(Article) Welcome to Vancouver's Long Messy Rebuild

[alfstonker]

Any fan with half a clue could see the writing has been on the wall for a couple years now. As if our seasons of making it in and getting obliterated in the first round costañtly dwindling in the middle of the pack is so much better.

Championship teams take a long time to build. We are nowhere close but have atleast started over the past 3 drafts. This has to happen. Our vets are no loger able to get the job done. The problem is that people think our players are so worthy of a better return. Look what oahie went for and he is 10x the player kassian is.

By this time next year people will be feeling much better after we reel in a top pick and a couple ufa players.

Also by trading guys at the deadline ad loading up on picks we can snag one of these rfas needing a new deal like the trades we have been seeing. This is the new norm.

Vancouver is a desirable place for free agents to play for free agents. Much more than places like edmonton which allows us to turn things around faster. Hopefully we can pull a vermette/michalek with vrbata and get a 1st at deadline ad resign him next summer.

Tell that to the Oilers. There is no recipe for success, just good management and good players.

[onesmallleap]

Sbisa is going to be an assitant captain!!!

[TOMapleLaughs]

You have all the right in the world to your opinion, but all your posts read the same everyone knows what you are thinking. You are an annoying song that never ends.

Yes I have been through all the canuck's ups and downs too. You make it sound even when they were on top they were not good enough in your eyes.

Remember this franchise has been close to glory a few times. A lucky bounce off a goal post and the Canucks have their Cup.

There are so many factors that go it building a Cup winning team ; and a lot of them can not be controlled by simply drafting, development, trading, signings and coaching.

Taking a trip down memory lane, I haven't always been this way. When Faq took over and Gillis the 'inexperienced GM' came in, most everyone here was in panic mode and I, yes I, was the voice of reason. We then went onto have the best era in team history. So maybe, just maybe, I know what the freakin' hell I am talking about.

I know exactly where we are at and where we are heading. This is why I am voicing my concerns, because as of right now there are giant holes in the current rebuild plan. These holes need to be addressed asap or it will not work. I think Benning and Linden know this as well and hopefully a good plan is in the works. I'm crossing my fingers, praying, sacrifcing goats etc., hoping that it works because at the end of the day we as fans can do nothing but cheer on moves that are good and complain about moves that are bad.

I laugh at people whining about 'Vancouver has the worst fans, blah blah blah'. Let me tell you a secret: Vancouver has the best fans. You want people to care about every little aspect of the team's day-to-day operations. You want people to spend hours looking at stats on all your players. You want people to get excited, in a good or bad way, about your team. Because if you don't have this, then you are done as a sports franchise.

How do you make that out. The team is doing just fine but not if you listen to half the fans on here. Just a load of loudmouth bandwaggoners who write cr-p on here, constantly trying to put players down in the full knowledge that they have no bottom line responsibility. example: the clown who sported "minor league Willie" all last season as his sig.

The true bandwagoners have all left by now, but please tell me that a fan's sig on cdc is affecting team performance.

[aGENT]

Fans have to stop putting pressure on these guys to win now and allow the youth to be rebuilt.

Then the team needs to stop trying to "be competitive" and "make the playoffs". Never mind some of the seemingly bi-polar signings and moves we've made in the last year or so.

The team needs to give fans a clear, defined plan/goal to get behind. Right now they're not doing that and it's frankly inducing fear anger and panic in the less level-headed among us and eyebrow raising confusion from those of us with leveler heads.

[Wildwood]

Someone please post a video of a hurricane completely demolishing a house. People crying (Canuck fans).

[RUPERTKBD]

Should've started least year. Then we'd still have Lack and not a grossly overpriced Miller.

#wastedseason

[oldnews]

Is this the "Canucks Army?"

Wadr, they seldom publish anything worth reading, and imo, this fits that bill.

