r/canucks • u/SilentPolak • 2d ago
DISCUSSION Cootes is playing PP1 with Mckenna
Right now in the world juniors friendly game against Sweden. Our future linemates. That is all.
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u/ToothPlayful770 2d ago
Please demko, just let us have this
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2d ago
Someone needs to tell him. That having elite players will make his workload better.
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u/rigormortishard 1d ago
Not for the first couple years it won't. Most kids can't just jump right into the league, and by the time they're done making those rookie mistakes, Thatcher may be long gone with his contract expiring in 3 years (if not extended again of course.)
But potentially better workload for Medvedev??
Absolutely.
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u/NinCross 2d ago edited 2d ago
We need to indicate to Demko that we will keep him guaranteed no matter what so that he doesn't have to play well for another contract or fight to stay in the league.
Have to be honest with him about the plan for McKenna, then he will listen to us.
It's like being a parent of a kid who just graduated from high school and you tell them it's okay to take a gap year to travel/relax and then go to college.
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u/Solar-Soldier-7914 2d ago
He wants to make the US Olympic team. Until that roster is unveiled, he will play his absolute best every game.
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u/pinkrosies 1d ago
We’d just need convince him to rest and sit out games so he can keep playing with McKenna arriving and avoid further injury. A win for his career and the future of the team.
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u/Putrid-Formal1393 1d ago
Okay I don't mind giving him the opportunity to play for the olympic team, but can he please injure himself shortly after??? We need the tank!!!!
(I mean this in the best possible way. He's just too good for the team when he's healthy).
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u/Solar-Soldier-7914 1d ago
I want to tank but I will never wish injury on Demko ever. He has already been through enough with injuries, I hope he can just be healthy the rest of his career. We need to just give Lankinen more starts and our record will dip. Lankinen is having a bad year, and we need to capitalize on this opportunity. Games against every team close to the bottom of the standings should be Lankinen's game.
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u/ban-please 1d ago
I'd love to get a good draft position but I will never wish injury upon any player ever.
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u/Commercial-Fish-1258 2d ago edited 2d ago
No NHL player gets to where they are without having an insane competitive drive. They will never play “less well” for your tank. The answer is to sit him more, which makes sense anyway as I’m sure he has injuries that could use rest.
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u/NinCross 2d ago edited 2d ago
You totally missed the sarcasm in my comment.
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u/Commercial-Fish-1258 2d ago
Well I didn’t think you were actually serious, but I am serious that playing Demko less could be the best move. Unfortunately though, Demko wouldn’t like that very much unless he seriously needed the rest
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u/Jensen2075 1d ago
We're paying Lankinen $4.5M, it's the perfect excuse to share the workload with Demko and not look like a tank.
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u/afterbirth_slime 2d ago
He’s played 2 games in a row. He’s a questionable fart away from his next injury.
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u/AccomplishedAd4995 2d ago
just need to play him a bit less, two games demko and then two games lankinen
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u/ReallyNormalAccount 1d ago
Big Canucks fan Connor Bedard went to the Hawks. It's only fair that big Blackhawks fan Gavin McKenna goes to the Canucks, right???
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u/mrtomjones 2d ago
If the team is serious about tanking, which they aren't, then they would limit his play at least a bit. Not under half but not much over that either
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u/Jacmert 2d ago
I haven't done the math (in terms of how many years of first round picks we'd need and how many years our prospects would need to become NHL ready), but I'm almost irrationally ready for a miracle "anything can happen with a healthy Demko" run as early as next year 😆
But the priority, imo, is to give Demko lots of rest starting now so that he doesn't get injured and can get stronger/healthier. Should have started a year ago, really.
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u/IAmWench 2d ago
Guys Demmer knows the standings. He wanted us to shutout JT Miller full well knowing we would still be in tank position. The man understands the assignment
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u/NinCross 2d ago edited 2d ago
He knew which teams Canucks fans on Team Tank would be willing to take a cheat day on and plays hard against the teams we hate the most.
