there's a reason why they call the last 20 games of the regular season the playoffs, the NHL's 'second season'. The ice gets smaller; refs put their whistles in their pockets; and puck battles ultimately determine winners from losers.
So it's hardly surprising to me that the young guys like Pettersson and Boeser are struggling. This is the point in the season where you're looking to the vets to step into the breach.
Except that the Canucks don't have any veterans who're capable of 'stepping into anything' unless it's the first tee on the golf course. They're either ineffective, hurt or just mailing it in. Without Markstrom this team wouldn't even have been playing 'meaningful games' in February, much less March.
It's a shame that a 20 year old hockey player has to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Sadly, that's just where the Canucks are right now.
And the Sedins didn't want to battle for this team anymore when they
very plainly to everyone with eyes was physically able to.
Everyone remember that thread we had about culture a month ago?
TOXIC.
This is the current culture of YOUR Canucks.
These placeholders/mercenaries/NHLPA-retirement-slush-fund-beneficiaries/whatevertheeffyouwannacalltheseefffaces are eating up OUR cap space and they're wasting OUR time. Yours and mine.
Jim Benning doesn't give a crap about the long term success of your Vancouver Canucks.
Anyone with a brain can add and subtract how many futures has been lost and how many futures have been gained since Benning became GM.
FUTURES.
Not Linden Vey. Not Emersen Etem. Not Derek Dorsett. Not Brandon Sutter. Not Loui Eriksson. Not Ryan Miller. Not Sam Gagner. Not Adam Clendening.
No personal offense intended but eff every single trash hockey player Benning has put on this team.
And our 2011 core.
The last group of hockey players that actually cared for this team and this franchise.
Disrespected and discarded like trash.
DRAFT PICKS.
Drafted players who are treated well by their organization eventually see their organization as family. Not the Tanner Pearsons or the Josh Leivos or the Sven Baertschis. Draft picks.
Speaking of draft picks, how about that Jared McCann?
Gone for effing Eric Gudbranson.
Draft picks are the key because just like how you can't pick your family, draft picks don't pick their teams.
...
At this point of time, I very seriously question the fanhood of anyone that is truly supporting this management team.
I really do.