Post-Game Talk: [Pre-Season] GM03 | Kraken def. Canucks | 3-1 (Myers)

[TruGr1t]

In an effort to get EP going, I think it's time to try Sprong on his wing.

They were speculating on SN650 yesterday this could be an ongoing frustration with fans, as Sprong will continue to flash offensively, but Tocchet doesn't seem to think his two-way game is good enough to play alongside Pettersson yet. Tocchet did say Sprong was a potential fit and a project, but he hasn't even tried it yet.

Given Hoglander's performace thus far, putting him back there seems like the most straightforward play, though they seem to like him as a Joshua replacement opposite Garland. They have lined Sprong up with Suter a couple times, though.

 

[arttk]

I don’t think you have a great understanding of patellar tendinitis. I’ve had it for a couple years now. And ultimately, we don’t know the severity of Pettersson’s, but this absolutely isn’t an injury that is necessarily crippling or anything and for many people is just nagging. And a lot of evidence points to Pettersson’s injury being nagging and not that serious.

And in fact, Pettersson, I think, has stated he still has patellar tendinitis and I think the expectation is that he can play through it.




Draisaitl was seemingly more injured in the playoffs than Pettersson and was literally like two to three times the player Pettersson was in the playoffs .

I mean these are elite athletes. It’s a big difference if their body is at 80% vs 100%. Also, let’s say you know what it feels like to have that tendinitis, did you have to go all out physically every other night with travel in between? I am guessing no because it probably f***ing hurts andI don’t think pain is really the issue, pain is just your body not letting you what’s the new limit. Problem is even if you can ignore and bypass the pain, you just can’t get more power out of a tendon that is actually inflamed.

Yeah and Draisaitl basically disappeared in the finals once his injuries caught up. His PP shot went away for a reason.

The thing I find tiring about all this is, all the other fan bases, when their best players are injured, they tend to be supportive because that’s what you f***ing do when you support your team and players. Here in Van, the moment our best player is injured, there are calls to trade him, get him out of this team. Like what the f*** are we doing here? Is this the way to really support your team and best players?

 

[MS]

I don’t know, maybe you should acknowledge your own bias first?
Petey missed like half a season a couple seasons back and you call that a minor injury.

He played at a 120-140 point pace pre injury last season and you still say he lack compete and that was only “ok” production.

It’s really hard to take you seriously with this when your bias are that obvious.

I can be honest about being a Petey fan but can you be honest that you aren’t actually being objective about this at all.

Ah yes, the wrist injury that meant he couldn’t move his legs or compete a year later.

Look, even if you disagree as to the ‘why’ of it there’s no way you can disagree that his last 40 games last year were horrible.

And when things went that badly to not register any concern when he looks the same to start the next season is just … weird. Even if it was 100% explainable due to his horrible knee injury that caused him to miss 0 games, you should be registering a concern that those problems are persisting.

 

[cc]

They were speculating on SN650 yesterday this could be an ongoing frustration with fans, as Sprong will continue to flash offensively, but Tocchet doesn't seem to think his two-way game is good enough to play alongside Pettersson yet. Tocchet did say Sprong was a potential fit and a project, but he hasn't even tried it yet.

Given Hoglander's performace thus far, putting him back there seems like the most straightforward play, though they seem to like him as a Joshua replacement opposite Garland.

Yeah. As much as I like Tocchet, I think he also tends to overthink things so I'm not always onboard with his methods. Defense is something that can be worked on over time but if there is chemistry there, that's a foundation that can be built on.

Of course, I don't know if there will be any chemistry between EP and Sprong, but that is one of the reasons that preseason games exists.

I think Hoglander might actually produce better playing a simpler game than trying to figure out what EP is going to do with the puck. That's why I think he works with Garland. They take turns digging for pucks and staying open in the slot for the pass and shot.

 

[Hodgy]

I mean these are elite athletes. It’s a big difference if their body is at 80% vs 100%. Also, let’s say you know what it feels like to have that tendinitis, did you have to go all out physically every other night with travel in between? I am guessing no because it probably f***ing hurts andI don’t think pain is really the issue, pain is just your body not letting you what’s the new limit. Problem is even if you can ignore and bypass the pain, you just can’t get more power out of a tendon that is actually inflamed.

I am not saying I know what Pettersson is dealing with exactly, and in fact, I’ve said the opposite. I am saying that I think you have no idea what you are talking about if you are willing to assume any patellar tendinitis is going to cause Pettersson’s play to drop catastrophically and so abruptly.

Patellar tendinitis had a very wide range of outcomes from initially being almost imperceptible. It’s strange, to me, that Pettersson’s play could drop off so quickly solely due to the onset of such a gradual injury.

Yeah and Draisaitl basically disappeared in the finals once his injuries caught up. His PP shot went away for a reason.

