The Sedins are Top 5 Vancouver Canucks players all-time, no question.
Playoff performances were a bit lacking, but so was Markus Naslund's and Todd Bertuzzi's.
So replacing arguably their two best players will be difficult... or will it?
Probably not if history is correct.
Unlike the Sedins when Pavel Bure left the Canucks he was leaving 51 goals and 90 points and was arguably the best player in the NHL. No, not arguably, he WAS the best player in the NHL.
The Sedins are leaving behind 24 goals combined.
When Bure left a guy on the roster of the Canucks, who didn't look like he had a lot of game, stepped up.
Naslund when from 14 goals in 1997 to 36 goals in 1998 when Bure left.
Voila!!
Just like that.
Not only that - Markus Naslund was a team first guy and someone they could build around.
In the next 4 years he got steadily better until his 104 point season. (To put that in perspective the best player in the HISTORY of ANY SPORT in ANY GAME - Connor MacDavid has 102 points... in a league designed to create points not the hook and hold of Naslund's era).
So you don't realize what you've been holding back until the superstar leaves is my point.
The Sedins' departure opens up the door for 2 spots on the top power play.
And as long as "coach" Travis Green and "general manager" Jim Benning don't screw things up and play old farts like Bob Sutter and Dave Gagmer on those spots - and Benning doesn't sign old dorks on the Free Agent market like Van Reimsdick from Toronto - they'll be just fine. Most importantly they give the kids the ice time, not over-the-hill Free Agents.
Somewhere on that roster right now is the guy they've been waiting for.
And as I've said all year long, that guy is Jake Virtanen at center. And for a winger you just let it play out. Let the kids sort it out.
Don't be in a hurry to sign anyone.
Be in a hurry to buyout Sitter and Loui Erikkson and Gaginer. Use the cap space to jettison the garbage. The sooner they get rid of them the better.
The only way, as I've said 10 times, to develop kids at the NHL level is to play the kids at the NHL level.
That's from Trevor Linden to Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
They got big ice time.
Period.
Don't confuse hockey with football.
There's not a lot of strategy in hockey. It's best player wins.
It's a creative sport.
The biggest detriment to winning is the coach in hockey. The more involved they are in the game the worse the team is. It's always been that way.
Coaching means hampering.
So in order to replace the 24 goals the Sedins will be vacating it's hardly a stretch to think Virtanen can't pop 35 goals next year. Maybe more.
And if the other winger getting that top line minutes, especially on the power play, can pop 25 goals, well now you've got an almost 40 goal bump from the Sedins departure. And if it's Boeser - is 50 goals out of the question? Nope.
You've seen this work in other markets all the time - from the Colorado Avalanche this year to the Chicago Blackhawks 10 years ago.
When the kids get the steering wheel - the team moves forward (providing there's enough 1st Round Picks on the team to pick up the slack).
And in Vancouver's case there should be enough there to overcome the departure.
And DO NOT be surprised at the end of next year if the C goes to ... Jake Virtanen. I'm just saying... a local guy who has overcome a crap-ton of adversity and could very well be the best player on the team next season. He certainly is right now. I like Bo Horvat but ... you gotta put points on the board and I don't think he'll keep up to Boeser and Virtanen.
Want more common sense hockey talk?
http://www.michaelmunro.ca/Hockey_Sucks.html
No comments:
Post a Comment