Trades and rumours (& fantasies) 2013-14

[Reefer2]

I have succumbed to the fact that this team can't win it all this season, especially given on how well the Cali teams have easily dominated this current canucks team all season long, including last season, which means all these injuries are no excuse.

No way in hell this team can beat LA, SJ or Anaheim in a 7 game series until MG can solidify the top 6 by adding an elite 2nd line scorer to help Kesler, and get a top 4 defense that has the proper mix of natural left and right side dmen that includes a pure QB dman, which means one of Garrison/Edler/Hamhuis has to be dealt to deal with this clusterfck of offside dmen.

Richardson is perfectly fine for the 3rd line center spot imo and we have many elite 3rd line wingers to help him, the 4th line is doing above average lately with Sestito-Dalpe-Weise.

If the refs actually call all the penalties as they should, the Canucks might come up with a win in Anaheim (assuming that Sestito stood in front of the net for the all the power plays).

The refs have not called it for years and wont start ever.

Why can't MG figure out you need assholes on the team to win because in the playoffs the refs ALWAYS put away their whistles.

[ClamRussel]

The refs have not called it for years and wont start ever.

Why can't MG figure out you need assholes on the team to win because in the playoffs the refs ALWAYS put away their whistles.

Except every time in recent years the Canucks played tough they got nailed by the refs (maybe they're just stupid about how they play tough). Teams can play like Art Ross candidates & the refs will always even it out with a few soft calls. Its so hard to read the reffing in this league, must drive the non-Bruins players nuts sometimes.

[okcanuck]

You are right on Clam. I've been watching the NHL for more years than I want to admit,and Ive never seen such inconsistencies with the refs.
Buttman should get off his ass and straighten this mess up. They are losing credibility with the fans that really care about hockey.

[Island Nucklehead]

You are right on Clam. I've been watching the NHL for more years than I want to admit,and Ive never seen such inconsistencies with the refs.
Buttman should get off his ass and straighten this mess up. They are losing credibility with the fans that really care about hockey.

Which is why he doesnt care. He wants to grow the game in the USA... he could care less about the on-ice product. Just look at all the outdoor games... novel idea, shitty hockey. Why care about "quality" when you can pack Dodger Stadium with 56,000 Californians?

[ClamRussel]

You are right on Clam. I've been watching the NHL for more years than I want to admit,and Ive never seen such inconsistencies with the refs.
Buttman should get off his ass and straighten this mess up. They are losing credibility with the fans that really care about hockey.

I could be wrong, but in almost any other sport....a penalty is a penalty. Remember after the second to last lockout how the refs were? They were calling everything left right & center. You touch a player w/ your stick & you were called. It was ridiculous but it was fairly consistent. The league said the players would adapt. They actually started to. That was the when the D couldn't hold up the forechecker anymore & their partners were getting killed. So the NHL eased up...and it wasn't long (playoffs) before it was back to the old ways of inconsistent, even-up reffing. Always got to even up the calls, always got to give the losing team a chance to get back in it etc.

Case in point, tonight. With the Canucks up by 2 there were several occasions where the Pens could have been called and it would have been game over. Instead the refs "let them play" despite Canucks getting hauled down, cross-checked (Jokinen on Hamhuis), Neal lost his shit a few times out there etc. No calls despite all these transgressions. End result, the Pens had the opportunity to make the comeback which would normally be rare but near impossible w/ an additional call against or two. This isn't against the Canucks or anything, its all throughout the league. Its bizarre. Rather than policing the game the refs are there to almost make sure every game is close and the losing team has every opportunity to tie it up. The end result is the NHL probably has more cheating going on than any other sport...the players feel out the refs and try to get away w/ as much as they can. They also know when they can get away w/ a little extra and go for it. I know it happens in all sports but it just seems to be at another level in this league. Almost to the point of if you aren't cheating you aren't trying hard enough.

I'll go as far as to say the refs play a HUGE factor in NHL games.

[SKYO]

If the refs actually call all the penalties as they should, the Canucks might come up with a win in Anaheim (assuming that Sestito stood in front of the net for the all the power plays).

If it's one thing we know it's that you can't rely on the ref's for anything, the ref's and injuries excuse can only be used for so long.

[SKYO]

I have succumbed to the fact that this team can't win it all this season,

What took you so long? It was nearly inevitable when the new CBA was signed a year ago and the cap was lowered. There was thought of some cap relief to help the matter from trading Luongo, but we know what happened there.

It was a big part of the reason I thought keeping at least one of Horvat/Gaunce/Shrinkwrap would have been beneficial.

I didn't expect the Canucks to be on the bottom of a dog fight for a playoff spot but a couple of teams are doing better than I expected.

Was hoping a 2nd line can form and be dominant this season, as good as the Higgins Kesler Santorelli line has/was been it quickly fizzled and now it's fairly evident we won't have a solid 2nd line till MG stops demanding so much in a trade plus stops being scared to make a deal, even a lateral type trade could pay dividends.

I too wished a youngster could make the squad to learn and develop this season, seeing as there was a low cap and this was going to be a status quo type season, why not bring along a talented young gun so that player can play even better in the 2014/15 season?

Gillis shouldn't have toyed with our hearts in the offseason!

“I want to have opportunities for young players on this team,” said Gillis.

“I think we’re at that stage where we have a very good team that is a veteran team, so those (younger) guys are going to play with good players, they’re not going to be exposed.

“I would like to have spots available for those guys to compete for.”
http://metronews.ca/news/vancouver/7296 ... entre-job/

Still remains to be seen how Torts can handle/develop youngsters...Jeff Angus writes about that http://canucksarmy.com/2013/7/17/will-j ... ng-players

Is Tortorella better at developing young talent than Vigneault? I’m not sure.

