2025-26 OOTS: Playoffs Edition

[Meds]

Quit Hughes, Quit on that EN.

He learned from Millzy.

Cuz’s boy Myers never quit on a puck…..even if it meant putting it into his own net.

[Carl Yagro]

Quit Hughes, Quit on that EN.

He learned from Millzy.

Nah, that never happened.

Miller couldn't even get DeSmith out of the net for the extra attacker.

[Cousin Strawberry]

Quit Hughes, Quit on that EN.

He learned from Millzy.

Cuz’s boy Myers never quit on a puck…..even if it meant putting it into his own net.

The gangle of the dangle is equal to or greater than the neck to torso ratio of the perpetrator of the purported puck fuck-up

[JelloPuddingPop]

Quit Hughes, Quit on that EN.

He learned from Millzy.

Nah, that never happened.

Miller couldn't even get DeSmith out of the net for the extra attacker.

That might be my favorite Canuck moment in the past few years. Just gold!

[UWSaint]

Ironic these are the best two examples of the current regime trying to correct their predecessor’s mistakes.

Cost previous regime a 3rd rounder to acquire JD. Cost current a 2nd rounder to get rid of him.

Cost previous regime a 10th OA pick to select VP. Current acquires a 4th rounder to get rid of him, only to give it back to get EK.

At the end of the day…

We currently have zero players or assets to show for both guys at the total cost of

A 1st, a 2nd, and a 3rd.

It sure would have been nice to have drafted Boldy or Caufield instead of Podz. Hindsight is 20/20 and all, but I was following USA hockey pretty closely at the time and thought both of these guys looked like they had it. (Zegras, too, but not Turcotte as much, strange he was taken before the others....)

But I think the verdict is out on whether or Pod was the wrong player or in the wrong organization -- and the critical time for his development, that was a JR-as-Prez organization. Fact is that Podz in his rookie season showed flashes and then regressed, and yet even at the time of the trade, he was at the very least worth a roster spot. He didn't Tockey, or at least that was Tocchet's judgment. And ultimately, Podz is sold at the bottom -- they could have made the decision he wasn't working out sooner and got more for him; or they could have said he's not the top 6 we wanted but he can have a spot on the team. (But Sprong!)

As for Dickinson, let's look at the the fact that the Blackhawks gave him a raise after the contract he signed with the Canucks was done and then got a first when he was moved out (though to be fair there was more to the move). Point is, there was more to JD that Benning captured in the initial evaluation of his game (worth a 3d? sure) than how he performed during a rocky campaign of two coaches and two GMs. The Canucks again sold low, presumably because JR and PA wanted to add the complements they wanted when they wanted (umm, Mikayev).

Both JD and Schmidt have hinted at Vancouver being dysfunctional -- claims that I think you have to discount in real time because they both played poorly compared to expectations (and Schmidt has never really returned to what he was), but claims that are curious in retrospect because you wonder if they are the exact same problems as would ultimately tank the "Petey-Miller-Hughes-Boeser-Horvat*" era.

[Topper]

Schmidt was a round peg in a square hole of Green's coaching. At the time of his acquisition, it was hoped he's be a Miller type steal of a deal. The Travis diamond was never a fit.

[Meds]

Schmidt was to Green what Ballard was to Vigneault.

[Lancer]

Lemme guess... JDicky16" and Podz?

Sure, Va-silly will probably never live up to his draft position, but I thought it was a mistake to give up on a then 22yo and keeping Hoglander instead.

Tocchet was never going to give the kids a chance. His core was young enough, and there were playoffs to be made, baby!

Tocchet looked like a good fit for a mid-20s core ready to compete, but he was not going to develop any youngsters. If he had come back last year, he'd probably be looking for work now. Maybe he saw which way the wind was blowing with this team and bailed when he had the chance?

[UWSaint]

Tocchet looked like a good fit for a mid-20s core ready to compete, but he was not going to develop any youngsters. If he had come back last year, he'd probably be looking for work now. Maybe he saw which way the wind was blowing with this team and bailed when he had the chance?

This is an interesting question -- maybe derailing this thread (part my fault as I pulled on the thread). I think he bailed because there was dysfunction above and below and he an opportunity to go to the franchise who drafted him and brought him back to finish his career. I think he was okay with giving kids a chance, but they had to play his way, and that's one of his greatest weaknesses as a coach. But his way is a way, and that's what helped the Canucks a fair bit when he came in.

