Post-Game Talk: [GM55] Canucks defeat Maple Leafs | 2-1 | Hronek & Boeser | Dead Leafs on the Dirty Ground

[David Bruce Banner]

Beating the Leafs is always great, but beating them at home and seeing all those friggin' Leafs fans go home sad, will never not warm my heart.

 

[Regal]

Most likely due to the fact the team is rumoured to be trying to move Soucy and absolutely no one wants to play Juulsen again. If they don’t trade Soucy, then the need for Willander on the right-side isn’t as big an issue.

Also, Willander’s ELC wouldn’t slide anyway as he turns 20 today.

 

[Regal]

I wouldn’t even concede defeat to catching Colorado or L.A. ahead of us either if in fact our team has found it’s game.

We are now 8 games over .500.

Colorado is at 11 games over .500, and L.A. is at 12 games over .500.

The difference between us and Calgary (3 games) is the same as the distance between Colorado and us.

An injury or slump with a significant player (or in our case EP coming out of one) could lead to a big change over the remaining 27 games of the season.

Catching Colorado to be WC1 would also likely be a date with the Oilers, which would probably be better than facing Winnipeg as WC2 or Vegas as 3rd in the Pacific, both of whom seem to have the team’s number.

 

[Lenny Levino]

@DimitriL07 you aint kidding man, check this out:

I think he's just tired of hearing it. How bad was the singer?

 

[604]

He was? Outside of his breakaway he wasn't really a factor.

Not commenting on Willy’s whole game but I think he’s the one who setup both the Matthews and Tavares chances late in the third. Both grade A open looks.

Goaltending is making an almost underappreciated difference during this run of good results. Either of those chances go in and it’s a very different thread. Can’t always expect goalies to make those saves but lately our guys have been doing it.

 

[rypper]

EP25 won't play over Forbort, it's a right-side spot that's open if they move Soucy. If they do move him, it's either Willander or Juulsen. Assuming Forbort, Myers, M.Pettersson, and Hronek are in the line-up you don't have a PK issue.

Just speaking to those that think we can dump vets en masse for younger players.

 

[valkynax]

Just speaking to those that think we can dump vets en masse for younger players.

As long as said vet is not Juulsen I don't mind letting Pedey go back to AHL.

 

[TruGr1t]

Just speaking to those that think we can dump vets en masse for younger players.

Personally, I am fine with keeping Soucy and running EP25-Willander as a top-pair in Abbotsford rest-of-season.

 

[SopelFanThe3rd]

Willander hasn't played an NHL game and we are talking about shipping out Myers and Soucy lol

 

[TruGr1t]

Willander hasn't played an NHL game and we are talking about shipping out Myers and Soucy lol

Management was talking about moving Soucy, we are just discussing. Nobody thinks Myers will be moved, in fact I wouldn't be terribly surprised if we're talking a short-term extension for Myers at the end of his current deal.

 

[AlainVigneaultsGum]

I think he's just tired of hearing it. How bad was the singer?

Elizabeth is one of the best anthem singers in the league

Willander hasn't played an NHL game and we are talking about shipping out Myers and Soucy lol

HFCanucks

 

[Hockeyphysio]

I wonder how Forbort would look next to Hughes

 

[Lenny Levino]

I wonder how Forbort would look next to Hughes

Forbort is a leftie though.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

@DimitriL07 you aint kidding man, check this out:

wait, are we sure that isn’t him hexing demko’s popliteus?

 

[logan5]

Absolutely not.

Myers is a steal at his cap hit and he’s a huge locker room presence as a veteran. He can step up in a pinch to play top minutes. You’re not finding that value anywhere else at 3M.

Horrible take to be honest. Myers is not going anywhere.

Willander is a far better skater and better passer than Myers, and much higher IQ. He can evade the forecheck in a similar way that Hughes does. All together that equals a much higher rate of zone exits with control of the puck, which is an area Myers is terrible at. I'm forecasting Willander to be our 2nd best right D coming into next season. Myers in our bottom pair at 3 million is too much. Ultimately though, he will be kept around as an overpaid 3rd pairing guy. Right now he is on a stretch of good games but his bad games far outnumber the good ones.

25/26 Defense pairings:

Hughes Hronek
M Pettersson Willander
E. Pettersson Myers

 

[PuckMunchkin]

Thinking as well as a Soucy trade eventually, we should try and trade Myers as well. Willander is more than adequate replacement for him on the right side. That would free up another 3 million in cap space that can be used to get another high end C. Right now we have 7.5 million in cap space plus another 3.25 when Soucy gets traded - total 10.75, then trade Myers -total 13.75 million. Could add 2 huge pieces to the forward group with that. Plus the cap going up by 7.5 million next season, and forwards are a lot easier to get than defencemen. Things are looking up.

