At the end of the day, there was nothing earth-shattering to come of the Canucks management media availability. But there was a lot iof interesting philopsp[hial ideas to come ut of the Sedins, Ryan Johnson, and Manny Malhotra on Wednesday morning.
Ryan Johnson
The first question was about Thatcher Demko.
Johnson said Demko won’t be part of the main group. It’s [art of the process.. There’s no rush.
We want him to be 100% without rushing him.
Johnson also said they will be exploring options at goal this season. Chris Dredger is in camp on a PTO.
One the topic of PTO’s, Johnson said the will be biringing in an AH defenseman for a PTO. Jack Thompson took a puck in the face.He will miss some time.
On the topic of extensions, Johnson said discussions are ongoing with all of players.
Manny Malhotra was asked about Braeden Cootes But Johnson also answered.
“If there’s one thing I have learned the last ten years, it’s extremely difficult to go back.Johnson said, “We have to protect these players. I do not believe in a yo-yo approach. When they get in, they step in. If they are in the AHL, the way I* see it is there is one call-up. They kick the door down. There is one call-up, and they never go back.”
This comment tells me that they are going to over-marinate kids the next couple of years. Which is the right thing to do. But will frustrate some who want to see young players. There should be no rush in playing any kids in the NHL this year.
Petterson.
The significant note of this was that this question came 23 minutes into a 40 minute availability.
Johnson-Be prepared. Which is he is. What does it mean to a good teammate. We want to create a safe place. We don’t have a points expectation. We don’t expect him to be the ;loudest or the alpha in the room. We expect him to be himself.”
I don’t want to relitiigate the past. But I believe there were times that this orgainzation threw Pettersson under the bus instead of defending him. Even if he’s not [laying great, it’s their job to keep the wolves off of him. They didn’t. I would argue they made ti worse. I think there will be a change for that this year. There are ways to couch things that says he needs to play better. Tocchetspecifically did not do that.
Culture.
Johnson was asked about culture. He said culture is the most overused word in sports and business. It’s about playing for each other and wanting to be here.
Manny Malhotra.
“The players will dictate where they will play”
This phrase has a chance to be a Canucks drinking game this year. This was said at least three times. But the most noteworthy quote from Malhotra was this.
There’s a difference between losing games and playing losing hockey. The measure of our group on plying the right way. Having the details in your game.,Those are the ,measures that when you look back on game, can you check those boxes. That’s where there pride and the joy will come from knowing that we are getting better. It’s about maintaining the focus and he daily improvements we talked about over the summer.”
Malhotra was asked about Gallagher,Boeser and Chytil.
Gallagher,
The thing that stand out for us is the way he competes. And the tenacity that he plays with. The passion that he has for the game. The importance of having a guy like him in our room teaching what the game is supposed to look like. From an intensity standpoint From a competitive standpoint. That’s going to be a big part of his role.”
Boeser.
“The expectation of this entire group is standardized, The way you show up to the rink. The way you practice, that’’s all standardized. There’s no hall passes.”
As far as Brock, he has the experience of being here for a long time. He’s seen some ups. He’s seem some down times. So he has the understanding of what this team has gone through. And with that comes the passion of the fan base.They want things to turn around….. Just like the veteran guys we brought in, we expect them to lead by example.
I interrupt this answer as they are expecting a more mature Boeser this year. I don’t recall ahhne using these terms wth bowser before. I think they want Boeser to be a leader on this team. Andit’s not an unreasonable expectation.
Chytil.
The question was asked of if he plays centre or wing.
Really excited to see what he brings. He had a quality summer of training and putting inures behind him. He’s excited to be a part of this. He’s feeling really good right now. Obviously the assets that he has, the size, the speed, the ability to make plays are very exciting for a centreman in this league.
First of all, it’s great to see Chytil healthy. He’s been through enough injurties. Second, Malhotra second part of the answer suggests to me he starts at centre. Who he plays wth is the next question.
I’m going to have a deeper dive on Malhotra out shortly.,
The Sedins
The first “controversy” the Sedins have dealt with is the memorandum around the practice facility. in Brittania. Vancouver Minor Hockey Association released a statement this summer.
“We had a very good meeting with Vancouver Minor Hockey”, Daniel said.”I think we are on the same page. We are working hard with the city to get something done. We would love to give something back to the city. That would be something that s a dream of ours.I think we are on a good path.”
I wrote about this in the profile of the https://hockeyhotstove.com/three-words-the-sedins-hope-to-bring-to-vancouver/. One of the Sedins foundations is establishing themselves in the community. I may be the optimist, but I believe the Sedins and the city can get something done.
Home › Forums › Takeaways From Canuck Media Availability