<p>What is the preseason for if not to dramatically cling onto every single play or decision made and then obsess over them until the real games begin?</p>
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<p>Last preseason, I started a series called <em>Jumping to Conclusions</em>, a place to hedge ridiculous takes entirely based on moderately positive and/or underwhelming efforts. This year, we&#8217;re bringing it back for all six of the Vancouver Canucks&#8217; exhibition matchups before the regular season starts on October 9.</p>
<p>And if last year was a measuring stick, the Canucks have already cleared a bar by not losing 10-0 in their first preseason game. Not only that, but they actually <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/instant-reaction-arturs-silovs-canucks-win-kraken">won over the Seattle Kraken</a> in a gritty, low-scoring affair that never felt in doubt. Talk about year-over-year improvement!</p>
<p>Now let&#8217;s jump to some conclusions.</p>
<h2>Arturs Silovs is the new best goalie in the NHL</h2>
<p>If people were worried about the Canucks&#8217; chances of winning without Thatcher Demko, Arturs Silovs just put a comforting arm on everyone&#8217;s shoulder and said, &#8220;Don&#8217;t worry, I got this.&#8221;</p>
<p>Whatever knee issue was keeping him out of Latvia&#8217;s Olympic qualifiers appears to be far in the rearview mirror. Silovs made a series of key saves with the Canucks holding a one-goal lead, including this leaning stop across the goal mouth in the final minutes.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Arturs Silovs is putting on a show tonight! 👏👏</p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/C0qdXbFfS9">pic.twitter.com/C0qdXbFfS9</a></p>
<p>&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1838799223283712079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Silovs&#8217; 19-save performance didn&#8217;t mean he was under siege all night, but he kept the puck out when it mattered most. And that&#8217;s the type of confidence you want in your goaltender to start a season.</p>
<h2>Jonathan Lekkerimäki is going to win the Calder. And the Art Ross. And the Hart.</h2>
<p><a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/canucks-game-day-stars-abbotsford-flames">Jonathan Lekkerimäki&#8217;s</a> first period was definitely a feeling-out process. But it only took those 20 minutes for him to already look a lot more acclimated to the pace of play.</p>
<p>From the middle frame on, Lekkerimäki was making better decisions and created opportunities, first getting the secondary assist on Filip Hronek&#8217;s slapshot goal. But his best play came in the final minutes of the game.</p>
<p>With a Kraken empty net on the other side, Lekkerimäki corralled the puck near the right faceoff circle. Knowing that linemate Pius Suter was already streaking towards the middle of the ice, Lekkerimäki spun and banked the puck off the boards right to Suter, who hit the open net.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨Canucks Goal🚨</p>
<p>Puis Suter scores an empty netter to put the Canucks up by two late in the third period! </p>
<p>That&#39;s two assists on the night for Jonathan Lekkerimäki!</p>
<p>🎥: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/awZqse1wAG">pic.twitter.com/awZqse1wAG</a></p>
<p>&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1838800457956770170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Most NHL rookies would take the fastest route to get the puck out of the zone rather than the smartest in that close a game. Lekkerimäki is already making the kind of choices a veteran would, and that bodes extremely well for the role he&#8217;ll play this year.</p>
<h2>Aatu Räty is making the team</h2>
<p><a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/tocchet-vancouver-canucks-nights-open-preseason">Aatu Räty</a> has arguably the hardest road to making the Canucks out of any player, but that hasn&#8217;t stopped him from trying to make that decision tougher for management.</p>
<p>Räty&#8217;s presence was felt all over the scoresheet. He created the initial set-up and earned an assist on Nils Hoglander&#8217;s opening goal. He got opportunities on both the power play <em>and</em> the penalty kill. But best of all, he won 77% of his draws in the faceoff dot, despite spending the majority of his last season in Abbotsford deployed as a winger.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Raty with a completely full stat line<br />an assist<br />2 shots on 5 attempts<br />3 hits<br />a giveaway and a takeaway<br />2 blocked shots<br />14 &amp; 4 in face-off circle</p>
<p>&mdash; Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) <a href="https://twitter.com/patersonjeff/status/1838799934642098377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>After such a strong preseason debut, it&#8217;ll be interesting to see what Räty does for an encore in tonight&#8217;s tilt with the Calgary Flames.</p>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365!</strong></p>
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What is the preseason for if not to dramatically cling onto every single play or decision made and then obsess over them until the real games begin?
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2111" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="329"></div>
&nbsp;

Last preseason, I started a series called <em>Jumping to Conclusions</em>, a place to hedge ridiculous takes entirely based on moderately positive and/or underwhelming efforts. This year, we're bringing it back for all six of the Vancouver Canucks' exhibition matchups before the regular season starts on October 9.

And if last year was a measuring stick, the Canucks have already cleared a bar by not losing 10-0 in their first preseason game. Not only that, but they actually <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/instant-reaction-arturs-silovs-canucks-win-kraken">won over the Seattle Kraken</a> in a gritty, low-scoring affair that never felt in doubt. Talk about year-over-year improvement!

Now let's jump to some conclusions.
<h2>Arturs Silovs is the new best goalie in the NHL</h2>
If people were worried about the Canucks' chances of winning without Thatcher Demko, Arturs Silovs just put a comforting arm on everyone's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I got this."

Whatever knee issue was keeping him out of Latvia's Olympic qualifiers appears to be far in the rearview mirror. Silovs made a series of key saves with the Canucks holding a one-goal lead, including this leaning stop across the goal mouth in the final minutes.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1838799223283712079

Silovs' 19-save performance didn't mean he was under siege all night, but he kept the puck out when it mattered most. And that's the type of confidence you want in your goaltender to start a season.
<h2>Jonathan Lekkerimäki is going to win the Calder. And the Art Ross. And the Hart.</h2>
<a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/canucks-game-day-stars-abbotsford-flames">Jonathan Lekkerimäki's</a> first period was definitely a feeling-out process. But it only took those 20 minutes for him to already look a lot more acclimated to the pace of play.

From the middle frame on, Lekkerimäki was making better decisions and created opportunities, first getting the secondary assist on Filip Hronek's slapshot goal. But his best play came in the final minutes of the game.

With a Kraken empty net on the other side, Lekkerimäki corralled the puck near the right faceoff circle. Knowing that linemate Pius Suter was already streaking towards the middle of the ice, Lekkerimäki spun and banked the puck off the boards right to Suter, who hit the open net.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1838800457956770170

Most NHL rookies would take the fastest route to get the puck out of the zone rather than the smartest in that close a game. Lekkerimäki is already making the kind of choices a veteran would, and that bodes extremely well for the role he'll play this year.
<h2>Aatu Räty is making the team</h2>
<a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/tocchet-vancouver-canucks-nights-open-preseason">Aatu Räty</a> has arguably the hardest road to making the Canucks out of any player, but that hasn't stopped him from trying to make that decision tougher for management.

Räty's presence was felt all over the scoresheet. He created the initial set-up and earned an assist on Nils Hoglander's opening goal. He got opportunities on both the power play <em>and</em> the penalty kill. But best of all, he won 77% of his draws in the faceoff dot, despite spending the majority of his last season in Abbotsford deployed as a winger.

https://twitter.com/patersonjeff/status/1838799934642098377

After such a strong preseason debut, it'll be interesting to see what Räty does for an encore in tonight's tilt with the Calgary Flames.

<strong>Sponsored by bet365!</strong>
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Jumping to Conclusions: 3 dramatic takes from the Canucks’ preseason win over Kraken

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