I watched basically every game of the finals and Draisaitl was playing at 2-3 times the level of Pettersson at that point despite have two significant injuries either one of which may, and perhaps likely was, more serious than Pettersson’s.

In the Canucks series when Draisaitl hurt his back I thought the Canucks were going to win the series as a result. Draisaitl was very visibly labouring on the ice after that injury (something you couldnt have said for Pettersson) but you have to give the man credit, he sucked it up despite being obviously injured and still played very well, and even better in the next series. And this isn’t some fluke and he’s played great in the playoffs with significant injuries in the past too.

The thing I find tiring about all this is, all the other fan bases, when their best players are injured, they tend to be supportive because that’s what you f***ing do when you support your team and players. Here in Van, the moment our best player is injured, there are calls to trade him, get him out of this team. Like what the f*** are we doing here? Is this the way to really support your team and best players?

When top players play through injuries they don’t usually suck to the degree Pettersson has sucked. He was, frankly, pathetic in the playoffs.

Henrik Sedin had an absolutely debilitating back injury due the last several years of his career and we basically never heard about it. Because he sucked it up and still got results.

 

[arttk]

Ah yes, the wrist injury that meant he couldn’t move his legs or compete a year later.

Look, even if you disagree as to the ‘why’ of it there’s no way you can disagree that his last 40 games last year were horrible.

And when things went that badly to not register any concern when he looks the same to start the next season is just … weird. Even if it was 100% explainable due to his horrible knee injury that caused him to miss 0 games, you should be registering a concern that those problems are persisting.

Yes the wrist injury that sideline him for half a season and half a offseason. You called that a minor injury no? Can you elaborate how a minor injury can make a player miss like 7-9 months?

Yeah he was terrible for the last 40 games last season, it’s there to see.

Player returning from injury takes it easy in preseason. What part of that is alarming? It’s like if anything, you want a player that is coming back from an injury to take it easy in preseason because it’s the f***ing preseason.

 

[crowfish]

Ah yes, the wrist injury that meant he couldn’t move his legs or compete a year later.

Look, even if you disagree as to the ‘why’ of it there’s no way you can disagree that his last 40 games last year were horrible.

And when things went that badly to not register any concern when he looks the same to start the next season is just … weird. Even if it was 100% explainable due to his horrible knee injury that caused him to miss 0 games, you should be registering a concern that those problems are persisting.

Here is what I don't understand about your take. What exactly is your theory for why Pettersson's last 40 games were bad? You are clearly hinting that you don't believe the injury should have affected his play. So why did his play drop off? He decided to stop "competing" on the verge of a life-changing contract extension? Is that the theory?

I think it is a lot more logical to assume that 25-year-old NHLers in a contract year do not forget how to play hockey midseason and that maybe the injury should be taken on good faith.

 

[Vector]

I really can’t be bothered to care about anything in these games. Like at all. It would be encouraging if Pettersson was better. I’m also barely paying attention.

 

[MS]

Here is what I don't understand about your take. What exactly is your theory for why Pettersson's last 40 games were bad? You are clearly hinting that you don't believe the injury should have affected his play. So why did his play drop off? He decided to stop "competing" on the verge of a life-changing contract extension? Is that the theory?

I think it is a lot more logical to assume that 25-year-old NHLers in a contract year do not forget how to play hockey midseason and that maybe the injury should be taken on good faith.

I think he's a delicate petal who needs everything perfect to extract the most out of his talent and as soon as something is slightly wrong (either with his body or because he's not happy with his situation and the team) he mopes and packs it in and we see an appalling drop in play.

As mentioned above, the difference between what McDavid and Draisaitl did this year with serious injuries vs. Pettersson's disappearing act because of a bit of knee tendonitis is just incredibly stark.

He went 32 games without an ES goal to finish last season. Was invisible basically every game. It was incredible. But people just seem to have put their heads in the sand about it over the summer.

This is an $11.6 million player in his 7th NHL season. He's being paid to be a superstar. He's being paid to win games even if he isn't 100%, just like every other superstar in the NHL. But people are making excuses for him like he's a little baby.

 

[M2Beezy]

Another game....another no show by @M2Beezy

Getting worried.

Man I dont watch preseason

 

[NailsHoglander]

Yeah and Draisaitl basically disappeared in the finals once his injuries caught up.

Or maybe he was shutdown by Barkov the Selke winner?

 

[arttk]

Or maybe he was shutdown by Barkov the Selke winner?

Barkov was busy working on McD

 

[AlainVigneaultsGum]

Barkov was busy working on McD

Kinky

 

[Vector]

I think he's a delicate petal who needs everything perfect to extract the most out of his talent and as soon as something is slightly wrong (either with his body or because he's not happy with his situation and the team) he mopes and packs it in and we see an appalling drop in play.

As mentioned above, the difference between what McDavid and Draisaitl did this year with serious injuries vs. Pettersson's disappearing act because of a bit of knee tendonitis is just incredibly stark.

