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Are we a playoff team next year?

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1 hour ago, Silver Ghost said:

Looking at the holes filled by Benning and the depth and a tougher style of play we can expect have me inclined to say yes.

 

Add in how many teams in the west have actually gotten worse both on paper and relative to the Canucks improvement,  I would say if we dont again get decimated by injuries, a playoff spot is there for the Canucks.

I agree but seems we might actually have some depth that can step in and actually help not hinder and that's just this season let alone in 2-3 yrs

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13 minutes ago, iceman64 said:

I agree but seems we might actually have some depth that can step in and actually help not hinder and that's just this season let alone in 2-3 yrs

I agree. I think there are still a few players that we need healthy though or it could severely impact whether we make the playoffs.

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1 hour ago, Silver Ghost said:

I agree. I think there are still a few players that we need healthy though or it could severely impact whether we make the playoffs.

Well I guess that depends on how many injuries, we could survive some now but not a slew of them.. though you have to agree it's better than most other years previous..

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I wonder how many Canucks this season will have career years (goals/points). My guess:

 

Pettersson - having Ferland as his winger will allow him to play with a bit more space (31g 83p)

Horvat - now has an offensive threat on his wing (33g 69p)

Boeser - will finally be healthy, and maybe a nice new contract (38g 62p)

Hughes - his first full year, but he'll be great (12g 54p) 

Virtanen - hopefully he takes this off season seriously (18g 32p)

Tanev - only if sheltered off the top pairing and plays with Hughes (7g 22p)

 

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I think JB is shaping this team to be a solid playoff team. 

 

With the offseason Roster moves it’s clear to me JB isn’t looking at JUST making playoff. JB has bigger sights in mind and that’s to actually do really well in the playoffs. If this team gets going as a Team they will be very hard to play against imo.

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3 hours ago, NUCKER67 said:

I wonder how many Canucks this season will have career years (goals/points). My guess:

 

Pettersson - having Ferland as his winger will allow him to play with a bit more space (31g 83p)

Horvat - now has an offensive threat on his wing (33g 69p)

Boeser - will finally be healthy, and maybe a nice new contract (38g 62p)

Hughes - his first full year, but he'll be great (12g 54p) 

Virtanen - hopefully he takes this off season seriously (18g 32p)

Tanev - only if sheltered off the top pairing and plays with Hughes (7g 22p)

 

I hope they all have a great year and they all set a career new standard for themselves.

 

all the listed above^ players I think will up their point totals and also add playoff stats.

 

Jake... I actually WISH and hope has the biggest improvement this next season. Cuz Jake could become a very valuable player if he levels up his game.

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I think there is a recipe for success in the playoffs. Speed, skill, grit/size, great D and goaltending. If a team doesn't have all of those, then they won't win the Cup IMO. This is why the Leafs won't be winning anytime soon. The Canucks have added key pieces to the forward and D group. I think they have the makings of not just a playoff team, but a good one.

 

Speed - Virtanen, Miller, Bo, Pettersson, Hughes, etc.

Skill - Pettersson, Boeser, Bo, Miller, Hughes, etc.

Grit/Size - Ferland, Pearson, Bo, Miller, Leivo, Virtanen, Myers, Benn, etc.

D - Edler, Hughes, Stecher, Benn, etc.

Goaltending - Markstrom and Demko

 

It might come down to whether or not Markstrom can take them from good, to very good. If he struggles, then Demko gets his shot to take the next step.  

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The way it currently stands, I think the chances of us making the playoffs or not depends on a couple of things in descending order:

 

1) Injuries - not just to us but to other teams. Always the biggest decider

2) How good Pettersson can be in his sophmore season. If he's still just a 60-70 point player we might come close, but if he ramps it up to say 80-100 points (not out of reach, see what Pastrnak/Aho etc. have been doing lately) we might be a top-3 Pacific team.

3) Markstrom's play

 

I think there's a lot less variables and unknowns going into this next season. We know a lot of our top-9 forwards are going to score and play hard, gritty hockey. We hope the defence is better and Myers and Benn are pretty consistent defenders compared to Guddy and Hutton. Markstrom has been his best self lately but that's just really half a season of great goaltending from him in his career so he's the big question mark and wild card going into the season. A lot of the season rests of goaltending. Let's hope even if he's for whatever reason not as good as he was last season, Demko comes ready to play.

