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 [email protected] or tweet us @passittobulis. Or tell us some other way. The point is: we'll probably link it if we know about it.)
- Jason Botchford doesn’t think there’s any need to tone down the hype for Nikita Tryamkin because there really isn’t that much hype. Fans may be excited and intrigued, but Botchford thinks the expectations are lower than some might suggest. [The Province]
- On the other hand, here’s a video breaking down Tryamkin’s first practice. Hype! [Vancouver Sun]
- So what are reasonable expectations for Tryamkin? Keep in mind, he hasn’t been a point producer in the KHL. [One Canuck]
- Thomas Drance advises caution, as Tryamkin doesn’t fit the new trend of smaller, more mobile defensive defencemen like Chris Tanev. [Sportsnet]
- I love the warning to his teammates from Bo Horvat that kicks off this video: “Sven’s mic’d up!” As in, “Don’t say anything stupid!” But my favourite part has to be Baertschi chatting with Ryan Miller about whether his nose is broken or not. Baertschi’s nose, that is. Miller’s nose isn’t broken, it’s just his crooked eyes make it look that way.
- Does anyone actually think the Canucks should re-sign Matt Bartkowski? Anyone at all? Just in case, Jeremy Davis breaks down all of the statistical reasons why they really, really shouldn’t. [Canucks Army]
- Despite missing a third of the season with an injury, Anton Rodin was named the MVP of the Swedish Hockey League. The MVP award is named “The Gold Helmet” or Guldhjälmen in Swedish, which strikes me as a pretty awesome nickname: Anton “Guldhjälmen” Rodin. [Brynas]
- Recent Guldhjälmen winners that have made the transition to the NHL include Jakob Silfverberg and Mats Zuccarello, but both won it at a younger age than Rodin. The Canucks, who are hoping to bring him back to North America, would be thrilled if he could match Zuccarello, who already has 22 goals this season, but Silfverberg’s more modest point totals are a more reasonable expectation. [Wikipedia]
- The Canucks are not only out of the playoff race in the Pacific, but also have the toughest schedule down the stretch, which is welcome news for tank aficionados. [Last Word on Sports]
- Jim Benning intends to leave no stone unturned in his search for young talent for the rebuilding Canucks, which means they should be active in pursuing free agents out of the NCAA, Europe, and Junior. [Sportsnet]
- Finally, Jake Virtanen takes on Ben Hutton in Canucks trivia. [Facebook]
