One rookie on Canucks (not Pettersson)

July 1st, 2018, Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning added to the philosophy of adding veterans to play in the NHL on his NHL team.

Benning added Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel and Tim Schaller to the Canucks NHL roster.

So let's go through the roster, shall we?

Baertchi, Horvat, Boeser
Erikkson, Gaunce, Sutter
Roussel, Granlund, Virtanen
Liepsic, Beagle, Goldobin

Schaller, Motte, Gaudette - interchangeable with Gaunce and Granlund

D - same as last year

Tanev, Edler
Stecher, Gudbrannson
Del Zotto, Pouliot

Hutton - interchangeable

G
Markstrom Nilsson

Roster's full.

There's been a lot of people talking about "rookies" on the NHL roster.

There isn't room.

Schaller, Gaudette, Liepsic, Gaunce, Granlund and Goldobin have all put their time in at the AHL or college and are older, bigger, stronger and faster than the pure rookies.

Until they fail at the NHL level - and they haven't yet - there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that the Canucks will put a raw rookie like Elias Pettersson or Oli Juolevi on the NHL roster UNTIL they have proven themselves at the AHL level.

And there's ZERO wrong with that.

And folks, that's a Travis Green (Canucks head coach) team. A team that plays rugged hockey, grinds it out. That's his MO. That's what he does. And they're designed to grind it out. Gaunce is a Green guy. Two-way guy that can play in the corners, good speed, strong. Same with Granlund. Motte, Liepsic - there's no defensive worries. Raw rookies are Green's nightmare. They are a coaching matchup nightmare and a defensive liability.

IF Pettersson is all he's cracked up to be - go blow out the AHL. Go light it up!!
Playing with his bud Dahlen - go light it up.

Give'er !!

Learn to play center down at the AHL level playing on an NHL ice surface against men that hit back - not the Sweetie league.

Same with Juolevi - go learn the NHL game.

Same with Dahlen - go prove it !!

Light up the AHL.

And it avoids a WAIVER WIRE NIGHTMARE for the Canucks. Exposing a Gaunce or Granlund to the waiver wire would be a GM killer. You don't do that. Period. No, they're on the team folks.

Kids like Pettersson will go to Utica get stronger, faster and wait your turn. That was the plan when drafting Pettersson and Canucks assistant GM confirmed with Pettersson on Sunday while on Sportsnet650 radio. Could Pettersson change the plan? He'd have to put 10 goals up in 5 pre-season games and there's just no chance of that happening.

Brendan Gaunce was at times last year, spectacular for Vancouver. Breakaway after breakway - he's a big, strong 1st Round pick who can win draws at the NHL level.

Granlund popped 20 goals 2 years ago - big, strong, fast player and great penalty killer.

Motte and Liepsic have proved it at the AHL level, have NHL experience, and are ready to go. Plug and play.

And Gaudette came into camp and was in STUNNING shape. He's ready to go! Hobey Baker winner, ready to go! He's the real deal.

That's your young guys. The rest are going down. Have to be sent to the AHL. There's no room.

Gaudette the only rookie as I see it - and he's not really a true "rookie" having played last year and played against men his whole pro career.

As the pre-season goes you'll see the logic here.

Pettersson will fade. Period. It's normal. Don't panic. He needs time.

And signing of those veterans like Schaller means the Canucks are trying to be competitive.

They are trying to shelter the rookies like Palum, Dahlen and Pettersson from the NHL.
It's a good thing.

AHL is the right place for them.

By the way - Doesn't Cody Glass look good?

How about that Casey Mittelstadt in Buffalo ?