Nex is my ex Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 I'am saying this with 100% confidence. I think we WILL make the playoffs next season. We WILL, unless injuries to key players happen too often. Do I think we will win the Stanley Cup? Heck no, but i believe with 100% confidence that we will make the playoffs next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kloubek Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Absolutely on board with that, Nex. Looking forward, I'd say our defense is probably rebuilt. 1st line with Eriksson should be very good. 2nd line is so-so. 3rd line should have excellent. 4th line should be very good. It all amounts to a team that is good enough to make the playoffs, but not likely to compete long in them. The future holds a lot of promise, but a few serious needs in the 1st line which may or may not get addressed by development. Our young guys have to hit, and a couple have to hit big. If that happens, and the Sedins sign a short extension, we could be an excellent team very soon. If young guys don't hit, and Sedins don't extend, there are so-so years to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.53 Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Why I think we will make the playoffs... Major improvements to the team Erik Gudbranson: Gudbranson brings a lot to this team. Playing on the second pairing with Hutton, he elevates a lot of players. Our second pairing can now defend much better against other quality lines, so Edler and Tanev don't have to carry all the load. Gives them a line to bounce of off, also more importantly, gives Tanev another guy who can defend against bigger stronger guys like a Milan Lucic. Depending on the matchup we have options, taking massive pressure off Edler and Tanev. He also gives a special teams option for first PK. Giving Tanev a break in minutes. (I also think Tryamkin can do the same with Edler, to give our top pairing a break in minutes. Gudbranson is also huge because he will be here for a long time. As of next year, Markstrom will be our goalie. Idk if he would be considered a rookie, but in his first year starting, he's going to need help down low, and in the crease as well. Gudbranson, and Tryamkin give Markstrom and for that matter Demko a a real helping hand in helping them keep pucks out of the net. We saw how even an experienced goalie like Ryan Miller can go from TEAM MVP candidate to straight up exposed in 1 season without a stable D core that can actually defend. Nikita Tryamkin: As I touched on up top, he gives Edler, or someone, a little break in the game as he can take on special on PK. He is a valuable third pairing guy as he can still take pressure of the top guys in the lineup, as well as be a solid defensman in his own right. We need bottom pairing guys that can defend and keep pucks out of the net. Great pick.... Loui Eriksson: Linemate for the Sedin's to get the most out of them. Not just offensively, but defensively as well, which is some of the problem Vrbata brought. Offensive one way package without the defensive. Loui brings about the same amount of offense with better defense and more versitility in his game, such as being willing to go to the dirty areas. Sould also help with special teams. (Although that's what Vrbata was supposed to do as well.) Anton Rodin: A wildcard "rookie". I put rookie in quotes as he's so old, but the thing about Rodin is that will work to his advantage. I gaurantee you people are going to describe Rodin in his first few weeks here as surprisingly poised, and that's because he's been playing with men for a long time. He's a late bloomer, but he's had the experience of playing with, and against fully grown men. If he is able to play the same game he did overseas, and translate it to the North American game, I think he can score 40 points give or take, which would be fantastic. I'm hopinh Rodin can surprise at camp, and be the second line LW we need. Daniel, Rodin, Baertschi down left, Henrik, Sutter, Horvat down the center, and Eriksson, Hansen, Virtanen down the right. Rodin is the wildcard and key. If he can produce like a top 6 worthy player, or at least close, this team will be deep. Brandon Sutter: Brandon Sutter showed for us last season that although he played only for a few games, he was one of our most valuable players. In fact, maybe because he played so little, he showed his true value. Extremely versitile, can play anywhere in the top 9, and provide a impact two way presence. Provides some scoring, some passing, some hitting, some speed, some forechecking, some backchecking, some leadership, some everything. Having a healthy Sutter will be huge. Alex Edler: Edler went down in the backend of the season during the home stretch. He has shown to be our top impact defensman. We all knew he needed two things to be effective. He needed a good D partner that connects with him, which he found in Tanev and both have seen improvements in their respective play. (Although Edler hasn't regained the pre-back injury all star form.) And he needed some pressure taken off of him from depth throughout the lineup, namely the second pairing. Well, now with Gudbranson and Hutton, he has that. Not to mention Tryamkin Larsen, or