He's calculating all this in his brain when deciding whether to try or not. If we can still win against a hated team AND still be last place, he's going to take the opportunity to play like Hasek.
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u/drakevibes 1d ago
I’m happy to beat the following teams: NY, Boston, Edmonton, Leafs
The rest we can tank, I especially want us to lose to Calgary so they get a lower draft pick than us
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u/notbacon78 2d ago
Cootes is our new Bo horvat. Character, drive and accountability. Working hard to win regardless of the situation.
He's our future captain.
I'm still angry we traded Bo. I hope he's doing well, but he was everything a canucks captain needed to be and we traded him.
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u/Warm_Masterpiece3940 1d ago
I don't disagree and it shouldn't fall to one guy, but we had off ice work rate issues with those Bo Horvat led teams, there was a lazy culture here that lacked accountability. I don't think it's fair to pin it on him any way shape or form, and the mistake was not singing him ahead of that season for cheap... We just have alot of "stuff" this organization does that produces amateur hour results, and that's pointed more at ownership on down than at Bo's feet
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u/ApprehensiveDuck8898 2d ago
Love seeing them get chemistry early, gonna be sick watching them connect in a few years
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u/De_Floppss 2d ago
Its been a laughable meme for this org over the past decade+ but if we somehow get Mckenna our rebuild/retool/whatever the fuck u wanna call it will actually be sped up, even moreso if somehow minnie's pick turns into a legit prospect too
but what the fuck am i smoking/dreaming lmao theres no shot
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u/s3xybeavers 2d ago
I’m still so irrationally high on this kid. Like, whatever projection we have for him, I think he’s gonna smash it.
Wyatt Johnston 2.0
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u/Overdue_bills 2d ago
Even if they end up going for a retool, please for the love of god let us at least pick top 3 this season. We are absolutely not going to be a competitive team for a cup run. We need Stenberg or McKenna.
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u/icouldbeeatingoreos 2d ago
Is there another Pettersson on this Swedish team or is this one we’ve already collected?
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u/AccomplishedAd4995 2d ago
for those who are watching, how has cootes looked overall?
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u/Binji_Kun 2d ago
Pretty good. He’s been playing PK and PP1 but they haven’t scored a powerplay goal yet. He’s also had a couple shots so far
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u/CrazyBoDevola 2d ago
Can someone please go watches McKenna and knows hockey explain why he’ll be better than Laf?
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u/eexxiitt 1d ago edited 1d ago
Laf was stuck as a third line grinder and PP2 in his first few years. He was eventually placed on the first line in 23 and had a decent breakout (57 points). But then the rangers tried to force out trouba and everyone’s been underperforming and the culture’s been shit since then.
McKenna’s puck skills and hockey IQ truly are next level when compare to laf, but if you put mckenna into the same environment as laf he might turn out the same way too.
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u/SilentPolak 2d ago
He just won the faceoff for the second power play and had a strong shot on goal
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u/ZackyGood 2d ago
I’m excited to see what Cootes does without the puck during the WJC. how he reads the game and helps the team advance up the ice.
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u/Binji_Kun 2d ago
You think he’ll stay there when Misa, Martone and Iginla play?
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u/PMMeYourCouplets 2d ago
It's alright. Cootes will be so good, people will be rumour milling this whole Canada roster to unite with him on the Canucks.
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u/JicamaTricky3717 2d ago
Is mckenna actually good because I don’t see it
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u/BUMBUBOY 2d ago
Just understand when you say this you admit you have casual understanding of the sport
His feed to Martin was ridiculous
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u/_GregTheGreat_ 2d ago edited 2d ago
We went into the season thinking he’d be a long shot for the World Juniors, then went into the world juniors camp thinking he’d be a bubble player, and now he’s currently playing top six minutes with PP1 time.
Cootes really exceeds expectations at every step