Past Canuck Players

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Hockey Widow
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Hockey Widow »

Until he was 18-19 he could coast on his talent and size. But once he turned pro he has never figured out he actually has to work on it. Lazar is a perfect comparison. A sniper in Junior who had to adapt his game to stay in the NHL. Hell there are countless examples of players who had to adapt or get a day job. Virtanen does not have the work ethic.
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Madcombinepilot »

Hockey Widow wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:57 pm Until he was 18-19 he could coast on his talent and size. But once he turned pro he has never figured out he actually has to work on it. Lazar is a perfect comparison. A sniper in Junior who had to adapt his game to stay in the NHL. Hell there are countless examples of players who had to adapt or get a day job. Virtanen does not have the work ethic.
I agree with Wids here.

Virtanen has always had that entitlement from his size and talent. He never learned to put the work in. I wonder if the argument could be made he didn’t spend enough time in the AHL learning how to be a pro?

This could be a lesson on why you need a good junior development program with the right people and personalities down there to mentor the kids.
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Curmudgeon
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Curmudgeon »

Todd Bersnoozi wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:54 pm
Curmudgeon wrote: Tue Sep 27, 2022 4:55 pm Comments on Virtanen earlier today,.. Button doesn't sound impressed.
Sometimes I wonder if Jake really wants it to be in the NHL. The Oil are giving him a chance, getting the opportunity to play with all that talent and this is prob his last kick in the can, but he's not really stepping up to the plate to make an impression. Not sure if he has the drive and work ethic to return to the show anymore.

Nothing wrong with being a career AHLer, maybe play overseas again someday. Maybe hockey is not his thing and he should just do construction or something.
You bet and like HW mentioned, a lot of players that are scorers in junior, and Lazar is a great example, need to adapt their game or reinvent themselves to carve out and maintain an NHL career.

In Virtanen's case, he's not an intelligent player or person, just going by what's been reported, and apparently couldn't figure it out even if he did have a work ethic.
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Hockey Widow
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Hockey Widow »

The frustrating things are that these were all the reports coming out of the Hitman when he played there, and of course Calgary fans who watched him play. Second, we gifted him a spot and when Green did have him in Utica he wasn't always complimentary of him. It seemed each trading camp was the make or break year for him. At one point he had decent trade value but we held on too long. Whether it was that we really saw something or stubbornness because we did not want to admit a draft mistake who knows.
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by SKYO »

Yup shoulda moved Virtanen when he started to put it together in 2019-20, recording 18 goals and 36 points in 69 games. But he loves to party arty, coming into camp every year not in shape.

I remember we almost moved him for Markus Nutivaara, however Florida had Ekblad injured so they kept him, but Nuti been injured now for like a year and half.

JB had tried to shop JV, but I suppose he didn't like any/if any offers.
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by SKYO »

Jake running out of time on PTO, looks like he was just put in so the regulars can get some rest in the preseason.
The forward hasn’t looked dangerous in any of the three games he’s played thus far and with cuts coming soon and the Oilers starting to dress more veterans who need warming up before the regular season begins, Virtanen is likely to be among those sent elsewhere.

Virtanen Was a Long-Shot Anyways

Some fans looked at Virtanen coming in and the rumors of a pending trade and said this was a player the Oilers might be seriously looking at. I don’t believe that to be true. Instead, Edmonton needed fresh bodies and extras who could slot into a whack of preseason games in order to rest their stars. Five games in eight days were far too many and Virtanen was more likely a roster filler than a real threat to crack the lineup.

https://thehockeywriters.com/jake-virta ... rs-roster/
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Curmudgeon »

Not surprised. And like you mentioned yesterday, the Canucks should have moved him after the 18 goal season when he had some value, though his going clubbing on the eve of the bubble and then doing nothing in the playoffs probably negated whatever value he had.

Even just not re-signing him would have helped them retain Tanev or Toffoli. Tanev would look awfully good next to Hughes on this team, wouldn't he?
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Ronning's Ghost »

SKYO wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 12:32 pm Yup shoulda moved Virtanen when he started to put it together in 2019-20, recording 18 goals and 36 points in 69 games.
If Wids is right, and she usually is, should have seen the red flags and drafted someone else.
Hockey Widow wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:57 am The frustrating things are that these were all the reports coming out of the Hitman when he played there...Whether it was that we really saw something or stubbornness because we did not want to admit a draft mistake who knows.
I will admit it would have taken some stones for the brand new, rookie GM to not draft the big, fast-skating local kid, but that's why they get the big bucks. There were certainly better players still on the board.
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Todd Bersnoozi
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Todd Bersnoozi »

SKYO wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 12:32 pm Yup shoulda moved Virtanen when he started to put it together in 2019-20, recording 18 goals and 36 points in 69 games.
Yeah, hindsight is 20/20 though. I liked Virts, he was taking baby steps and getting better every year leading up to that 18G season; he would have broken the 20G mark easy if not for Covid shutdown. I thought he was one of our better forwards that year and deserved more opportunity to play up in the lineup.

For whatever reason, once we got into the bubble playoffs, he took a HUGE step backwards and never looked the same since. :(
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Megaterio Llamas
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Megaterio Llamas »

Why isn't anyone taking Kole Lind?

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2022/10 ... -2-22.html


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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Curmudgeon »

Megaterio Llamas wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 2:53 pm Why isn't anyone taking Kole Lind?

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2022/10 ... -2-22.html


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Ouch. Hague was the next pick in the draft and another D I was watching for, Dylan Samberg, went 10 picks later to the Jets.
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Megaterio Llamas
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Megaterio Llamas »

Curmudgeon wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 4:53 pm
Megaterio Llamas wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 2:53 pm Why isn't anyone taking Kole Lind?

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2022/10 ... -2-22.html


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Ouch. Hague was the next pick in the draft and another D I was watching for, Dylan Samberg, went 10 picks later to the Jets.
I wish we had the space to make a play for Hague.
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Blob Mckenzie »

I wish I could do the Lindy Hop with a black hoochie.
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by Cousin Strawberry »

Blob Mckenzie wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 5:27 pm I wish I could do the Lindy Hop with a black hoochie.
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Re: Past Canuck Players

Post by SKYO »

Curmudgeon wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 4:53 pm
Megaterio Llamas wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 2:53 pm Why isn't anyone taking Kole Lind?
Ouch. Hague was the next pick in the draft and another D I was watching for, Dylan Samberg, went 10 picks later to the Jets.
One of my main gripes with the JB/Brackett era, there lack of drafting dmen...maybe they had PTSD after taking Juolevi, still they should have taken more dmen, as a lot of them take awhile to develop, like goalies.
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