[Meds]

Tocchet wanted players to train hard, and play hard. He wanted them to start on the defensive side of the puck.....this is notoriously difficulty for young players to naturally take to. The defensive side of the game at the NHL level requires focus and commitment. It's not something that gets hammered on at the junior levels the same way, and it also requires more physical strength and endurance. Strength to defend against bigger, stronger, attacking forwards, and endurance to transition to effective offense.

How many teams have gone anywhere in the post-season with an offense first mentality? Look at a coach like Gabby, a really good NHL coach, fair chance he makes the HoF. But he never won in the playoffs, and his teams struggled when matching up against balanced teams that could handle defense and then take the puck the other way against his team that often didn't have much of a gameplan in their own end.

When the Canucks bought into Tocchet's game, they had 50 wins and took Edmonton to 7 in the 2nd round.....and they did it minus their Vezina-nominee goaltender, missing their 40G winger for the final game, and an all but absent 2C who had produced almost 200 points over the last two seasons and suddenly vanished on them. If you took Draisaitl and Hymen out of the lineup for Edmonton in that final game, it's probably not even close. That was because of Tocchey-Hockey.

I don't think he stifled offense or creation, I think that some of the players didn't like the level of commitment and work that is required to be able to have the strength and endurance to be creative after being responsible defensively.

That being said, when it comes to you athletes, defense is often developed later in their careers after they realize that hey can't win without it.....and maybe Rick didn't know how to get them to see that at this point. Often it takes more than one playoff disappointment to realize it.

[Nuckertuzzi]

maybe derailing this thread (part my fault as I pulled on the thread).

No derail because two former Canucks having massive games instrumental to an Oil playoff win last night is topical and worth discussing while no games are going on.

Good post btw, the longer one from above. Was so focussed on losing these players and assets I forgot about how they compounded it with other mistakes in Sprong and Mikheyev. And compounding it further by showing the same patience, or lack there of, in handling the other Russian in giving up yet another draft pick to get off of him. Wasn't it a 2nd? So throw that into the pile.

I don't want to make too big a deal out of Dickinson. He scored a couple of bigs goals last night but we probably won't see another one again. As a player, meh, no big loss. The indictment is in the handling of the asset. A 2nd rounder to just to get rid of player another team was able to score a 1st from a few years later pretty much sums it up (albeit that was more for Dach). Now watch Chicago do something similar with Mikheyev next year.

Pods though, forget the fact the previous regime made a mistake in selecting the wrong player, it's how they handled the asset since. Giving up on a top 10 pick at such a young age, especially for someone who profiles as a power forward who historically take longer to develop, is/was dangerous and we're seeing the results. Tocchet or not, this was too valuable an asset for management not to handle better. He looks like a player, and he's only 24! Exactly what they're looking for now isn't it? Hilarious.

[Nuckertuzzi]

Both JD and Schmidt have hinted at Vancouver being dysfunctional -- claims that I think you have to discount in real time because they both played poorly compared to expectations (and Schmidt has never really returned to what he was), but claims that are curious in retrospect because you wonder if they are the exact same problems as would ultimately tank the "Petey-Miller-Hughes-Boeser-Horvat*" era.

So they were yelled at at practiced by the mean girls and couldn't hack it?

They were in around the same time as Brad Richardson's second go-around, who is the only person that openly said anything about the bullying. While these two may not've been the targets of it (but who knows, maybe), the fallout from their departures definitely speaks to what went on.

[5thhorseman]

An entire page of Canucks talk on the playoffs thread! Sheesh!

Back on topic, this Buffalo -Boston series is the one to watch! So much emotion!

And Buffalo is the team to cheer for. Did you know that Buffalo play our national anthem at every home game?

[Lancer]

Yeah, I didn't mean to potentially derail the thread. Only wanted to point out that, in Podkolzin's case, he was a casualty of Tocchet's prioritizing vets and wins over developing young players like him and Hoglander. I will also throw management under the bus for this reason: they, too, prioritized vets and wins by bringing in the likes of Sprong and other retreads who weren't going to make young player mistakes. They put themselves into their pickle where they felt they had to trade him.

...but back to the playoffs...

Ottawa-Carolina is a pretty spirited affair. All Ottawa had to do was score that one goal and the ice stopped tilting. This could be a good one to follow.

[Nuckertuzzi]

An entire page of Canucks talk on the playoffs thread! Sheesh!

Games weren't going on. Now that they're on, yeah, back to it!

Buff is can't miss. Amazing what atmosphere does for a game. They're very suspect defensively tho, gave up a handful of breakaways already.

There are a ton of Canadians in Buff, so no surprise about the anthem, and certainly helps make them a home team for us.