Hodgson Outlook

[CrzyCanuck]

Yeah sorry Clam. I should have been more careful with my choice of word.

When I said soft, I meant to say physically not ready. From his call-up last time in the playoffs, he's shown improvement but his body was simply not ready for this league yet. But he probably needed more time to build up the legs and the body especially after having been injured for extended period of time.

I guess Hodgson really left me with a strong negative expression during his call-ups when Defenceman were actually skating past him. But once again, he had just came back from the injury.

Anyway I do still have hope for him but the expectation may not be as high as before.

[spooner]

speed and tenacity ... - those are traits Hodgson simply doesn't have.

I disagree on the tenacity part VW. He has it and it's going to show a lot more as he gets more confidence at the NHL level.

[Sparrow]

Even if AV were to experiment with CoHo alongside the twins, I highly doubt that he would stick there. I don't think he could outplay Burrows in that role, who effectively uses his speed and tenacity to complement the Sedins - those are traits Hodgson simply doesn't have.

Having said that, if it did work, it would free up Burrows to be an effective winger for Kesler, thereby addressing one of our pressing needs.

I have the same doubts regarding Hodgson with the Sedins. However, unlike others, I do think if given the time he could figure out the Kesler line. I know he lacks the speed game which that line thrives on but sometimes I feel that the line is predictable with its consistent north/south style. Also I do not believe the wingers are threatening enough to other teams. Teams will concentrate on Kelser and take the risk of an open Raymond/Higgins. I think Hodgson could open things with the proper development. I would flip him between 2nd/3rd line wing spots and give him second unit PP time. Try and get him a consistent 13-15 mins of ice and see how he responds to start the season. A little confidence might be all he needs.

Writing him off 3 years removed from his draft year is absurd. That said I would trade him in the right deal, but that goes for any player.

[Tciso]

I don't see shooting as a bad thing for the Twins winger. They need someone competent at tapping pucks in, and doing a one-timer. If CoHo is a good shooter, and can master those 2 plays, then, he'll be an upgrade on Burrows offensively for the Twins. I don't know if they need an upgrade on Burrows, but having more than one winger that can mesh with the Twins in always helpful. And CoHo will definitely learn the game from those two Jedi Masters.

There is more to playing with the Twins than being able to shoot and tapping pucks in. With Burrows they get a guy that can be first in on the forecheck and make the hard plays in the corner to get them the puck. After that he is fully willing to wreak havoc in front of the net for a screen or to put an opposing d-man out of position. His style complements the twins well and I don't see that kind of game with CH. After going through many seasons looking for a guy who can play with the Sedins I'm not sure why AV would stick them with a rookie who wouldn't make them more dangerous than Burrows.

Because the team is bigger than any one (or twin) players. If Coho is a slight downgrade on Burrows (well, CoHo will be a huge downgrade initially), but we get better as a team, then it's the right move. If all it does is make CoHo a better player, it's still probably worth trying out. If it isn't working after 40 games, drop CoHo to the 3rd line, and bring Burrows back up (and MayRay will be healthy again, and can go back to the 2nd line)

[Madcombinepilot]

I totally agree withClam here.

His faults are being blown WAY out of proportion, but CH has something that most players dont, and that is that he sees the ice very well, and thinks the game better than most. Some experiece and a bit of confidence will go a long way for this kid.

Way to pull a 180 there Madcombinepilot.

A few weeks ago, weren't you telling people that we should trade Hodgson for Bertuzzi? You also mentioned that we should attempt to re-sign Brendan Morrison and form an altered version of the old WCE line.

lol.

me thinks you are a bit mixed up with the man in the mirror!!

[Fred]

From Puck Prospect a detached view

26. Vancouver Canucks: The two cornerstones of this system—Cody Hodgson and Jordan Schroeder—were both significant disappointments in the AHL and while there is still reason to believe in them, the degree of that belief took a serious dip this year.

for the full rankings

http://www.puckprospectus.com/article.p ... cleid=1012

[Zedlee]

Ouch....Canucks ranked 26th in terms of prospects with only Coho and Schroeder worth mentioning. At least Calgary and S Jose are behind us.

[wienerdog]

speed and tenacity ... - those are traits Hodgson simply doesn't have.

I disagree on the tenacity part VW. He has it and it's going to show a lot more as he gets more confidence at the NHL level.

Fair enough, spooner - tenacity is maybe a poor choice of descriptor.

I'm talking about that "balls to the walls" growl in Burrows' game that Cody doesn't have. As many have pointed out, Hodgson's a bird's eye thinker on the ice. He's too "removed" to have that part in his game - he's more Sedin-esque that way, if you will.

Burrows', OTOH, has a little bit more "rabies" to his game, ifyuhknowwaddimsain. The line benefits immensely from that, IMO.

