Diogenes92
Registered User
Kenins-Cracknell-Dorsett would actually be a great 4th line.
Depends if Gaunce gets sent down or not.
Depends if Gaunce gets sent down or not.
the big wigs must really be grinding on this decision. i hope desjardins isn't allowed in the room when they discuss who stays and who goes.
Kenins-Cracknell-Dorsett would actually be a great 4th line.
Depends if Gaunce gets sent down or not.
Gaunce outplayed Kenins by a wide margin this preseason imo.
Vey played well the last two games. I know anything short of 6 points won't be acknowledged on this board, but he's been part of probably a dozen good scoring chances as either the primary set up man or trigger man. Thought he really meshed well with Burrows and Hansen (especially Burrows) and if that group managed to play as well as they did vs EDM against actual NHL defense, production would come.
Still feel it's best long term for McCann to finish another year in junior. Feel another year of physically maturing before making the jump to the pros is in his best interest. Not sure which flip flop I'm enjoying more, the "do the Detroit model" to " daddy, I want all our prospects in noooowwwwww!", or "Benning is a moron for drafting McGarbageCann" to "Benning is a moron if he sends McCann't do anything wrong back to junior". Been a great preseason for McCann but another year in junior plus probably some games in the AHL is the right thing to do for his development.
Hutton is a tough one for me. My head says start him with Green in Utica, give him a call up or 2 and then at the deadline when we deal Hamhuis/Weber/Bart whoever, call him up to finish the regular season assuming his play warrants it. But he's played so well and brings exactly what our blueline needs. I probably l3an on sending him down to get some big minutes and be a key guy but boy is he exciting.
My lineup after watching all 6 games so far:
Sedin-Sedin-Vrbata (don't actually like this line, defenses take away the one-timer to Vrb and just collapse to the net, but whatevs)
Baertschi-Horvat-Virtannen
Burrows-Sutter-Hansen
Prust-Cracknell-Dorsett
Vey
Edler-Tanev
Hamhuis- Bartkowski
Sbisa-Weber
Corrado
Leaves Higgins ir spot for some games for McCann/Hutton/Gaunce.
Overall this lineup serves youth while still competing for the playoffs. More youth served by call ups. Won't be this year but I still say the future looks bright.
Not sure which flip flop I'm enjoying more, the "do the Detroit model" to " daddy, I want all our prospects in noooowwwwww!", or "Benning is a moron for drafting McGarbageCann" to "Benning is a moron if he sends McCann't do anything wrong back to junior". Been a great preseason for McCann but another year in junior plus probably some games in the AHL is the right thing to do for his development.
So basically you want your cake and to eat it to. #wishIwassurprised
Vey played well the last two games. I know anything short of 6 points won't be acknowledged on this board, but he's been part of probably a dozen good scoring chances as either the primary set up man or trigger man. Thought he really meshed well with Burrows and Hansen (especially Burrows) and if that group managed to play as well as they did vs EDM against actual NHL defense, production would come.
Still feel it's best long term for McCann to finish another year in junior. Feel another year of physically maturing before making the jump to the pros is in his best interest. Not sure which flip flop I'm enjoying more, the "do the Detroit model" to " daddy, I want all our prospects in noooowwwwww!", or "Benning is a moron for drafting McGarbageCann" to "Benning is a moron if he sends McCann't do anything wrong back to junior". Been a great preseason for McCann but another year in junior plus probably some games in the AHL is the right thing to do for his development.
Hutton is a tough one for me. My head says start him with Green in Utica, give him a call up or 2 and then at the deadline when we deal Hamhuis/Weber/Bart whoever, call him up to finish the regular season assuming his play warrants it. But he's played so well and brings exactly what our blueline needs. I probably l3an on sending him down to get some big minutes and be a key guy but boy is he exciting.
My lineup after watching all 6 games so far:
Sedin-Sedin-Vrbata (don't actually like this line, defenses take away the one-timer to Vrb and just collapse to the net, but whatevs)
Baertschi-Horvat-Virtannen
Burrows-Sutter-Hansen
Prust-Cracknell-Dorsett
Vey
Edler-Tanev
Hamhuis- Bartkowski
Sbisa-Weber
Corrado
Leaves Higgins ir spot for some games for McCann/Hutton/Gaunce.
Overall this lineup serves youth while still competing for the playoffs. More youth served by call ups. Won't be this year but I still say the future looks bright.
Not bad.
I also like
Sedin - Sedin - Vrbata
Burrows - Sutter - Hansen
Baertschi - Horvat - Virtanen
Prust - Cracknell - Dorsett
Vey
Edler - Tanev
Hamhuis - Bartkowski
Sbisa - Biega
Hutton - Weber
the big wigs must really be grinding on this decision. i hope desjardins isn't allowed in the room when they discuss who stays and who goes.
