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Told you so? Torts approves of Canucks’ youth movement

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Even though Jared McCann has had early success in Vancouver, ProHockeyTalk's Jason Brough wonders if he'll be able to keep up this pace for the entire year. Mike Halford believes that Canucks fans should enjoy the ride.

Remember when John Tortorella called the Canucks “stale” and said they needed more “youth”?

Yeah, so does he.

“I said it to you guys when I left, I think that is what needed to happen there,” Tortorella told visiting Vancouver reporters today in Columbus. “They are in good hands. When you are going that route you need to stay patient because there are going to be some bumps.”

The Canucks have multiple youngsters on the roster this season. Jared McCann and Jake Virtanen are 19, Bo Horvat is 20, Ben Hutton is 22, and Sven Baertschi is 23. Four of those five were first-round draft picks.

The one disastrous season Torts was behind Vancouver’s bench, 2013-14, he didn’t have the luxury of NHL-ready, young talent. Zack Kassian was the youngest regular, and he was 22.

Tortorella’s Blue Jackets host the Canucks Tuesday in Columbus.