How do we feel about Vancouver these days?

[Team_Spirit]

Only tight teams win. Having their top 2 forwards mentally check out would be devastating for any team regardless of their talent pool.

*unless they are the juggernaut Oilers of 40 years ago like Elon Musk just pointed out

 

[Bertuzzzi44]

Like a box of chocolates, each game’s different, haven’t built any traction. Demko’s injury issues starting from last playoffs has kind of thrown a wrench into things. This was supposed to be the season they took the next step to become a contender. Lots of frustration and infighting; win, loss, win, loss all season long. Have to start a winning streak to prevent a shake up from happening.

 

[M2Beezy]

Neutral

I like this objective post

 

[Kegs]

Lots of crows in Vancouver.

 

[LTIR]

Debrusk out Zadorov in would make Nucks a much better team.
Would still be missing a top line forward like Horvat up front to really be considered a contender.

 

[57special]

I'm old, they were a great team. Kurri was one of my favorite players as a kid.

You're old when you think Tim Horton is a hockey player, not a donut chain.

 

[Grifter3511]

I never get this getting along with one another though.

Paul Coffey was an outcast in Edmontons locker room. Messier was a party animal. They made it work.

Anderson was a party animal and had a guy die in his pool before game 7

These guys were pros. They made it work. Hell Fuhr was on snow lol

They were just that good

You can't seriously compare young men (in this case) from the 80s with today. Today's youth/young adults are all up in their feelings and if they aren't catered to specifically the way their parents did, their anxiety spikes and they need time away from their team.

 

[Grifter3511]

Canucks have talented players. Something isn't working out. That was my comparison.

Every team has 'some' talented players. They're short 2 forwards that should legitimately make up a top 6 (Pettersson, Miller, Boeser, Debrusk, that's it) and as everyone and their grandmother's could tell since the offseason, they have a #1 D, a 2-3ish D in Hronek, and then a whole bunch of 5-7 AHL fodder.

 

[nowhereman]

not a very good team this year, just as most predicted

That's not even remotely true. The vast majority of analyst predictions saw them ranging from a surefire playoff team to a contender. Very few "pundits" saw their two star centers falling off, their #2 defenseman getting sidelined for months, their Vezina-finalist goaltender completely tank his return from injury, their best grinder get cancer, and their room devolve into the "Lord of the Flies". Almost everything has gone wrong for them this season.

 

[zar]

 

[Chairman Maouth]

Talented team that has not fired on all cylinders most games. They seem to alternate playing a bad game after a good game. They played great against the Caps last night. That means they will probably lose tomorrow, although they have a decent road record.

 

[Quinning]

We have a generational talent, two star forwards that are playing at 60% of their true potential, and a bunch of spare parts.

It was nice having one fun season again, but this franchise has been pretty lousy for 12 years. There's a video on YouTube that shows just how many talented players they mismanaged, traded or otherwise passed on in the last decade...just utterly brutal.

Last year was unfortunately the only time they all played well most of the year, and even then Pettersson fell off a cliff in February

That's the problem, they're like the Avalanche of 2003-2004. Great individual pieces that are never clicking and playing well at the same time. If one is on, the other is off and so forth. You can't win like that in this league.

 

[crowi]

Talked about too much. Fans have illogical need to prove things and they can't move on.

 

[BIeucheeseWithWings]

PDO! PDO! PDO!

 

[Regal]

Every team has 'some' talented players. They're short 2 forwards that should legitimately make up a top 6 (Pettersson, Miller, Boeser, Debrusk, that's it) and as everyone and their grandmother's could tell since the offseason, they have a #1 D, a 2-3ish D in Hronek, and then a whole bunch of 5-7 AHL fodder.

