Canucks quietly have the deepest forward group in the league

[admiralcadillac]

I can’t really find any other team aside from St Louis and Colorado that has a more well rounded, balanced and potential threat line up than the Canucks.

Miller, Pettersson, Horvat, that’s 90-100 goals alone down the middle. I don’t think there’s any team with that type of scoring punch down the middle. Not to mention Boeser having a down year last season due to family reasons. He’s easily good for 25 goals on the wing.

Then you have another 25, potential 30 goal scorer in Mikheyev, 50+ playmaker in Garland, Podkolzin who will definitely build from last season potting perhaps another 20-20-40pts. That’s not even mentioning Kuzmenko who could very well be another Panarin type player. Even Pearson is good for 35-40 points including 15-20+ goals.

Demko is a top 5 goaltender in the league, and there’s Hughes and OEL (albeit overpaid) are 2 elite defenseman who make their partners much better than they are (Schenn and Myers).

With the amount of team defense this team has with the additions of Lazar, Mikheyev, Joshua, and even Dickinson, having that hole on the right side is manageable. Canucks were top 5 in the league in fewest even strength goals allowed with that atrocious right side, in large part thanks to OEL and his brains. PK was the main issue on defense but that should be improved.

I just can’t really think of a more well balanced group, especially the forward group, with an average age of 25 years old.

Why are you talking about Demko in the context of the forward group?

 

[not a troll]

You want a real answer or is this a 'le epic troll' question?

His game reads are phenomenal. Many times last year there was a 2-on-1 shaping up against him and he knew the precise timing and angle to challenge the puck carrier while the puck was bobbling. These were moments that would have been 2-on-0's if he had been wrong, but he never was.

Wow, so special. Even Jack Johnson made those plays.

 

[Paradise Circus]

"Demko is a top 5 goaltender in the league"
- He's a good one, but Shesterkin, Vasilevsky, Sorokin, Saros, Markstrom, Andersen, Jarry are all better.

I have to disagree with Andersen and Jarry and possibly Marky after that catastrophic playoff he had.

Not even Canuck's fans think this.

haha right?

 

[Byron Bitz]

I don’t think it looks like anything special

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

Wow, so special. Even Jack Johnson made those plays.

It's okay if you don't understand the game, but there's no reason to announce it from the mountain tops.

 

[not a troll]

It's okay if you don't understand the game, but there's no reason to announce it from the mountain tops.

Says the guy who thinks challenging the puck carrier on a 2-on-1 is something special

 

[Big Bobby]

The disrespect for the Canucks in here man. Take a look at their record under BB last year from early Dec onward. IMO that's a playoff team if he was there from the start of the year. It's not hard to envision them sliding into the top 3 in the Pacific. I really think people are starting to overrate the Oilers just a bit. Obviously 29 and 97 are other worldly, but I'm not very impressed with their team outside of them, to be totally honest. I guess we'll see how it plays out, but it wouldn't shock me if Van finishes ahead of them.

 

[LemonSauceD]

The disrespect for the Canucks in here man. Take a look at their record under BB last year from early Dec onward. IMO that's a playoff team if he was there from the start of the year. It's not hard to envision them sliding into the top 3 in the Pacific. I really think people are starting to overrate the Oilers just a bit. Obviously 29 and 97 are other worldly, but I'm not very impressed with their team outside of them, to be totally honest. I guess we'll see how it plays out, but it wouldn't shock me if Van finishes ahead of them.

I don’t know why Canucks always get shit talked the most on these boards lol

 

[jd22]

I don’t know why Canucks always get shit talked the most on these boards lol

Because there are four overbearing Canucks posters here that completely overpower the majority of Canuck-fan-posters by sheer post volume and shitpoisting.

Deserved, for those four.

 

[Rory Mac]

This happens every year. Canucks fans look at our group with optimism and see everyone playing to their potential. Every year we fall way short of that. It's not surprising without evidence to the contrary that non-Canucks fans aren't convinced.

It's entirely possible that the Canucks under Boudreau play well enough to get into the playoffs, but a lot of teams also have long hot and cold streaks in a season. 82 games is a lot and I'm not buying my playoff tickets until they're confirmed. There isn't a team in the Pacific that has proven beyond doubt to have locked up the division. The flames went from 55 points in 56 games in 20/21 to 111 in 82 is 21/22. While I don't expect the same for the Canucks, it wouldn't surprise me if it happened either.

It's all the will of the hockey gods. Just clench your cheeks like every other fan and enjoy the magic.

 

[RabidOne]

MAKAR IS 6'0 205

Colorado's website says 5'11" 187

Cale Makar Stats And News

Get all the latest stats, news, videos, and more on Cale Makar.

www.nhl.com

 

[Beezeral]

I don’t know why Canucks always get shit talked the most on these boards lol

read your OP again. That's why

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

Says the guy who thinks challenging the puck carrier on a 2-on-1 is something special

I can't imagine what it's like to be so smugly and willfully obtuse.

You know there's a difference between the way you drive a car and the way an F1 driver drives a car, right?

Or do you think, "LMAO XD he gets paid millions to turn on an ignition, put his foot on a pedal, and use a steering wheel XD XD"?

Yes, any D can challenge the puck carrier on a 2-on-1. But some are elite at making reads on how and when to do so.

