Post-Game Talk: [GM41] Canucks lose to Hurricanes | 0-2 | Pathetic Effort

[brock hughes007]

Realistically if we fire Tocchet who would be a good hire?

Gallant?

Can't be any worse

 

[Vector]

Tonight’s Game

• Had 25 missed shots; you gotta hit the net
• Lots of offensive zone time but a lot of missed opportunities
• Mentions a 2-on-1 where they tried to pass instead of shoot
• Little frustrated with their overpassing and missing the net

Pettersson

• Thought he was pretty good tonight

Team Confidence

• Need to stick with it and work on your game
• Put pucks on net
• Powerplay needs to come up with a goal

Get More Shots

• “No magic tic-tac-toe stuff”
• There are opportunities to shoot
• Hurricanes are one of the top shooting teams and only had 18 shots
• Need players to move their feet

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

When it rains it pours. Canucks stuck in Carolina tonight



Patrick Johnston mentioned this could be a possibility before the Canes game

Hopefully the game gets postponed. Just don't want to hear about the Leafs shitkicking this team this weekend.

 

[TruGr1t]

Team Confidence

• Need to stick with it and work on your game
• Put pucks on net
• Powerplay needs to come up with a goal

Wait, I've heard this exact thing before. Oh yeah, basically every game since the all-star break last year.

 

[brock hughes007]

Tonight’s Game

• Had 25 missed shots; you gotta hit the net
• Lots of offensive zone time but a lot of missed opportunities
• Mentions a 2-on-1 where they tried to pass instead of shoot
• Little frustrated with their overpassing and missing the net

Pettersson

• Thought he was pretty good tonight

Team Confidence

• Need to stick with it and work on your game
• Put pucks on net
• Powerplay needs to come up with a goal

Get More Shots

• “No magic tic-tac-toe stuff”
• There are opportunities to shoot
• Hurricanes are one of the top shooting teams and only had 18 shots
• Need players to move their feet

Keeps saying the same shit over and over
Yet keep loosing games..He needs to go.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Honestly I think we have to give Tocchet d that he doesn’t want but can play the puck. Seems like the whole we want trees in the back is a Tocchet and Foote ask.

Perhaps. At the same time, I don't want Tocchet to have the excuse that he didn't have what he needed to succeed.

To me, the forwards are run differently enough to distinguish the coaching. Guys like Lekkerimaki get a run at the top, but Brannstrom has to punch above his weight to stay in a low-minute bottom-pair role. But it's just a hunch.

The defense is just so, so bad. From management's perspective, I can understand thinking that it would be fine until a mid-season trade (like Zadorov) would shore it up, but they've totally f***ed themselves with the construction. It seems like it's Tocchet/Foote asking for tree defensemen but I have no clue if that's what the front office wants, and one of the reporters should really ask someone high up once they're back in town.

We essentially have
- Group 1: Hughes
- Group 2: Myers and Forbort as the defensemen who can do ok in a pinch with 18-20 minutes a game
- Group 3: Soucy, Desharnais, Juulsen, Brannstrom - might be fine with 15 minutes a game.

Hronek is in Group 1 but injured, and Forbort should be in Group 3 but has played his way up to Group 2. Soucy should be in Group 2 but has somehow regressed badly to Group 3... and you can really only have like 1 of Group 3 if you hope to contend. And what makes it worse is that 2 and 3 are just filled with the exact same type of defenseman, and the only one who isn't hasn't played a game in 2025 for whatever reason.

The elephant in the room is that Hronek's shoulder only heightened their margin for failure. If he doesn't have that in his background, he's the constant that allows them to hide the bottom4 with the top pair: A more manageable situation.

Drance did talk about the preference for the trees in the offseason:

Post in thread 'Management Thread | Regular Season Edition'

Dec 14, 2024

Listening to Drance on Canucks Talk, management was unsure about repeating the tall-dman roster strategy from last year. They did it as a trial this year. Meaning, it is not a template they believe in wholeheartedly. That is great news to me.

The focus has to be quality and not traits. Desharnais has a monstrous profile, but is on the outs because he can't play well enough. Soucy and Myers had strugged. Forbort wasn't a concern while Brannstrom was excelling etc...

Hopefully, that trial period is nearing its end and they work to increase the skill on defense, even at the expense of size.

• Bleach Clean

• 

You may be able to locate his comments on it directly if you search Canucks Talk episodes around December 14th.

 

[Szechwan]

Management would look like morons firing a Jack Adams winner after giving him that defence corps and watching the team get ravaged by injuries in the first half.

I also have issues with team readiness on a night to night basis, but they're not gonna make that move under these circumstances.

 

[valkynax]

Management would look like morons firing a Jack Adams winner after giving him that defence corps and watching the team get ravaged by injuries in the first half.

I also have issues with team readiness on a night to night basis, but they're not gonna make that move under these circumstances.

