In place to the Canucks finish in the western Conference? (Discussion)

[Rob_Zepp]

2 minutes ago, ForsbergTheGreat said:

Edmonton's D is far better than you give credit. 

We'll see this season.   I am not buying.   They have some elite talent but not on the blueline or in net....IN MY OPINION (seems we need to say that once in a while).   That elite talent they have may be enough to mask the weaknesses like it did last year but I am not sold.   I am likely one of very few who see it that way and I suspect I will be proven wrong but I am not even sure they are a playoff team with assurance this year - I see some potential regression on a number of fronts for them and even the burden of mega-contract hype forcing elite players trying to do too much to justify those numbers.

 

Chime in again next spring and let me have it when they do well - but I have this feeling they will be a surprise this year for many and not for the right reasons IF you are a fan of the Oilers.

[Canucks-12]

Canucks could finish 3rd in our division behind Ducks and Oilers.

 

Flames, Sharks, Coyotes, and Knights' season could go either way. 

 

I see our Canucks competing pretty hard for 3rd place in division. 

 

I predict a playoff appearance. 

[canuktravella]

4 hours ago, ice orca said:

You calling another poster out and put up that pile of crap..lol.

sorry i think canucks are much better with guddy being healthy and delzotto and burmi vanek gagner and  rookies pushing for spots much better than megna and chaput       oilers   are gonna miss playoffs  yes they have mcjesus and draisatl which is awesome but   eberle for strome gives them cap help but cuts their offense a bit  other teams all improved in my eyes 

[kloubek]

I do think we will be on the cusp of a playoff spot.  Whether we get in or not depends on so many factors it is best not to even think about it right now.

 

To me, this season will be a success if:

1) We are actually entertained by the games

2) We see progress in our young guys towards being a good team again

[canuktravella]

7 hours ago, DownUndaCanuck said:

I think we're deeper up front, the same on the blueline and take a massive hit in goal with Miller leaving. This is the first season in a LONG time that the Canucks haven't had a bonified star starting goaltender, and now we're about to see how bad a team this club really is without one.

 

Good teams can look terrible without a star goalie, and bad teams can look good with a decent goalie. Now we've got a bad team without a goalie, I don't see us beating many teams this season.

 

13th in the Conference at best. It'll be exciting, I think our team up front is a lot better and on defence about the same, but oh boy a lot of those mistakes that Miller used to clean up in the past are going to get exposed. Our PK is going to get shredded and defensively we're going to get embarassed.

ive seen markstrom steal games before as well soo you may be wrong bout us not having a proper starter

[ice orca]

2 minutes ago, canuktravella said:

sorry i think canucks are much better with guddy being healthy and delzotto and burmi vanek gagner and  rookies pushing for spots much better than megna and chaput       oilers   are gonna miss playoffs  yes they have mcjesus and draisatl which is awesome but   eberle for strome gives them cap help but cuts their offense a bit  other teams all improved in my eyes 

You must be the only one who has the Canucks ahead of the Oilers..even the biggest Nuck homers and Coil haters will disagree with that.

[Chris12345]

I'll bite. They'll finish 13th. Probably 28th overall.

[canuktravella]

38 minutes ago, ice orca said:

You must be the only one who has the Canucks ahead of the Oilers..even the biggest Nuck homers and Coil haters will disagree with that.

guess we will see wont we

[spur1]

I don't get the talk about the Flames having such a great D.

Why is it they had to go out and get Harmonic and have so much trouble with goaltending. 

[stuman491]

I agree on Vegas and Colorado being the bottom two.  Arizona will be slightly better but still bad. Derek Stepan is in no way a #1 centre.  I disagree that LA will finish above the Canucks.  Outside of their projected top line and Kopitar they do not have many forwards that are going to do much.  Their defense is alright, as long as Doughty plays half the game.  I'm guessing Quick struggles a little this season after his injuries last year.  

 

15. Colorado

14. Arizon

13. Vegas

12.  LA

11. Canucks.  

[Davathor]

Our goaltending should pretty much guarantee we finish bottom 5. Miller stole games last year, is a proven vet and probly the best backup in the league this year... he's better than both our goalies by a country mile. I'm not hating on Markstrom, but he's about as good as Lack was, and he sure didn't light it up for Carolina. Actually he did, but not in a good way.  

