Do you believe our "window" to win the Cup is still open?

[thepuckmonster]

MacKinnon here we come!

No stupid, were getting Seth Jones as he's now ranked to go #1 overall.

Is this where we predict that it will just be a DET-PIT threepeat? Seriously it's like some of you only like the Canucks to spew negativity about everything.

In all seriousness the window will be open for another 3-4 years with the current core, a few prospects breaking out and strategic FA signings.

 

[PG Canuck]

I think we already missed our window but that's just me. I honestly expect a repeat of last playoffs this year, maybe not in round 1 but our offence will dry up and we won't be able to overcome it.

And it'll all be Booth's fault!

 

[PG Canuck]

I think we'll stumble and won't be Cup favourite year after year anymore, but we'll still be competitive IMO. We have the prospects to stay competitive, and I can see us signing a few decebtly sized NHL names in the future too.

 

[Bleach Clean]

About windows: It's not always about player personnel either. It's about systems play and an organization wide methodology. It's now in this franchise's bloodstream to win and to always excel. That comes top down.



It's like NJ and DET, to a certain extent. It's that no matter the year, no matter the line-up, people throughout play the same way and are _expected_ to excel. That internal mandate creates a pressure that is unlike most organizations. It's why NJ stays relevant, year after year. The same with DET. Gillis has built that here.



You could see it a bit last year, when the team stunk down the stretch but they still pulled out wins. It's become an expectation here. With the same management and good coaching, there's no reason why it cannot continue.



Few franchises get to this point. There are only about 5-6 teams that are like this around the league.

 

[Royal Canuck]

The window is still open, but time is ticking, I think this year is our last year of being one of the top contenders for the cup.

 

[Shareefruck]

I'm normally the opposite of an optimist, but while the future of our forwards look pretty bleak, personally I think that the defense and goaltending looks pretty damn close to 100% perfect (as far as my expectations go) right now.

With a backend of

Garrison - Edler
Hamhuis - Bieksa
Ballard - Tanev

Schneider
Luongo??

This team's going to be in the playoffs for a long time (maybe not serious contenders though) even with below average forwards, IMO. A few moves here and there and there's still a ton of opportunity ahead.

Here's hoping that Luongo can actually bring some value.

As much as it looks like it's sloping downwards, I would still MUCH rather have this group (in their current/future state) over the next two or three years than the best we saw from the WCE era, very easily.

 

[Lonny Bohonos]

I'm normally the opposite of an optimist, but while the future of our forwards look pretty bleak, personally I think that the defense and goaltending looks pretty damn close to 100% perfect (as far as my expectations go) right now.

With a backend of

Garrison - Edler
Hamhuis - Bieksa
Ballard - Tanev

Schneider
Luongo??

This team's going to be in the playoffs for a long time (maybe not serious contenders though) even with below average forwards, IMO. A few moves here and there and there's still a ton of opportunity ahead.

Here's hoping that Luongo can actually bring some value.

As much as it looks like it's sloping downwards, I would still MUCH rather have this group (in their current/future state) over the next two or three years than the best we saw from the WCE era, very easily.

The nice thing with having Garrison is his apparent reliability and skillset gives us 2 very good defensive d units with offense capabilities. I think this takes some of the pressure off the 3rd unit I felt was a bit too much at times before. A guy like Tanev can then be developed nicely.

 

[Zombotron]

Yes, because the rest of the West, save for LA maybe, isn't anywhere near our level yet. (St. Louis is up there, but doesn't have the horses on offense to compete with us.) With a healthy second line, there's no reason the Canucks can't be the toast of the West this year. I understand that that's a pretty big "if," though.

I have confidence in Schneider after seeing him succeed in so many pressure-cooker situations last season, and the replacement of Salo with Garrison is a big positive in my eyes.

 

[Mikeshane]

Depends on what they can do with the second line. If they can get consistent production from that line especially during playoff time then they can compete with the big boys. Otherwise I just can't see them winning with the Sedin line having to carry so much of the scoring in the playoffs.

I think that means they need to add at least another forward to the current line up and either have Kesler be healthy or trade him. The team has so much riding on his broken body.

 

[Orca Smash]

I think its definately open and all we desperately need is a good 2nd line winger to look like a cup contending team when we are healthy, but it is closing slowly.

Unfortunately we have a huge hole there, and doan fell through or was not leaving phoenix anyway, and we did not get anyone at deadline, i am also not sure if roberto trade can bring a legit 2nd liner in.

But i do believe right now if we had a good 2nd line winger that complimented kesler (and booth or whoever) we could be contenders.

 

[Minimalist*]

No, not really. There are teams that are clearly better than us in the west. Namely St.Louis and LA. Chicago isn't far off either.

We aren't the best in the west anymore. Doesn't mean we can't win, but a lot will have to go right for us to see the finals anytime in the near future.

 

[ChilliBilly]

Don't really see the negativity here.

We pretty much have the same PT team here again. We have some hope for some youngsters, which will make a major difference, in Jensen, Schroeder and Kassian. Jensen I have high expectations for, Kassian is a probable future power forward who will be useful in some roll this year. Schroeder is a question mark; he could turn out to be another St Louis or another NHL/AHL tweener. Who knows.

But we have great goaltending (best in the league arguably), a top 4 in the league D corps and the Sedins are still elite players.