Lets not pencil in players as "more than adequate" replacement for top 4 defenders before they have played a game of NHL hockey.

 

[VancouverJagger]

Not commenting on Willy’s whole game but I think he’s the one who setup both the Matthews and Tavares chances late in the third. Both grade A open looks.

Goaltending is making an almost underappreciated difference during this run of good results. Either of those chances go in and it’s a very different thread. Can’t always expect goalies to make those saves but lately our guys have been doing it.

Yah i thought Nylander was their most dangerous offensive player.........he's an automatic zone entry something I was envious of.........high skill guy

 

[Regal]

Willander is a far better skater and better passer than Myers, and much higher IQ. He can evade the forecheck in a similar way that Hughes does. All together that equals a much higher rate of zone exits with control of the puck, which is an area Myers is terrible at. I'm forecasting Willander to be our 2nd best right D coming into next season. Myers in our bottom pair at 3 million is too much. Ultimately though, he will be kept around as an overpaid 3rd pairing guy. Right now he is on a stretch of good games but his bad games far outnumber the good ones.

25/26 Defense pairings:

Hughes Hronek
M Pettersson Willander
E. Pettersson Myers

The benefit of Willander at least is his ELC will be cheap and he probably won’t hit too many bonus targets playing 2nd pair minutes. I think one of the reasons they signed Myers at what they did was under the assumption that he’ll be fine until Hughes and Willander need to re-up. I’m not a big fan of Myers but they seem to like him in the room at least. And with the cap going up, the defense you posted won’t be that expensive

 

[VancouverJagger]

Willander is a far better skater and better passer than Myers, and much higher IQ. He can evade the forecheck in a similar way that Hughes does. All together that equals a much higher rate of zone exits with control of the puck, which is an area Myers is terrible at. I'm forecasting Willander to be our 2nd best right D coming into next season. Myers in our bottom pair at 3 million is too much. Ultimately though, he will be kept around as an overpaid 3rd pairing guy. Right now he is on a stretch of good games but his bad games far outnumber the good ones.

25/26 Defense pairings:

Hughes Hronek
M Pettersson Willander
E. Pettersson Myers

Myers has played very well lately. When he's not counted on to be a top pairing player and his mind doesn't get overloaded he's been really good. Very solid value for his cap

 

[ChilliBilly]

I wouldn’t even concede defeat to catching Colorado or L.A. ahead of us either if in fact our team has found it’s game.

We are now 8 games over .500.

Colorado is at 11 games over .500, and L.A. is at 12 games over .500.

The difference between us and Calgary (3 games) is the same as the distance between Colorado and us.

An injury or slump with a significant player (or in our case EP coming out of one) could lead to a big change over the remaining 27 games of the season.

Completely. Well aware that we could move up ... even quite a bit. If we go on a bit of a run, say win 3 of the next 4, and then go 6 - 1 - 1 in Mar, up until the Utes games, we would be at 15 games over .500

 

[SopelFanThe3rd]

Yah i thought Nylander was their most dangerous offensive player.........he's an automatic zone entry something I was envious of.........high skill guy

I don't watch the Leafs much but I've never once been impressed with or even really noticed Marner.

 

[M2Beezy]

I think he's just tired of hearing it. How bad was the singer?

Not sure, I always mute the anthems

 

[theguardianII]

good timing?

 

[Hit the post]

I don't watch the Leafs much but I've never once been impressed with or even really noticed Marner.

Maybe he should become a defenseman...a guy you don't notice on the ice would be pretty good in that position right?

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Hughes obviously has been the problem. Tyrannical captain and a puck hog. Team is having more fun without him. Trade for a haul to NJ.

we need a high end 2C and would need a PMD to replace him right? hughes for hughes and hughes

there was definitely one moment in iirc the second where petey as half sprung and tried to go into overdrive to separate himself from the D for a breakaway and he just didn’t have the legs. i didn’t notice him getting discouraged the rest of the game and i appreciate that he pushed himself there but i think until next year he knows what his limit is. 24 months ago petey would have broken away there.

it occurred to me last night that jt for mp3 is essentially what edmonton tried to do years ago when they swapped taylor hall for adam larsson.

in this case i am seeing the shakeup as our 2025 version of the new coach bump.

and maybe, just maybe, this group just expects a midyear shakeup to re-energize. bruce in 2022, tocc in 2023, we didn’t get one last year and slowed down the stretch. lindholm added talent but he was hardly transformational, but i think mp3 legitimately is.