Hansen Breaks Hand In Fight With Brule
by Sean Zandberg on Sep 27, 2009 11:06 PM PDT
in Preseason
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Oh that's perfect timing. Jannik Hansen has been playing sound hockey lately, and his tilt with Gilbert Brule was fun to watch, but this is unfortunate.
"First look, doesn't look good, but we'll see tomorrow. He's one of the toughest Danes I've seen. It's not the first time he has fought. In this game, you've got to stand up for yourself every now and then." -Alain Vigneault
This only complicates the decision-making process for Canucks management. AV was saying post game that he was projecting Hansen to be a bottom 6 forward (obviously), and that now, depending on the seriousness of the injury, even more decisions have to be made. The Vancouver Sun suggests that this may open the door for either Cody Hodgson or Tanner Glass. I would suggest Tanner Glass.
With 2 more assists tonight, not only did Sergei Shirokov lead the Canucks in preseason scoring (7 points in 4 games), he also solidified a roster spot barring something insane from happening.
“My knee is sore,” Shirokov said Sunday after the game. “But I play, I practice. I see guys are hardworking. I’m happy to play with this team and try to make NHL. I’m happy with Vancouver jersey, happy with these guys. It’s good.”
-Alright, hold on to your butts. There's going to be a lot of news between now and the Canucks' first regular season game on Thursday.
-Oilers win and then announce 5 roster cuts.
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Gees, Hansen was throwing last night! Showing some team tooughness has now probably blown his chances of making the team. Which is unfortunate, because I thought he had shown enough in pre-season to make the team…Just…
Id go with AV picking Glass for that spot now.
Its going to manic few days for team announcements.
Stay by your keyboards folks…Set home page to CDC, get twitter twittering and get lots of caffine at the ready!
Cody Hodgson
…probably just made the team. At this point, you might as well see what he can do over 9 games, especially with Hansen out. I think everyone WANTS him to succeed, and I tend to agree with him that there’s not much more he can prove in junior. Saw him playing against the London Knights last year (arguably the second best team in the OHL) and he dominated every shift. Not much to be gained by sending him back there again.
I’d give him the 9 games, see if he improves, and maybe he makes it that route. Even if he’s playing fewer minutes, let him build up his strength and see where he goes.
How does the nine games thing work with Junior? Can you send him back to Junior, then pull him back up for nine games later in the season, or does it have to be at the start of the season?
I definitely think it’s worth seeing if Hodgson pulls up his level of play. With the bad leg, though, using nine games at the beginning of the season could fail to show what he can really do, just like the pre-season. If he could go back down for a while, then come up when someone else gets injured, perhaps he would have the “snap” or whatever it was that he was saying he didn’t have…
...loving life for Christ's glory...
Once you send him to junior, he’s there for the year (or until the season ends). The 9 games has to start the year, I believe.
With Shirok being a potential lock…that only puts Cody as the potential 13th guy. Why would they send Shirok to Manitoba for 9 games and then play Hodgson? That’s just plain immoral :>
by Sean Zandberg on Sep 28, 2009 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Shuffle the lines as you like, but, given that we start the season with M. Schneider, Demitra and Hansen on LTIR, we now have:
Sedin-Sedin-Samuelsson
Shirok-Kesler-Burrows
Raymond-Wellwood-Bernier
Hordi-Johnson-Rypien
Hodgson
which still leaves room for 8 D-men & 2 goalies. Hansen makes the team on LTIR (he’s good, he’s cheap, he’s young; no way you waiver him) and a trade is as much in the team’s future as it ever was.
Hodgson deserves his 9 games; a handful of exhibition games played while injured should not erase a full year of junior dominance and the potential it showed. We still have a chance to first see CH healthy and at his best and we should do so before passing final judgment on him for a year.
I suspect that’s what they’ll do, too, pushing CH hard all the way, mentally and physically. If he improves and is worth keeping, we’ll need to deal away another player; otherwise he goes back to junior.
Gillis has shown himself to be adept at player development. Everyone happier with, for ex, Mason Raymond’s and Kyle Wellwood’s improvement this year? Alex Burrows’ last year? If Hodgson is ready, then Gillis will be willing to develop him. Besides, everything we’ve seen about Gillis says that he delays his decisions whenever possible in order to gather more info before he commits; why would this situation be any diff?
You discount the good preseason that Tanner Glass had. He is role player like Hansen is. Why shouldn’t he be the 13th guy? I don’t see Hodgson killing penalties. If a bottom 6 guy gets hurt it should be Tanner Glass that steps in.
by Sean Zandberg on Sep 28, 2009 10:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Well, I see Glass, Hodgson, Shirok & Hansen like this:
Shirok earned his way onto the team. He’s a relatively mature vet, in my mind, not so much a rookie, cuz he’s 23 and has a coupla years of pro hockey (KHL) under his belt already. Sure he’ll have to adjust to the NHL style of play, but he’s shown he can do that.
Hansen is too good for waivers and that’s what we’d have to do w/him if we couldn’t trade him in a hurry. So he stays. He too has earned his way onto the team … and if he develops just a little more finish around the net, look out!
Hodgson we dunno about yet, not really. I suspect he’s good enough to stick – definitely a rookie w/lots to learn but probably good enough to bring along – but, be it from his injury or from his mental state (nerves?), he hasn’t shown it yet. But hey, we’ve got 9 more games to check him out and given his dominance in junior, why not? The real prob is that he can’t go to the Moose, which’d be exactly right for him at this stage in his development. Sigh.
But Glass can go to the Moose. He can go and come back as needed, I believe. Hansen can’t and Hodgson can’t. So it’s Shirok or Glass. I choose Glass, but if Hodgson doesn’t pan out in the next month, or if we get more injuries, Glass has earned a call-up and another chance to demo his wares.
And, fwiw, I still harbor a lingering suspicion that Grabner is good enough for the NHL but played “tight” throughout the preseason, overthinking his plays. If he ever finds that elusive “zone,” the mental state where he just plays w/confidence, he’ll blossom overnight. Tough zone for some guys to find tho, cuz the more you try the harder it gets.
One last thought then I gotta run: is there anyone here, or anyone on the Cancuks themselves (incl AV & MG) who would disagree with the following statement:
Cody Hodgson is only 19 and progressing beautifully for his age. The Manitoba Moose would be the absolutely perfect place for him to continue that progression at this time. Hell, if he were allowed to play there, it’d be a no-brainer.
Maybe Dan Rather could be hired to dig up Cody’s “real” birth certificate, the one that lets him play in the AHL :)
Agreed on the Hodgson assessment
but I have my doubts they’ll give him a real shot to succeed as a scoring forward even if he does stay the 9 games. If they do, I think some will be surprised at his abilities.
Can’t agree on Gillis as a “developer” though, Wellwood and Raymond haven’t proven anything yet, both were disappointments last year, along with Bernier.
No way in hell Gillis gets credit for Burr, he picked up last year right where he left off the end of the year before.
Loved Hasen’s play all pre season so this is a bit disappointing but I hope he still makes the team on LTIR.
Hodgson I’m indifferent on. Could go either way. Honestly wouldn’t be unhappy if he went back to junior to make way for someone who actually showed some skills in the pre-season like Glass. But he is injured still I think, so I think we’ve yet to see the real Cody.
Shirokov makes the team I say. He was, in my mind, the most impressive new player at camp. I really want to see what he can do for us in the regular season.
Grabner was a disapointment, and didn’t really show much of anything in the pre-season so I can’t see him making the team. Maybe he gets called up sometime during the season if we need someone it give it another go.
Burrows + Canucks = Stanley Cup!
Casual..where in the blue hell is Hodgson going to play 9 games with the Canucks? In place of Shirokov? I don’t think so. Someone like Samuelsson would have to get demoted to the 3rd line so Cody can play on a scoring line. That makes no sense to me. Do we just put Hodgson on the 3rd line and make him a checker? Who rides the pine so Hodgson can play? Not one guy on the current roster deserves that, unless a trade happens.
I wish he could go to the AHL too. This is a shitty situation.
I would suggest
wherever they would pencil Demitra in if he were healthy… that is if they really want to give the kid a chance…
Solving the Co-Ho conundrum
For the first 9 games, or longer if Hodgon proves himself worthy:
Sedin-Sedin-Samuelsson
Shirokov-Kesler-Hodgson
Raymond-Wellwood-Burrows
Rypien-Johnson-Bernier
Now I’m sure I’ll hear about how I dumped Burrows with the checkers, and he should have first shot on line 1. I don’t disagree with that. But I also think that’s the lesser of 2 evils. If it becomes quickly evident that a healthy Hodgson can’t slice it, then you send him to junior and restore order. But he has NOTHING to prove in junior. He’s dominated that level. Give him a chance with some talent and who knows, we might have too many quality forwards before Demitra gets back.
I’d much prefer that to keeping Tanner Glass, seeing Shirokov’s knee injury get worse, and then having Hodgson stuck in junior for the rest of the year. All of a sudden your scoring depth is gone, and you’re looking for a top-6 forward.
Well, don’t forget we get Demo back in 6 weeks. So if Shirok fizzles or has knee issues, we can always send him down to Manitoba to build himself back up. We’re going to have to do something when Demo comes no matter what. So I’m not concerned with your argument that we’re looking for a top-6 forward if Shiro doesn’t pan out. He’s currently only there as a seat-warmer looking to earn his keep.
by Beantown Canuck on Sep 28, 2009 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions
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but I like this better:
Sedin-Sedin-Samuelsson
Raymond-Kesler-Burrows
Hodgson-Wellwood-Shirokov
Rypien-Johnson-Bernier
That’s 3 lines you can roll imo.
But since we agree Bernier is a 4th liner, shouldn’t they just trade his overpaid ass?
God damn. Do you drink? If you don’t you should start
by Sean Zandberg on Sep 28, 2009 9:52 PM PDT up reply actions
I know this isn’t an Oilers forum… but i think i finally found out what Gilbert Brule is good for
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on Sep 28, 2009 1:44 PM PDT reply actions
a really hard pylon
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on Sep 28, 2009 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions
When Demo comes back, more or less at the ame time so does M. Schneider, so we will have to do something re the salary cap. Either that, or we can’t bring those players back and we pay them to read newspapers all day.
But by then I expect Gillis to have made a few decisions and maybe even have a trade lined up.
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