sounds awesome Fosco. Stop posting on HB for a night, we're not even in playoffs yet.
- AlexF

I skipped last night (I think) **checks to make sure there are no drunk posts after the black out**

Hater
- Whiskey-Tango

If I'm wrong I'd be the first to toast you a whiskey with a smile. FWIW I do think we can win that series.

The Western playoffs as I see them:

CHI/MIN - CHI
ANA/DET - DET
VAN/SJ - VAN
STL/LA - STL

CHI/DET - CHI
VAN/STL - STL

CHI/STL - STL
- AlexF

Yeah no, I don't think Detroit is good enough to pull off an upset against Anaheim. I also think we get lucky and just barely squeak by Anaheim. Chicago will kill us though.

Chicago - Minnesota
- Chicago in 5
Anaheim - Detroit
- Anaheim in 6
Vancouver - San Jose
- Vancouver in 7
St. Louis - Los Angeles
- Los Angeles in 7

Chicago - Los Angeles
- Chicago in 6
Anaheim - Vancouver
- Vancouver in 7

Chicago - Vancouver
- Chicago in 5

Yeah no, I don't think Detroit is good enough to pull off an upset against Anaheim. I also think we get lucky and just barely squeak by Anaheim. Chicago will kill us though.

Chicago - Minnesota
- Chicago in 5
Anaheim - Detroit
- Anaheim in 6
Vancouver - San Jose
- Vancouver in 7
St. Louis - Los Angeles
- Los Angeles in 7

Chicago - Los Angeles
- Chicago in 6
Anaheim - Vancouver
- Vancouver in 7

Chicago - Vancouver
- Chicago in 5
- DariusKnight

All to play for my friend. All to play for.

Just my 2 cents..... maybe this is old news.... but Brian Burke is suing anonymous internet people.....

Announced the same day as the Leafs make the playoffs....

He is a media genius.

***************************

By the way... who wants to bet this goes to court before Bertuzzi/Moore?

At least your team went out in style. That's got to feel good.
- micah555

Out is the key word.

It was really an empty threat—I would've broken down and agreed to miss the game in the end, and she would have caved and watched it with me.

Compromise at its best
- Fosco

Comprise is always good unless their cookies involved in that case (frank) that they are mine.

Yeah no, I don't think Detroit is good enough to pull off an upset against Anaheim. I also think we get lucky and just barely squeak by Anaheim. Chicago will kill us though.

Chicago - Minnesota
- Chicago in 5
Anaheim - Detroit
- Detroit in 6
Vancouver - San Jose
- Vancouver in 7
St. Louis - Los Angeles
- Los Angeles in 7

Chicago - Detroit
- Chicago in 6
kings- Vancouver
- Vancouver in 7

Chicago - Vancouver
- Vancouver in 5
- DariusKnight

Canucks IMO beat everybody in the west save STL. And god do I hope we play the hawks.

Westbrook.


I'm a homer so I'll still OKC over MIA in 7.


And VAN over Bos in 7.


REDEMPTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Nucker101

OKC
There are only 2 teams in basketball that even have a slight chance against Miami. Memphis and The Spurs. OKC is far to weak defensively

Sooooooooooo I'm good with us facing the Sharks in the first round, I think we match up well against them.

Sooooooooooo I'm good with us facing the Sharks in the first round, I think we match up well against them.
- LeftCoaster

Yeah, but Sharks PP scares me, got to stay out of the box, and got to get healthy.

Gaunce with two goals—game tying and the game winner—to help his team force game 7.

22 points in 16 playoff games, and is also the Bulls' main defensive forward

Gaunce with two goals—game tying and the game winner—to help his team force game 7.

22 points in 16 playoff games, and is also the Bulls' main defensive forward
- Fosco

Looks to be an excellent pick by Gillis...finally!

Looks to be an excellent pick by Gillis...finally!
- LeftCoaster

So you don't think Hodgson, Schroeder, Jensen, Corrado, Andersson, Price, Blomstrand, Tommernes, McNally, Polasek, or Cannata were good picks? Especially since the latter eight were all picked past the 3rd round and look to all have NHL potential....?

Just to be clear, I'm a huge fan of Gillis's drafting, and will defend it tooth and nail

So you don't think Hodgson, Schroeder, Jensen, Corrado, Andersson, Price, Blomstrand, Tommernes, McNally, Polasek, or Cannata were good picks? Especially since the latter eight were all picked past the 3rd round and look to all have NHL potential....?

Just to be clear, I'm a huge fan of Gillis's drafting, and will defend it tooth and nail
- Fosco

Other than Hodgson, who's terrible on the defensive side, none of them have proven anything at the NHL level. So five years into his tenure, no I'm not a huge fan of his drafting record. The NHL is a results driven business, for players and management alike, to date he has yet to provide any tangible results...for me.

