Still insist that they are one Ekholm injury from the defense imploding the whole team
Post-Game Talk: Preseason GM05| Vancouver Canucks lose to Edmonton Oilers in Shootout | 2-3 (Bains & Smith)
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Mr. Canucklehead
Kitimat Canuck
Oh for crying out loud, I was hungry!
- Oct 9, 2012
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He’s the straw that stirs the drink, makes Bouchard look passable when he’s truly terrible defensively. It’s really no different than us and Hughes though.
Helps the bowel movements at a fraction of the price!
Mr. Canucklehead
Kitimat Canuck
While accurate, I’d make the same statement about Hughes and the Canucks.
I maintain Ekholm is their best and most important blueliner by far.
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I missed this game completely - pleasantly surprised at the outcome this group forced. Any standouts / guys who should be sent packing?
Not sure about that, Hughes is pretty much the defense and offense whenever he is on the ice. Only thing he doesn’t do is PK.
Ekholm is like their anchor and so the out him, Bouchard is like a 1 way D.
I think Hughes’ importance is more like McDavid’s. He’s our MVP so yeah if you lose your MVP, good f***ing luck.
- Oct 9, 2012
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No, I mean Ekholm going down is akin to us losing Hughes. The defence is a STEEP drop
kanucks25
Chris Tanev #1 Fan
Don't see Kudryavtsev making it even if he's showed well.
Just like Lekk, no reason to rush guys that haven't even played a game of pro hockey in North America.
Friedman is limited and Forbort doesn't instill confidence in anyone but they are more suited for the 6/7 roles at this point.
Let these guys bake for at least half a season and then reevaluate.
Just like Lekk, no reason to rush guys that haven't even played a game of pro hockey in North America.
Friedman is limited and Forbort doesn't instill confidence in anyone but they are more suited for the 6/7 roles at this point.
Let these guys bake for at least half a season and then reevaluate.
I think defensively we’ll be fine. But losing our MVP would really f*** our offense hard.
Mr. Canucklehead
Kitimat Canuck
kanucks25
Chris Tanev #1 Fan
No idea.
I've only watched like 10 minutes of the preseason so far on aggregate.
All my opinions are based on what I read here or hear on the radio.
I'm mostly just pretending to know what I'm talking about.
Vancouver_2010
Canucks and Oilers fan
- Jun 21, 2006
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ephmrl
5th overall.
Tocchet seemed very impressed by Kudryavtsev in the post-game. Brought him up unprompted and talked about his ability to make clean breakout passes while under pressure.
Wonder if Tocchet is actually thinking about giving him a look on the third pair.
Wonder if Tocchet is actually thinking about giving him a look on the third pair.
Mr. Canucklehead
Kitimat Canuck
You'd think they would have got pounded given the lineups, but overall this group played the Oilers pretty much even up. Probably not a full effort by the Oilers but the Canuck youngster exposed some definite problems Edmonton have.
Good
Desharnais - ungainly at times but effective in keeping Oilers to the outside and getting people off the puck. Showed some vet leadership. At this point seems a good pick up.
Kudryavtsev - continually got the puck out of trouble and provided excellent spacing for his defensive partner. Sees the ice well and seemed always in position to keep pucks in. Made very good decidions with the puck. Plays a very controlled game. Real good prospect.
Friedman - If you are using this game, he might fit well on the 3rd pairing. Had an excellent game. Showed good mobility and smart puck movement.
Suter - was good against McDavid and very good on forecheck. Any doubts about him making the team should be gone. Was miscast in an offensive role too much last year. Can kick in a few goals but forte is as a checker. And part of being effective in that role is keeping the puck in the o-zone which he did well tonite.
Sherwood - as advertised as far as being a pest. Has shown better wheels and hands than expected. Had great first period. Might have been first star.
Not Good
Pettersson - has some real problems to overcome. First, he is not fast enough to get up the ice to support the play (opposite of Kudryavtsev) Second, he is a puck watcher making it easy for players to slip behind him. Third, his skating is still too awkward around his net .so he does adjust quickly enough. Strung some decent shifts together in the second and through the third but too often got used as a pylon when the pressure was on. Far from ready for this level of hockey
Juulsen - clumsy, gettng screwed up in his assignments, making poor passes and poor decisions with the puck. Has shown nothing all pre-season and looks like a cut as of now.
