I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team come

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Farhan Lalji

I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team come

Post by Farhan Lalji »

I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team come

Playoff time. Period. I think what we're seeing with the twins now is what we'll see in the playoffs (i.e. close to being PPG, but won't dominate in the manner that we would all like). I honestly think this team needs to see a re-unification of Burrows and Kesler.......as the team's top line.

Raymond-Kesler-Burrows
Sedin-Sedin-Demitra (or Samuelson)

Furthermore - I truly believe that it will be Burrows' chemistry with Kesler (i.e. mucking around, getting in the faces of top players on opposing teams, scoring goals on turnovers, etc.) that will help the Canucks far more than Burrows chemistry with the twins. What am I basing this on? Poo. I am basing this on poo...or at the very least, a gut feeling. Kesler will be the best Canuck player in this year's playoffs. If Burrows plays alongside Kesler, I believe Burrows will be our 2nd best player.

If Luongo plays like he did against Dallas in 07', this team will make the 3rd round....or dare I say, go further. If Luongo plays like he has all year however (i.e. brilliant at times, shaky at others), I predict this team will lose in the 2nd round.
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the toucan kid
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Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by the toucan kid »

Farhan... finish your thought in thread titles.

Anyway I don't really see any reason to mix with one of our strengths, that being our two good scoring lines. Luongo doesn't look anywhere near he did in that first playoff run and while he's not been bad or even mediocre, I would consider this a relatively disappointing performance from him this year. He'll be good enough to get us where we need to go if everyone else does the work to get them there, but he doesn't seem ready to go it alone so to speak.

Frankly, if our best players aren't our best players in the playoffs - Luongo and the Twins - we probably won't get out of the first round. I don't like our D (won't help Lou none) and while I have no doubt Kes and Bur will bring the goods, they need to be matched or bettered by the guys who are paid to be their betters.
Farhan Lalji

Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by Farhan Lalji »

the toucan kid wrote:Farhan... finish your thought in thread titles.

Anyway I don't really see any reason to mix with one of our strengths, that being our two good scoring lines. Luongo doesn't look anywhere near he did in that first playoff run and while he's not been bad or even mediocre, I would consider this a relatively disappointing performance from him this year. He'll be good enough to get us where we need to go if everyone else does the work to get them there, but he doesn't seem ready to go it alone so to speak.

Frankly, if our best players aren't our best players in the playoffs - Luongo and the Twins - we probably won't get out of the first round. I don't like our D (won't help Lou none) and while I have no doubt Kes and Bur will bring the goods, they need to be matched or bettered by the guys who are paid to be their betters.
Good post Toucan. Unfortunately - I didn't enough have enough space in the subject heading to finish my thread title. :lol:

I also agree that it's not really a good idea to tinker with our strengths (i.e. two good scoring lines). I guess my main concern is this: The Canucks still don't have that 'line' that can really shut down a team AND be a threat offensively. I was thinking that with a Raymond-Kesler-Burrows line, they could still bring that element come playoff time. Given the discrepancy in talent between our top 6 and bottom 6, we can't leave that duty up to our 3rd line. If the Canucks did have one line that would have to play the role of "shut down" line (AND have the ability to convert on turnovers), my guess is that it would have to involve a combination of Burrows and Kesler.

Maybe I'm wrong in my line of thinking, but I think that in the playoffs....and unlike the regular season, teams WILL need that one line can effectively shut down the opposition. Burrows has been great with the twins all season long, but there's probably many guys that can play well with the twins (i.e. Demitra, Samuelson, etc.).

I'm not sure what to think.

I think a part of our reason for our result against Chicago last year, was due to the fact that we didn't have that one effective shut down line. IF the Canucks make it out of the 1st round this year and end up playing a team like Chicago, San Jose, or Detroit, wouldn't it be best to have that one line that could completely shut someone down?
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Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by Sid Dithers »

Sure those are the two guys who will lead....because they are gamers. They're the last two guys I worry about on this club.
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the toucan kid
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Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by the toucan kid »

Maybe I'm wrong in my line of thinking, but I think that in the playoffs....and unlike the regular season, teams WILL need that one line can effectively shut down the opposition. Burrows has been great with the twins all season long, but there's probably many guys that can play well with the twins (i.e. Demitra, Samuelson, etc.).
You're not wrong, but you're preceding on a flawed premise I think. Yes this team will absolutely need a shutdown line in the playoffs- but it will need, just as much, two good scoring lines. It's a shame, the first couple years under AV we had MAYBE one good scoring line and a great shutdown line, but shit on line two. Now, since Sundin was brought in and with player development this year, we have those two good scoring lines but not the shutdown line. The flaw in your plan, I think, is that you think we can address this by tinkering what we have into something that isn't there. The permutation just isn't there whereby we have two real scoring lines and a shutdown line. We need all three, but I don't think it works out that we need a shutdown line MORE than a second line, they're of equal necessity. Granted, in important situations, we can put Kesler and Burrows together when up by a goal in the third etc. but that might not be the optimal solution.
Farhan Lalji

Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by Farhan Lalji »

Sid Dithers wrote:Sure those are the two guys who will lead....because they are gamers. They're the last two guys I worry about on this club.
Some guys just have that "it" factor, and Kesler is definitely one of those guys. When U.S. beat Canada for instance, the diving goal scored by Kesler was all heart (the one where he absolutely schooled Perry). Even in the Gold Medal game, Kesler was one of the best players for the U.S.....maybe even the best. Is it just coincidence that Zack Parise scored the goal for the U.S. in the last minute? Is it just coincidence that Sidney Crosby of all people was the one that scored the goal for us in OT?