Sbisa. Adam Larsen: Possibly our best powerplay specialist on the team. We have been in great need of a right handed PP specialist on this team for a long time. Larsen can log third pairing minutes with Tryamkin, and similar to how Tryamkin comes out and plays PK, Larsen will come out and play PP. With Eriksson, Larsen, and Doug Jarvis, our first unit PP should be much better. Bo Horvat: Showed to get his footing and shake the sophmore slump the second half of the season, as well as being a two way force. Well with Sutter playing 2c, and taking half, if not more of the load against top defenders, Bo and his line can be used against weaker competition overload other teams with depth, while still being able to play PK and 2nd PP minutes, and not be overloaded like he was at the beginning of the season. If he can play better, his linemates will play better and guys like Baertschi and Virtanen will perform well. Hutton, Baertchi and Virtanen will also have a year more experience. We are not in bad shape people. I think Benning has done a lot for this team, and we will be in the playoffs. Our PP is better. Our PK is better. Our first line is better. Our second line is better. (I think Rodin will make it better) Our third line is better. Our 4th line is better. Our 2nd defensive pairing is better. Our third defensive pairing is better. Our young guys are more experienced and ready to make more of a contribution. Our team is more well built than it was before, with more supporting pieces to help others. Our team will make the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlwaysACanuckFan Posted July 23, 2016 Author Share Posted July 23, 2016 18 minutes ago, Mr.53 said: Why I think we will make the playoffs... Major improvements to the team Erik Gudbranson: Gudbranson brings a lot to this team. Playing on the second pairing with Hutton, he elevates a lot of players. Our second pairing can now defend much better against other quality lines, so Edler and Tanev don't have to carry all the load. Gives them a line to bounce of off, also more importantly, gives Tanev another guy who can defend against bigger stronger guys like a Milan Lucic. Depending on the matchup we have options, taking massive pressure off Edler and Tanev. He also gives a special teams option for first PK. Giving Tanev a break in minutes. (I also think Tryamkin can do the same with Edler, to give our top pairing a break in minutes. Gudbranson is also huge because he will be here for a long time. As of next year, Markstrom will be our goalie. Idk if he would be considered a rookie, but in his first year starting, he's going to need help down low, and in the crease as well. Gudbranson, and Tryamkin give Markstrom and for that matter Demko a a real helping hand in helping them keep pucks out of the net. We saw how even an experienced goalie like Ryan Miller can go from TEAM MVP candidate to straight up exposed in 1 season without a stable D core that can actually defend. Nikita Tryamkin: As I touched on up top, he gives Edler, or someone, a little break in the game as he can take on special on PK. He is a valuable third pairing guy as he can still take pressure of the top guys in the lineup, as well as be a solid defensman in his own right. We need bottom pairing guys that can defend and keep pucks out of the net. Great pick.... Loui Eriksson: Linemate for the Sedin's to get the most out of them. Not just offensively, but defensively as well, which is some of the problem Vrbata brought. Offensive one way package without the defensive. Loui brings about the same amount of offense with better defense and more versitility in his game, such as being willing to go to the dirty areas. Sould also help with special teams. (Although that's what Vrbata was supposed to do as well.) Anton Rodin: A wildcard "rookie". I put rookie in quotes as he's so old, but the thing about Rodin is that will work to his advantage. I gaurantee you people are going to describe Rodin in his first few weeks here as surprisingly poised, and that's because he's been playing with men for a long time. He's a late bloomer, but he's had the experience of playing with, and against fully grown men. If he is able to play the same game he did overseas, and translate it to the North American game, I think he can score 40 points give or take, which would be fantastic. I'm hopinh Rodin can surprise at camp, and be the second line LW we need. Daniel, Rodin, Baertschi down left, Henrik, Sutter, Horvat down the center, and Eriksson, Hansen, Virtanen down the right. Rodin is the wildcard and key. If he can produce like a top 6 worthy player, or at least close, this team will be deep. Brandon Sutter: Brandon Sutter showed for us last season that although he played only for a few games, he was one of our most valuable players. In fact, maybe because he played so little, he showed his true value. Extremely versitile, can play anywhere in the top 9, and provide a impact two way presence. Provides some scoring, some passing, some hitting, some speed, some forechecking, some backchecking, some leadership, some everything. Having a healthy Sutter will be huge. Alex Edler: Edler went down in the backend of the season during the home stretch. He has shown to be our top