Others
Sasson - always does enough to give you some hope.
Raty - thought he was pressing too hard. Had chance to make plays but never really did.
Wolanin - not bad. You wonder if he will through waivers.
Bains - does produce chances but this is more a result of thrashing around in front of the net. Actually does display some talent along the offensive end boards and that can lead to goals. Trouble is he so erratic in the rest of the play. Doesn't get back in tranistion and makes the kind of plays that put you in trouble - like blind back passes, lateral passes in traffic etc.. Good in limited area but not good in the general flow of the play. Can be a very frustrating player.
Lekkermaki - just can't get the separation to make plays. Little better defensively in this game.
Hoglander - had chances but mishandled the puck too much. Got little done. You wonder if it came down to a decision between Hoglander and Sprong, whether it might be better to move Hoglander to get help on the defense,
Aman - Tocchet shows a lot trust with this player. Just too bad his offense is so limited. Will, I think, start as 4th line center if Suter plays higher in the lineup.
Canucks have certainly given the young players a chance and some have risen to the occasion and some have not.
Good
Desharnais - ungainly at times but effective in keeping Oilers to the outside and getting people off the puck. Showed some vet leadership. At this point seems a good pick up.
Kudryavtsev - continually got the puck out of trouble and provided excellent spacing for his defensive partner. Sees the ice well and seemed always in position to keep pucks in. Made very good decidions with the puck. Plays a very controlled game. Real good prospect.
Friedman - If you are using this game, he might fit well on the 3rd pairing. Had an excellent game. Showed good mobility and smart puck movement.
Suter - was good against McDavid and very good on forecheck. Any doubts about him making the team should be gone. Was miscast in an offensive role too much last year. Can kick in a few goals but forte is as a checker. And part of being effective in that role is keeping the puck in the o-zone which he did well tonite.
Sherwood - as advertised as far as being a pest. Has shown better wheels and hands than expected. Had great first period. Might have been first star.
Not Good
Pettersson - has some real problems to overcome. First, he is not fast enough to get up the ice to support the play (opposite of Kudryavtsev) Second, he is a puck watcher making it easy for players to slip behind him. Third, his skating is still too awkward around his net .so he does adjust quickly enough. Strung some decent shifts together in the second and through the third but too often got used as a pylon when the pressure was on. Far from ready for this level of hockey
Juulsen - clumsy, gettng screwed up in his assignments, making poor passes and poor decisions with the puck. Has shown nothing all pre-season and looks like a cut as of now.
Others
Sasson - always does enough to give you some hope.
Raty - thought he was pressing too hard. Had chance to make plays but never really did.
Wolanin - not bad. You wonder if he will through waivers.
Bains - does produce chances but this is more a result of thrashing around in front of the net. Actually does display some talent along the offensive end boards and that can lead to goals. Trouble is he so erratic in the rest of the play. Doesn't get back in tranistion and makes the kind of plays that put you in trouble - like blind back passes, lateral passes in traffic etc.. Good in limited area but not good in the general flow of the play. Can be a very frustrating player.
Lekkermaki - just can't get the separation to make plays. Little better defensively in this game.
Hoglander - had chances but mishandled the puck too much. Got little done. You wonder if it came down to a decision between Hoglander and Sprong, whether it might be better to move Hoglander to get help on the defense,
Aman - Tocchet shows a lot trust with this player. Just too bad his offense is so limited. Will, I think, start as 4th line center if Suter plays higher in the lineup.
Canucks have certainly given the young players a chance and some have risen to the occasion and some have not.
One more to cap off the night. He had like 3-4 opportunities to put it in there. Genuinely an entertaining preseason game.
VanillaCoke
Registered User
- Oct 30, 2013
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I did.
And then Bouchard at ~11m.... yikes.
Step back in alberta and Ontario this year.
What Hughes said about sherwood was enough for me to be fully sold.
Great game from the backup squad.
kanucks25
Chris Tanev #1 Fan
So true.
I'll watch and come up with my own (real) opinions in the regular season and beyond but I just can't be bothered to watch the preseason until one day we get a McDavid type prospect that'll make me too horny to resist.
Jack Burton
Pro Tank Since 13
I've got absolutely no complaints given the rosters that were iced tonight...good game for the kids tonight and just let the process continue 
I know many don't notice this part of the game but that was a masterclass for the coaching staff. Excellent decision making & line matching....we got a all-star coaching group peeps!!!
