[Rumour] Oilers, and only the Oilers, are the finalist for Virtanen

[Big Erned Nevergivn]

Guy strikes me as a James Neal type but without all the early career success...

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Moneyhands23

Ya...just like it doesn't mean guilty.

Why would you want the team you associate with and cheer for to employ a person like Virtanen?

This incident aside, Virtanen has a long history or being an absolute dbag. He was acquitted, but I absolutely believe he did those things.

Would you have no problem employing Evander Kane as well?

This is Oiler type stuff.

[Lanny'sDaMan]

I sincerely hope The Caps swoop in and get him. Just for the salty Staples and Stauffer articles

[Erick Estrada]

This is one of the only times I hope the Flames lose out to the Oilers. Kind of disappointed if the Flames are truly interested. Baggage aside he was lazy and overweight in Vancouver so basically the opposite of what Darryl Sutter expects in a player.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

There have been people on this site who knew him and said he's a doosh. Bringing dooshes into your room is typically not a good idea.

Bringing a doosh into your room that actually sucks at hockey is just a braindead move.

Tons of bargain bin guys you can pick up instead. What's Lazar up to these days?

Pretty sure he actually took Jake Virtanen's job in Vancouver...3 years, $1M AAV with the Ducks.

[CaptainYooh]

I don't understand why so many here object to signing players with some personal issues in the past. We don't know the real details in most cases. Patrick Kane was accused (and subsequently acquitted) of rape, yet it would have been a dream to most of us here to have him play on the Huberdeau - Lindholm line somehow. For the record, I was in favour of signing Evander Kane both times he was available recently. Yes, he might be an a$$hole, but he can play hockey very well and, as it turned out, he has contributed significantly to the Oilers' series win over the Flames. Flames signed Todd Bertuzzi after his (almost criminal) hit and he has become an instant fan favourite. Flames had other fan-favorite players with serious substance abuse issues (Fleury, McGrattan, Ferland etc.). In the not so distant past without social media, general public didn't even know any of the players' personal issues. This is a game hockey, not Supreme Court nominations.

[Hot_Flatus]

^^^Yes, this holier than thou attitude is just pointless. There are numerous players with questionable pasts that we as fans know about, and even more that we don't. Obviously there's a line to be drawn, but if the player is deemed able to play by the league, it's the GMs job to be in on him if it could be an improvement to the team.

I'm more or less against it because he's just not very good.

[direwolf]

Do not want.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Perfect Oiler. He can go there, thanks.

[dammage79]

I'd have wanted Virtanen when he was younger when there was potential to still extract.

He couldn't even score in the KHL. I suspect "bidding war" is being very generously bandied about by Stauffer to falsely unflate the oil nation's ego.


All that being said, I also believe the Flames will have made 100 percent certain Virtanens ex teammates would even stomach him in the locker room if they thought they could get production out of him.

Because if your leadership core says no, then he's not coming to CGY. If they're cool with it. Then you have to ask if your heroes are all that much better for supporting and wanting to play with an acquitted alleged rapist.

[Dentoman]

Stauffer is a legit source now?

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Now he might be a scumbag, likely is, but we don't know that.

Anyone around hockey when he was with the Hitmen surely has a few Virtanen stories. When people talk about bad hockey culture, this is the poster boy.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

I don't understand why so many here object to signing players with some personal issues in the past. We don't know the real details in most cases. Patrick Kane was accused (and subsequently acquitted) of rape, yet it would have been a dream to most of us here to have him play on the Huberdeau - Lindholm line somehow. For the record, I was in favour of signing Evander Kane both times he was available recently. Yes, he might be an a$$hole, but he can play hockey very well and, as it turned out, he has contributed significantly to the Oilers' series win over the Flames. Flames signed Todd Bertuzzi after his (almost criminal) hit and he has become an instant fan favourite. Flames had other fan-favorite players with serious substance abuse issues (Fleury, McGrattan, Ferland etc.). In the not so distant past without social media, general public didn't even know any of the players' personal issues. This is a game hockey, not Supreme Court nominations.

Substance abuse issues are obviously entirely different than sexual assault.

But, also, you make it clear you understand perfectly fine why people don’t like it, you just disagree with their reasoning. Which is fine, but people can not want a player they don’t feel good about cheering on the team.

As you said, it’s hockey. We’re hockey fans. Liking the players is part of what make it enjoyable.

[FlamesAddiction]

There is still a pending civil case against him. It would look bad to have him on the team and then have to deal with the negative PR of having a player found liable for sexual assault.

He may not be found liable in the civil suit either, but why take the chance?

[ForeverFlameFan]

You guys are acting like he would be a mainstay in the lineup. I find it extremely difficult seeing him as a top 12 player.

[N-E-B]

Want absolutely no part of Jake Virtanen. He’s not a good person, regardless of the allegations against him.

[Moneyhands23]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Why would you want the team you associate with and cheer for to employ a person like Virtanen?

This incident aside, Virtanen has a long history or being an absolute dbag. He was acquitted, but I absolutely believe he did those things.

Would you have no problem employing Evander Kane as well?

This is Oiler type stuff.

I have never met him and really haven't seen a lot of legit bad press on him. Living in Victoria you think I would have heard something besides the court case.

[OldSam]

Ha. Ha. Ha. Being a finalist to sign a PTO with an exceedingly lazy, arrogant, not really good player is not something to brag about Stauffer. Would have been better to just pretend it never existed.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Or the Oilers planting stuff out there so when he signs with them it makes it look like they "won the bidding war".
Wouldn't put it past them.

This times 1000

Consider the source, this totally seems like a "we won the sweepstakes" plant

Like with Kane and Cambell who nobody else was giving term to

[Pickle Juice]

I feel like we have enough X Canucks on our team that Tre could have very easily done his homework on him.