[dbr]

Ouch....Canucks ranked 26th in terms of prospects with only Coho and Schroeder worth mentioning. At least Calgary and S Jose are behind us.

What with all the picks he has traded over the last few years, Gillis has indicated that he is going to go off the beaten path for prospects - something that is going to hurt the Canucks ranking in articles like this which are usually put together by people who can't possibly know enough about every single player whose rights are held by any NHL team to assess organizational depth without going on reputations (and discounting players who don't have a reputation to speak of).

I don't see any credit given to the Canucks for having a player like Chris Tanev in the system, or any of the other defensemen likely to man the blueline for the Wolves next year. There's no mention of our 2011 draft class or guys like Darren Archibald or anything like that.

Anyway we are clearly not the best organization in the league for prospects, but IMO we've got at the very least a farm team with a few players at every position that can play a limited role right now and that have potential to develop further.. and a handful of players in junior and Europe on top of that.

[rats19]

I would just like to see ch play the first 20 games where ever ..stints on all lines..

[sagebrush]

I would just like to see ch play the first 20 games where ever ..stints on all lines..

That would be a good beginning to his season. Even fourth and third line experience can develop confidence and NHL level game fitness.

In the minors/AHL, he was strong on the puck, with good balance, and good puck handling under pressure – including going to the net. If he can add another 10lbs of lean mass (get to 195lbs) & get serious NHL ice time, I don’t see why he can’t do that in the NHL.

We already know he has a good shot/release and play making ability.

[ESQ]

I hadn't really thought of CH with the Sedins. Right now we have two wingers who are almost perfect fits - Burrows and Sammy. Sammy's been the forgotten man this offseason because his injuries had made him pretty ineffective, but he still had a solid season and I think he brings more to the team than Raymond (even if Raymond makes a full recovery).

But now that I think about it, I'm very intrigued by the thought of Burrows and Kes together again, now that both have blossomed offensively. Remember Burrows got a lot of goals with Kes right before getting put with the Sedins (i think on pace for 30 or so), and Kesler wasn't the 70-80 point center he is today when they were together. They had great chemistry as a shutdown line and still got quite a few goals, I'm very curious how they'd do as a secondary scoring line now that they're both 40 goal men, should CoHo or Sammy be put on the Sedins wing.

Re. Coho's speed, I thought there was a noticeable improvement in his speed from the start of the year to the playoffs, the point where I didn't observe footspeed holding him back at all in his few playoff shifts. It was clearly an issue in camp when he had the herniated disc, but its recovered along with his back IMO.

[ClamRussel]

Yeah sorry Clam. I should have been more careful with my choice of word.

When I said soft, I meant to say physically not ready.

Makes more sense. He's got a ways to go and probably still recovering from the injuries to get to 100% plus make up for lost development time.

Even if AV were to experiment with CoHo alongside the twins, I highly doubt that he would stick there. I don't think he could outplay Burrows in that role, who effectively uses his speed and tenacity to complement the Sedins - those are traits Hodgson simply doesn't have.

Having said that, if it did work, it would free up Burrows to be an effective winger for Kesler, thereby addressing one of our pressing needs.

Who knows, only one way to find out. I'm not saying its a *sure* thing but its certainly worth a shot. The upside is immense.

[damonberryman]

This kid is going to be a star. Gretky could not skate well either. he did ok. i put his struggles down to two things. First are the injuries. When he got his cheek fractured he was tearing up teh AHL. Then when he got promoted number two comes into play and that is AV. I think teh kid will work all summer with gary Roberts and comein to camp on a mission. We got lots of speed on the team. WE need quarterbacks for the PP. We need youth combined with talent. This kid won the GOld for Canada. he made Tavares look like a star but it was COHO who made that machine run. If given a chance while healthy he will be a stud. The kid was born to play. I am somewat disappointed to see how many of you do ot see that potential. We have the most talented team in the NHL. That is part of the reason. Any other 20 year old forwards make teh team recently?

[LotusBlossom]

This kid is going to be a star. Gretky could not skate well either. he did ok. i put his struggles down to two things. First are the injuries. When he got his cheek fractured he was tearing up teh AHL. Then when he got promoted number two comes into play and that is AV. I think teh kid will work all summer with gary Roberts and comein to camp on a mission. We got lots of speed on the team. WE need quarterbacks for the PP. We need youth combined with talent. This kid won the GOld for Canada. he made Tavares look like a star but it was COHO who made that machine run. If given a chance while healthy he will be a stud. The kid was born to play. I am somewat disappointed to see how many of you do ot see that potential. We have the most talented team in the NHL. That is part of the reason. Any other 20 year old forwards make teh team recently?

12 years ago, there were a couple of red headed twins that looked like they didn't 'belong'. Took them a while to get their legs but after a few years... well the rest is history