I thought maybe a rookie could make the team on opening night but I think it's best for all of them to return to the minors. They can all get their reps in, build on their strength & confidence, continue working with our coaching staff.
Injuries will eventually hit during the season and their going to get their call-ups. I'm confident with a little more seasoning then they should be able to step in, play their rolls and the team shouldn't skip a beat.
I know many don't notice this part of the game but that was a masterclass for the coaching staff. Excellent decision making & line matching....we got a all-star coaching group peeps!!!
I thought maybe a rookie could make the team on opening night but I think it's best for all of them to return to the minors. They can all get their reps in, build on their strength & confidence, continue working with our coaching staff.
Injuries will eventually hit during the season and their going to get their call-ups. I'm confident with a little more seasoning then they should be able to step in, play their rolls and the team shouldn't skip a beat.
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Credit to a bunch of depth guys who worked hard and showed a lot of structure to get this game to OT against a loaded Oilers lineup.
- Desharnais-Wolanin pair played a ton in the highest-leverage minutes and were outstanding. Desharnais was really good - showed some range in his play, made some surprisingly cute plays on the breakout under pressure, was an octopus for Oiler players to get around all night. Wolanin also had by far the best game he's had in the preseason and playing with a more reliable partner instead of a fringe guy like Woo probably helped a lot. Skated well, moved the puck well.
- Friedman-Kudryatsev pairing was also very good. Kudryatsev had one wonky shift in the 3rd but otherwise moved the puck very well, was in the right positions defensively, and jumped up in the play effectively on numerous occasions including the 2-1 goal.
- Pettersson-Juulsen pairing mostly got by but were burned on the 1-1 goal. Pettersson's stock has lowered in this preseason relative to Kudryatsev - reaction times were too slow on several occasions, has a lot of work to do getting up to the speed of the NA pro game. Juulsen was meh.
- Raty was ... ok. Not his best game, although he was playing leverage minutes for a weak lineup against a strong lineup. Had a few more offensive moments later in the game.
- Lekkerimaki is trying but just isn't finding ways to get space and time to make plays and isn't strong enough to make plays with guys on top of him.
- Aman/Sasson/Nathan Smith are all so similar as depth C options that I don't really know if you worry that much about losing Aman on waivers (not that I even think it's terribly likely he'd be grabbed) if you keep Raty up.
- thought Bains was good today, competed well and was rewarded with a PP goal.
- Suter and Sherwood both had really strong games, easily the team's best two forwards. Suter had been having a pretty weak preseason so it was good to be reminded that he can be pretty effective.
- interesting goaltending battle. Round 1 went to Silovs. Round 2 clearly goes to Lankinen who was excellent tonight. Looked big, looked athletic, very good showing.
- Desharnais-Wolanin pair played a ton in the highest-leverage minutes and were outstanding. Desharnais was really good - showed some range in his play, made some surprisingly cute plays on the breakout under pressure, was an octopus for Oiler players to get around all night. Wolanin also had by far the best game he's had in the preseason and playing with a more reliable partner instead of a fringe guy like Woo probably helped a lot. Skated well, moved the puck well.
- Friedman-Kudryatsev pairing was also very good. Kudryatsev had one wonky shift in the 3rd but otherwise moved the puck very well, was in the right positions defensively, and jumped up in the play effectively on numerous occasions including the 2-1 goal.
- Pettersson-Juulsen pairing mostly got by but were burned on the 1-1 goal. Pettersson's stock has lowered in this preseason relative to Kudryatsev - reaction times were too slow on several occasions, has a lot of work to do getting up to the speed of the NA pro game. Juulsen was meh.
- Raty was ... ok. Not his best game, although he was playing leverage minutes for a weak lineup against a strong lineup. Had a few more offensive moments later in the game.
- Lekkerimaki is trying but just isn't finding ways to get space and time to make plays and isn't strong enough to make plays with guys on top of him.
- Aman/Sasson/Nathan Smith are all so similar as depth C options that I don't really know if you worry that much about losing Aman on waivers (not that I even think it's terribly likely he'd be grabbed) if you keep Raty up.
- thought Bains was good today, competed well and was rewarded with a PP goal.