After having lived and died as a Canuck fan for 43 years, I am as optimistic as I have ever been.

 

[Biggest Canuck Fan]

The window certainly hasn't closed, as the Redwings have shown with 4 cups over an almost 10 year span... but the Canucks are not doing themselves any favours by changing the style which has made them successful, nor not allowing players like Jensen, losing patiance with Hodgson, misreading talent and trading Grabner... the team's MO was speed, and now it seems it is transitioning to slow plodding players with defensive prowess.

IMO they need to trade the Sedin's to get those slow, talented, big burly forwards then, and reshape the team if this is the way AV is going to go... Start by signing Arnott for your 3rd line centre.

on a side note: Why haven't they fired this schmuck of a coach, seriously.... a trap team...

 

[Jay Cee]

We should just perma-sticky "the window" thread instead of making a new one every 2-3 months.

 

[y2kcanucks]

I don't expect the Canucks to finish on top in the regular season again, and really, what improvements have we made to an offense that has scored 16 goals in its last 12 playoff games? I see no reason to expect anything different.

If we dump Luongo for Tyler Bozak or Marcel Goc our window will be nailed firmly shut.

 

[BrockH]

The window certainly hasn't closed, as the Redwings have shown with 4 cups over an almost 10 year span... but the Canucks are not doing themselves any favours by changing the style which has made them successful, nor not allowing players like Jensen, losing patiance with Hodgson, misreading talent and trading Grabner... the team's MO was speed, and now it seems it is transitioning to slow plodding players with defensive prowess.

IMO they need to trade the Sedin's to get those slow, talented, big burly forwards then, and reshape the team if this is the way AV is going to go... Start by signing Arnott for your 3rd line centre.

on a side note: Why haven't they fired this schmuck of a coach, seriously.... a trap team...

And I stopped reading here.

 

[stuffradio]

The window is open every time we make it to the playoffs.

 

[Angry Little Elf]

The window is open every time we make it to the playoffs.

Anything can happen in the Playoffs..

 

[AmazingNuck]

There's always a chance if you make the playoffs, but I don't think we'll win the Cup. The Sedins get shut down in the playoffs, but they are still force-fed minutes because they are our best players. They don't play with that much energy and aren't good defensively. They play a slow-paced game, which contradicts our fast paced system. Their playing time takes away from players that are good defensively and that do play with energy.

 

[KISSland]

The window with this core I give 2 years. Considering a huge chunk of that core will be gone once Luongo gets traded I'm being nice with 2 years.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

My thoughts.

The window for the Canucks to win the Cup this year is over unless something dramatic happens. Those thinking Kesler will come back and before close to anyone's expectations are deulsional since he essentially has not been healthy for 2 years. Booth may come back in 4-6 weeks but for someone who relies on speed and has a groin problem, he's essentially a write-off for this year.

This team essentially has to revert back to the 06/07 year when they relied on goaltending and solid defense. It worked for teams like LA and NYR and if the Canucks want to do anything this year that's the way it's got to be.

If everyone can stay healthy for next year, they can revert back to the President Truphy winning teams style of play but that's a big if.

My thinking is this, there is no better time to see what some of your younger players can produce in the NHL han right now. Schroeder and Kassian should be given ample time to play in all situations and develop when 2/3 of the second line is gone. If you don't find out what they can do now, when will it be? When everyone is healthy again and they get sent back down to the AHL?

The cap next year is only ~64M so the Canucks need to find out as much as possible right now before decisions need to be made on Higgins, Raymond, Manny, Edler and Luongo.

I don't have any expectations for this year (didn't anyway as I thought there would not even be a season) but hopefully the young guys can get some time to showcase what they can bring and this team will be better off for it next season.

 

[pitseleh]

I think this is it this year. The last of the team's value contracts expire at the end of this season, all of the team's key forwards are on the wrong side of the aging curve, there is little push from prospects below becoming quality NHLers in the short term (especially up front - Kassian and Jensen are a few years away from being quality players if they reach that point), and they will have to deal with a declining salary cap going forward (which is tougher in this team's case because they don't have any noticeably bad contracts other than Ballard's).

 

[Fat Tony]

Anything can happen in the Playoffs..

Like the President's Trophy winner getting trounced in the first round.

 

[Fat Tony]

The Sedins get shut down in the playoffs, but they are still force-fed minutes because they are our best players. They don't play with that much energy and aren't good defensively. They play a slow-paced game, which contradicts our fast paced system.

The team should be built around speed but the Sedins should be allowed to do what they do because they are so successful at it. You can't force these square pegs into a round hole. The last Canucks coach that really pushed players into roles that weren't suited to them was the immortal Bill Laforge.

 

[goodluckchuck]

I think the window has been closed. Teams have gotten better, the division has gotten stronger and our line ups are crap. Not to mention that we have one of the worst coaches in the league that refuses to change his strategy.

Most importantly, teams know how to stop our offense. The sedins get easily shut down in the playoffs. They need a big body to play with that has great hands ala bertuzzi, so teams don't abuse them.

This season the canucks need to build for the future. Play the younger players to gain experience going forward. With our depleted lineup, the chances of going deep in the playoffs is very slim, so this is the perfect opportunity to figure out who to keep for next year and which positions we need help in.

I honestly think we will make it as 8 or 7 seed, and lose in the first round again.