Ian Esplen: Lil Luck n’ a Lil Lu
Lil Luck n’ a Lil Lu
- IanEsplen

Gotta love Burrows on the shoot out. I thought Iggy was bad.

- Fosco

I agree, blowing it up isn't a realistic option at this point in time, but it would help if the blogger wasn't quite so bipolar, one day they are the most dominant team in the league that no one can beat and the next they are a bunch of heartless lazy bums.

Vancouver will tighten up their defensive game, can Edmonton, Minnesota, Colorado and Calgary say the same? It's still the Canucks division to lose.

Gotta love Burrows on the shoot out. I thought Iggy was bad.
- KABLOOEY

I wonder if that would have counted? Looked to me like he stopped all forward progress. Actually, looked a lot like many of the novice players on my son's team when they get a breakaway, stop at the net, take too much time to decide what to do, and then just slide the puck into the goalies pads.

Zactly!
- 1970vintage

It's a great read!! Talks about how the Leafs have pissed away their 1st round draft picks going back three GM's. Oh, how I laughed and laughed.

Gotta love Burrows on the shoot out. I thought Iggy was bad.
- KABLOOEY

Better than either of the Sedins. How are the Maple Leafs of the west?

I wonder if that would have counted? Looked to me like he stopped all forward progress. Actually, looked a lot like many of the novice players on my son's team when they get a breakaway, stop at the net, take too much time to decide what to do, and then just slide the puck into the goalies pads.
- 1970vintage

I don't think it would have counted either. The refs looked to be all over it too.

Edler shot straight into the pads. Surely Van has a better option?

Kassian practically deked himself out on the way in. Too fancy.

Lu looked good. Gotta like Sedin throwing down Brown (dive!). Garrison needs more touches. Kassian looks like a bull out there. Entertaining game.

Gotta love Burrows on the shoot out. I thought Iggy was bad.
- KABLOOEY

That Burrows attempt last right is right up there with Setoguchi's shootout vs. Price last year.

Just, baaad.

Better than either of the Sedins. How are the Maple Leafs of the west?
- Marwood

Not sure, maybe check out Cloutiers blog.

I wonder if that would have counted? Looked to me like he stopped all forward progress. Actually, looked a lot like many of the novice players on my son's team when they get a breakaway, stop at the net, take too much time to decide what to do, and then just slide the puck into the goalies pads.
- 1970vintage

Yeah it wouldn't have counted. As soon as he stopped and brought the puck backwards it was over.

I don't think it would have counted either. The refs looked to be all over it too.

Edler shot straight into the pads. Surely Van has a better option?

Kassian practically deked himself out on the way in. Too fancy.

Lu looked good. Gotta like Sedin throwing down Brown (dive!). Garrison needs more touches. Kassian looks like a bull out there. Entertaining game.
- As_I_See_It

Kassian had Quick beat, just lost the handle. That ice was rubbish and its only January, puck was bouncing all over the place last night. Agree though, AV has beat that horse too long, time to try some new shooters, I mean really, could the 4th line guys really be any worse than what we saw last night?

I believe the Canucks were around .500 after the first twelve games last year and they two previous years as well, we start slow. This is an example, as I stated on the main blog, of the great goaltending we have stealing us points.
- LeftCoaster

I agree we are around a 500 to slightly better team and where did we end?

We are a good regular season team ,but the playoffs are a different game . The players we have that find another level in the playoffs are Burrows Lapierre Ballard Kesler Hamhuis Bieksa Schnieder (Rome haha) Hansen . Eight of 20 players is not enough. If we are happy with just being a good regular season team then we are fine. If we are expecting to go deep ,then we need changes.

I love how everyone is hitting the panic button. I am waiting for Garrison and Edler to start feeling more comfortable playing with each other (make your puns) and I think that will go a long way to settling down the back end. If Garrison could buy a goal, I think that would help out his confidence as well. People need to remember that at this point we would be finishing training camp, and guys are still getting their legs under them. If one month into the season we are still having issues, then I would look at hitting the panic button. They have shown glimpses, just need to put together a full game. I also think SJ is doing so well because more of their players were playing during the lockout. I also agree with Ek that getting rid of Luo will help get rid of some distractions as well.
- immature_male

Edler so far is looking like last years second half Edler. They should not be paired together .I am hoping that Edler has been selfish and does not like his new partner,because then he has a reason for looking so bad.

Not sure, maybe check out Cloutiers blog.
- KABLOOEY

I stopped reading his infantile hissy fits years ago.