- Suter and Sherwood both had really strong games, easily the team's best two forwards. Suter had been having a pretty weak preseason so it was good to be reminded that he can be pretty effective.
- interesting goaltending battle. Round 1 went to Silovs. Round 2 clearly goes to Lankinen who was excellent tonight. Looked big, looked athletic, very good showing.
This was a great team effort. I really liked seeing all the bubble players given the reigns to run with a game.
Raty - has played his way into the 3C spot to me - I dont see how you keep him off the team. His defensive play is excellent for a player his age and I think hed add quite a lot between Garland and Joshua.
He's a load for the other team to handle at times and he doesn't yet know his own strength. I'd like to see more of a shoot first mentality ingrained in him as he's a bit of an overpasser.
His close puck support is exciting because of his ability to play a short passing game can mesh well and add alot to high level play. There really is a ton of potential here - I have a tough time seeing him failing to become a long time NHL 3C and there's room for more.
Bains - plays a smart solid game and has a nice sense of timing with his passes along with a basic ability to manipulate a passing lane open. Plays with very good awareness of the overall play. Could develop into a nice complimentary player up and down the lineup but time is running out here as we are loaded at forward.
I hope he's able to get a chance and run with it because he gives me Burrows vibes in terms of being able to read the play as a checker.
Hoglander - he's a bit frustrating. He doesn't read the play well when he has the puck so he's a rather poor distributer off the walls. He fights for it and plays with energy but for him to be a top 6 player, he really needs to read off guys and play with them better.
We might be best served giving him the bumper spot on the PP to snap shots on net and then trade him to fill LD rather than re-sign.
Sprong - also frustrating to me and simply not my kind of player. He strikes me as fundamentally selfish. Bad angle shots in the wrong situations, missed passing opportunities where he didn't even notice it, lazy backchecks because he doesn't read the situation quick enough....
He can shoot but he's not a player I want on the ice in important situations vs good competition. I can see why he's been clinging to 4th line roles and I think there's a world where he works his way off this team by mid-season.
Kuydryatsev - always ready for the play and nothing seems too big for him. I like what I see so far. The tying goal was really nice work by him in terms of positioning to create angles. He made a lot of deft plays with the puck.
Petersson - doesn't shy from attempting plays like a lot of younger big Dmen and I think that will benefit him in the long run. He's made his share of mistake but also a lot of nice plays. He has better vision than I've seen him credited with - just needs to clean up his precision with the puck and work on decision making like most big yound dmen.
He's not ready but I think he's very projectile to fill our 3LD spot down the line and there is upside for more. A full year in the AHL would do well for him.
Friedman - it would be disappointing to lose him. He's really a gamer and can make a lot of plays you might think are beyond him.
Desharnais - I love his coverage in the Dzone. This guy is great for our system and I'm starting to buy Tochett's comments about him having another level to unlock. His skating is better than I thought and his ability to read the play is better than I thought. He's made himself dangerous on the rush a few times.
I love his work rate - he wants to do extra to win the play. I'm surprised how much I've liked this player this far.
Suter - such a smart situational player. That he's probably going to be a 4th liner for us speaks towards the depth we've built.
Sasson - has similar speed to Aman and doesn't scream "OH MY GOD WHAT DO I DO?" in his head everything he gets the puck like Aman. He's less scared to make a mistake and so he's had some success despite limited offensive imagination.
I like this style of player and I think both he and Aman have NHL value as speedy 4th liners that eat up space and force opponents to make decisions but Aman didn't run with his opportunities here and Sasson may be worth some games this season.
Mueller - has speed, can read the play and make the right play but this level of play is a bit beyond him. Don't know how old he is but I like the basics of what he offers.
Sherwood - I like what he brings. Constantly pushing the pace in a way that creates space for teammates. He's going to succeed here, I just don't know if that will be on the 2nd line. Does all the little things Sprong doesn't.
Lekkerimaki - extremely smart player who reads the whole play. Had an excellent backcheck late in the game to close off a budding play by the opposition.
Our 2nd line might be its best with him on it but I think its best for him to spend time in the AHL. He's still a negative physically and rather he first learn to manage that on his own without the help of top line NHLers - it will be better for him in the long run.
Heinen - Miller - Boeser
Debrusk - Pettersson - xxx
Joshua/xxx - Raty - Garland
Suter - Blueger - xxx
Hoglander, Sprong, Sherwood, PDG, Aman, Bains, Karlsson...
