The Canucks are no longer an elite team. They are on the downward trend, hopefully, headed back up when some of the youth pans out (or not) and they address some obvious issues. Legit shutdown defenceman, top six forward, added size on the third and fourth lines (that are capable of chipping in on the scoresheet) The elite teams have these intangibles, the Canucks don't.
I will continue to support the team, but my expectations with this group have been tempered. It's not their fault, the effort is there. The lineup on the ice is not what I would consider capable of success in the playoffs.