He went 32 games without an ES goal to finish last season. Was invisible basically every game. It was incredible. But people just seem to have put their heads in the sand about it over the summer.

This is an $11.6 million player in his 7th NHL season. He's being paid to be a superstar. He's being paid to win games even if he isn't 100%, just like every other superstar in the NHL. But people are making excuses for him like he's a little baby.

Remember during the first game where I said I looked forward to reading overreactions? This is an overreaction. He could go into the season cold and look terrible, he could start hot, could be in-between. Hell, there are three pre-season games left. There’s legitimate concern to be had. But the 20 posts you have on this topic definitely fall into the “overreaction” camp.

 

[quat]

Didn't watch the game. Was Forbort really that bad? Lmfaooooo yikes.

Personally, I saw a budding fan favorite. With the agent of chaos refusing to play his part, we look to new horizons.

 

[cc]

EP strikes me as a fastidious perfectionist that beats himself up every time he makes a mistake and can often get discouraged. I sometimes hear Tocchet mentioning that mistakes are ok but also mention watching body language after mistakes are made and I can't help but think he is surreptitiously directing this to EP. I think that's why Tocchet was commenting on his headspace over the offseason. He knows what his personality is like

 

[SopelFanThe3rd]

Barkov was busy working on McD

I'll get busy working on your McD

 

[geebster]

Season is over before it started

 

[sting101]

Seriously?

To me that was about as good as you'll ever see a rookie defender handle a forecheck. Everything was processed quickly and accurately, puck was on his stick, off his stick to good areas. All kinds of poise.

Other than Hughes who is obviously a totally different animal the last rookie D I saw who looked like that was Troy Stecher who was very obviously immediately up-to-pace when jumping up multiple levels for his first preseason.

Disagree also about the skating. Edgework was excellent and he wasn't in a hint of trouble all night. Only mistake I remember was a theoretically well-executed play to Forbort where his pass nicked the edge of the back of the net and didn't reach Forbort.

His 1st period was pretty bad. made 2 weak hinges with Forbort that put him in a bad spot and led to poor plays. End of the period mess was unacceptable. Could have boxed out and ran some subtle interference a couple times. Looked a little soft to play against

Rest of the game he was very good. Had an excellent 2nd period. Really nice cross seam to Boeser and jumped up a couple times nicely. 3rd Seattle sat back and they needed some offense and that's not really his thing. So while he moved the puck and skated well he wasn't under much heavy pressure either.

Re: Pettersson - His body language sucks and the pouting is unbearable. I give 2 shits mostly about pre season for vets but i also believe that the best players set the standards and quite frankly as you've pointed out he has much to prove and he doesn't look primed to shrug off last year which is concerning.

This organization has bent over backwards for this guy. Tried repeatedly to find a suitable line mate. Given him market value term and then some for scaled improvements and so far it's just been concern and disappointment. 8yrs is a long long time in hockey to be at the top and stay healthy. Gotta be able to play through discomfort and be mentally strong and be a leader. None of which he's done yet. It pisses me off too

 

[quat]

I'll get busy working on your McD

Smooth (fast food) operator

 

[arttk]

I'll get busy working on your McD

I think @MS needs more soothing

 

[quat]

It seems more mental with Pettersson, but there's no doubt when he finds his groove or his lane or whatever, he's massively exciting to watch. There's something going on where he seems to be trying out different approaches to the game and that ease he's evinced in the past seems lost.

The body language is a guy who doesn't want to make a single mistake, which probably isn't the route that will benefit him the most.

I miss the Petey that schools the opposition, uses his cannon of a shot to great effect and grins like a SOB when a goal is scored. He's an odd duck for sure, but those dudes can be a ton of fun to have on your team if you give them the space to be odd.

I thought he began to pick it up during the game and I'm confident in his ability to figure this out. After last season I can understand the concern, and that's mostly what's been opined here, concern. Still, kind of funny reading posts by our dude breaking his own cardinal rule about reading too much into the preseason. I'm here for it! Get your freak on!

 

[racerjoe]

We've had two separate *LONG* periods now where Pettersson had gone from a 100 point/Selke level C and then just ... quit moving his feet and completely checked out and turned into a 40-point floater over a large sample size.

He's now getting $11 million. Be a leader. Move your feet.

Quinn Hughes looked like God in his one preseason game and doesn't seem to have a problem with this.

If we see the Pettersson that turned up for the last 30 games + playoffs last year, his contract is the worst contract in the NHL. This is a big deal.

Funny how one lines up with coming back from surgery, and the other lines up with an injury… it’s almost like that means something…

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

Man I dont watch preseason

Man, you don't love this team!

 

[crowfish]

I don't even think Pettersson has looked bad, that's the crazy part about all the chatter. I bet the talk will be like this all season long even if he hits 110 points.