I think Sherwood and Hoglander each command a spot in the lineup leaving Sprong/PDG as the 13th forward.
Raty - has played his way into the 3C spot to me - I dont see how you keep him off the team. His defensive play is excellent for a player his age and I think hed add quite a lot between Garland and Joshua.
He's a load for the other team to handle at times and he doesn't yet know his own strength. I'd like to see more of a shoot first mentality ingrained in him as he's a bit of an overpasser.
His close puck support is exciting because of his ability to play a short passing game can mesh well and add alot to high level play. There really is a ton of potential here - I have a tough time seeing him failing to become a long time NHL 3C and there's room for more.
Bains - plays a smart solid game and has a nice sense of timing with his passes along with a basic ability to manipulate a passing lane open. Plays with very good awareness of the overall play. Could develop into a nice complimentary player up and down the lineup but time is running out here as we are loaded at forward.
I hope he's able to get a chance and run with it because he gives me Burrows vibes in terms of being able to read the play as a checker.
Hoglander - he's a bit frustrating. He doesn't read the play well when he has the puck so he's a rather poor distributer off the walls. He fights for it and plays with energy but for him to be a top 6 player, he really needs to read off guys and play with them better.
We might be best served giving him the bumper spot on the PP to snap shots on net and then trade him to fill LD rather than re-sign.
Sprong - also frustrating to me and simply not my kind of player. He strikes me as fundamentally selfish. Bad angle shots in the wrong situations, missed passing opportunities where he didn't even notice it, lazy backchecks because he doesn't read the situation quick enough....
He can shoot but he's not a player I want on the ice in important situations vs good competition. I can see why he's been clinging to 4th line roles and I think there's a world where he works his way off this team by mid-season.
Kuydryatsev - always ready for the play and nothing seems too big for him. I like what I see so far. The tying goal was really nice work by him in terms of positioning to create angles. He made a lot of deft plays with the puck.
Petersson - doesn't shy from attempting plays like a lot of younger big Dmen and I think that will benefit him in the long run. He's made his share of mistake but also a lot of nice plays. He has better vision than I've seen him credited with - just needs to clean up his precision with the puck and work on decision making like most big yound dmen.
He's not ready but I think he's very projectile to fill our 3LD spot down the line and there is upside for more. A full year in the AHL would do well for him.
Friedman - it would be disappointing to lose him. He's really a gamer and can make a lot of plays you might think are beyond him.
Desharnais - I love his coverage in the Dzone. This guy is great for our system and I'm starting to buy Tochett's comments about him having another level to unlock. His skating is better than I thought and his ability to read the play is better than I thought. He's made himself dangerous on the rush a few times.
I love his work rate - he wants to do extra to win the play. I'm surprised how much I've liked this player this far.
Suter - such a smart situational player. That he's probably going to be a 4th liner for us speaks towards the depth we've built.
Sasson - has similar speed to Aman and doesn't scream "OH MY GOD WHAT DO I DO?" in his head everything he gets the puck like Aman. He's less scared to make a mistake and so he's had some success despite limited offensive imagination.
I like this style of player and I think both he and Aman have NHL value as speedy 4th liners that eat up space and force opponents to make decisions but Aman didn't run with his opportunities here and Sasson may be worth some games this season.
Mueller - has speed, can read the play and make the right play but this level of play is a bit beyond him. Don't know how old he is but I like the basics of what he offers.
Sherwood - I like what he brings. Constantly pushing the pace in a way that creates space for teammates. He's going to succeed here, I just don't know if that will be on the 2nd line. Does all the little things Sprong doesn't.
Lekkerimaki - extremely smart player who reads the whole play. Had an excellent backcheck late in the game to close off a budding play by the opposition.
Our 2nd line might be its best with him on it but I think its best for him to spend time in the AHL. He's still a negative physically and rather he first learn to manage that on his own without the help of top line NHLers - it will be better for him in the long run.
Heinen - Miller - Boeser
Debrusk - Pettersson - xxx
Joshua/xxx - Raty - Garland
Suter - Blueger - xxx
Hoglander, Sprong, Sherwood, PDG, Aman, Bains, Karlsson...
I think Sherwood and Hoglander each command a spot in the lineup leaving Sprong/PDG as the 13th forward.