Would you guys relax....We're missing our entire second line. When Kes and Booth are back we'll be deep.
- Boinker

Really? Were they deep after the Boston game with Kes and Booth?

I wonder if that would have counted? Looked to me like he stopped all forward progress. Actually, looked a lot like many of the novice players on my son's team when they get a breakaway, stop at the net, take too much time to decide what to do, and then just slide the puck into the goalies pads.
- 1970vintage

We need to work on that shoot out. We are a joke when it comes to the shootout. So far half our games have come to a shootout and AV looks like he hasn't got a clue how to deal with it. If we had two more wins in this short year we would not be here second guessing.

I said weeks ago and got roasted

LA
St.L
EDM
CHI
MINN
ANA
VAN
PHX

I was very wrong so far about SJ but the rest is shaping up that way. We have the same declining team yet we expect better results. Even last night it was suggested Raymond on the second line.We also have a 5 million dollar backup .

Last year AV had a 4.2 mil player riding the pressbox and this year a 5.3 riding the bench. Maybe next year we can have a 12.2 Mil set of twins riding the pine also. Gillis have made some fukken dumb decisions and the coaching staff should have been gone this year. Gillis dedication to players and staff is STUPID

I don't honestly see Kesler picking this team up on his rehabbed back and carrying it for 60 games, sorry.

I hope Gillis starts to look at this team for another two weeks and makes some serious moves. If not we will be a bubble team drafting 20 th and exited after one round of playoffs.
- VANTEL

I can't see Vancouver not winning the division.

Edmonton's D is going to let them down, Whitney is awful, worse than Phaneuf and that is saying a lot as Dion is in my mind is terrible, selfish, slow and just bad.

Not sure I'm sold on Minnesota just yet, its 5/6/7 games in.

I can Kesler giving them a spark right when he gets back for a few games but I think that will tail off a bit, he has not seen game action in a year or so.

I stopped reading his infantile hissy fits years ago.
- Marwood

I can't see Vancouver not winning the division.

Edmonton's D is going to let them down, Whitney is awful, worse than Phaneuf and that is saying a lot as Dion is in my mind is terrible, selfish, slow and just bad.

Not sure I'm sold on Minnesota just yet, its 5/6/7 games in.

I can Kesler giving them a spark right when he gets back for a few games but I think that will tail off a bit, he has not seen game action in a year or so.
- TML93

People are saying that Vancouver will win the division because on paper we look great. Edmonton did beat us and they also beat the team (LA Kings ) that beat us.

Edmonton did lose to CGY but they always do. Anyone not taking the Oilers serious are nuts. They outscore their problems.

I've seen some knee-jerk reactions in my time....but my oh my.

Blow up a cup contending team because of a .500 start after 6 games coming out of a lockout??

I've seen some knee-jerk reactions in my time....but my oh my.

Blow up a cup contending team because of a .500 start after 6 games coming out of a lockout??
- golfingsince

A good read:

LOS ANGELES – With shaggy hair and a gap-toothed grin, Zack Kassian may look old school but that's not where he went for classes last summer.

Like a lot of university age kids, Kassian figured he would squeeze in a few extra credits because you can never go wrong with an education. So he spent a couple of weeks at the University of the Sedins, then took some grad classes at the Nike U. He was conditioned by his own personal trainer, tutored by skills coach Glenn Carnegie and mentored by Stan Smyl.

It seems it takes an entire National Hockey League organization to raise a prospect. The 22-year-old Kassian is emerging from classes a quicker, leaner, more confident and mature Vancouver Canuck this season.
very good read
“We asked him to do a lot of things and he didn't complain,” Canuck general manager Mike Gillis explained Monday before his team faced the Los Angeles Kings. “He looked forward to the opportunity. It shows a sense of maturity and a determination to get himself ready for the next level. We thought it would be an opportunity for him to grow.”

Like Jack's beanstalk.

Kassian was arguably the Canucks' best forward through five games. Not only is he asserting himself physically, finishing checks and fighting twice on behalf of his team against the opposition's toughest player, but he is demonstrating poise and vision with the puck that did not seem to exist in his NHL game only last season.

He has done so well that Cody Hodgson's West Coast fan club has stopped bleating, however briefly, about the trade 11 months ago that brought Kassian from the Buffalo Sabres.

Even if Hodgson had loved the Canucks, the team wouldn't swap Kassian back for him now despite the key absence of injured second-line centre Ryan Kesler.

Hodgson didn't want to play behind Kesler and Henrik Sedin. Ironically, it's playing – and training – with Henrik and brother Daniel that has most helped Kassian's growth.

