team.