impact defensman. We all knew he needed two things to be effective. He needed a good D partner that connects with him, which he found in Tanev and both have seen improvements in their respective play. (Although Edler hasn't regained the pre-back injury all star form.) And he needed some pressure taken off of him from depth throughout the lineup, namely the second pairing. Well, now with Gudbranson and Hutton, he has that. Not to mention Tryamkin Larsen, or Sbisa. Adam Larsen: Possibly our best powerplay specialist on the team. We have been in great need of a right handed PP specialist on this team for a long time. Larsen can log third pairing minutes with Tryamkin, and similar to how Tryamkin comes out and plays PK, Larsen will come out and play PP. With Eriksson, Larsen, and Doug Jarvis, our first unit PP should be much better. Bo Horvat: Showed to get his footing and shake the sophmore slump the second half of the season, as well as being a two way force. Well with Sutter playing 2c, and taking half, if not more of the load against top defenders, Bo and his line can be used against weaker competition overload other teams with depth, while still being able to play PK and 2nd PP minutes, and not be overloaded like he was at the beginning of the season. If he can play better, his linemates will play better and guys like Baertschi and Virtanen will perform well. Hutton, Baertchi and Virtanen will also have a year more experience. We are not in bad shape people. I think Benning has done a lot for this team, and we will be in the playoffs. Our PP is better. Our PK is better. Our first line is better. Our second line is better. (I think Rodin will make it better) Our third line is better. Our 4th line is better. Our 2nd defensive pairing is better. Our third defensive pairing is better. Our young guys are more experienced and ready to make more of a contribution. Our team is more well built than it was before, with more supporting pieces to help others. Our team will make the playoffs. You nailed some pretty good points, I will just add that hopefully our 3 on 3 is better and the ability to hold onto the leads. Our powerplay has to capitalize more on the power play as well. Again with a healthier lineup this year along with the points you made then yeah we will be on our way to the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey795 Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 If they can score consistently, then I would say yes, they will make the Playoffs in the upcoming season. They made a good move picking up Loui Eriksson, but I can't help but think they are still a bit thin on scoring talent. Jim Benning has indicated as much, and it looks as though he is trying to do something about it, but I wouldn't hold my breath about another significant deal getting made before the end of Summer. We may be looking at a mid-season trade/acquisition to satisfy the need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By sea and land Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Barring injuries, I think anyone with half a brain see's this is realistic. Solid D and goaltending alone will go a very long way. Lots of 2-1 and 3-2 games this year. Hope we're on the right side of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Yes, if I was gm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintPatrick33 Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 1 hour ago, AlwaysACanuckFan said: You nailed some pretty good points, I will just add that hopefully our 3 on 3 is better and the ability to hold onto the leads. Our powerplay has to capitalize more on the power play as well. Again with a healthier lineup this year along with the points you made then yeah we will be on our way to the playoffs. 100% agree. The year prior, we excelled at 4 on 4 OT and the shootout thanks to Vrby and Miller. That 1 point makes all the difference. Our PP was serviceable that year, and we were much healthier. I think the addition of Loui, and hopefully Larson, should bolster our PP to at least 10-15 goals more. Loui should add another +15 in goal differential. Finally, as Willie D said, a few of our young guys really need to take the next step. I am banking on Bo and Bear to stay consistent throughout the season and give us that jolt of secondary scoring we need. Lastly, the improvements on D should take away at least 20 goals. Playing a full season with Weber and Bartkowski getting top 4 minutes will not be the path to success. Our D should save at least 30 goals from last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.53 Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Sedin Sedin Eriksson Rodin Sutter Hansen Baertschi Horvat Virtanen Burrows Granlund Dorsett (Etem, Gaunce) Edler Tanev Hutton Gudbranson Tryamkin Larsen (Sbisa) Miller Markstrom Improvements made to the lineup. First line: Eriksson improves the first line offensively and defensively, making it better than last years. Second Line: Hansen proved he can play top 6 last season. Sutter will be back and healthy and showed us he can play 2C for us. If Rodin can also click, this line can be improved from last year. Third Line: Horvat and Baertschi were on the second line last year, and performed admirably. In