He definitely gave more ice time to young players in New York, but the Rangers were a team with a lot of good young talent when he took over. How much credit goes to the coach for helping talented young hockey players improve? Vigneault took over a veteran team and did help the development of the core players we see today in Vancouver. How much credit should he take? And should he take blame for not giving Schroeder, Grabner, or Hodgson more minutes? Edler has developed into a really good defenseman.

The argument could be made that Vigneault didn’t have the luxury of a stocked prospect cupboard like Tortorella did in New York. But credit does have to go to Tortorella – he turned the Rangers into one of the best teams in the East while getting a lot younger (and cheaper). Year after year he seamlessly integrated very young forwards and defensemen into the lineup. And the Rangers will reap the rewards of this for a few years (provided Glen Sather doesn’t continue to spend his dollars on the open market as if there isn’t a salary cap).

Tortorella has some options this year in Vancouver. Could Bo Horvat become the Callahan of Vancouver? Is 20-year-old Frank Corrado ready for big minutes? How about 22-year-old Zack Kassian? Vigneault gave him time on the top unit, but he didn’t show enough consistency to stay there. I think Tortorella did a really good job of creating "roles" for his young guys in New York.

The Sedins are going to continue to be very good players for a while. But for the Canucks to get back to Stanley Cup contention, they need their young players (Jensen, Horvat, Shinkaruk, Lain, Kassian, Schroeder, Tanev, Corrado) to develop under Tortorella in Vancouver as well as Callahan, Dubinsky, Hagelin, Stepan, McDonagh, Staal, Anisimov, Del Zotto, and Girardi did in New York. A tall task? Most definitely. But Tortorella has shown that he is more than willing to put his trust in inexperienced players.

[SKYO]

twitter rumours..

Are you hearing Kane to Van is almost done? Reports out of Van have a package around Hansen, Guance and Tanev going to the Jets

[dbr]

I could be wrong, but in almost any other sport....a penalty is a penalty.

Yeah nobody complains about officiating in other sports. Like traveling in basketball, am I right guys?

[dbr]

twitter rumours..

Are you hearing Kane to Van is almost done? Reports out of Van have a package around Hansen, Guance and Tanev going to the Jets

(Can't a guy get a decent :rolleyes: emoticon around here?)

Here's the timeline:

Guy who has no apparent connections to anyone says thing:

@khatinthekar @VancityJC heard there's Kane to Vancouver rumblings

Noted rumour monger who got a thing right once and a lot of things wrong all the other times says same thing:

Hearing the same thing RT @harry1619: @khatinthekar @VancityJC heard there's Kane to Vancouver rumblings

(Did you hear it from "harry1619" by any chance? )

Turns around and spouts the same thing to his 10x as many followers with no more added credibility than "this guy who talked about rumours once says this thing":

From @harry1619 who first reported Parise to Van rumors, Canucks are offering Tanev and Hansen in a package for Kane.

Then pesters a bunch of journalists with said rumour and a decidedly hopeful "is it almost done?" cherry on top:

. @garylawless Are you hearing Kane to Vancouver trade is close? Reports out of Van have Nucks offering Tanev,Hansen, Gaunce and 3rd rounder

@saraorlesky Are you hearing Kane to Van is almost done? Reports out of Van have a package around Hansen, Guance and Tanev going to the Jets

@rickralphtsn You hearing that Kane to Van is almost done? Reports out of Van have Hansen, Tanev, Gauce + pick going other way

Presto, by modern sports journalism standards, actual "reports" out of Vancouver actually do indicate the Canucks have made a specific offer for Evander Kane!

[Topper]

I could be wrong, but in almost any other sport....a penalty is a penalty.

Yeah nobody complains about officiating in other sports. Like traveling in basketball, am I right guys?

In the NFL, the Seahawk's defence plays the rules as the Bruins do. Challenging the officials to throw a flag on every play. The 49ers do like wise with Harbaugh continuously working the officials like Quennville does with the Blackhawks.

All four of those teams are having success.

[Jovocop]

If the refs actually call all the penalties as they should, the Canucks might come up with a win in Anaheim (assuming that Sestito stood in front of the net for the all the power plays).

If it's one thing we know it's that you can't rely on the ref's for anything, the ref's and injuries excuse can only be used for so long.

I wasn't using it as an excuse. However, the refs are really driving fans nuts. They try to be consistent but they turn out to be consistently inconsistent. They try not to decide the game but they end up evening out the penalties. What kind of logic is that?? Clam got it there. It is just freaking bizarre.

[mathonwy]

If the refs actually call all the penalties as they should, the Canucks might come up with a win in Anaheim (assuming that Sestito stood in front of the net for the all the power plays).

would have a Stanley Cup.

[SKYO]

twitter rumours..

Are you hearing Kane to Van is almost done? Reports out of Van have a package around Hansen, Guance and Tanev going to the Jets

(Can't a guy get a decent :rolleyes: emoticon around here?)

Here's the timeline:

Guy who has no apparent connections to anyone says thing:

Turns around and spouts the same thing to his 10x as many followers with no more added credibility than "this guy who talked about rumours once says this thing":

Then pesters a bunch of journalists with said rumour and a decidedly hopeful "is it almost done?" cherry on top:

lol yeah HENCE! I didn't put his name so he can get more internet fame for some bs.

But besides that it seems fairly evident MG would be in high pursuit of Kane.

[dbr]

lol yeah HENCE! I didn't put his name so he can get more internet fame for some bs.

Oh I just thought you were embarrassed to be circulating one of his rumours.