Other than Hodgson, who's terrible on the defensive side, none of them have proven anything at the NHL level. So five years into his tenure, no I'm not a huge fan of his drafting record. The NHL is a results driven business, for players and management alike, to date he has yet to provide any tangible results...for me.
- LeftCoaster

Prospects take time to develop, and the Canucks have had a roster that is notoriously difficult to break into for several reasons.

Also, other than Hodgson the Canucks have had no picks higher than 22nd overall. If you look at the success rate for late-1st round picks, it's not very good. If you're expecting young players (late draft picks at that) to come in and make an impact on a highly competitive team, you're expecting far too much.

Despite his demotion, Schroeder proved this year he will likely stick in the NHL in some capacity; Jensen has proven he can excel against pro players (albeit in Sweden), and just turned 20....and was the 29th overall pick—other than Gaunce and Hodgson, those are Gillis's only 1st round picks...and both were BPA at the time.

Gillis's late round picks are more impressive. Tommernes was a 7th rounder, and has been playing top-pairing D in the SEL since his first pro season; Blomstrand was a 4th rounder and was second in goals/game to only Patrick Berglund in the Elitserien. Both are just transitioning to NA hockey (Tommernes will next season), so both will likely get callup duty within the next year.

Price was his college team's captain, and one of their most important players this season, and also looked very good on the Wolves before returning for exams; Cannata was a Hobey Baker nominee his last year at college, and looked very good in the AHL; McNally was a runner up for rookie of the year in his college division, before missing this year, and his team took a nose-dive after he left.

Most of these guys are after the 4th round. If even 2-3 forge out NHL careers, that's impressive.

The Canucks have never had this many drafted players playing in the AHL/ECHL, or waiting for spots to open up (because of Arniel). When Gillis took over, the only guys on the affiliate that were drafted were Shirokov, Grabner and a few plugs.

Sounds like you're expecting results similar to who have had far more and far higher 1st round picks, and also had much weaker rosters for prospects to break into.

edit: And Hodgson is terrible on the defensive side....really? So that makes him a poor pick. Give me a break....

And Gaunce is an "excellent pick" yet he's arguably accomplished less "results" than anyone who I listed...how does that work?

blog up

Prospects take time to develop, and the Canucks have had a roster that is notoriously difficult to break into for several reasons.

Also, other than Hodgson the Canucks have had no picks higher than 22nd overall. If you look at the success rate for late-1st round picks, it's not very good. If you're expecting young players (late draft picks at that) to come in and make an impact on a highly competitive team, you're expecting far too much.

Despite his demotion, Schroeder proved this year he will likely stick in the NHL in some capacity; Jensen has proven he can excel against pro players (albeit in Sweden), and just turned 20....and was the 29th overall pick—other than Gaunce and Hodgson, those are Gillis's only 1st round picks...and both were BPA at the time.

Gillis's late round picks are more impressive. Tommernes was a 7th rounder, and has been playing top-pairing D in the SEL since his first pro season; Blomstrand was a 4th rounder and was second in goals/game to only Patrick Berglund in the Elitserien. Both are just transitioning to NA hockey (Tommernes will next season), so both will likely get callup duty within the next year.

Price was his college team's captain, and one of their most important players this season, and also looked very good on the Wolves before returning for exams; Cannata was a Hobey Baker nominee his last year at college, and looked very good in the AHL; McNally was a runner up for rookie of the year in his college division, before missing this year, and his team took a nose-dive after he left.

Most of these guys are after the 4th round. If even 2-3 forge out NHL careers, that's impressive.

The Canucks have never had this many drafted players playing in the AHL/ECHL, or waiting for spots to open up (because of Arniel). When Gillis took over, the only guys on the affiliate that were drafted were Shirokov, Grabner and a few plugs.

Sounds like you're expecting results similar to who have had far more and far higher 1st round picks, and also had much weaker rosters for prospects to break into.
- Fosco

I understand things/later round picks take time to develop, but again, there's nothing more than potential there. All drafted players have potential! After five years I'd expect more than two players to be pushing for NHL jobs, regardless of whether we have a good team or not. More like three years, 2008, 2009 & 2010.

I'll give Gillis a couple more years, that would take him to seven years with the team, of drafting and developing before I'm ready to say he's failed or succeeded at his drafting. Until then, like you, I'll keep watching and hoping for some success in that department.

For the record, I don't think Hodgson was a bad pick. He's a great young player who needs to work on his game without the puck to be a more effective NHL'er. On this flip side, Gillis could have chosen any one of these players who were all taken in the following 21 picks;

Tyler Myers
Erik Karlsson
Jake Gardiner
Luca Sbisa
Michael Del Zotto
Jordan Eberle
John Carlson
Jacob Markstrom