Travis Green hates the kids. Period.
If you wondered why the Vancouver Canucks haven't developed a single kid for the NHL roster from Utica in many a moon - it was put to bed by recent moves from the Canucks management, presumably at the behest of their new/old head coach, Travis Green. He's already gone after the talent on the team - Jake Virtanen and Olli Juolevi.
Someone in management needs to quickly have a conversation with Green and tell him the kids are important - he is not. His playing days are over and he milked expansion years for 1,000 games in the NHL. Good for him. Lots of guys did. But Virtanen and Juolevi are not him. They are what's called talent and they get treated differently.
And if he doesn't get that - then coaching in the NHL is not for him.
At the end of the 2016/17 season the Canucks management said they're going to play the kids.
And then they hired Green and things changed.
They signed old guy after old guy for the blue line and the forward squad to make sure not a single kid started the season in Vancouver and probably will never ever see the light of day this season.
And I'll take it a step futher -- the kids will never see the light of day until Green is fired.
And by that I mean these kids have options. They can ask for trades. They can hold out. They can make it clear to everyone Green is not the right guy.
And it makes you wonder about Bo Horvat not signing. And it makes you wonder about the future of other prospects even signing with the Canucks such as Adam Gaudette.
IF Green turns Vancouver into a circus, and Brock Boeser is parked in Utica - Do you really think Adam Gaudette is going to want any part of this in Vancouver?
Remember, Boeser was asked by Vancouver to come and play for the Canucks. And if they send him to Utica there's going to be ramifications.
Even in Utica Green barely played the kids. He doesn't develop kids - point to a single one please.
And if they guy they hired for Utica is in Green's mold ... well now you've got massive problems.
The irony is Vancouver's best two players were produced entirely at the NHL level.
So the blueprint of how you develop kids is sitting there, on the bench, every single night, wearing a C and an A.
The Sedins were spoon fed oodles of ice time and power play time for six years until they could swim by themselves on an NHL ice surface.
But now?
Pffft.
Forget it kids.
We're not going down that road.
What should happen is that Jake Virtanen should be given the top line winger position. And so should Brock Boeser. Olli Juolevi should be granted Number 1 D man status and 28 minutes per night.
The concept of developing kids in the AHL hasn't been proven correct in perhaps 35 years. Nobody benefits from going to the AHL. Nobody. There isn't a single case of someone going to the minors and getting demonstrably better and coming to the NHL.
The reality is if those exact players you're going to suggest played the same minutes at the NHL they would have developed EVEN FURTHER than if they had been dumped in the AHL.
But it takes courage to do it.
And it takes pockets because you're going to lose.
Now, I know, people say, what about Edmonton?
Okay, what about Pittsburgh?
If you're not completely screwed up drafting organization and you play the kids you'll be just fine.
The Sedins are sitting on the bench proving it.
Like, folks, they're right there.
AHL?
Pffft.
But if you think Green is going to take the losses and play Virtanen 22 minutes per night then think again. If you think Green is going to park the Sedins in the press box along with Erikkson, Vanek, and Gagner - think again.
No man.
This is Green's shot.
And he's taking it - not the kids.
It's about Green and the management's jobs.
And let's face it - the jobs of Linden and Benning are on the line.
IF Linden and Benning had been given 5 year extensions - you'd see a different coach and the kids being called up and no old fart signings.
But that isn't the style of this ownership group.
They don't like losing in the short term.
And it's a shame. Because John McCaw and his deep pockets are gone and not coming back.
And I apologize for being so critical of Green, management and ownership.
They're good people, 100% sure of that. They are all really good people.
But they don't want to lose. And they have to lose. And it takes big picture thinking and it might be more money than the current ownership can afford.
And at least the Aquilini's bought the team. There's nothing stating in the Charter of Rights that Vancouver is entitled to an NHL team.
The Aquilini's pay out in US dollars and take in Canadian dollars at 75% value.
And the fans won't show up for bad teams.
So it would take a monumental leap of cash for the Aquilini's to pay out over 5 years to build a Stanley Cup winner.
I don't think they can do it, and I don't blame them. That amount of money lost would be staggering for small towns.
So I don't blame ownership or management one bit for going down the old fart route.
But the Canucks are so far off on the wrong track they can't even find the railway station.
No comments:
Post a Comment