[Ronaldoescobar]

While i am excited with the new blood in the system and the think the Canucks are making some good moves in trying to rebuild/retool the team, we are still a far ways off from being competitive with the big boys of the league.

 

While anything is possible with a bit of luck, I would predict that the Nucks will be bottom 5 in the league and bottom 3 in the WC.  Its just part of the process and we just need a bit of patience while we work the young guys into the lineup so they can eventually take over. The key will not be rushing guys that aren't ready.

 

The poster above made a great point. A lot will depend on goaltending as that stole more than a couple games for us last year.

[Nuxfanabroad]

Conf finish: about 13th.

 

Overall: 26th or 27th. Hope we can deal lots of vets.

[Pears]

15 hours ago, canuktravella said:

sometimes i wonder how  bad your hockey sense is  edmonton is not better than blues or preds  your mindblowing my call on this yr

1. ducks

2. preds

3. blues

4. jets 

5. sharks

6.stars

7. hawks

8.canucks 

9. oil

10.wild

11.flames

12 kings 

13 knights 

14. coyotes

15. avs 

 

 good luck 

with your predictions but ya no way u have a clue 

About that, didn't you say Dane Fox would be a better pro than Drouin?

[Canuck Surfer]

19 hours ago, janisahockeynut said:

Well, I have to admit, with the signing of our new UFA's, it worries me just a little that the Canucks may play themselves out of the bottom 10...........So I started asking myself, exactly who are they better than in the west? In what position are we stronger than the other teams.............so here is my thoughts on it, team by team.....please chime in and correct me if you think I am wrong........and expand on any team......I am posting to get debate going....not to say my rankings are bang on......just want to know what your opinions are, where this is concerned.

Thanks

 

1. Anaheim is younger, better defense, and a stronger 1st line................just too many good pieces to even be in any discussion with Vancouver

2. Edmonton is young, fast, has forward depth, Draisaitl and McDavid....the Canucks have nothing to match anything on Edmonton.........total different universe

3. Nashville is younger, better goaltending, better defense, and their forwards are ahead of the Canucks forwards in their development

4. Chicago a veteran team, strong Defense, Kane and Toews...they are slowing down, but not that much

5. Minnesota just more depth everywhere than the Canucks

6. Dallas..........these guys could end up near the top, if everything goes well for them (top 4)

7. St. Louis......Still a strong team with plenty of depth.....but it is the starting place for who finishes in the playoffs

8. San Jose.....Older, but good goaltending, above average Defense, and their forward are slightly stronger than the Canucks

9. LA................Way better Goaltending, better Defense, and I don't think Kopitar and Carter are finished just yet

10. Calgary.....Goaltending is suspect, defense in one of the strongest in the league, and their forwards are as good as the Canucks forwards in general

*11. Winnipeg....Don't know why these guys are not better, except Goaltending.......but is it any worse than Vancouver's?

*12. Vancouver...Well if teams above them fall to the injury bug and Vancouver doesn't....they could rise a couple of positions

*13. Arizona........These guys could be way better than where I have them, if their goaltending solidifies

14. Colorado.....Some great young stars, but they have terrible depth.......they will arm wrestle with Vegas for last

15. Vegas.........I thought they could have done better at the Expansion draft........maybe I am too critical????

 

*I think Winnipeg, Vancouver and Arizona's final positions are interchangeable

Great summary of teams Jan! I have a few varying opinions. But they might even be nitpicking...

 

Unfortunately, I dont believe our UFA spree has really gotten us out of the bottom 10,  Better, Yes! Any team that is no longer spotting Megna into the top 6 occasionally, never mind on the roster, is better.  We have a ton more forward depth. May get an extra 10 goals, 15 if we are lucky, from our backend?  With the addition of MDZ & development from Stecher and Hutton. But that only takes us from bottom 3 in scoring from the D. To somewhat approaching average. And the extra scoring from the offense?  It will also help. But I find it hard to project an extra 50 goals as a team.  

