Frank Corrado: Cootes demotion and development and a look at which linemates can help EP40 get going

Frank Corrado: Cootes demotion and development and a look at which linemates can help EP40 get going

We’re joined now by Frank Curado, former Vancouver Kuck and TSN hockey analyst. And um well, we have to talk about Senator Iceman. Frank, how are you? Yes, we do. Yeah, I’m good, boys. What’s going on? What’s happening out there? Uh what’s not going on is Braden Coots anymore as an 18-year-old Vancouver Conucks sent back down to the Seattle Thunderbirds for junior hockey after three games where there’s no bottom line. He plays 10 minutes 47 seconds a night and is a minus two. Had to happen. It had to happen because he didn’t have the puck. His line didn’t have the puck. Like they they they were losing their possession numbers in a big way. Um they’re getting outsc scored. Like there’s there’s nothing wrong with an 18-year-old playing in the NHL even for a short period of time. But what determines how long that period of time is going to be is are you getting caved in or are you on the right side of the ledger? And listen, what a great camp, what a great preeason. The fact that he’s already been able to play NHL games. The future is very bright for this young kid. And whatever was happening with the line he was playing on should not just fall on on one player. the best thing for him to do is go back to to Seattle, play a ton, try and push to be on this World Junior team. Um, because, you know, there’s there’s guys who are up in the NHL right now who might stay up there all season long, which which opens the door for someone like that to step in and potentially be on that team. But, um, it it’s it had to happen, but give the kid a lot of credit. like he he that’s a a good camp and then some for a young kid to maybe knock the door down a little sooner as far as making his NHL debut than than we would have thought. And we’ve been saying next year the the world opens up to him because next year he doesn’t have to go back to junior. He can go to the AHL under the new uh 19-year-old exception rule there. So they, you know, it it’s it’s a pill to swallow for this year, but then next year the the Canucks are really in the driver’s seat having him either with the big club or down the road in Abbey. See, I find that interesting though, Blake, because Okay, let’s say you’re you can’t get ice time at the NHL level. That’s fine. Chances are it has to do with not necessarily the speed, although the speed is is more significant. the strength of everyone, how strong everyone is on pucks, how hard it is to get it back when you don’t have it. So then for a junior guy, how much of that truly changes for you if you get placed in the AHL as a 19-year-old? Because like, you know, this is happening um teams are going to have the option to do it, but is it really going to be that much better for you? like are are the same hurdles that you faced in the NHL the same f hurdles now you’re going to face in the AHL where you’re going up against a 30-year-old who’s going to take your lunch money instead of you know kind of just having a dominant season against guys that are your age and a little bit younger and building the confidence that that you need to to kind of look back upon your career and say I I remember what my game looked like when I dominated and I crushed the opposition like next year. Is is he truly going to be able to say that playing a year in the AHL? Like that’s where I think this this this rule. I think teams are going to have to it’s a little bit of trial and error here with this. And I don’t know if you want to do trial and error stuff with these young prospects who like you need to, you know, that the development path can be delicate sometimes. If you still want that curve to be going up, you’re right, send them back down. But if you are pretty sure like if he has a way better than a point per game season in the with Seattle if I don’t know how many games he’s going to end up playing if he plays in the world juniors it’ll be a lower amount but if if he’s way above a point per game no I think he’s graduated I think he’s he has reached his ceiling in the WHL 10 move on and you’re right there there’s still going to be new challenges in the AHL because of the strength and the savvy of some of the players down there but that’s okay if you’re the NHL team that’s little that’s of lesser consequence than him suing the NHL team by his play. And and and and at the end of the day, like it does open up options for you. Like you’re not you don’t have to go down that road just because you started. So if if you want to do like a you can do a three- tiered thing for the kid, right? If he has a good camp again, want to start him in the NHL, it’s your prerogative. You feel like it doesn’t go well, go see what it’s like in the AHL. But you got to see that play out a little bit. And at some point if if you deem that it’s just it’s not the right thing for him because we have players that are closer to playing or bigger, what whatever whatever the case is, like every organization is different, then you can three tier it and say you’re going to finish the year in junior and like no player, no young player is going to be worsened by a little extra seasoning. Like it’s just not the case. We did we did the Memorial Cup and and I got to talk to Eastston Cowan, you know, a number of times throughout the course of that thing. And he said like, you know, going there there were people that would have said going back to junior for East Cowan last year was a waste of time. He’s like, not the case. Like I worked on all the details that I needed to in an environment where I know I can succeed in order to make sure that my game translates from junior to the NHL. So, right, at least you have options and you’re 100% right about that and you you can you can evaluate when the time comes, but that’ll be they’ll have to make that call now that now that it’s on the table. And uh when you talk about the world junior team for this year, McQueen, Ken, Misa, do honenko, rashy, Lindstöm, Bu, it is really deep at center ice. Some of those guys are in the NHL. Some of them are probably going to play the wing for the Canadian World