It’s time for “Stick in Link”, the feature where we just plug in a bunch of stuff written by others! Featuring a smattering of links from around the Smylosphere and beyond every Tuesday and Thursday. Warning: our links are so hyper, they change colour when exposed to heat. (Have something for us to share in the next edition? E-mail us at [email protected] or tweet us @passittobulis. Or tell us some other way. The point is: we'll probably link it if we know about it.)
- “The Canucks are bad,” writes Sean McIndoe, “but it’s quite possible that they’ll bad their way right into the postseason.” He’s not the least bit wrong. He’s also not wrong when he says to Canucks fans, “You might as well embrace it.” []
- Unsurprisingly, the mediocre Canucks are not capturing the attention of hockey fans in BC, with TV numbers down 27% this season. One imagines that intermission segments with Mark Messier, commercials with Mark Messier, and special features with Mark Messier aren’t helping. []
- Is all this negativity getting you down. Need something a little more upbeat? Here are four positive Canucks stories from this season that deserve a little more attention. []
- Jared McCann’s recent lack of offensive output has him up at night and the lack of sleep probably isn’t helping him bump the slump. I’m not worried: McCann scored 5 goals on 16 shots in his first 9 games, a shooting percentage of 31.3%. His shooting percentage has been 2.7% since. Neither is an accurate reflection of his abilities. His season total of 11.8% is likely pretty close, so he’s just regressing to the mean and he’s still on-pace for a 17-goal rookie season. []
- Apparently Radim Vrbata is still happy being on the Canucks, despite, y’know, his face. []
- How badly do the Canucks miss Brandon Sutter? For what it’s worth, they’re 4-8-3 since he left the lineup. It’s hard to say how much of that is due to his absence, but it certainly hasn’t helped. []
- The Canucks have loaned Jake Virtanen to Team Canada for the World Junior Championships. Will Jared McCann join him? []
- With Brandon Sutter out, the Canucks can’t really afford to spare McCann, but if they do, Alex Friesen might get the call-up. Here he is out-muscling William Nylander to score a shorthanded overtime gamewinner against the Marlies on the weekend.
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- J.D. Burke looks at the Canucks’ zone entry data for October and pulls out some great observations. Obviously, the Sedins are excellent at gaining the offensive zone, but this data makes it clear just how good they are. It also highlights Sven Baertschi’s ability to gain the zone with possession, which might otherwise go unnoticed. []
- Another thing Baertschi is good at: art, apparently. He spends his time on the plane sketching graffiti-style typography. []
- It’s the return of Behind the Lens, one of my favourite features at Canucks.com. Is that Canucks’ video coach Ben Cooper embracing that giant bag of popcorn at the end there? []
- You can’t keep Jeff Paterson off the airwaves. The boys at VanCity Buzz got him on the Game Time Decision Podcast. It’s well worth the listen. []
- Hey, Frank Corrado’s going to play tonight. Neat. []
