HorvatToBaertschi

Here’s what I learned personally: - JLek is going to be elite. He’s much faster than I thought he was, and he’s feisty, with an insanely quick release, and much better hands than I initially thought. - Alriksson is already bullying kids his age, has a lot of skill, good IQ, and a good shot. I didn’t think much of him NHL-wise but this tournament has opened my eyes up. Excited to see him play against men and see how he transitions his game. - Sasson is a step above every single player that was at this tournament. Kid is ready to push for a call-up at one point this season and that makes me very happy. Petition to give him the nickname of the “Max-Sassin”? Great shot, great wheels, great IQ, physical… what’s not to like? - Bains was underwhelming, but I’m hoping this was due to the fact that after an extremely solid AHL sophomore campaign, he is locked in for main camp and holding back. His goal against Calgary was a bright spot, as he got into a great position and made a highly skilled play batting the puck out of mid air. - D-Petey is a stud. I noticed at times when he was skating backwards defending, that I thought the attacker would be able to blow past him, but his edge work and pivots lets him transition seamlessly into efficient and strong defending positions, which allows him to push the attacker wide. That caught my eye a half-dozen times throughout the weekend. He is gritty, physical, and can clearly play both sides (had to babysit Sansonnens and then Hirose for an entire game while playing his off-side -.-) - Sansonnens looked lost. I hated everything about his game, and his terrible decision making led directly to 2 goals against, because he over-committed on his partner’s side and left lanes wide open. - Kudryatsev is still very raw but has a very intriguing toolbox. A bit small, but plays rather physical and has a strong 1st pass. - Patterson made a lot of bad moves, but had some very good moments sprinkled in. Maybe a hockey IQ issue? - Hirose is AHL fodder to me. I hope he proves me wrong, but this was an embarrassing display. By the 3rd game he was glued to D-Petey, who had to babysit him, even though Hirose was on his strong side. Dude is 25 years old… come on. - Romani’s hands and shot are… deadly. The rest I didn’t really notice. Had a good motor. - Klimovich is literally a slower, but much smarter version of Jake Virtanen. They look the exact same on the ice. Klimovich uses his size better and more consistently. - Raty is one of the smartest young players I’ve watched play in quite some time. Seemed like he was holding back a bit (like Bains), but was consistently making strong, smart plays, and was a thorn in the side of the opposition all 3 games. - Tolopilo looks legit - Mynio has some work to do, but I like his 1st pass and grit. Now obviously, this is a young stars tournament. The step up to the AHL, and then the NHL, will both be significant and the results from this tournament can easily mean nothing. This was my first time watching every single game and trying to “scout” as best as I could, so I would consider this all to be purely subjective, since I have no idea how this kind of level translates to the AHL, let alone the NHL. For a franchise that’s supposed to have a “mediocre” prospect pool, it looked really good to me, as it’s very deep in all positions. I’m a happy Canucks fan

We did not sign Demko to the 2nd biggest NHL contract for goaltenders in NHL history. We played the risk game and it paid off, but what Swayman is doing to Boston is on another astronomically more delusional level than anything I've ever seen.

It's a good way to have the cap-responsible locker room filled with stars that took considerable paycuts, sour on you pretty fast. Yeah, it's a business, but Marchand, Bergeron, Pastrnak, McAvoy, Chara etc... ALL left money on the table to ice a competitive roster, and I don't recall ever hearing of any of these players "posturing". It's unprecedented in Boston-land and it's one of the more ridiculous asks any of us can probably remember. It's a bad look.

Guy's never played a full season as a starter and has played 40+ games TWICE. This is an insane value, and I don't blame Boston if they look to trade him. This is absolutely ridiculous. He would be the 2nd highest paid goaltender in NHL history, having never been an actual starter. It's very easy to post amazing numbers when you're sheltered and playing behind an insanely deep and talented defensive corps, with Mr Selke himself and tons of 2way forwards chipping in.

Brisebois being healthy helps our depth quite a lot. People easily forget (and I'm part of those people), that he was practically a shoe-in for a roster spot last year, but got dealt a nasty hand of injuries. It's not as bleak as it looks.

Dude they went all in the entire time and ended up with 5 top 10 picks, 2 of which were complete busts, and one that is still trying to break into the league in his D+5. A broken clock is right twice a day, and it took Detroit passing up on a generational talent, and Benning getting yelled at to pick EP. Let's not give him too much credit...

Why do they keep mentioning "non-boycotted" olympics?

There was an 8 year period with 3 total playoff wins after ehrhoff bolted. The entire core crumbled and slowly went in decline.

Zadorov was not on our backend 12 months ago, hence my entire point.

Our backend is better than it was 12 months ago. Don't count rentals in this please. It's a moot point, as JR and PA have plenty of time to make Zadorov-esque moves.

FIFA punished Juventus out of a Série A title and Manchester City out of 2 Champions Leagues (as we wait for more developments and probably more punishments), for managers breaking financial fair play. So FIFA has already shown they’re ready to punish teams for cheating. Canada got a freebie. Believe what you want. The corruption in fifa you think is targeting your team, is actually actively helping it. The team cheated but is allowed to play on. That’s a first for me in 20 years. Turn your blind eye because it’s team Canada. That’s ok. I’ll continue to believe what I believe, and like I’ve said, I’ll keep that exact same energy when it happens to others. Problem is, so far Canada is the only exemption for FIFA.

Emotional blanket statement that was not targeted directly at you or Deb. Apologies.

You admitted that you had no idea the extent strategically to which Canada cheated since you don't know soccer very well. It was a big slip up and had a massive impact on the game played, as soccer is very strategic. Then going on to say that Canada is battling against the unfairness.... what kind of horseshit is that? We should all be very ashamed as canadians. If this was any other country, i would feel the same. Turns out, in 20 years of watching international soccer... This is a first for me. Canada is very fortunate to be allowed to play. They are not fighting odds, an uphill battle, and against an unjust system. They got a freebie. You believe the punishment was "Harsh" because it's in your best interest to do so. You don't care about soccer, you care about team Canada and are rooting for them because you support your country, and that's beautiful in its own right. I don't mean to demean or to be disrespectful. I just care about competitive integrity and having my teams win with honour and integrity. If the Canucks won our first ever stanley cup, but we got caught cheating, I'd be on the boat to relinquish it. You can quote me on that. I want to win but win the right way.

FIFA has a lot more to gain financially by having Canada compete. They are their 2nd best nation to showcase for viewership and profit. It's ok Deb, you decide to turn a blind eye and play the victim when our country gets caught cheating. I refuse to do so. I don't care if other countries get away with it, I keep the same energy for them too. The same forums that shit on Benning for tampering with Subban and wanted to see his dumb *** punished severely are the same ones that are defending Canada right now. Very ironic.

The Olympics is supposed to be the pinnacle of sportsmanship, unity and competitive integrity. This entire fiasco matters a lot more than you're putting on, and Canada got away with a lot more than they should have. The fact they are allowed to compete is a bad look and it's a sad day for the Olympics.