Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

[Island Nucklehead]

I think it's obvious the Canucks made a mistake by basically gifting Jake a spot. McCann played his way onto the team, Jake got there by being "physically ready". Not the end of the world. Send him back to junior after the tourney and then next year you have the AHL option.

[Rumsfeld]

Ehlers, Pastrnak and Ritchie all made far bigger impacts for their respective NHL teams before they were sent down. Nylander is destroying the AHL and would be in the big show if TO wasn't worried about ruining him.

Most important to me is the eye test. I wonder if some of you guys even watch him play. He's been bad at every level.

His saving grace is his physicality and his straight-line speed, but you can get a player like that well after the first round, let alone sixth overall.

Hopefully he gets sent down and regains some confidence, because aside from one big year in junior he's been very very meh.

[ESQ]

Virtanen shouldn't be anywhere near the NHL right now, and wouldn't be a top 20 pick if the draft happened tomorrow.

I can agree with the first part, not the second though. Including the guys you mention, he's still top-10. Its far too early to say that 10 1st round picks still playing in junior are better than Virtanen.

Sorry, but that doesn't pass the eye test.

[Rumsfeld]

Just flicked on the Det/Pit game, the Detroit broadcasters are arguing about who was the last team, before Detroit in 97 and 98, to win back to back chsmpionships. One clown says Edmonton, the other clown says islanders.

Meanwhile, they're fucking playing the Pittsburgh Penguins! You can't make this stuff up...

[Meds]

The other guys you mentioned Rummy were not playing primarily with the scrubs that Virtanen (and even McCann and Bo) gets saddled with regularly.

Nobody expected Jake to come into the NHL this year and be anything more than a fast, physical, presence. He's not the type of player who sets the world on fire with end-to-end rushes and playmaking. He is a crasher, a finisher, he has a big shot and a nose for the net, and to be fair he does have a fairly good sense for getting the puck to open ice and scoring areas.....but again, his linemates are not the type to go there. He needs to work on his release, it needs to be faster and less obvious.

I agree that he shouldn't be on the big club this year. Ideally he's in the AHL, the CHL would pit him against boys who he can easily dominate with his physical game and that won't force him to work on the game between his ears.

If you are judging him based on the WJC then that's a waste. The entire team looks terrible. With the exception of 2 or 3 players.

Larkin is the only player who went later than Virtanen that I would take instead. Maybe Perlini with what I've seen at the WJC, but I'm hardly convinced.

[Island Nucklehead]

I agree that he shouldn't be on the big club this year. Ideally he's in the AHL, the CHL would pit him against boys who he can easily dominate with his physical game and that won't force him to work on the game between his ears.

Hard to say he'd be dominating the junior world when he's done absolutely nothing against teenagers at this tournament. You can probably count on one hand the number of good plays he's made with the puck. That's not good for a 19-year old, top-10 pick coming from the NHL.

He's never really dominated the WHL. I say let him go back there, try to put up that 100+-point pace, play big minutes and be a go-to guy. It appears to have done wonders for Draisaitl.

If you are judging him based on the WJC then that's a waste. The entire team looks terrible. With the exception of 2 or 3 players.

Sure, the whole team has been terrible. But your best players are supposed to be your best players. It's a 19-year olds tournament, and our 19 year olds have been invisible.

[Chef Boi RD]

I've been hard on Virtanen but IMO he is still the right choice at that draft. You can't just ice a top 6 forward group of 5'11" - 170 lb skilled small guys or you end up like the Oilers. It's the NHL for fuck sakes. Ehlers has gone completely ice cold since Sbisa laid him out. He has 5 goals and 7 assists in 37 games but nearly all of those points came prior to Sbisa smoking him and that is the problem with the small guys. Finding big skilled power forwards to play in your top 6 is as tough as finding that no. 1 defenceman. Either way, Jake is big, has the wheels, has the shot, loves to hit, he will be a very serviceable player for us.

Their are only two players picked after Jake that may look to be the better pick right now than Virtanen - Larkin and a big maybe to Nylander. Ritchie ain't doing anything more special than Virtanen. Perlini, Kapanen and Fleury are not better picks.

Everyone needs to lay off Jake, myself included.

[Chef Boi RD]

Blackwood is a sieve. Canada hasn't had stellar goaltending in years at the WJC's. WTF

[Island Nucklehead]

Blackwood is a sieve. Canada hasn't had stellar goaltending in years at the WJC's. WTF

That, and our defence is awful. That first goal was a terribad no-pressure pass from Hickey (?) into the feet of his d-partner (Fleury?). The second one is all on Hickey, who apparently has trouble skating.

There we go, finally a nice play from Jake. Good forecheck, turnover and finding a teammate.

[theman]

Jake has been much more noticeable in today's game. Hopefully he can keep it up.

[Island Nucklehead]

Jake has been much more noticeable in today's game. Hopefully he can keep it up.

Yep. Created the turnover and got an assist on Canada's 3rd goal, then strong net drives that created the current Canadian PP. Easily the best 1/2 game of the tournament for Jake...

AND then goes and take a holding the stick penalty, wiping out a potential 5-on-3. The good, followed by the ugly.

[theman]

that was pretty braindead by him, did he know that Canada was going to get another PP?

[theman]

Well, the wheel's seem to be coming off.

[BigTuna]

I've been hard on Virtanen but IMO he is still the right choice at that draft. You can't just ice a top 6 forward group of 5'11" - 170 lb skilled small guys or you end up like the Oilers. It's the NHL for fuck sakes. Ehlers has gone completely ice cold since Sbisa laid him out. He has 5 goals and 7 assists in 37 games but nearly all of those points came prior to Sbisa smoking him and that is the problem with the small guys. Finding big skilled power forwards to play in your top 6 is as tough as finding that no. 1 defenceman. Either way, Jake is big, has the wheels, has the shot, loves to hit, he will be a very serviceable player for us.

Their are only two players picked after Jake that may look to be the better pick right now than Virtanen - Larkin and a big maybe to Nylander. Ritchie ain't doing anything more special than Virtanen. Perlini, Kapanen and Fleury are not better picks.

Everyone needs to lay off Jake, myself included.

No maybe. Nylander leaves the AHL in scoring at 19. That virtually never happends.

And the Oilers problems have nothing to do with size. They have failed at everything except winning the draft lottery. They can't pick a good player outside the first round if their life depended on it.

[theman]

Crazy 3rd period. 6-5 to Finland now with 5 to go. Virtanen certainly has left his mark on this game.