I don't think anyone is asking their daddy for all the prospects now. I think they're asking for players who are clearly as good if not better than there veteran contemporaries to be given a shot ie. Vey only looks good when other players are doing the job, McCann has looked better, faster, stronger, smarter every game. I mean, that is what management has told us they would do for 2 straight off seasons now....put your money where your mouth is.
I don't agree with you on that 4th line at all, I think it has the makings of an excellent hard hitting 4th line, obviously I'd prefer Kenins or Gaunce ahead of Prust and maybe McCann in place of Cracknell, but I'd much rather see Cracknell there than Vey. That reclamation experiment has to end...he's an AHLer.Nobody is asking for the Canucks to play prospects who aren't ready. But what I expect is that if a prospect outplays a veteran that he will earn his spot on the team. We have seen Virtanen, McCann, Hutton, and even Gaunce earn their spots on the team by outplaying the likes of Vey, Prust, Kenins, and Corrado.
I hate when people say "oh well what's best for a player who's earned an NHL job is to go back to juniors and then go to the AHL." It's completely nonsensical. If a player is good enough to outplay NHL veterans and earn an NHL roster spot, then sending him back to junior or to the AHL "just because" makes zero sense whatsoever. I can't even fathom how someone can think that way.
Your fourth line of Prust-Cracknell-Dorsett is downright disgusting. It is reminiscent of the fourth line we had in 2011 that was terrible. But hey, it doesn't surprise me that some people would rather ice a worse team with comfy veterans than adding some exciting young prospects who are working their ***** off. Can't become dem Oilers eh?
The two key points here are that one Benning himself said that if kids earned it in camp they would make the team, and two it's players that Benning spent assets on and/or paid that are getting outplayed by these kids.
Benning is basically in a no-win situation here. If Vey/Prust/Sbisa are on the opening night roster and McCann/Guance/Hutton demoted, then it will be "but you said the kids could earn a spot!" If those guys are in the press box/waived and the kids are on the team, then it will be "why the **** did you acquire and/or signed him in the first place?
Rather than saying people are unfair though remember this is a mess of his own making. This is a good example of why you don't tie up big chunks of salary in poor assets.
If my cake is a contender every year with good prospects that aren't quite good enough to get on the team as teenagers, yup, dairy queen chocolate ice cream cake and I'll eat it for every meal.
Anywho, I thought I'd give you the courtesy of a well thought out reply, but hashtag replies are always good too.
The thing is, I have 2 of those 3 Benning acquisitions in my lineup. Kenins can go down without risk and he hasn't grabbed the spot by the scruff like I had hoped, so boom....there is another spot.
I hate Sbisa, but he wasn't bad last night, and I know he's not going anywhere, but Corrado is young and he hasn't earned this spot, much like Kenins and Vey. I expect Corrado and Vey would make it to Utica.
My Lineups been posted but I'll do it here again:
Twins-Vrbata
Baert-Bo-Virt
Burr-Sutter-Hansen
Prust-McCann/Cracknell-Dorsett
McCann/Cracknell
Edler-Tanev
Hamhuis-Hutton
Sbisa-Bartkowski
Biega-Weber
(don't worry about the dmen order).
13 forwards, 8 dmen
Obviously, Prust is blocking Gaunce, and I think Gaunce or Kenins could play those minutes more effectively, but I think both will get games up here, and Gaunce will grow with top 6 time in Utica.
If McCann can't hack it after a couple regular season games, pat him on the butt and send him back to the Soo and call up Kenins, Gaunce or Vey.
I don't think it's all that complicated. Obviously it would be more entertaining if there was no such thing as Prust or Sbisa, but there is.
I don't agree with you on that 4th line at all, I think it has the makings of an excellent hard hitting 4th line, obviously I'd prefer Kenins or Gaunce ahead of Prust and maybe McCann in place of Cracknell, but I'd much rather see Cracknell there than Vey. That reclamation experiment has to end...he's an AHLer.
Hashtag replies are the future!
The catch 22 here is that to get the team that is a perennial contender you first have to develop your prospects correctly. Generally speaking, extra development time before the NHL + sprinkling them into the line up (rather than dumping them in en masse) + surrounding them with the right mix of veterans is the way IMO to build the type of team we all want.
Look at the core we just had, indisputably the most successful in franchise history. Only the Sedins were dumped into the NHL immediately, and there was plenty of discussion whether they should spend some time in the minors early in their career. Remember the outrage when Edler had spend extra time in the A? Or Hansen? Everyone saw at least some time, Bieksa, Kesler, Burrows, Tanev, Raymond, etc and it worked out well.
No need to rush prospects like McCann. The exception I make is for guys like Horvat and Virtannen when they're physically more mature than your typical teenager. To paraphrase what Robert Duvall says to Sean Penn in Colors lets walk down there and win them all.