[Nave]

Exactly, and I don't know how people here cannot see this. Youth is coming, cap space is coming....my 2 favourite things. Too many people are into this 'asset management' thing like they're running a damn trading post or something. Would it be better to get more for the players we've traded off? Sure, but it's hardly debilitating that we didn't. The quality of rebuild is a lot about who the guy doing the rebuild is. No, the Leafs haven't done well....that's because they've had John Ferguson Jr. and Nonis trying to do the job. Or Edmonton with Lowe, Tambellini and McTavish. Maybe Benning won't be able to do better than those gentlemen, but as of now, there's no reason to think he's as inept as them. People need to relax and let things play out and not micro-analyze every detail.

We've managed our assets infinitely better than Calgary did. The fact this guy brings up Calgary as an example of a quick clean rebuild is laughable. We have an aging core, but their entire team was old. They finally gave up Iginla, but at that stage in his career he wasn't really making others better; we have both sedins, who bring a sense of continuity and stability that few veterans can. They make everyone better, and I'm willing to bet they take huge discounts right when the youth movement is truly underway

[Baggins]

So many fan experts and so many choices to be made.

I doubt the Canucks are abandoned by the complaining masses. A rebuild has never really been done in

Vancouver in the many years since they started. Quinn drafted Linden and Bure but the 'guts' of that

team was traded for. The Canuck development depth has always been brutal IMHO.

Benning is setting up for a great 2016 Draft. I think he does target that gifted d-man this org has

needed since Dale Tallon.

Prior to drafting Linden and adding Maclean the stands were empty. Prior to drafting the Sedins and Naslund/Bertuzzi breaking out we were bottom 5 in the league for attendance. Florida was higher than that. Attendance was dropping with Bure and Mogilny on the team because we weren't making the playoffs. Every time this team has fallen to the bottom of the league the fans have disappeared. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't you have to be at the bottom of the league to draft high? All it took for a seven year waiting list to disappear was missing the playoffs once.

History has shown fan loyalty and Canucks are only in the same sentence when the team is winning.

[Baggins]

Then the team needs to stop trying to "be competitive" and "make the playoffs". Never mind some of the seemingly bi-polar signings and moves we've made in the last year or so.

The team needs to give fans a clear, defined plan/goal to get behind. Right now they're not doing that and it's frankly inducing fear anger and panic in the less level-headed among us and eyebrow raising confusion from those of us with leveler heads.

There is a clear plan/goal. Stay competitive while getting younger and rebuilding. How many times do they need to say it for it to sink in? Just because they're not going to tank doesn't mean they are not rebuilding, nor does it mean there isn't a clear plan.

[RUPERTKBD]

Remember this franchise has been close to glory a few times. A lucky bounce off a goal post and the Canucks have their Cup.

Not quite. A bounce off the post and the Canucks are in OT with a chance for the Cup.

[Boudrias]

Prior to drafting Linden and adding Maclean the stands were empty. Prior to drafting the Sedins and Naslund/Bertuzzi breaking out we were bottom 5 in the league for attendance. Florida was higher than that. Attendance was dropping with Bure and Mogilny on the team because we weren't making the playoffs. Every time this team has fallen to the bottom of the league the fans have disappeared. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't you have to be at the bottom of the league to draft high? All it took for a seven year waiting list to disappear was missing the playoffs once.

History has shown fan loyalty and Canucks are only in the same sentence when the team is winning.

True enough. I guess we will see whether that still holds up. 25 years have passed and the city is that

much larger.

A rebuild is in the cards no matter what unless JB & TL crumble under the pressure of short term view

points. By trading picks for short term gain the franchise will be doomed to mediocre results and the

end result could/will be the same. 2011 will hang on with false expectations of what can be expected. If

fans do not understand the game then they are bound for disappointment.

[higgyfan]

True enough. I guess we will see whether that still holds up. 25 years have passed and the city is that

much larger.

A rebuild is in the cards no matter what unless JB & TL crumble under the pressure of short term view

points. By trading picks for short term gain the franchise will be doomed to mediocre results and the

end result could/will be the same. 2011 will hang on with false expectations of what can be expected. If

fans do not understand the game then they are bound for disappointment.