a third line role, with weaker competition, they can be studs. (Also can play on special teams without overloading.) Virtanen is a quality third line presence who will get better from his freshman season, and start on his way to top 6 with Baertschi and Horvat. Could be a very productive two way line. Fourth Line: Even our 4th line is better and more capable of diverse play. First Pairing: With Edler and Tanev being healthy, they will be much better this year with more help from the the others in the lineup. Second Pairing: Second defensive pairing is much better and much younger. Hutton provides strong offensive abilities, and Gudbranson has capable defensive abilities. They take major pressure off the first pairing, which is exactly what they needed. Gives a legit second option to either defend against other good lines, or add offense, while adding to special teams. Third Pairing: This line is much better as well. Similar to the second line, it can provide offense as well as defend. Much bigger improvement. Goaltending: Miller may be on his last season. He's to competitive to go out with a whimper. I expect him to bounce back and play his heart out before his time with us, and maybe the league, is done. Markstrom will also be better after a year as backup. Powerplay: With the addition of Eriksson and Larsen on the first unit, and Doug Jarvis as the PP coach, this powerplay will be much better. Our second powerplay is up for grabs for whoever wants to take it. But our first team already looks better. Penalty Kill: Tryamkin and Gudbranson will go a long way to improving the PK. I think they can make a great first PK pairing, and would be feared throughout the league. They also, perhaps just as importantly, take massive pressure off Edler adn Tanev, giving them a second to rest to play on the second PK unit. That way they get less minutes, and have more energy for 5 on 5. They will probably still play PK on second pairing but with Tryamkin and Gudbranson, I say massive improvement. Young guys: players like Horvat, Hutton, Baertschi, Virtanen etc have another year under their belt and should be better. Even our depth players look like players that should be in the lineup and not a healthy scratch, which is how you know you're becoming a quality team. This team is better in pretty much every single way over last years team. This team will make the playoffs barring some crazy incident. Mark my words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinatcc Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 If they over achieved like what Colorado did in 2014 or like Florida in 2012 where those loser points put them in the playoffs then sure they can make it in the playoffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 It is the off season as is always the case the rose tinted glasses come out and optimism reigns supreme. As fans that is OK but I tend to be more cautious. The Canucks are entering the season with many question marks over most of their players. More youth in the lineup was not a wish but a necessity. How well that youth develops is not a given. The NHL reality is that most of these prospects will not have long term careers. This is why the depth of the prospect pool is often as important as the talent. Many CDC'ers seem to think that building around the Twins will lead to another serious CUP run. IMHO that ship has sailed. While I have always admired what the Twins have brought to Vancouver dwelling on their Canuck history does not rebuild the franchise. The Twins have to be that transition line that helps forming the new core leadership. It is only because the prospect depth was so bad that greater progress has not happened. This coming season is all about how the young players develop. Making playoffs is secondary and a reward for a better than average season. Making playoffs this year would be for the experience of CUP play but in my mind premature for the talent that exists on the roster right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appleboy Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Depends on development from youth. Upfront and on D. Team may not be set yet, possible trade still coming! Sorry for not writing a novel but it is summer and I must take time to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBatch Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 On 7/22/2016 at 1:49 AM, kingofsurrey said: Don't see Sutter as a 2 C. Prefer to have a 2 C that can pass the puck and make linemates better. Keep Bo as the 2C. Could be the case, too bad he was injured last year as we never got to see what he could do outside of the 3rd line role he had in PIT with added minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Dizzle Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 On July 21, 2016 at 10:40 PM, Wilbur said: I disagree with a few of those statements: 1) The Gudbranson trade wasn't made just to make the playoffs this year. He could be here for the next 10+ years. This wasn't a "sacrifice the future for now trade", it was a "we really wanted to solidify our defense now and for the future" trade. Gudbranson is 24 not 34, yeesh. 