 

Then you have to factor none of the signings, save PTO's, are going to factor into size and speed match ups. Physically Tryamkin was a beacon of light in an otherwise gimpy team. I suppose Guddy is healthy again??? But we're not imposing. And we're not fast. And any youth, say Petterson, who is dazzling with the puck, a matchup nightmare on skill, has yet to arrive.  Plus our goaltending is a step backwards.

 

We're not THAT much better. We will only jump substantially if the new coach can coax some productivity back into Edler, The Twins, Ericsson, some two way play into Vanek.

 

I would bet on Stepan, he was a 1C on a team that went deep in the playoff's even if he's not an elite C. And Hjalmarsson lifting Arizona more than the vets we added. Their youth, Domi, Dvorak, Strome, Reider & Keller are starting to arrive adding the dynamic of talent & speed. They have match up bodies in Crouse, Martinook, Schenn. Not light years ahead. But things will have to go well for us to pass them this year... 

 

Calgary is ahead of where you rate them. Smith is a good goalie at getting to the puck and getting it up ice. Even if he is a bit shaky in actually stopping pucks. Added to that mobile and dangerous defence who can haul the puck up ice against pressure. I don't think they will spend huge amounts of time in their own end? They are not deep up front. But Monahan is ahead of Horvat. And Gaudreau is, again, a highly dynamic offensive catalyst. They are in danger of having sold too much youth. To have a chance at getting any youth push to boost them to a contender status? I believe they are at worst a wild card team as is though.

 

And it is confusing why Winnipeg is not better yet? They had size and speed before. Now have added Laine & Ehlers. Scheifele is exceeding everyone's expectations. Are about to add Connor & Roslovic. I actually know why they're not better now that I think about it? They had a huge prospect pool, well exceeding Calgary's. It was them, not Calgary, who should have traded for ridiculous depth on the blue line. Hamonic, or somebody else. I understand they needed a lefty. But those are usually 80% easier to find. Hell, MDZ at two tiers lower would have helped them more than us?  Give the goalies some stability to play behind. Even Pavelec had good years when he did not have sloppy passing, defending and guys marauding up ice with no support. I'm confused because some fundamentals are holding back a dynamic team when they have the assets and depths to solve it. Regardless, they are still light years ahead of us.

 

St Louis added Sobotka and Brayden Schenn. Fabbri, Pietrangelo, Tarasenko & Parayko are not at their peak levels yet either.  Edmundson and Bouwmeister are not spectacular, but do what we hoped Gudbranson & Tryamkin would do. If they get any boost from their youth, Schmaltz, Barbashev or Tage Thompson? Could they be a conference finalist?

 

Unfortunately (fortunately?) I believe we insulated our youth. Gave them, forced on them, a chance to develop at lower levels. Have put a more entertaining team on the ice. I don't believe we have moved substantially up the pecking order.  

[Canuck Surfer]

5 hours ago, Rob_Zepp said:

We'll see this season.   I am not buying.   They have some elite talent but not on the blueline or in net....IN MY OPINION (seems we need to say that once in a while).   That elite talent they have may be enough to mask the weaknesses like it did last year but I am not sold.   I am likely one of very few who see it that way and I suspect I will be proven wrong but I am not even sure they are a playoff team with assurance this year - I see some potential regression on a number of fronts for them and even the burden of mega-contract hype forcing elite players trying to do too much to justify those numbers.

 

Chime in again next spring and let me have it when they do well - but I have this feeling they will be a surprise this year for many and not for the right reasons IF you are a fan of the Oilers.

Do they have some components?  Klefbom is in place. IMO he will exceed Edlers best years as early as this year. He is very good. Nurse and Larssen give them components of size, snarl, and speed to match up against other teams. They might be overmatched joining Klefbom on a top pair of a top team? But, regardless, are good guys on your team. Particularly Larssen. Benning is underrated. At least a plausible two-way guy.  Sekeres will ultimately come back from injury. That is not spectacular.

 

But if Nurse can add some smarts to how he handles the puck? 

 

 

It may leave them one trade away from a D core that can at least hold up underneath their juggernaut forward core!

[oldnews]

The west will be a bloodbath this year.

 

I think there will be about 11 teams that could win the conference in the end - likely a highly unpredictable season with the quality of teams / tight competition / parity - which will leave a few very good teams on the outside looking in on the playoffs.

