Angry Goose Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Sportsnet ]It is less the “right now” that is a concern for fans of the Vancouver Canucks, and more the direction of the franchise. Canucks fans have watched Calgary and Edmonton sink into obscurity through poor drafting and development. Now they look at their own crop of “prospects,” and no matter how hard you squint, it’s hard to spot the cavalry that can bridge the gap until Bo Horvat can become an impact player. The Canucks will be picked as a playoff team by most out West. But they’ve been a playoff team for five years running, and the question becomes: Are the Canucks getting closer to being a Stanley Cup contender, or further from being one? “The last two playoff exits have been so disappointing,” Daniel Sedin told reporters in Vancouver on Sunday. “We know we have the team to go a long way and that’s why it sucks losing out so early. You know it’s tough in the playoffs and anything can happen. I don’t want to say we threw it away, but we didn’t play our best.” San Jose swept the Canucks out of last year’s playoffs and was clearly the better team. The Sedins went goalless, and the Canucks couldn’t win a single game. The Sharks have filled in their roster underneath Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau however, with high level, younger players like Olympic hopefuls Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The Sedins need help, making the oft-injured Ryan Kesler perhaps the most pivotal player on the Canucks roster this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It's a process Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 All depends on how Torts works with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry Goose Posted September 16, 2013 Author Share Posted September 16, 2013 All depends on how Torts works with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo1970 Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 This Canucks team is gonna be hard to read. It s all gonna depend on how well they can adapt to the new coaching style of Torts. I think they still have the talent to compete for a cup; but can they use the tutelige of JT effectively? It remains to b seen. Top ten? yes. Cup this year? No Second round exit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aladeen Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 And a useless article not giving any insight or even a guess as to the question the title asks. This is sports media - Make an Attention grabbing headline that will catch the interest of the fans of that particular sport, fill it with the obvious (and a couple of quotes) and come to no conclusion whatsoever. Wait for money to roll in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanKeslord17 Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 It really depends on so many factors such as health and which prospects thrive. Luck is also a huge factor. Possible? Yes. Likely? Meh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van40 Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Of course the nucks are still contenders! Our defence is one of the best in the league. World class goalie in Luongo. Twins and Kes are fully healthy and daring to go. This is a motivated team imo. Av was the first to go, and the team knows and Mike Gillis knows that if the canucks can't deliver there are going to be major changes. Don't count out the Canucks just yet. There's lots of depth on this team. Personally I think we can win the division. Call me bias or whatever but try to look at the positives for once instead of the negatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robongo Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 And a useless article not giving any insight or even a guess as to the question the title asks. This is sports media - Make an Attention grabbing headline that will catch the interest of the fans of that particular sport, fill it with the obvious (and a couple of quotes) and come to no conclusion whatsoever. Wait for money to roll in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betweenthepipes-R Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 For me, the inner homer is screaming, "Yes! Of course we are!" but the other more hockey critiquing me still is on the fence. There's a ton of question marks regarding the team, and not the blaringly obvious ones. Will Lack recover from a -year off- from hockey during a surgery/injury-ridden season? (Granted, he more than likely worked his butt off during the entire ordeal.) Can Jensen play himself into a larger roll and start to utilize his skill at the highest level? Will the Canucks defense be able to turn around their mistake-ridden hockey and be able to be stable infront of their netminders? Lots. And the wildcards could spur the team to be better than the cup run or worse. We'll have to see where the on-ice play takes us, let's face it. All the analysts in the world could give their takes but question marks are question marks and until they change the subject won't become any more clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Laziest shot at the team i've seen in awhile. Sportsnet needs to improve their Canucks write-up coverage. All they're doing is waiting until Edmonton and Calgary recover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henrik Kesler Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Yes the Canucks are still a contender. For a comparison, look at Detroit last year. They weren't the best team on paper and yet they still pushed the Blackhawks to the brink of elimination in Game 7 OT. If a team can get in the playoffs, they have a chance to win it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisbanks Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 i guess any team that makes the playoffs are a contender... but once the playoffs start you have favorites and underdogs.... until the playoffs start its hard to decide which one they are....and just as the last 3 years being the favorites doesn't mean squat!! maybe going in as underdogs this year could help out the teams attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noseforthenet Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 I think to go on another run, this team needs a few more players to take giant steps in their development this season. Kassian being focus number 1! Jensen and Schroeder being another couple that need to come into their own. The lines that aren't the Sedins need to be able to produce in the playoffs. Flat out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangelos Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 It really depends on so many factors such as health and which prospects thrive. Luck is also a huge factor. Possible? Yes. Likely? Meh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maniwaki Canuck Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 I think to go on another run, this team needs a few more players to take giant steps in their development this season. Kassian being focus number 1! Jensen and Schroeder being another couple that need to come into their own. The lines that aren't the Sedins need to be able to produce in the playoffs. Flat out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillipBlunt Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 I agree that these speculative articles are a dime a dozen and truly offer little, if any, insight. The Canucks have just as much of a shot at going deep than any other team. Torts is no slouch and will demand the most out of this team. Accountability goes a long way. Players who don't perform won't be getting a free pass anymore. The AV country club is done and with it goes the complacency that plagued this team. The talent is clearly evident in the lineup. Now we will get to see it consistently. The Canucks are still one of the best teams in the league and they will prove it this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforhockey Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 staying healthy the Goaltending and defence are defintly goodenough to take them deep. Forward group is solid and with kesler healthy ..the team actully has two top lines Now for the canucks to really start to strengthen their chances at being a true contender .....that starts to make other teams worry about meeting them in the playoffs. First get their special teams running hot......more so the PP which can limit how the other team takes liberties with any team...take away the rough stuff....even if the refs arnt calling anything Canucks way...when they do..make them pay. any team with a goal of SC needs to have their PK at its peak.... Finally the major key for me to make us a top contender ............it needs a few of their young guns to step and make the team......higher end skill will give this team more scoring depth...so when the top two lines of both teams are snarled up in the trenches...the bottom six can sway the momnetum...........they dont have to carry the team...just support whats already there. I look at a healthy Kesler (all summer long) making an impact on his line that trickles both up and down the lineup........you want to blanket the sedins ...fine let the second line loose....blanket the kesler line fine the sedins go to town.... also look forward to having garrison having a season to get comfortable with this group...fans noticed how he was tenative for the early portion of last season till he got comfortable.. Now if Torts can allow some stabilty to lines and pairings without constintly switching up lines... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanKeslord17 Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 I'm fed up with the health card. Every team deals with injuries so relatively speaking injuries shouldn't be a big deal if every other team has them too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbal23 Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Mark Spector/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyril Sneer Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 With the parity of the league today making the playoffs is a Stanley cup contender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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