The Kids Are Alright

(Brendan Gaunce, Courtesy of The Province)

I know its preseason, and I know we have a lot of young guys in the lineup, but so does everyone else. The first game against the Flames was without a lot of our top line guys, and I get that. However, the tables were turned and we still came out on the losing end (love those opening shots of downtown, they never get old). And on top of everything else, the only ones who looked like they were even trying are the young players.

Once again defensive lapses killed any chance at winning. Hamhuis made a poor attempt at a clear up the boards then skated back to the net and covered no one, which led to a Flames goal. At another point in the third period, all 5 Canucks were below the circles on defense, and in OT Jooris was free to skate right between the circles and receive a pass.

Again, preseason and I don't expect these guys to be in midseason form, but making lazy passes and leaving the opposition wide open isn't exactly something one should be forgetting in the offseason. I would hope this team that greatly underachieved last season once the playoffs started, would show a little bit more passion, even in the preseason, to make up for it. But then again this is a team with the same on-ice leadership which won a Presidents Trophy then proceeded to drop a first round series against the Kings 4-1. I won't get into my usual rant, but I am getting frustrated of the Sedins entering every game and every situation with the same demeanor and attitude. They seem to have the same mindset for a preseason game as they do for a Stanley Cup game.

One shining light for this game was the way the younger players did perform. Brendan Gaunce, Bo Horvat, Alex Friesen, Jared McCann and Ben Hutton all looked great. I include Horvat in that group even though his spot on the roster is set, he still remains a cornerstone of this rebuild. Horvat, Gaunce and Friesen all had goals, with McCann notching two assists and Hutton an impressive three helpers.

The Hutton to McCann to Horvat goal was a thing of beauty thats for sure. All three had great awareness for the most part. Gaunce's goal was a nice finish on a rebound from Vrbata. Not nice in the terms of pretty, but he wasn't afraid to crash the net, and it paid off. Alex Friesen's goal was also nice, with Jared McCann cutting toward the net and creating some confusion for Ramo. A lot of promise ahead.