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 Thursdayish. 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 passittobulis@gmail.com or tweet us @passittobulis. Or tell us some other way. The point is: we'll probably link it if we know about it.)
- Jake Virtanen has been sent down to Utica, with Jim Benning citing inconsistency in his play. He’ll play big minutes for two games before returning to Vancouver after the weekend. This move is a head scratcher: who can turn it around in two games? [The Vancouver Sun]
- Virtanen doesn’t yet have the confidence of either Willie Desjardins or Trevor Linden. And yet his advanced stats, like hips, don't lie. Patrick Johnston discusses how the numbers indicate that Jake makes everyone around him better. [The Province]
- Speaking of Jake, is he just the next in a long line of false hopes for Vancouver? Does he develop into the dominant power forward the city has longer for since the departure of Todd Bertuzzi, or does he fall into the ranks of also-rans like Zack Kassian? [Always90Four]
- Jeremy Davis looks at five categories in which the Vancouver Canucks sit dead last in the league. Particularly soul-crushing are shooting percentage (6.77%) and time with a lead (a woeful 47 minutes and 47 seconds.) [Canucks Army]
- Further meditation on Vancouver's mediocracy, Jonathan Willis takes a stab at laying out who stays and who goes should the Canucks go the full rebuild route. [Sportsnet]
- In case you needed further evidence that Jannik Hansen is the most complete player on the Canucks, know that the Honey Badger stepped up to fight Nazem Kadri seconds after sustaining a rib fracture. [The Daily Hive]
- If seeing Alex Burrows pot a couple of goals against the Rangers on Tuesday gave you the nostalgic feels, Jeff Godley reminds us that this isn't the first time Alex Burrows has stepped up and played the hero. (My personal favourite was his goal against Carolina, but there's also a moment from 2011 in here you might recall.) [The Canuck Way]
- Is Loui Eriksson just struggling with bad luck, or is he actually in decline? Andrew Berkshire takes a hard look at Loui to see where his scoring issues originate, and whether or not we should be worried. [Sportsnet]
- Everything is coming up Brock Boeser. Several of his teammates, including fellow top prospect Tyson Jost, believe that Vancouver's 2015 first round pick is just about ready to step into the big leagues. [The Province]
- When your coach is making national headlines for the wrong reasons, well let's just say that ain't good! But Vancouver isn't alone, as four other NHL coaches are sharing time on that hot seat, including a certain truculent former Canucks bench boss. [The National Post]
- Former Vancouver defender Brent Sopel, famous for a wicked slapper, an incident involving a cracker, and the greasiest flow you'll ever see, has returned to school to face his struggles with dyslexia and dysgraphia. [The Daily Hive]
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Just for fun, let's have a 2008 NHL draft do-over. That was a strong year. Sure, like a weekend in Vegas there were some regrettable decisions. Remember Cody Hodgson? Nikita Filatov? Before we get too hard on those GMs, let's remember that hindsight is everything. It's worth a watch just to see Nick Kypreos rib Doug MacLean for his drafting logic in Columbus. [Sportsnet]