 

I'm going to go homer on this fool's game - I'm going to put two Canadian teams in the top 4 and and third in the top 6,

I think Edmonton will regress a bit - still be a threat in the playoffs - but a slight sophomore regular season.

I keep expecting the Jets to take a step forward and I think they're hitting a breaking point where they simply have far too much talent in their lineup to remain a outsider/tweener.

If I were them I'd consider a coaching change, but regardless, I'm hoping to see a huge uptick from them - their youth is as good as anyone's.  I also think the Lames will be a very hard team to play against - great blueline - I think they'll be middle of the playoff pack.

 

1. Anaheim

2. Nashville

3. Winnipeg

4. Calgary

5. Chicago

6. Edmonton

7. St Louis

8. Dallas

 

Obvious omissions - I think the Sharks are gonna fall out (despite the HBadger).  I'm never a big believer in the Wild - I think they once again lack depth, and they're a perenial first round exit (which I think is telling - they're not that good when you get down to it).  L.A is a tough call but I think they've been unable to restock with the kind of quality young players they'll need to keep competitive - they spent their share of futures (some quite poorly) and it might be catching up with them (although those Cups in their back pocket certainly lessen the pain that might be in their future).

So - that leaves us with an unpredictable remaining four.  Las Vegas could be better than generally expected, the Yotes shouldn't be gimme points, but I don't think they're ready to compete, the Avs, well, what have they done to lead us to expect an uptick from them?

 

The Canucks - I'm not going as far as most and predicting a bottom 3 conference finish - I think they could be in the mix with the Kings, Sharks, Wild in around the 9 to 11 spot - I think they could be one of the more improved teams in the West (in part by virtue of the past two years simply being M.A.S.H. disasters).  Perhaps next to Dallas (and the Jets) they stand one of the better chances of improving this year - so if things go well ie. they're reasonably healthy, I think they could remain in the race for the most part and make the season quite interesting.  Best thing underlying the Canucks imo is that the majority of their best young players are unlikely to be in their lineup this year, so while I think they'll be reasonably competitve, I also think they're going to have lots of young players banging on the door in the next few years.  With the decent quality of transitional veteran depth that Benning has assembled in the meantime, the next few years should bring some solid reasons for optimism.

I also think that while the Canucks may be in tough to crack the top 10 in the west, on the other hand Utica could be a contender and shouldn't be quite as depleted by the parent club this time around.

[Rob_Zepp]

1 hour ago, Canuck Surfer said:

Do they have some components?  Klefbom is in place. IMO he will exceed Edlers best years as early as this year. He is very good. Nurse and Larssen give them components of size, snarl, and speed to match up against other teams. They might be overmatched joining Klefbom on a top pair of a top team? But, regardless, are good guys on your team. Particularly Larssen. Benning is underrated. At least a plausible two-way guy.  Sekeres will ultimately come back from injury. That is not spectacular.

 

But if Nurse can add some smarts to how he handles the puck? 

 

 

It may leave them one trade away from a D core that can at least hold up underneath their juggernaut forward core!

Pieces but not sure how they go together.   Banning is OK, agreed, but he doesn't fit well with anyone they have.   I just think they are a bunch of pieces without a firm idea of what picture they are a part of.

[BowtieCanuck]

7 hours ago, MikeyD said:

I think we will finish ahead of San Jose and LA, both of those teams got considerably weaker. However LA may do well because Quick might be healthy again, but they lost a lot of depth. 

Agreed. Both teams are going to show their age and lack of depth. The California teams will be bottom feeders sooner than later, as is the cycle of the NHL.

[J.I.A.H.N]

1 hour ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Pieces but not sure how they go together.   Banning is OK, agreed, but he doesn't fit well with anyone they have.   I just think they are a bunch of pieces without a firm idea of what picture they are a part of.

Zepp

 

Edmonton's long and short term problems can be fixed easily, and by that I mean, they are a top 10 team IMO, and would be a ligit contender with flipping their 2018 1st + for a aging Edler...lol................but seriously, I think they are closer than what you have them, and could remedy your concerns pretty fast, if they really thought they wanted to. They have 8 million in cap.