Junior team. So, uh, Coots is by no means a lock, uh, despite this National Hockey League cameo of making that club. Okay, Frank, we have to talk about Elias Patterson now. Uh, see, we soft pedal you with the coot stuff. Blake is teaching me about the parenting sandwich. You know, positive, negative, finish with a positive. So, it’s a little sheltered. Yeah, that’s good. I like that. Yeah, you’ll use it with the girls at some point when they’re old enough. Um, so Foot is talking about changing up his linemates and just I want your two cents because you’re a best X’s and O’s guy. Does a Person de Brrisk Besser line just lack a puck retriever, a digger? Somebody who’s going to go and get the puck for Elias Andor Brock. Based on what I have seen from Elias Patterson this season, you know who his two line mates should be? A Vander Kane and Connor Garland. like that. That’s who he should be playing with for like you’re right. I would say on a really skilled line if you could have it your way, everyone can retrieve the puck and you can have three skilled players playing together. And then the next step down from that is let’s let’s get a a guy who’s a hound to go and get it for the guys that are skilled and can make plays. And if I look at the Person line with with Besser and De Brusk, who is that? like in a pinch. We we’ve seen Besser maybe try and do some things with his feet that um you know last year there’s some moments where like okay he’s trying to do a little more with his feet than maybe he he had done in the past and that’s fine but not something that’s necessarily natural to him. And honestly like with with Person Besser and and De Brusk those are guys that need to be the punch line. Like they need to be shooting the puck. Um, so, so someone needs to go get it. But Patterson’s almost at the point right now where forget about having one guy who can hound it. He needs two guys that can go hound pucks for him. Like, he needs he needs and and and if you were to put him with Garland and Kane, you got guys that can make plays with him. Like, they’re not lacking in the skill department. They’re they’re going to do a lot of the the grunt work that he needs. I don’t know. Like, you’re at the point with Person where the contract is what it is. you’re tied to it. And it sounds crazy to say that you need to help a guy who makes 11.6 million this much, but that’s where we’re at. You got to help him as much as you possibly can. And I think those two guys give him the the most possible help that you could have on a line at this point. Well, I’m not sure if you were aware or not, but Foot was talking about Garland and Kane as Personmates after practice yesterday. said he’s probably going to go that way tomorrow night in Dallas. And as you said, like are we mourning the loss of the guy that we thought would be the driver of a line, the guy that that made others around him better? Do you think that can still come back to Elas Patterson where he’s the the kingmaker rather than looking for one? Well, he’s got if if he’s going to be the kingmaker, it’s because he’s got the puck and and he’s he’s got to get it somehow like and and I just I just don’t see that, you know, the extra gear is is still it’s just it it never was like a a really significant extra gear and it’s certainly not the case right now. Um where where he’s going to make people better is when he’s he’s making plays. Um, and and I think he’s he’s he’s at the point where, you know, he he needs other people to make him better at this point. Like that’s that’s the flatout reality. And it’s not a great reality, but that’s that’s where we’re at. And it’s early into the year. And I I can honestly say that for the whole team right now in Vancouver. Like I I do get the sense in the market right now that there’s a little bit of like, oh no, here we go again. Sky is falling type type narrative building. It’s a new coach. There’s some new players on the team, like every team, like you you do need some time to to get things worked out, but not that much time because by the time you get into November, if you’re if you’re in a if you’re in a deficit and you’re not in a playoff spot, it’s hard to make that stuff up. Okay. So, is it November, Frank? Because Quinn Hughes gave a very solemn press conference after the uh loss to St. Louis on on Monday. Blake and I had a good debate about it yesterday, like one or one and two. Are you concerned yet or is it just it’s three games? At at you’ve been in rooms like at at what point does situation urgent situation critical set in off the start of a season? man after a loss in you know most teams like if there’s expectations around that team it’s like a morg around the dress room like guys are guys are pissed off and if you start doing that three out of four seven out of 10 whatever like that’s all you know and and that’s when it’s like it starts to weigh on everyone like one one loss is is is a fairly significant crappy feeling uh you know around the NHL Well, um, so you know, I once you start to get into November, I think it’s hard to get out of a funk and you’re going to have to like if you’re, you know, what is it, mid November, like we always talk about American Thanksgiving, sure, that seems to be like a a good barometer where you kind of your your standings indicate what you are as a team. could honestly be even sooner though because it’s it’s hard to put together magical runs for, you know, down the stretch. And and another thing with this year with the Olympic break, you know, being there in February, if you’re if you’re hot going into the break, it doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to be hot coming out of the break. And I guess vice versa, right? Like if you’re playing bad going in, you could you could come out of it hopefully playing better. I don’t know what would change other than just everyone getting a break. your roster is still going to be pretty much the same. But, um, you know, it’s I I think after 10 games, even with a new coach, even with new players, you should be you should have a pretty good idea of what your team is. I think 10 10 games should give you a good indication. What do you make of Kefir Sherwood this season coming off a 19goal year which obliterates his careerh high of 10 the previous year? He’s got three already. He’s been the best Kuck forward. Maybe him and Garland for different reasons. Um I mean he’s a free agent making 1.5 million. Like I don’t know that we’ve seen a career arc for a guy quite like this who’s blossoming at 30. Um I I don’t remember this happening. No, he’s a gamer. Yeah. No, he you’re you’re right, Matt. Like he’s he’s just he he’s just a gamer. And the thing I like about Sherwood is he’s not waiting for anyone to go do it. He’s not like, “Yeah, I’m going to follow soand so because he’s our leader.” Like this is a guy that you talk about like depth. Yes. But like also leadership on the ice, like doing it by example. That’s that’s what he does. like good good temperature for the game. Understanding that like if he throws a hit, if he does something to create some kind of energy in the game, like there should be people that that follow that. The the part that you know you would like to see though is when Kefir Sherwood is putting together a nice performance like he did against St. Lewis, you want to see other guys get dragged into that fight and you know, like cuz he’s going to be in there, but like that never really followed, you know, in in that game particularly. Um, but like I I I think what what he does is he’s such a self-starter and he tries to drag people in and that’s that’s the challenge now for this team. Like, you know, he’s going to be going. He’s got the Energizer Bunny, you know, type mentality. He’s hitting. got found some offensive touch. It’s all there for him. Um but you you like how consistently like he brings it night toight basis. If things don’t go Canucks’s way, what that’s a heck of a trade chip at the deadline. Like who doesn’t want Kefir Sherwood on their playoff team, right? And he was outstanding for Nashville in the playoff series against the Canucks two years ago. Yeah. Okay. You know what though? Like, okay, so I called the Habs verse Seattle last night and I was kind of thinking like watching Seattle, they look a lot better than they did last year. Thought last year they were really unorganized. They were just kind of out there playing, which they can’t do. Like they just don’t have the superstar power to play that way. But then I’m like, okay, a little better defensively. Goalies played excellent for the last couple seasons. Joey Dord like there’s no guarantee Vancouver like there’s no guarantee that Vancouver is not I don’t want to say not good but like a 94 95 point team. There’s no guarantee that LA like Matt you brought it up last week. I think there’s no guarantee LA is is a team that like has to be top three in the division. Then all of a sudden I’m watching Seattle and I’m going pretty nice blue line. Like Brandon Montour had 18 goals last year. Vince Dunn’s a hell of a player. Adam Larson pretty good shutdown guy. All world goalie. Jared McCann’s healthy. That’s a 40 goal scorer. Um like Tolvin’s a good goal scorer. Beneers looks more powerful than ever. And I’m like I wonder if there’s a little bit of like a closing of the gap if Vancouver and LA come down and Seattle figures it out. Like I that would be a little bit of a concern if I’m if I’m the Conucks right now. Yeah. They don’t have star power, but especially if some of those young players pop this year. Seattle has depth um and you know could play like they did in their second season when they got to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And incidentally, since he did that game last night, what a tribute to Ken Dryden. Wow. Uh, I mean, just perfect touches from the Montreal Canadians with his mask on the goal and the spotlight on the goal and his retired number, uh, and of course, uh, the ovation that he got. Okay. Uh, look, if we’re talking about the bottom falling out of the Canucks, like major long-term injury to a star player, that’s one way. Uh, but of course, every team has that to a degree. Um, another way would be Adam Foot and his staff are just so overmatched and you have another season where there’s dysfunction uh within the uh team. The other way is that they’re just so bad at center, Frank, that they can’t keep up on a night-to-ight basis and bleed too many points that way. Which brings me to our Redwoods Golf Course poll question. Would you say they’re desperate for a center as things stands right as things stand right now? Yeah. Yeah, they’re they’re desperate for a center, but what are you gonna do about it? I mean, you you tried you tried the kid. Um, and to, you know, not not his fault, but it just it wasn’t going to work. So, he’s going back to Junior, and now you’re looking at a situation where you need more from Person. Like, Filipino’s been fine. He’s got two goals. Like, I I don’t know. Like, he had the the one pizza the other night. Didn’t like that. Um, but, you know, he he’s he’s a 3A/2B if you want to call it that. But then, you know, it does drop off like not having Teddy Bluger. Um, that that hurts you. Um, you know, so, yeah, they’re they’re they’re probably more desperate than some other teams that that would need a a second line center or a center of any kind for that matter. Like, who who are a couple of the teams this summer that we’re talking about? Was it Montreal? Sure. They’re playing pretty well. They’re winning. Winnipeg Jets. Uh, they don’t have Lowry. Like they they’re still playing well. like looking for a second line center. They brought in Jonathan Taves. I mean, um, Vancouver is the team that we had the center conversation and now they’re off to a little bit of an inconsistent start, if you want to call it that. So, yeah, I would say it’s it’s getting closer to desperate time for a center iceman there. Yep, it’s looking that way. Frank, thanks for your time. Appreciate this. Until next week. Okay, boys. Have a good one.

TSN’s Frank Corrado is back to discuss the demotion of Cootes and what may lie ahead for the prospect, both this year and next. Frank also talks about the best lineup combination to get EP40 going, and the 2nd line centre urgency for the team. He also has thoughts on the strength of the Pacific division, and a surprise team that may battle the Canucks for a playoff position.

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