I concur. But as we all know, PR is not our current front office's strong suit. I could see a real possibility of them ejecting Tocchet, THINKING that doing so will buy them more time and not make them look like a bunch of jackasses.

 

[EpochLink]

Aquaman rant is coming, Rutherford should be ready for the shit storm coming.

Also, Dhaliwal about to drink his 4th Crown Royal handle after all these Canucks losses.

 

[strattonius]

Calling for Tocchet's head makes no sense.

We have 2.5 NHL d-men with Hronek out. Can't transition to offense it's a meathead defense. Our best forwards have been missing all year. Miller a shell of himself, Boeser not the same since being cheap spotted, and Pettersson a 60 pt 2 way turd. All 3 of those guys should be getting 30 goals. I'll save you the math...it's not even close.

Tocchet has a team that should be good on paper but almost the ENTIRE team outside of Hughes has underperformed. I mean wow that's actually insane. It's not Tocchet.

 

[EpochLink]

Calling for Tocchet's head makes no sense.

We have 2.5 NHL d-men with Hronek out. Can't transition to offense it's a meathead defense. Our best forwards have been missing all year. Miller a shell of himself, Boeser not the same since being cheap spotted, and Pettersson a 60 pt 2 way turd. All 3 of those guys should be getting 30 goals. I'll save you the math...it's not even close.

Tocchet has a team that should be good on paper but almost the ENTIRE team outside of Hughes has underperformed. I mean wow that's actually insane. It's not Tocchet.

The defense has been shit, he can’t do anything with scrubs minus Hughes and Hronek. He was given salty biscuits instead of caviar for replacements.

 

[Wry n Ginger]

There is something odd going on with this team right now from a leadership side. The messaging to the media and regarding leadership, influence, guidance etc...I dunno...but it has changed from last year.

Last year we heard about the Sedin's, Tocchet, really most of the assistants and how they were teaching the talent pipeline how to be a "Canuck" etc. Am I missing something or has that taken a back-seat this year? Tocchet has been less engaged, we haven't heard from the assistant coaching or Abby crew much.

The team dynamic on the ice is reflective of the off-ice vibe imo. This team reeks of instability off the ice. There is a power struggle or unalignment within the Canucks leadership group. With the amount of turnover in this group it not unsurprising but it does mean shit will most likely get worse before it gets better.

Bottom line is I am not going to watch this dysfunctional group of misfits much more this season.

 

[DFAC]

Whatever happened to this team around the ASG last year, that was the end. They still went to the playoffs on the back of an incredible first half of the season but we all know how they looked there, barely able to scrape up 20 shots a game. I'd love to know what happened and who is responsible because this is so crushing as a fan. I really thought this team has figured it out.

One could argue the team just got lucky to start the season and the team we're seeing from the ASG to now is what we really are. Depressing.

 

[EpochLink]

I blame Miller’s side piece, he left him bad

Also, whoever’s the Canucks supplier for bumps must’ve got caught, they haven’t been the same since

 

[VanJack]

That line of Miller, Boeser and Lekkerimaki was caved in all night long.....and Garland just isn't a fit with Pettersson, because he carries the puck too much.

My concern is how long it takes to change the obvious. Finally, with half the third period gone, Toochet put the lines into a blender and even briefly reunited the old Lotto Line.

I mean when you have nine shots through two periods, what does it take to shake things up?

 

[mriswith]

Management would look like morons firing a Jack Adams winner after giving him that defence corps and watching the team get ravaged by injuries in the first half.

They already look like morons for thinking the defense they gave him was acceptable, although I agree with you on the rest.

 

[M2Beezy]

Its not that bad of a situation. I think theres some jump from the roof too early perespectives here. Get Hronek back, deal for a top 4 LD, have Willander come in in March. I think this team could be a solid dark horse candidate. Deep roster up front, a weak defense i recognize, but a couple tweaks, and i think we could make some noise. Were still in a playoff spot despite all the injuries. I think we got a good thing going here

Man I love this team

 

[Tinhorn1]

There is something odd going on with this team right now from a leadership side. The messaging to the media and regarding leadership, influence, guidance etc...I dunno...but it has changed from last year.

Last year we heard about the Sedin's, Tocchet, really most of the assistants and how they were teaching the talent pipeline how to be a "Canuck" etc. Am I missing something or has that taken a back-seat this year? Tocchet has been less engaged, we haven't heard from the assistant coaching or Abby crew much.

The team dynamic on the ice is reflective of the off-ice vibe imo. This team reeks of instability off the ice. There is a power struggle or unalignment within the Canucks leadership group. With the amount of turnover in this group it not unsurprising but it does mean shit will most likely get worse before it gets better.

Bottom line is I am not going to watch this dysfunctional group of misfits much more this season.

Yeo was the true brains of the operation.

 

[mriswith]

One could argue the team just got lucky to start the season and the team we're seeing from the ASG to now is what we really are. Depressing.

