You have to wonder at the effect certain instances create such the whole Hodgson saga. Just what gets said at places like Gary Roberts' fitness camp? What gets said about organizations by agents who represent players who play for Vancouver? How much of it is headline-reading, how much is grapevine shit among the player/agent community and how much of all that is true?Hockey Widow wrote:But for what its worth I would believe it! No, I haven't been told this but I really really would believe this to be true. Hodgson is not the first young kid to be in Canuck dog house for one reason or another. For a young player you have to wonder and the pressure on the kid to come home and perform would be tremendous. In Edmonton he can score a ton and be a -100 and still be loved, here he would be benched after a mistake.
Outside of the whole Hodgson saga and the Goc trade, I can't think off the top of my head of any instance that would paint the Canuck organization as a bad bunch to play for. Most cases I remember, when players left the club as FAs Gillis and Co. were up front about what they were prepared to offer and another organization made a better offer. Even Rome said afterwards that his time with Vancouver allowed him to have the payday he had today. I don't think that this is an organization with a bad rep among the players - young or old. If somebody has evidence otherwise, lay it on here.
As for the whole AV-and-the-young-players thing. Remember that Tanev has burgeoned in his time with Vancouver. So have guys like Hansen. I think the irritant is that AV likes his youngsters to play a safe style of game as opposed to taking risks. Works well for depth players, but I don't think players like Schultz would sit well with it. Thing is, this is what you run into when the window for championship is finite and the tolerance for fuck-uppery on the ice is low. Who knows how long a leash AV and Bones would have if the team was demographically positioned to be approaching contention instead of where they're at now?
I think with Schultz is he wanted to be able to do his thing with top-4 minutes and got sold the whole 'boys on the bus' spiel by Gretz and Coffey. Good luck kiddo, until the Coilers get a credible goaltender. We'll see how long his love-affair lasts.