The Sedins asked him to train with them in June, and Kassian travelled back to Vancouver from his off-season home in Windsor, Ont., to see how two of the best players in the world do it.

“That came out of our wrap-up dinner last year,” Gillis explained. “I was talking to Henrik and he was telling me about what he thought of Zack's potential. Then Danny joined us. . . and they asked if it would be OK for them to invite Zack to train with them. It was better than OK; it was great. They both see tremendous potential in Zack and they want to do everything they can to help him. It's true leadership, unselfish and generous.”

“Both me and Danny just had a good feeling about him,” Henrik said. “He's been through some tough things in the past. But meeting him last year and seeing him and being around him, we started to like him as a guy and a player. I've never been traded, but talking to a lot of players who have been traded, it's tough. And in Zack's situation, where he gets traded for Cody, there's so much expectations and that's tough for him, too.”

The Sedins' commitment to their craft is famous. Even after their rise to world-class status several years ago, the Swedes still push one another each summer to get even better.

“I know in Sweden there are a lot of young players who work hard to get in the Elite League when they're 18 or 19, then they stop trying to get better and are happy where they are,” Henrik said. “I think that's a problem for a lot of young guys. The thing I'm most impressed with Zack is the way he wants to learn, wants to get better. He asks a lot of questions.”

“You hear things – how hard they work and what not and how dedicated they are away from the ice,” Kassian said. “To witness it first-hand, it was an eye-opener. You realize how hard they work to get that good on the ice. It's great for a young person like me to realize that early in my career.

“I changed my perspective about training. I got a new personal trainer back in my hometown of Windsor. I went to the Nike facility (near Portland) with a bunch of guys and I worked with Glen Carnegie. And when you put all those trainers together, their different strengths, it definitely helps.”

Nike runs a high-performance centre for its elite athletes.

Gillis said the Canucks have a sports science “relationship” with Nike, and were able to send five of their top prospects to Oregon for a summer camp. Kassian said there were NFL players there, as well as soccer players from Manchester United.

Canuck assistant coach Newell Brown, assistant general manager Lorne Henning, conditioning coach Roger Takahashi, Carnegie and Smyl, a senior adviser to Gillis, also visited Nike's campus. The Canuck prospects – Kassian, Chris Tanev, Jordan Schroeder, Kevin Connauton and Darren Archibald – were in Oregon for a week.

“It was an opportunity to look at how philosophies are changing with respect to training techniques and working with high-performance athletes,” Gillis said..

Kassian made a second summer trip to Vancouver to work one-on-one with Carnegie, and has been mentored extensively by Smyl.

Kassian had no idea what he didn't know.

“I did a lot of learning,” he said. “I definitely feel better on the ice but, saying that, we're only a few games into the season and there's still a lot of work to be done. It's a matter of getting better. Sometimes, you get used to something for so long. But change is good, and this was good for me.”
- al3535

Gillis said in between seasons ,Canucks will get bigger and younger. It is no surprise that our two best players have been Kassian and Tanev. I think next year Gaunce Jensen and Lack will be great additions too along with the following year of Corrado.


Players get old . We are a dimishing asset and do need some changes.

I feel 100 times better for next year than this year. That is why I think we should take our lumps , make some moves .

I know Fosco will flip but I would trade Luongo Raymond and Edler for L.Schenn Simmonds (or Couturier) and a prospect . Schenn is a right handed tough Dman that bangs and can score . Simmond can give you second/third line toughness and score .

I've seen some knee-jerk reactions in my time....but my oh my.

Blow up a cup contending team because of a .500 start after 6 games coming out of a lockout??
- golfingsince

That cup contender is a year removed.

Not a blow up required but 1 or two major trades only

Gillis said in between seasons ,Canucks will get bigger and younger. It is no surprise that our two best players have been Kassian and Tanev. I think next year Gaunce Jensen and Lack will be great additions too along with the following year of Corrado.


Players get old . We are a dimishing asset and do need some changes.

I feel 100 times better for next year than this year. That is why I think we should take our lumps , make some moves .

I know Fosco will flip but I would trade Luongo Raymond and Edler for L.Schenn Simmonds (or Couturier) and a prospect . Schenn is a right handed tough Dman that bangs and can score . Simmond can give you second/third line toughness and score .
- VANTEL

I'd do that in a heart beat.

Gotta love Burrows on the shoot out. I thought Iggy was bad.
- KABLOOEY

Burrows has one of the highest shootout percentages for someone with over 20 attempts.....