BEST EFFORT

Daniel Sedin was incredulous.

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“We haven’t made the playoffs in I don’t know how long,” he said.

Three years, actually.

It’s been so long he forgets. Look what you’ve done.

“We should never be happy with anything, whether we’re healthy or not.

“Guys should be fighting every single shift.”

I mean he’s talking about effort.

We can all certainly be happy the Patriots lost the Super Bowl.

There wasn’t any fight in the Vancouver Canucks tonight. There wasn’t any skill either. The game started with Brock Boeser passing instead of shooting.

It went downhill from there. Fast.

Henrik said it was unacceptable.

“Not good enough.

“We started the game just turning the puck over and we fed their transition game.

“It’s not about us creating stuff off the rush, it’s more about us taking away their chances.”

Oh boy, that sounds a lot like the last two years of Willie.

Have we come full circle? Already?

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This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be going. The Canucks are healthy, totally. This is the team they constructed, and wanted.

They should be fresh, and hungry and playing fast.

Wasn’t it supposed to fun again?

To be fair, they looked the part Saturday at home vs Tampa. They weren’t good enough, but they sure as hell were game.

All of that game was gone here in Sunrise. Evaporated.

“It was far from the same effort level,” Henrik said.

“It’s happened before and I’m sure it might happen again.

“We could have won the game. No question about it. The disappointing thing is, if we couldn’t have come up to an 85% (effort) maybe we should have won this game.”

Henrik was asked by JPAt:

Where do you think the effort was?

“Below that.”

Not good enough, indeed.

BEST LINE

The Sedin line was the Canucks best.

But they’ve been crippled all season by an inability to find chemistry and rhythm with any of the wingers they’ve been assigned..

They’ve looked just off with Boeser. JV18 hasn’t clicked. Sam Gagner is more playmaker than goal scorer. Goldy flopped. And Eriksson, I can’t put my finger on it, oh yeah.

When he arrived in Vancouver he told people he wasn’t a shooter.

The Sedins need a shooter. Cough cough.

This idea Granlund can’t play with the Sedins because he’s some shutdown specialist seems bananas.

He’s played 29 even strength minutes with the twins all season. Five wingers have been used more.

He does have a shot. He scored tonight. He had 19 a year ago.

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“I thought we had a good ending with him to the season last year,” Danny said.

Does Green know?

“We talked to him about it at the start of the year and he watched all the games last year,” Danny said.

“He has a good idea.

“He wants certain matchups. He wants Sutter on a checking line.

“Granny is really good in that role.”

Is he?

To me, he’s one of the better finishers on the team.

“Yeah, for sure,” Sedin said. “We know that too.

“He’s a smart player. He reminds me a lot of Burr, the way he reads the play and shoots the puck.

“But like I said, he’s done a great job with the Sutter on the checking line.”

Can I get a price check?

BEST LINE JUGGLING

“It’s the way he coaches, he changes things up if we’re not scoring,” Daniel said.

“For sure it’s more than years past.

“But that’s the kind of coach he is.

“Coaches are going to look at it differently.

“That’s the way he likes it.

“We’re going to buy in to whatever linemate we’re with.”

I wouldn’t expect it any other way.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

I so wanted a massive JV18 game in this one.

The Panthers have some big dudes and are young and fast.

It just felt like a Virtanen type of night.

It didn’t happen that way.

The Canucks were flatlined. We all saw it.

They saw it.

Losing 1-0 in the middle of the second, JV18 had a chance for a clean hit on Trocheck, one of the players on the Panthers you’d most want to lay the body on.

It looked like he passed.

Maybe Virtanen just misread the play.

But man this seemed tailor made for him and a situation the Canucks could have got a jolt from.

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I so don’t want to be the hitz guy.

But if a hit is there like that in a game like this, take it.

The Canucks need to do some soul searching here on JV18.

Is he better?

Is he improving?

Does he need more AHL time?

Because that part of it is not happening next year.

Next season, he’s waiver eligible. So either he’s on the Canucks all season or he’s traded.

There is no chance they’ll risk sending him down and losing him to waivers.

BEST MAKES YOU THINK

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BEST POLL

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BEST QUESTION

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BEST ANSWERS

WORST OMEN

Shoot Brock, shoot.

BEST PLAY

Stecher played 25 minutes tonight.

It may be a little much.

But that’s what happens when the coach has Hutton below 15 minutes.

This play by Huberdeau around him was something.

BEST SO THIS IS IT

It will be Vrbata’s final season.

Count him among those who see value in the Sedins coming back for the Canucks.

BEST TAKE

Interesting that Vrbata cited losing Bonino as a key reason the Willie-era Canucks collapsed in year two.

There’s no question Vrby had chemistry with Bones and when Bonino left, he really had no one to play with, after he got hooked for good from the Sedin line

There’s also a what-if game to play.

