Get your stuff Jake, you’re going back to Utica.
The Vancouver Canucks have reassigned Jake Virtanen to the Utica Comets for the second time in eight days. The move comes just three days after they recalled the 20-year-old former first round pick.
If you’re utterly confused at this point, you’re not alone.
As I outlined in yesterday’s article, the important thing for a young player like Virtanen is to play games.
See also
- Whether Canucks or Comets, Jake Virtanen needs to play
- SixPack: Rangers outclass and outscore Canucks
Virtanen was called up on Sunday and attended practice on Monday and the morning skate on Tuesday. He didn’t play in the Canucks’ 7-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
This begs the question: what changed?
Was something said after he was healthy scratched? And why was he called up just to be sat out in the first place?
When quizzed about the bizarre move to call Virtanen up if he wasn’t going to get into the lineup (ahead of Jack Skille and Michael Chaput, I might add), head coach Willie Desjardins left the media with this gem on Tuesday:
asked why JV18 is back after 2 gms if he's not playing, willie said: he didn't have his stuff on road & couldn't leave him there w/o stuff
— Jason Botchford (@botchford) November 15, 2016
So there you have it. Jake didn’t have his stuff.
This begs a few more questions:
- How could he not have enough stuff when he was already on a six-game road trip?
- Does Utica have a shortage of laundromats?
- Are there no pharmacies in Utica to get more toothpaste?
- Stuff? What stuff?
The series of events and the “stuff” comment has turned this tragedy into a comedy.
It's almost impressive how the Canucks can make the right move — having Virtanen in the AHL — yet still screw it up.
— Mike Halford (@HalfordPHT) November 16, 2016
But hey, as long as Virtanen is playing somewhere, it’s the right move. It’s just that everyone is left scratching their heads.
The Comets have four games left on a six-game homestand, with games today, Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday.
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