There seems to be confusion over what a 'rebuild' actually is. On the one hand, you have Edm & Buff who traded away all their character guys and tanked for a lot of years. On the other hand, you have teams like, Mon and Calgary that hung onto a few vets and added prospects over a few years. They never tanked, but did manage to pickup a couple of very high pics.

I can't see the management or the owners wanting to start from scratch like Edm & Buff. What they appear to be doing is the Cal route. They want to surround the prospects with character guys that never give up. Cal always seemed to play competitively, even when their roster didn't look that great. Whereas Edm had all these shining stars, who caved in and gave up whenever the going got tough. While they were at it, they have managed to ruin some promising careers.

[stawns]

There is a clear plan/goal. Stay competitive while getting younger and rebuilding. How many times do they need to say it for it to sink in? Just because they're not going to tank doesn't mean they are not rebuilding, nor does it mean there isn't a clear plan.

Agreed......mind boggling how so many refuse to actually listen to anything but the white noise in their own head.

[aqua59]

Such a foolish article, especially as it opens with a sentence describing the Canucks performance IN THE PLAYOFFS...rebuild teams should be so lucky to have a glimpse of the post season...just ask Flames fans of the past 6 years.

You got that right.

[BanTSN]

There is a clear plan/goal. Stay competitive while getting younger and rebuilding. How many times do they need to say it for it to sink in? Just because they're not going to tank doesn't mean they are not rebuilding, nor does it mean there isn't a clear plan.

Agreed. People also have to remember that Canucks Sports and Entertainment is a business. Just because the business plan doesn't fully match what the fans here have figured out what MIGHT work to win a cup in the future, it doesn't mean there still isn't a business plan. Look at the changes made to management and the team over these past few seasons. There has been a lot. But STILL the fans want more? That is insane! Regardless of what the fans may think, the goal, the product delivered, will be to provide this marketplace with the sports entertainment experiences that they've been paying for.

[RUPERTKBD]

Agreed. People also have to remember that Canucks Sports and Entertainment is a business. Just because the business plan doesn't fully match what the fans here have figured out what MIGHT work to win a cup in the future, it doesn't mean there still isn't a business plan. Look at the changes made to management and the team over these past few seasons. There has been a lot. But STILL the fans want more? That is insane! Regardless of what the fans may think, the goal, the product delivered, will be to provide this marketplace with the sports entertainment experiences that they've been paying for.

I don't think that any of us has forgotten. It's just that some of us wish it weren't the case that management is more concerned about keeping the seats filled than actually building a contender.

We're also disappointed that the fanbase is so fickle that they wouldn't support a true rebuild.

[stawns]

I don't think that any of us has forgotten. It's just that some of us wish it weren't the case that management is more concerned about keeping the seats filled than actually building a contender.

We're also disappointed that the fanbase is so fickle that they wouldn't support a true rebuild.

Youve been a fan for a long time. You know the corporate support would dry up as loses piled up. Vancouver fans have shown they will not support a losing franchise over a period of years. Sure, on thos site people are in, but thats not even close to the number of seats that need to be filled over 41 games. Additionally, why wpuld TL and JB want their legacy to be failure?

[ice orca]

Youve been a fan for a long time. You know the corporate support would dry up as loses piled up. Vancouver fans have shown they will not support a losing franchise over a period of years. Sure, on thos site people are in, but thats not even close to the number of seats that need to be filled over 41 games. Additionally, why wpuld TL and JB want their legacy to be failure?

Who wants a legacy of just making the playoffs and getting punted in the 1st round.

[stawns]

Who wants a legacy of just making the playoffs and getting punted in the 1st round.

Youre preaching to the choir, but if you were running the team which legacy looks better to you? If JB goes into tank/rebuild he'll be fired before the payoff and all he'll have to show is a pile of losses and missed playoffs. I can hardly blame him for the course hes taking.