Canucks Sign Baertschi

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

He's clearly playing in the NHL. Their roster is completely devoid of offensive skill. Seriously, other than the Sedins and Vrbata, he's probably the most offensively gifted guy on the roster. That, of course, says absolutely nothing good about the team.

[Dion]

This might be his last chance to prove he belongs at the NHL level. He has the skills but lacks the confidence.

[Looch City]

I heard his initial offer was 5yr $5mil AVV.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I love hearing about Baerstchi on CP.

Then it's a good thing you opened a thread with Baertschi in the title to see what's going on.

[FireGilbert]

Wow, that is Paul Byron money!

[Jacks]

Hi Sven, this is Mr. Ferly, he'll be your dance partner today.

[AcGold]

He'll be back in Europe before 2017. He's too soft for the NHL, I played hockey from ages 7 to 19 and it was obvious when someone was soft or afraid of contact. Baertschi is one of those players, the more you lean on him the worse his game gets. He's got no bite down and get mad to his persona and it's why he'll never be able to play in the NHL, the more afraid you are to get hit the worse you get hit.

I remember getting pissed and getting absolutely rocked by players much larger when I tried to hit them, those hits were nothing compared to when I was afraid of getting hit and the other players knew it. They can smell it and exploit it.

No hard feelings for the guy but he's not going make it much longer in the league once his softness is exposed more.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Dion

This might be his last chance to prove he belongs at the NHL level. He has the skills but lacks the confidence.

That's a nice, generic statement, that is completely wrong. He has huge confidence. He has so much of it that he believes he should be an NHLer and wouldn't accept a two way contract. He has done so many things over the years that shows he has all the confidence in the world that he belongs at the NHL level.

He's only 22. I'm going to guess this isn't the absolute last chance he ever gets. Even Mark Girodano didn't even come back to the NHL (and returned to the Flames) until he was 25. The guy put up 179 points in 113 regular season games in Portland and another 61 points in 43 playoff games. He just had 30 points in 36 games in Utica.

Sven is very gifted offensively. He's young, and if he ever buys into a system, I think he'll do well in the NHL. Whether that happens remains to be seen. I hope he leaves Vancouver after this season and lights it up somewhere else.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

Wow, that is Paul Byron money!

I lucky guessed that in the Vancouver is no good thread.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

Sven is very gifted offensively. He's young, and if he ever buys into a system, I think he'll do well in the NHL. Whether that happens remains to be seen. I hope he leaves Vancouver after this season and lights it up somewhere else.

Why? Are you the type of person that befriends the type of guy that always butts in line? The guy has done nothing but badmouth the Flames since being traded. His career can crash and burn for all I care and I'm certainly not rooting for him and I'm not sure why any Flames fan would as he's an immature whiner that is still blaming his shortcomings on the Flames.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

That's a nice, generic statement, that is completely wrong. He has huge confidence. He has so much of it that he believes he should be an NHLer and wouldn't accept a two way contract. He has done so many things over the years that shows he has all the confidence in the world that he belongs at the NHL level.

Yet he was bypassed by other Flames prospects who earned a spot on the team. He was given ample opportunity to prove himself but couldn't do it as a Flame. Trelivig did the right thing in trading Bart and getting a second round pick.

He's only 22. I'm going to guess this isn't the absolute last chance he ever gets. Even Mark Girodano didn't even come back to the NHL (and returned to the Flames) until he was 25. The guy put up 179 points in 113 regular season games in Portland and another 61 points in 43 playoff games. He just had 30 points in 36 games in Utica.

A one year deal doesn't give him room for error and indocates to me the jury is still out on weather he can be a fulltime NHLer. Points in junior and the AHL aren't always a true indicator of that he can take it to the next level. I hope he makes it but I have my doubts.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

...He's only 22. I'm going to guess this isn't the absolute last chance he ever gets. Even Mark Girodano didn't even come back to the NHL (and returned to the Flames) until he was 25. The guy put up 179 points in 113 regular season games in Portland and another 61 points in 43 playoff games. He just had 30 points in 36 games in Utica.

Sven is very gifted offensively. He's young, and if he ever buys into a system, I think he'll do well in the NHL. Whether that happens remains to be seen. I hope he leaves Vancouver after this season and lights it up somewhere else.

I was a big booster of Baertschi's all the way up to his callup in November, but those 15 or so games that he played last season really soured me on his future as a NHL player. He didn't look bad, but he also didn't look very good.

He is too far removed now from those gaudy Juniour numbers for that to be really much of an impact on my opinion of him as a pro. While he looked pretty good at times in Utica, I'm not sure it is much to get all that excited about: He is a third-year pro who has not showed the sort of improvement that he should have in the course of those past three years. His skating is fine, but unspectacular. His shot is good, but not great. His vision is very good, but he struggles to carry or hold the puck. He is extremely tentative along the boards and in traffic. He is lackadaisical in the defensive zone. To me, this is the precise description of an AHL/NHL tweener, which is precisely what Beartschi has looked like for the better part of more than a calendar year now.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by AcGold

He'll be back in Europe before 2017. He's too soft for the NHL, I played hockey from ages 7 to 19 and it was obvious when someone was soft or afraid of contact. Baertschi is one of those players, the more you lean on him the worse his game gets. He's got no bite down and get mad to his persona and it's why he'll never be able to play in the NHL, the more afraid you are to get hit the worse you get hit.

I remember getting pissed and getting absolutely rocked by players much larger when I tried to hit them, those hits were nothing compared to when I was afraid of getting hit and the other players knew it. They can smell it and exploit it.

No hard feelings for the guy but he's not going make it much longer in the league once his softness is exposed more.

Sorry, you're basing your projections on someone else's professional hockey future on your extensive experience playing hockey when you were a kid? Serious?

I do tend to agree with your basic point though - I think if he does flame out, and there is a decent chance of it, he goes to Europe. Swiss league, KHL, whatever.

[FireGilbert]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I lucky guessed that in the Vancouver is no good thread.

Stop with the modesty, you are obviously a wizard.

[AcGold]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Sorry, you're basing your projections on someone else's professional hockey future on your extensive experience playing hockey when you were a kid? Serious?

I do tend to agree with your basic point though - I think if he does flame out, and there is a decent chance of it, he goes to Europe. Swiss league, KHL, whatever.

The obvious signs of a soft player are shying away from board battles and corners, watch Baertschi. He looks like he's staring into a cobra pit and the hesitation is when players like that get exploited.

Future projection of less physical league, I don't remember seeing anyone else in the league shy away from the action as much as he did. It's always possible to turn it around though, maybe when he gains some size.

[ricosuave]

Originally Posted by AcGold

Future projection of less physical league

Like, say. the Swiss league?

[Samiz]

Darnit. Was hoping it'd be a 6x6 contract

[FBI]

Nice new sig Dion

[David Struch]

Tom Baertschi

[calumniate]

I think he lacked truculence