2) Just because Horvat would slot down to "3rd line centre" does not mean he will play a defensive role. If Brandon Sutter centres the second line, I'm sure that line will most of the defensive responsibilities. The template of 1st line = primary scoring line, 2nd line = secondary scoring line, 3rd line = shut down line, 4th line = energy line is becoming less and less relevant. Bottom line though, is this a playoff team? If 90% of things go right, then I say yes. They're playing on a thin margin though so I wouldn't put much money on it. Time will tell though, that's why we watch the games. I generally like to give you a plus 1 just for having 'The Cheat' as your avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasCanuck Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Better question might be, will Botchford ever become a respected hockey guy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kloubek Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 4 hours ago, Boudrias said: Many CDC'ers seem to think that building around the Twins will lead to another serious CUP run. IMHO that ship has sailed. While I have always admired what the Twins have brought to Vancouver dwelling on their Canuck history does not rebuild the franchise. The Twins have to be that transition line that helps forming the new core leadership. I agree that we shouldn't be building a team around the Sedins. We need top line talent, and I'm not convinced that resides in any players we currently have in our system. (Though with Boeser and Horvat, it is at least possible). However, if the Sedins are willing to extend for a year or two, and we utilize them for our 2nd line, I believe they can still play a huge role in a possible cup contending team. I believe are defense and goaltending will be good short term, potentially excellent in a couple of years. Same with our goaltending. If we are able to develop players worthy of legitimately playing a 1st line role, then we look to be a team that can actually compete for the cup in maybe two years time. If we can't assemble that first line, or if the Sedins choose to retire immediately, our rebuild will take far longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabcakes Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 I think that this is the strongest team of the Benning era based on defense alone. Add to this better health and the Canucks definitely do have a shot at the play offs. Eriksson is an upgrade over Vrbata. Horvat and Baertschi are a year more experienced. Etem seemed to be finding his legs at seasons end. We really don't know what they have in Rodin and Larsen so I can't really count them in. Hopefully they will work out. Team health can go a long way to having certain players playing at their right level. If they can, they will have better years. I'm thinking of Horvat, and Sbisa mainly but include Tryamkin and Granlund here too. 2LW is problematic. The rub is that if they trade to fill this hole, they will create holes elsewhere. For this reason, I think they slot Baertschi in here. Paired with Sutter and Hansen, he should be fine. That's really the only leap of faith that Benning has to make this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabcakes Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 12 minutes ago, kloubek said: I agree that we shouldn't be building a team around the Sedins. We need top line talent, and I'm not convinced that resides in any players we currently have in our system. (Though with Boeser and Horvat, it is at least possible). However, if the Sedins are willing to extend for a year or two, and we utilize them for our 2nd line, I believe they can still play a huge role in a possible cup contending team. I believe are defense and goaltending will be good short term, potentially excellent in a couple of years. Same with our goaltending. If we are able to develop players worthy of legitimately playing a 1st line role, then we look to be a team that can actually compete for the cup in maybe two years time. If we can't assemble that first line, or if the Sedins choose to retire immediately, our rebuild will take far longer. I see the twins as place holders and culture carriers at this point in their careers. It's a very important role. They had their shot at a cup already. The way Benning has constructed this team, his primary goal should be to assemble a first line and replace the Sedins in that role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hearditall Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 On 22/07/2016 at 1:05 AM, DontMessMe said: Will they??? They will lose in the first round anyways LOL. Making the playoffs & losing in the 1st round is pretty much the 1st step for this team. That's exactly what the new young guys need. It's part of the process. Make the Playoffs & gain experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustABandwagoner Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 5 hours ago, hearditall said: Making the playoffs & losing in the 1st round is pretty much the 1st step for this team. That's exactly what the new young guys need. It's part of the process. Make the Playoffs & gain experience. They will lose in 4 games Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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