I can't make it any more simple than this, if you're still confused then I'd blame the school system or your parents.

 

[Big Bobby]

I don’t know why Canucks always get shit talked the most on these boards lol

Most Canadian teams get it. I would say Edmonton and Toronto take way more of a beating than the Canucks, but yeah, Vancouver definitely does take some shots, that's for sure. Nothing compared to the early 2010's though. I remember lurking a few times back in those days, and the level of jealously and vitriol directed toward those Canuck teams on these boards was unreal.

 

[TheStatican]

Daymn... OP bringing the comic relief!

Thank you for making the summer a little less boring "Lemonsauce"

 

[not a troll]

I can't imagine what it's like to be so smugly and willfully obtuse.

You know there's a difference between the way you drive a car and the way an F1 driver drives a car, right?

Or do you think, "LMAO XD he gets paid millions to turn on an ignition, put his foot on a pedal, and use a steering wheel XD XD"?

Yes, any D can challenge the puck carrier on a 2-on-1. But some are elite at making reads on how and when to do so.

I can't make it any more simple than this, if you're still confused then I'd blame the school system or your parents.

Wow you’d think someone with such elite skills would be highly coveted by the Canucks who can’t play defense worth a damn but here they are wanting to trade him.

Keep telling me more about how elite he is.

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

Wow you’d think someone with such elite skills would be highly coveted by the Canucks who can’t play defense worth a damn but here they are wanting to trade him.

Keep telling me more about how elite he is.

Yeah, ignore context. Don't worry about the fact that his contract's length is the concerning aspect.

He's a really good defence man. If you actually watched the games (or understood hockey) you'd know that. Why do you assume that teams only trade bad players?

 

[Tairy Greene]

It's a balanced forward group I guess? Anyone would take a more top heavy group like Edmonton or Toronto over Vancouvers group though. You're better off having a dominant top 6 and average bottom 6 than vice versa.

 

[Alienblood]

Colorado's website says 5'11" 187

Cale Makar Stats And News

Get all the latest stats, news, videos, and more on Cale Makar.

www.nhl.com

old news

 

[TheUnusedCrayon]

Kuzmenko is better than nine NHLers sight unseen huh?

I know why the crayons are unused. Someone ate them,

Crazy how the Canucks get better and better over the course of every summer.....and then the regular season starts.

Yeah some of us scout and watch video and see how a player thinks the game. You can go watch him online right this very instant. He's got good hands, is creative, is a good playmaker and is good around the net. Due to his creativity, he's a risky player with the puck and sometimes overhandles it into poor situations but some of us who watch hockey outside of the NHL and see players who don't play in the NHL try their hand at the league can get a general sense of how they will do based on how they perform elsewhere.

Crazy how that works, hey?

 

[ColbyChaos]

This years Canucks team with their deep forward and DCore could go down as one of the greatest teams in nhl history along with the 84 oilers 77 Habs, and 2001 Aves the 2011 Canucks.


Can’t believe we are witnessing history right now

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

Yeah some of us scout and watch video and see how a player thinks the game. You can go watch him online right this very instant. He's got good hands, is creative, is a good playmaker and is good around the net. Due to his creativity, he's a risky player with the puck and sometimes overhandles it into poor situations but some of us who watch hockey outside of the NHL and see players who don't play in the NHL try their hand at the league can get a general sense of how they will do based on how they perform elsewhere.

Crazy how that works, hey?

But that requires being a hockey fan and not just an emotionally immature person who enmeshes their own sense of identity with their hockey team.

 

[Hockey 4 Life]

I don’t know why Canucks always get shit talked the most on these boards lol

Maybe top 5 in that regard but definitely not first. I'd say its Leafs, Oilers, Canucks.

 

[wetcoast]

Am I missing something? That lineup doesn't look deep at all. Kuzmenko is a complete question mark in the NHL. Hoglander and Podkolzin haven't shown much in the NHL yet. Dickinson isn't a playoff caliber 3C and Lazar is a blah 4C.

Podkolzin has a nice stretch to finish off the season and coach BB is a fan so I expect more progression from him and EP needs to be more like stretch EP than first 40 games EP.

Dickinson shouldn't even really be in the NHL IMO and he will have a tough time finding a new home when his contract expires after the 23-24 season.

The disrespect for the Canucks in here man. Take a look at their record under BB last year from early Dec onward. IMO that's a playoff team if he was there from the start of the year. It's not hard to envision them sliding into the top 3 in the Pacific. I really think people are starting to overrate the Oilers just a bit. Obviously 29 and 97 are other worldly, but I'm not very impressed with their team outside of them, to be totally honest. I guess we'll see how it plays out, but it wouldn't shock me if Van finishes ahead of them.

As a Canuck fan I would be extremely surprised if we finished ahead of the Oilers.

 

[ColbyChaos]

I don’t know why Canucks always get shit talked the most on these boards lol

Between this thread and all the posts on the best team to never win a cup thread it’s safe to say it’s completely self inflicted.

You got this thread saying they have the best depth, posts in the other thread saying are the 4th best team of all time with 6 top pairing D, it’s just hilarious. The only stinker is people who disagree with them receive infractions for flaming when they are just pointing out the truth