Operation jettison the kids

From the outside looking in you can already see a rift developing between coach Travis Green and the management.

Management has to be in favour of having Boeser and Virtanen in the lineup playing meaningful minutes.

Green has to be in favour of jettisoning them to Utica as soon as possible.

Green's clock is ticking. The meter's running. This is his shot.

There's absolutely nothing in it for Green to play Virtanen and Boeser meaningful minutes.

Boeser isn't on the power play.

Virtanen isn't in the lineup.

Boeser is on the 3rd line.

Virtanen will likely platoon with Boeser on the third line, both of them wasting away until they're sent to Utica.

The last 2 pre-season games Green pumped the brakes on Virtanen and Boeser as much as he could by cutting their minutes from 18 to 8.

And now he'll cut them from 8 to 0.

And since we know the management has a history of letting coaches do as they please to developing players, as in, don't develop them, then we know how this will end.

Boeser and Virtanen will be in Utica.

You have to wonder if you're Adam Gaudette, the Canucks next "great prospect" looking at this situation from the NCAA - why would you bother coming here?

If Gaudette can play one more season he can jettison the Canucks and the Utica Comets in favour of a team that will play him at the NHL level and let him develop where he should be developing.

And again, if you're looking at the Sedins you're seeing exactly how to develop kids at the NHL.

They were terrible.

They stunk.

For five years.

It was horrific to watch.

But the Canucks stuck with it. And the Sedins developed. And for 5 years they were world class players.

No AHL required.

Boeser should be on the top line with Horvat.

Virtanen should be on the second line with Gagner and Granlund.

Divide the 3rd and 4th line as you please.

The goal has to be playing the kids 20 minutes per night.

And besides - is there anyone in Canucks Land who doesn't think Virtanen is already the best player on the team?

Because he is.

But this is a path that Green isn't going down.

He's playing the safe veterans. Going for the playoffs.

Same old, same old.

You have to ask - why did you fire Willy Desjardens then?

It didn't save Nikita Tryamkin, did it?

As you watch McDavid Saturday night, just keep in mind, they had an answer.