Anyway - after watching today's game against Nashville (another comeback victory! :wow: ), I'm interested to see the following line combo's:

Demitra-Kesler-Burrows
Sedin-Sedin-Samuelson
Raymond-Rypien-Grabner
Hansen-Wellwood-Bernier

Ok - That 3rd line is going to raise some eyebrows, but here's my thought on that. That line would be speedy as fuck, and due to the sheer speed and energy of that line, could be a line that could produce some decent auxiliary scoring. (on that note, I'm still not sure why Vigneault hasn't called up Grabner......would he have to clear waivers or something?)

Aside from all of this, I think Vigneault has to decide who is going to be the "odd man out" in terms of who DOESN'T play on the top 6 (i.e. Samuelson, Raymond, or Demitra).
Farhan Lalji

Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by Farhan Lalji »

the toucan kid wrote:
Maybe I'm wrong in my line of thinking, but I think that in the playoffs....and unlike the regular season, teams WILL need that one line can effectively shut down the opposition. Burrows has been great with the twins all season long, but there's probably many guys that can play well with the twins (i.e. Demitra, Samuelson, etc.).
You're not wrong, but you're preceding on a flawed premise I think. Yes this team will absolutely need a shutdown line in the playoffs- but it will need, just as much, two good scoring lines.
How about this?

Hansen-Kesler-Burrows (Shut down line that can score goals)
Sedin-Sedin-Demitra (scoring line #1)
Raymond-Wellwood-Samuelson (scoring line #2)

Or

Hansen-Kesler-Burrows
Sedin-Sedin-???
Raymond-Demitra-Samuelson

The question however, is who plays with the twins? The twins are damn good hockey players, but would they have the ability to carry someone like Bernier or Wellwood? Rypien has the grit, but does he have enough hockey sense and/or hands?
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the toucan kid
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Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by the toucan kid »

Nah I think we've suffered through the whole "two quasi scoring lines" thing in the past. Kesler, Burrows and Hansen are probably better players than when they were last together but I just don't expect them to be able to produce and check in the way we would want them to. Bernier and Wellwood just can't handle the job with the Twins I'm afraid.

I run line combos (in my head... :lol: ) during games some times like you, but I just don't see away that taking Burrows away from the twins doesn't damper our offensive production both on the top line and then the subsequent second line.
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Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by Sid Dithers »

Farhan Lalji wrote:
Sid Dithers wrote:Sure those are the two guys who will lead....because they are gamers. They're the last two guys I worry about on this club.
Some guys just have that "it" factor, and Kesler is definitely one of those guys.
I agree...and that's why I think Kesler and his agent have Gillis over a barrel this summer. MG can try and bargain him down closer to $4M/year, but if Kes doesn't budge, MG has to pay up. Simple as that. If MG gladly offered Demitra a multi-year deal for $4M/year, how can anyone not justify Kesler getting the $5M/year he's expected to be asking for? It's tough to find guys who can do it all over the ice like Kesler can, not to mention the fact he sets the tone for work ethic on the club. Yeah, Kesler is the guy who I never worry about out there.
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Farhan Lalji

Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by Farhan Lalji »

Sid Dithers wrote:
Farhan Lalji wrote:
Sid Dithers wrote:Sure those are the two guys who will lead....because they are gamers. They're the last two guys I worry about on this club.
Some guys just have that "it" factor, and Kesler is definitely one of those guys.
I agree...and that's why I think Kesler and his agent have Gillis over a barrel this summer. MG can try and bargain him down closer to $4M/year, but if Kes doesn't budge, MG has to pay up. Simple as that. If MG gladly offered Demitra a multi-year deal for $4M/year, how can anyone not justify Kesler getting the $5M/year he's expected to be asking for? It's tough to find guys who can do it all over the ice like Kesler can, not to mention the fact he sets the tone for work ethic on the club. Yeah, Kesler is the guy who I never worry about out there.
For sure man. I'd be willing to pay 5.5 for Kesler to be perfectly honest (although hopefully, he accepts a hometown discount at 5). Gillis should let Demitra walk in my opinion. With the Canucks already set with their top 6, combined with the fact that Hodgson should make the team next year, I think the Canucks can afford to let Demitra loose.
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Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by nucklehead_88 »

i say, now follow me closley on this one, STOP WANTING TO SCREW WITH OUR LINES!!!!!!! third highest scoring team in the league and 17 games to go....leave em alone! you dont screw with chemestry now of all times.
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Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by Jelly »

Farhan, pass me whatever you are smoking, please.

The only team I would possibly want to reunite Kesler and Burrows for, is Washington, and if we get that far, then so be it.
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Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by Todd Bersnoozi »

I somewhat agree with u. I remember 2 years ago when we missed the playoffs, it was Kes, Burr and Trevor stepping up their play down the stretch, while the Sedins went stone cold. I wouldn't mind seeing Kes and Burr re-united to play that shut-down role against the other team's top lines. They would still be our 2nd line that plays alot of minutes, but play a checking/2-way role as well.
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Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by Joe Rockhead »

Let me get this straight, H.Sedin is one of the league leaders in points and you want to mess with his linemates?

Right.

By the way" home town discount"???? You know Kesler is an american who hates Canada don't you? With his attitude I'll bet you 100 bucks right now that he plays out his contract and signs with an american based team.
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Re: I'm calling it - Burrows and Kesler will lead this team

Post by trouble »

Joe Rockhead wrote:Let me get this straight, H.Sedin is one of the league leaders in points and you want to mess with his linemates?

Right.

By the way" home town discount"???? You know Kesler is an american who hates Canada don't you? With his attitude I'll bet you 100 bucks right now that he plays out his contract and signs with an american based team.

Only one problem.. He is a RFA... Canucks can match any offer or take all the draft picks.

Kesler loves Vancouver and his Teammates.. I don't see him going anywhere
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