That was a game the Ducks essentially dominated control from start to finish and half of their roster slept through the game.
I don't think the canucks played poorly they were just remarkably outclassed. This was a game that showed the weakness of the blueline right now and it should be weak with 2 rookies and a sophmore combining for over 60 minutes and the other 3 guys being 5-7 types on good teams. A lot of lost puck battles, poor decisions, poor breakouts and poor clearances. The wingers were a contributing factor on the issues with clearances and breakouts.
I think the score was flattering and only close because a good chunk of the Ducks did sleep through the game.
Anyways...on changing a system to something more exciting. It doesn't matter what the system is, if the team is losing people are not going to be entertained for long. And really does it make sense to play a system where the team is going to lose even more? Is that really a help now or in the future?
More to the point you don't need to develop kids in a system you hope to play one day. To me that is the wrong way to do things. The system should be a reflection of the teams capabilities and this team quite frankly isn't capable so the trap is what they need to play. There is no guarantee the next coach or lineup can support the same type of system next year as it does now. A system is always changing, at least it should, depending on a variety of factors. Players need to be flexible. And they are.
Interestingly through the 5-4-1 stretch they have had right now that they seem quite proud of, they've lost ground on nearly everyone in a playoff spot. They've gained one point on Minnesota and two on Edmonton. That's how hard it is to gain ground in the NHL. To add: this game was the perfect demonstration of why this team needs to simply concentrate on rebuilding rather than looking for a wildcard spot. They don't have depth to withstand injuries and even healthy they barely have the horses to be competitive in the long run. Linden and Benning need to swallow their pride, put their egos aside and tear it down completely. If you can get some assets for your mediocre age gap players then do it.
Provies summarizes the gameplan well:
The coach played his best line less to get his fourth line more time.
He played Megna with the twins. He played Sutter with the twins.
The team did nothing to target KB2 who has been among the worst defencemen in the league.
And the Canucks basically just let Old 17 have his way all night.
http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/the-provies-willie-puts-the-w-in-wtf-old-17-gets-his-revenge-and-why-its-guddy-time