I think this is pretty accurate, but with the caveat that this is what we are *while injured*. Healthy Demko last year over Sievelovs would have been massive and this year every single core player has been badly hurt.

I still think last years team was pretty good while healthy... this year, with the dropoff from Zad/Cole/last years Soucy to Forbort/Desharnais/this years Soucy.... not so much.

 

[B-rock]

i've got a hot take that the media hasnt really picked up on, and isnt even really THAT discussed here....

The problem is coaching... Rick has in multiple post games talked about guys being in spots... when the puck is here, this guy has to be over there. when its down low, you have to be in front of the guy here.
i strongly suspect that the system Rick has them playing leaves no room for 'cheating'. when a player is 99% sure the puck is going to make it past the first forchecker maybe he should just BOOK IT if the first winger has C support. think about the game you just watched, every time Van has stable possession, he's either dead still, or has minimal speed an someone is on him.
You cant be creative with or without the puck if you have no wiggle room to push forward. Team success (as rare as it is) has come from individual efforts so far ... they need to change up their system and get a bit more Marc Crawford - off to the races type mindset.

I don't think it's a wild assertion. There's definitely some merit there.

They've never dominated in shot count, even when they were playing well last year. They were the kings of PDO. They can't for the life of them create much offense this year. Shot count again almost always poor as they're unable to generate chances.
And the powerplay despite the personnel is meh and was relatively underwhelming last year as well.

Tocchet has managed to coach them into a tight defensive team. At least that was the case last year, and I think they would be similar this year, if we had the same d on the back end. We don't give up near as many odd man rushes as we did before he was here. But it's possible the rigidity has dried up any offence.

 

[David71]

what if we didnt fire boudreau...? at least it will still be exciting hockey. score more goals but defense will probbaly still be shit if hughes isnt 100 percent and hronek is still on the shelve.

lose against the leafs then entire coaching staff gets let go??? or a trade thats it.

 

[B-rock]

I'm not sure they have any truly bad contracts...?

What I would do: Don't fire Tocchet. Give him the Dmen he needs to execute his system to his liking. If the team is still deal last in xGF by the end of the year with those Dmen in-house, then you have to make a change to the staff.

They could also just relieve Foote of his duties if it's him that is so focused on the trees. Tocchet appears to give him free reign on the DCorps.

At the deadline, try to target players on multi-year deals. This takes the pressure off from this year alone.

Doesn't make sense to me that Foote is the tree-lover. He's not a huge guy, was just a mean SOB to play against and had decent skill for a shutdown type of guy. I don't know where this love of trees comes from when the whole NHL has pretty much eliminated anyone that can't skate over the last 10 or so years.
2 way d are the name of the game, and these guys are not it.

 

[B-rock]

Calling for Tocchet's head makes no sense.

We have 2.5 NHL d-men with Hronek out. Can't transition to offense it's a meathead defense. Our best forwards have been missing all year. Miller a shell of himself, Boeser not the same since being cheap spotted, and Pettersson a 60 pt 2 way turd. All 3 of those guys should be getting 30 goals. I'll save you the math...it's not even close.

Tocchet has a team that should be good on paper but almost the ENTIRE team outside of Hughes has underperformed. I mean wow that's actually insane. It's not Tocchet.

But isn't it Tocchet's job to get them going? Maybe there's a whole world of shit going on that we don't know about, but the head coach's job is to get his star players to play like it.

 

[DFAC]

Calling for Tocchet's head makes no sense.

We have 2.5 NHL d-men with Hronek out. Can't transition to offense it's a meathead defense. Our best forwards have been missing all year. Miller a shell of himself, Boeser not the same since being cheap spotted, and Pettersson a 60 pt 2 way turd. All 3 of those guys should be getting 30 goals. I'll save you the math...it's not even close.

Tocchet has a team that should be good on paper but almost the ENTIRE team outside of Hughes has underperformed. I mean wow that's actually insane. It's not Tocchet.

Tocchet's system is where offence goes to die. He's getting this team to play like they were his Phoenix Coyote team.

That and the fact he hasn't really tried to make any changes and nothing he's doing is working. Team has pretty consistently looked like ass since last ASG which is almost a calendar year.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Tocchet's system is where offence goes to die. He's getting this team to play like they were his Phoenix Coyote team.

That and the fact he hasn't really tried to make any changes and nothing he's doing is working. Team has pretty consistently looked like ass since last ASG which is almost a calendar year.

Kind of related to both posts:

I noticed that even the Norris Winner had trouble. He reset the breakout twice, noticeably. Then he waited behind the net and lobbed an arching pass to a forward waiting in the neutral zone.

The high forwards were coached to blow the zone to push back the CAR defenders. The cost of this was that they weren't back to offer outlet targets, thereby further exacerbating VAN's breakout issues... Even when Hughes was on the ice.