Garland is a top 6 forward. And the majority of teams don’t have 6 clear cut top 6 forwards and rely on their stars to carry a line and have tweeners like Joshua and Hoglander (who have both struggled) to fill in the gaps. Pettersson and Miller underperforming is the issue

 

[Grifter3511]

Garland is a top 6 forward. And the majority of teams don’t have 6 clear cut top 6 forwards and rely on their stars to carry a line and have tweeners like Joshua and Hoglander (who have both struggled) to fill in the gaps. Pettersson and Miller underperforming is the issue

Forgot about Garland. I still stand by my point that it's a weak top 6 but even worse is the defense. It's not a playoff defense.

 

[Duodenum]

A last place team in playoff contention due to the heroics of the best dman in the league, Quinn Hughes.

Should be a back to back Norris winner and if the Canucks make the playoffs, he deserves the Hart as well.

 

[Canucks LB]

They are just a weird weird hockey team

 

[Regal]

Forgot about Garland. I still stand by my point that it's a weak top 6 but even worse is the defense. It's not a playoff defense.

I think the top 6 and forward group as a whole is above average but not elite if those two are playing up to par. But yea the defense is awful after Quinn and Hronek, and further hurting the forwards because they can’t get out of the zone. And the goaltending when Lankinen hasn’t been in net has been largely bad as well, which is exacerbated by the bad defense

 

[Grifter3511]

I think the top 6 and forward group as a whole is above average but not elite if those two are playing up to par. But yea the defense is awful after Quinn and Hronek, and further hurting the forwards because they can’t get out of the zone. And the goaltending when Lankinen hasn’t been in net has been largely bad as well, which is exacerbated by the bad defense

Yeah idk. Boeser is a low end 1st line winger at best. After that debrusk and garland are 2nd liners at best. Pettersson and Miller at their peak are both 1st line Cs but we're almost a year removed from seeing Pettersson ar that level, so what does that leave us with? Miller who can be a 1st line C when he's in the mood, a complimentary winger in Boeser who doesn't bring much outside of his shot, and then a couple of seconds liners with whatever Petey is now.

And its gotta be hard for Demko. The defense in front of him is night and day from what it was when he got injured. He also seems to be on borrowed time with the Schneider-like trajectory of his career. Hindsight is 20/20, but DeBrusk money going to Zadorov would have been money better spent.

 

[eviohh26]

Hughes good . Team bad. Me sad.

 

[rypper]

There's a lot going on leading to the season playing out the way it has, but they've been crushed by injuries to major players all at different points of the season.

Demko, Miller, Hronek, Pettersson, Hughes, Boeser, etc have all spent time off the roster. Hughes is playing with some contraption on his hand still.

Another major factor is the tire fire defense. Management targeted some real misses this off season and they've had to play above their station.

 

[Iggys Dome]

Genuine question for Canucks fans: How do you feel about your management? The Rutherford/Allvin brain trust seemed to stabilize things after the Benning shit show but I feel they’ve really fumbled things at times (Boudreau drama, now JT/EP drama). The Canucks have to be one of the leakiest franchises in terms of leaks about locker room drama

 

[Brookbank]

Every team has 'some' talented players. They're short 2 forwards that should legitimately make up a top 6 (Pettersson, Miller, Boeser, Debrusk, that's it) and as everyone and their grandmother's could tell since the offseason, they have a #1 D, a 2-3ish D in Hronek, and then a whole bunch of 5-7 AHL fodder.

If Hronek isn't a top pair defensman than neither is Devon Toews

 

[Brookbank]

Yeah idk. Boeser is a low end 1st line winger at best. After that debrusk and garland are 2nd liners at best. Pettersson and Miller at their peak are both 1st line Cs but we're almost a year removed from seeing Pettersson ar that level, so what does that leave us with? Miller who can be a 1st line C when he's in the mood, a complimentary winger in Boeser who doesn't bring much outside of his shot, and then a couple of seconds liners with whatever Petey is now.

And its gotta be hard for Demko. The defense in front of him is night and day from what it was when he got injured. He also seems to be on borrowed time with the Schneider-like trajectory of his career. Hindsight is 20/20, but DeBrusk money going to Zadorov would have been money better spent.

Debrusk leads the team in goals.