What if the Canucks hadn’t traded for Sutter or Gudbranson?

Just those two moves.

In both those trades, the Canucks gave up second round picks in the 2016 draft.

There’s a lot of promising talent coming out of that particular round.

By now you know the skill that went at the top of the second in ’16, including Debrincat.

The Pens took a goalie with the later Ducks pick — the one Canucks had and then flipped for Sutter — but the next three selections all have NHL potential.

Calgary got Dillon Dube, the Leafs took Carl Grundstrom and Tampa nabbed Taylor Raddysh who is on Button’s top 50 list.

BEST PLAY IN FOUR ACTS

Act 1:

Act 2:

Act 3:

🤔

Act 4:

BEST MEMBA

BEST RUNDOWN

People in FLA do keep telling me 44 is better than we think in Van.

That said …

Who cares about fancy stats.

What about the eye test?

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It was not a good game for the eye test.

There was this transition attempt.

It led to a FLA scoring chance.

The goal against sequence which Hutton was fumbling his way through didn’t look much better.

Guddy starts on the side boards here and kinda coasts through the neutral zone over the red line before realizing Hutton is in scrambled eggs mode again.

BEST MEANWHILE

It was a good night for McCann.

Nothing earth moving, but good.

I know people don’t want to hear it.

There’s so much tied into this Guddy trade and how much the Canucks lost because of it.

McCann’s line was fine. He produced six shot attempts.

He didn’t play a lot.

He did make plays like this which is more effort than we saw from most Canucks.

BEST TROLLING

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BEST TRIGGERED

First time ever a player has been ripped for charitable work:

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BEST POS RESPONSES

BEST FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Is this what awaits the Sedins next year?

I think people, and by people I mean the Sedins, have to wonder if next year their ice time is likely to go up or down.

I also think we all know the answer.

BEST CALL BACK

And to think that was before they had Pettersson, Dahlen, Lind and Gadjovich.

BEST RANT

Dave working on the weekend to turn his squad against me.

I have to admit, I’ve been taken aback in recent weeks arguing with him about the merits of attempting to re-sign Thomas Vanek instead of staying the course.

i.e. trading him at the TDL.

You know, the original plan.

Pratt has reasoned Vanek is an important piece for next year if the Sedins retire.

I disagree, of course. Most pressing need if the Sedins move is a productive centre, and maybe one who could help Pettersson transition (many believe his NHL career starts on the wing).

Not to mention, the team could trade Vanek now and sign him in the summer. Or how about another free agent LW if a scoring winger is so important?

I promise you, there will be wingers who can do what Vanek can do on the market.

Younger ones too.

At the end of the day, a third round pick for Vanek, the expected return, isn’t going to make or break the rebuild.

Still, it’s jarring because Pratt saw things differently September when the Canucks signed Vanek.

“What the hell are the Canucks thinking? On Friday, they signed Vanek to a one year contract worth $2 million. Really?

“Vanek is 33 years old!

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“A rental and he’ll certainly be moved at the trade deadline.

(hmmmm)

“Yeah, the Canucks will get something for him at the deadline but it can really hurt them at the draft lottery.”

(agreed)

“There is really only one response to all of this:

“WTF.”

(couldn’t agree more)

BEST REMINDER

I keep seeing things like this:

And, worse, this (and I’m not referencing the drivel part, honest):

The Canucks plan by their own current mission statement is “draft and develop.”

And the Canucks have loved all of their third round picks in the Benning era.

Tryamkin was a player. They still seem convinced Brisebois is a player. Will Lockwood is a legit prospect. And so is Michael DiPietro.

That has promise.

I’m not sure why some seem to think 44-for-a-third is, uhm, “pissing in the wind.” Or that Vanek-for-a-third is pointless.

BTW, the Canucks have also found players in the … wait for it … 5th round. In fact, three players in the past six drafts.

Seems good, no?

The Gaudette story is the most interesting one.

It started with Gilly’s last transaction as Canucks GM. In his one move at the ’14 deadline, Gilly traded Raphael Diaz to the New York Rangers for a fifth-round pick

No one thought much of it at the time because it was considered an astonishing disappointment the Canucks didn’t move Kesler.

Hindsight, and the player the Benning era squad picked, have changed everything.

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The Canucks were left with the two 5th rounders. With No. 144, they took Carl Neill who they obviously liked more.

With No. 149, they took a chance on Gaudette.

Gaudette was both athletic and smart, but he was eighth in scoring on his own U.S. junior team with 30 points.

For comparison, Boeser, who played in the same league and was in the same draft class, had 68 points and led his team by 20.

Gaudette was a scout’s pick. A gut pick. A Judd pick.

“Our guys saw the potential in him,” Benning said. “His work rate is really high.

