TSN guy called him teenage mutant ninja Hertl lol...

check this out from NHL.com

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...14188712_n.jpg

Have to say.. I like what I see early thus far in the season. :notbad:

The aggressive style in the offensive end, and general hustle all around is refreshing - anyone have the stats on take-a-ways last night? It must have been double digit for the Canucks. Granted it is early, but Santorelli has also surprised me. He's looked really good for a 'bottom 6' guy the last two games.

If they can keep this pace up, the Nucks are going to be a much harder team to play against this year; but I still think the need another bottom 6 player in order to compete with the top end teams.

Oh, and I fully agree with iwantaskyline, Torts calling the time out to rest the PP was awesome - we would have NEVER seen that before.. 2nd PP line would have rolled out and that would have been that.

I'm a little hesitant to praise Torts for playing his top guys so much this early on.

Team is aging and playoffs are a grind. You need to have gas in the tank.

Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying what I'm seeing.. I'm just considering his lack of experience behind the bench of the most traveled team in the NHL.

Hopefully he'll give them a bunch of days off as he said he would and its enough.. we'll see!

^

Agreed, I think we definitely need another bottom six guy to replace Sestito. The guy is pretty much useless and plays under 5 minutes a game. He played 3 minutes last night.

He was saving them for the Stanley Cup Finals.

:pokerface:

I've noticed a few pretty big changes from the few games I've watched. In the offensive zone, there are usually 2 guys forechecking with 1 guy in pretty deep and the second guy picking up errant passes. The d-men are also pinching and jumping up deep into the play with much more regularity. In the past the d-man will jump into the play or pinch, but rarely get caught up deep past the faceoff dots. For a team that's struggled to score goals and a defense with above average offensive ability, it's great that the system has allowed them to jump into the play more effectively

Defensively I've noticed the forwards playing deeper which leaves the other team's d-men a bit more open at the point. But this closes off the passing lanes back to the point more effectively and the extra support helps to pressure turnovers. IF the puck can get to the point that's where all this talk of shot blocking comes in.

With Burrows and Kassian out, Torts does seem to shorten the bench.

It will be good to have those guys back. Really enjoying the aggressive fore check, but over a long season, Canucks are going to get worn out.

all this talk about the canucks wearing out because of the forecheck. the LA kings forecheck this aggressively on their way to a cup win in an 82 game season so it can be done. sure the LA kings are a slightly younger team but if the canucks are conditioned well they should be able to handle it.

i rather see the canucks pour it on and give their best effort consistently than the "lets flip a switch" approach like it has been the past couple years.

If you guys can think of it, I'm sure Torts and other members of the coaching staff will have already taken it into consideration.

We no longer have the coach of a team that just got scored 9 times on :troll:

We'll allow 10 tomorrow now that you jinxed us

and we'll get 2 between the legs goals:lawl:

Point taken, but injuries have been the issue for the Canucks when entering the playoffs almost every year. And the Kings are a younger team. On top of that, blocking shots will lead to injuries. Do the Canucks have the depth that the Kings do?

I'm a big fan of forechecking teams. I love the ruthlessness of waive after waive of pressure, forcing teams into mistakes leading to offensive chances. I too want to see that over an 82 game schedule, but is it sustainable? Maybe it will be with conditioning a main emphasis of Torts.

I didn't realize just how well conditioned Santorelli is.

First day of conditioning at camp, Santorelli had the best time for the two-mile run , beating both Sedins, who are fitness fanatics.

So bets on when AV gets canned and becomes a minor league hockey coach?

I'm actually becoming a big fan of Santorelli and Torts theory of aggressiveness and requiring a high level of fitness to complete it.

Remember Kesler that year where AV challenged something about his fitness level or something? Kesler replied that he's an elite athlete, he can perform.
With Torts, it shows that there is another level and it's just not about turning on the switch, it's about staying at that level and perform consistently now.

AV ride on 2 MVP and Art ross candidates as the winning-est head coach in canucks history and luongo too

torts won with a weak team too in 2004 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Stanley_Cup_Finals
let see what he can do for us :troll:

Not anytime soon, he just signed a 5 year deal. Probably be his wet dream if they fire him and cut him a cheque for 10 million but I can't see it happening.

Rangers line up are pretty balance...NHL Starting Goalies and Line Combinations | DailyFaceoff.com


Maybe its not Luongo that have slow starts, its AV!!!! :troll:

Three games into the season, no way he gets fired. What team would do that...

Attachment 18805

Torts wins a Stanley Cup with a weak team in Tampa Bay? Seriously?
That team was stacked in offence with LeCavalier, St. Louis, Brad Richards, and Dan Boyle. -had the Bulin wall in Khabibulin as their goalie.

That is hardly a weak team.

lol mike brown formerly of the lakers got fired after 5 games

H.Sedin, D.Sedin, Kesler Edler and Luongo > 04 tampa core

Strombone ‏@strombone1 12s
I sure hope someone doesn't Hertl my feelings tomorrow.... #YES #NAILEDIT

GODDAMMIT I LOST IT
:fullofwin: