Vancouver Canucks F Jake Virtanen Needs a Stint in the AHL
The Vancouver Canucks have a very good prospect in forward Jake Virtanen, but he isn’t playing his game right now.
Jake Virtanen has all the tools to become a very good hockey player for the Vancouver Canucks. However, seven games into the season, he’s not using any of those tools successfully.
Virtanen stands at 6-foot-1 and weighs in at 229 pounds. Those statistics alone scream big, physical power forward. For the most part, that’s what we’ve seen from Virtanen since he joined the Canucks.
This year, there’s something different. Virtanen isn’t throwing big body checks like we’ve become accustomed to seeing. In the first seven games, there have been only two instances of physicality that are really worth mentioning.
There was the incident against Carolina when he shoved the head of Hurricanes’ forward Joakim Nordstrom into the boards. Last night, Virtanen tried to throw a body check but it looked like he ended up doing more damage to himself than Ottawa Senators forward Tom Pyatt.
Virtanen not looking exactly durable or healthy here….. pic.twitter.com/4HDaZj0Z12
— Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) October 26, 2016
I’m not a doctor but that looks like someone who still isn’t fully recovered from an injury. Virtanen suffered a shoulder injury in the first game of the preseason against the San Jose Sharks. He missed a large chunk of preseason but ultimately did get into a few games.
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Before the season, I was totally against sending Virtanen to the Utica Comets. I thought his size and speed were too integral to the Canucks for him to be removed from the lineup. Now, I think it’s probably in his best interest to go to Utica.
In last night’s game against the Senators, Virtanen was on the fourth line with Jayson Megna and Brendan Gaunce. In the Canucks’ lineup, that was the best spot for him because of the way he’s played through seven games.
However, when you’re developing a prospect, giving him eight to 10 minutes a night isn’t the best strategy. For young players, it’s incredibly important that they’re getting a lot of ice time on a nightly basis in order to develop, make mistakes, and learn from mistakes. Virtanen isn’t getting that in Vancouver.
There’s also the Nikita Tryamkin factor. We’re all aware that he’s currently refusing to go to Utica. However, If the Canucks send Virtanen to the Comets and he comes back as a better hockey player, it could serve as motivation for Tryamkin to accept the same fate.
Regardless of the Tryamkin factor, though, Virtanen should not be with the Vancouver Canucks right now. He’s not getting the playing time he needs and he might still be battling some injuries and could use the conditioning stint. Even though it’s hard to see that happen when players like William Nylander are ripping it up in the NHL, it’s what is best for Virtanen and the Canucks at this point in time.
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