“He’s like a dog on a bone on the puck on the ice and off of it, he really works. He’s got a high energy level. As he’s got stronger physically, he gained confidence in his offensive game.”

I’ll say.

And now he will assuredly arrive and play with the Canucks this season

“Because the details in his game are so good and his work rate so high, he could start off (in the NHL) on a fourth line, a sort of energy guy,” Benning said.

“He can play that role and work his way up. He has an excellent shot and he’s got some good offensive instincts around the net.”

Some believe he has enough ability to be a second line player in the NHL.

This is what Beacher wrote about him for The Athletic recently

Now, I ask you, does that seem like pissing in the wind?

Are Nilsson for a fifth; Vanek for a third; and Guddy for a third some things that could be worthwhile?

Or nah?

The Panthers have two really good top lines with young players.

They also have Ekbland.

They also had three players in Button’s top 50 prospects list.

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How far away are the Canucks from being the Panthers?

And would draft picks help?

Asking for a friend back home.

BEST DOGHOUSE

Pouliot and Hutton have become regular healthy scratches.

If that’s not tough enough, they now have to contend with suggestions they’re not working hard.

Damn,

Asked to expand on how much of it — the healthy scratches — is e off-ice related, Green said:

“I know personally. It probably took me seven years in the league before I really understood that and my body was ready to play my best. I may not have played my best but I knew how to take care of myself in that way.”

Seven years? whoa.

“For a lot of young guys, that’s a learning process,” he said. “If they’re not on top of it. They’re not going to play their best.

“These guys aren’t bad pros. But they haven’t fully grasped that idea.”

Here’s the rub though, whatever is going on it does not seem to be working.

Hutton is no better and may be worse.

“It’s part of growing as a player,” Green reasoned.

“When you come out of it, you’ll be better for it.

“I don’t see him panicking or throwing pucks away. He’s got to find a way to earn more minutes.

“It’s new for him. It’s uncharted waters.

“I’m sure he has some self doubt, that’s part of it.”

BEST GUESS

Here’s what I think.

I don’t put significant stock into the off ice stuff.

Botttom line?

I think Green believes Hutton is not hard enough to play against — soft if you choose to use such a damaging word — and if he’s playing that way and not producing offence, he’s not in the lineup.

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At least not regularly.

It’s the same story for Pouliot who has one point in 18 games.

Play better means play harder.

Or produce, imo.

BEST WOWY

ES on ice shots-on-net ratios controlled by the Canucks.

This is Hutty with Guddy.

And Hutty without Guddy.

It doesn’t seem good.

Play better and also do it playing with Guddy?

BEST DOT CONNECTING

What we know:

Green really likes MDZ.

Green really likes Edler.

Green really likes his pairings to be Left shot/Right shot.

Juolevi is coming and Canucks are hoping it’s as soon as next season.

Is Vancouver big enough for both Pouliot and Hutton to be in this organization for the long haul?

BEST RESPONSE

At least Hutton sees a long-term vision for him with the Canucks, so that’s encouraging.

“In the future, they want me to play a bigger role.”

He’s also trying to put his time to good use.

“Every time I sit out, I’m watching other D-men. I’m watching what Eagle and Tanny are doing.

“Stuff like that.”

OK, is there anyone he can talk to?

“My dad and my mom are big. Every time I’m sitting out, I give them a call.

“I let them know I’m not playing.

“They say ‘You know what, don’t hang your head. Keep working. Doing extra stuff after pactice.”

What can you do?

“Play harder. I know for myself, I have another level. I just have to find it and show it. It’s as simple as that.”

Do you think you’re being mentally tested?

“Definitely. That’s a factor. The mental game is a big part of it.

“It’s different. You come to the rink every day and you don’t know if you’re in or out of the lineup.

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“That’s a mental battle.

“I have to take every day the same way. Have my work boots on and when I get a chance to go, I go.”

Are you ware of the underlying data which is positive and suggests you’ve been among the more effective defencemen on the team?

“Honestly, I don’t look at it.

“Only the odd time when I get tweeted at.

“I am aware of it.

“As a hockey player, you know when you’ve had more chances when you’re on ice or when you’ve been in your end the whole time.

“You can kinda tell without looking at the stats.”

How did you react to that first scratch?

“It definitely caught me off guard.

“I wasn’t happy with it. At all.”

BEST IDEA

Hutton has been getting a lot of the tough love lately.

If I was in his camp, I’d sit him down and show him this:

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The whole thing is great.

But this stands out:

Foles: “Failure is part of life.

“That’s part of building character. Growing. Without failure, who would you be?

“I wouldn’t be up here if I hadn’t fallen thousands of time.”

You just knew I had to slip in some Eagles talk somehow.

Because they’re W.F.C.

Never forget.