On Tanev
Lost in the Hodgson hysteria was what the Canucks did not do at the deadline. They did not go out and find a veteran defenseman to replace Keith Ballard. Instead they picked up an inexperienced player who probably won’t play until someone gets hurt.
This is a very clear vote of confidence in Chris Tanev. If one of the top four go down, it is Tanev who will have to step up. Is that an unsettling thought, asking a rookie to take on that responsibility into the playoffs? It should be, but it is not.
Tanev produces almost no offense and he hardly ever hits anyone. (He took his first penalty in his 41st game. For tripping.) But he is mobile, he has an excellent stick and he is an excellent passer. He stays in position and pokes the puck away from attackers. Under pressure he will slip a ten foot pass through the crease to an open Aaron Rome. Or he will snap a 60 footer to a streaking Mason Raymond. Or he will take the hit to knock it off the glass.
Most importantly, he has no discernable pulse. He never gets rattled and he doesn’t make mistakes. When Tanev gets the puck, the puck gets out. He is so cool Kevin Bieksa once said he could play with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Tanev watchers wonder whether he will show some excitement when he finally scores his first goal. Perhaps the trace of a smile? The eyes will widen a little?
The Canucks expect Chris to add offense to his game. One would think that they would be satisfied conjuring this gem out of nothing, but Alain Vigneault et al always want more and they think he should score. He does not have any kind of shot but I don’t see why he can’t start making some great plays in the offensive end.
If he does, he’s going to be a very good player instead of just a good one. Cory Schneider is the young Canuck who is most likely to become a star, but Chris Tanev isn’t far behind. He’s a find like Alex Burrows was a find. The current edition of the Canucks is a terrific hockey team, but I’m starting to like the future one too.
A window to win? What window?
Postscript: I’d sure like to know more about the Keith Ballard injury. It must be pretty bad if the Canucks know he is done for the season. So why is there hope he might be back for the playoffs?
Tanev also shoots right, which is what the Canucks need more than anything. Over the past couple of seasons, when one of Salo or Bieksa went out, the number of fire drills in the defensive zone quadrupled easily. I think that is why AV likes Rome so much over Ballard – he can passably play the right side, while Ballard is worse than awful there. Incidentally, I also think it’s why we lost the Cup – we were simply too banged up on our right side D, and with Hamhuis and Rome out, that killed our overall play in the defensive zone.
I think people aren’t concerned about Ballard because they don’t believe he’s hurt that badly. I certainly expect him to be ready to go for before the playoffs, but further expect that he’ll be left on LTIR until they can fit him back in under the cap. If that doesn’t happen until the playoffs, so be it. I’m sure he’s going through a real injury, but the severity has as much to do with his salary as anything else.
I have my suspicions, too, but he’s already missed a lot of games and he has to miss a lot more. Canuck doctors had to convince the NHL he was unable to play and will continue to be unable to play. Why would Ballard happily cooperate so he can’t play?
Just eyeballing it, the Canucks can probably afford to bring him back with 5-10 games to go. They’d have to find him a roster spot. The only way they could do that without exposing someone to waivers is to send Kassian or Tanev back down. I don’t think the Canucks want to do either.
Why do they have to send anyone down? There is no roster limit after the trade deadline. No one’s going back down from here on out.
Well, duh. (Tom gives himself a smack.) Thanks for the correction.
Cap space?
Chris Tanev is an almost too-good-to-be-true find for the Canucks. He is the equivalent of a top 10, or maybe even top 5, first round draft pick and we got him for nothing. When you consider his development trajectory over the past 4 years, his upside is off the charts, IMO. A true moneyball signing by Mike Gillis.
Is he good enough to step up if one of the top 4 go down? I would go so far as to say that he should be in our top 4 mix right now. Pair him with Edler and move Sami to the third pairing. Tanev would benefit from playing with Edler [even though he would be out against tougher competition] and moving Sami to the third pairing would, through fewer minutes, reduce his wear and tear and injury risk.
Hard to believe that this kid was playing non-competitive [i.e., high school] hockey only 5 years ago.
I just love it when something like this happens. His unique development path has also created a very unique player. Have you ever seen anything like him? What’s he got – 2 assists in 41 games? I’m nearly embarassed to say that I think he could be a star.
A friend in the East asked me why I liked him so much. It’s hard to explain. Usually, I like to say, “He reminds me of a young… [insert star from any era name].” I can’t do that with Tanev because I’ve never really seen anybody like him break into the league. I’m really looking forward to watching his career unfold. The next fifteen years easy.
I think the reason Tanev has not been moved up is because Edler plays the offensive minutes and Salo helps Edler and the Sedins score. I think they are pushing him offensively because they want to be able to play him with Edler, but he has to start using his poise, intelligence and vision in the offensive end. He’s also going to have to become willing to make a mistake – gasp – once in a while.
A friend in the East asked me why I liked him so much. It’s hard to explain. Usually, I like to say, “He reminds me of a young… [insert star from any era name].” I can’t do that with Tanev because I’ve never really seen anybody like him break into the league.
From his heart rate under pressure in the defensive zone, I’d say he reminds me of a young Nick Lidstrom, minus the offense. Hopefully, some of that will come.
I’m not sure why but this weblog is loading incredibly slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a issue on my end?