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In the canucks 49 season's they have made the playoffs for 27 of them,  they have never missed more than four in a row post season dances.  I may be a dreamer or overly optimistic but I find so many things to be excited about this team for a vastly improved defense, IMO and the bite back that keeps teams from touching your stars for fear of your own stars taking a hit in retaliation(Micheal Ferland) and a solid second line no matter who plays with Bo(Ferland,Miller).  Obviously things will play out as the season progresses but I believe we have a strong chance this year with such an uncertain Pacific division.

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I sure hope so.

 

But there's so much that has to line up ... mostly - health and goaltending.  Two key components.

 

Then we just leave it up to Petey and Company to lead the way.

 

I feel if the league truly does address the cheap shots and dirty stuff, we have a chance.  Or, if they don't, that some of our new additions help put an end to the stuff that targets Petey because some don't have any other way to defend against him.  They resort to the stuff that lacks in respect for the game...like throwdowns to the ice, etc.

 

I really hope they do make it - they have the right energy/attitude.  And..they deserve it (to do we!).  Playoffs are a special kind of hockey that can really elevate team bonding to a whole new level.

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We've probably been the worst offensive team the past 4 seasons combined. With the additions and progression of younger players, if we can get into the middle of the pack in terms of goals for, we should be in good shape.

 

 

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Being a Canucks fan, my brain & gut are telling me "don't bet on it!". But there's definitely a chance.

 

I think injuries will once again be a huge factor. But even if we stay relatively healthy, it'll still take a continuation of Markstrom's oustanding play & an improvement from Pettersson (as the driver of the team) to be in the thick of things. Plus Hughes/Myers improving the PP, & improved secondary scoring (which we'll get).

 

On paper, injuries aside, we have the basis of 2 solid scoring lines & a good checking/matchup line with Petey/Horvat/Sutter down the middle.

 

If Sutter stays healthy he could free up Horvat for better matchups. And now with better linemates Horvat's line could be a legitimate scoring line, rather than a helicopter line. But at this stage you can't bet on Sutter staying healthy, that's a problem. 

 

Hughes is another X factor, he alone will add offense, but how reliable will he be as the 2nd LHD in year one. Could be another difference between making & missing. 

 

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On 7/27/2019 at 1:51 PM, NUCKER67 said:

I think there is a recipe for success in the playoffs. Speed, skill, grit/size, great D and goaltending. If a team doesn't have all of those, then they won't win the Cup IMO. This is why the Leafs won't be winning anytime soon. The Canucks have added key pieces to the forward and D group. I think they have the makings of not just a playoff team, but a good one.

 

Speed - Virtanen, Miller, Bo, Pettersson, Hughes, etc.

Skill - Pettersson, Boeser, Bo, Miller, Hughes, etc.

Grit/Size - Ferland, Pearson, Bo, Miller, Leivo, Virtanen, Myers, Benn, etc.

D - Edler, Hughes, Stecher, Benn, etc.

Goaltending - Markstrom and Demko

 

It might come down to whether or not Markstrom can take them from good, to very good. If he struggles, then Demko gets his shot to take the next step.  

I agree with most of this with the exception if your team has superstars on it some of the flaws won’t matter as much.  PIT won two cups with a mediocre defense and one of those was without Letang at all...that said they did have the best player of this generation on their team and one of the better ones as well in Malkin.    St Louis is a better built team and I’m glad they won too, definitely follows your above formula for success.  At least for now our hopes land more on EPs shoulders then anything, if he goes down so does our chances of making it to the playoffs, and once we get there he’d have to obtain superstar status to hide some of the warts here and there for us to win a cup. But hey it’s hockey and anything’s possible with this young core.

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On 6/22/2019 at 12:27 PM, ButterBean said:

Adding Miller and a full season of Quinn Hughes is huge. Juolevi could contribute later in the season too if we need him and he’s healthy. As always it will depend on how many injuries we take, if any of our top 5 players aren’t out for an extended period of time I can definitely see us making playoffs.

Huge? Adding J.T. Miller a guy who can barely crack fifty points on the top line of the best scoring team in the league is going to come to Vancouver and suddenly light it up with less points then eriksson when we signed did and produce even better,? and a full year out of a 19 year old defensemen? Are you serious? It takes until they’re 25 (most of them) u too they get the job at the pro level. dahlin did amazing and was the second best 18 yr olD dman  inn NHL history and it did little to turn buffalo around. Hughes can be amazing but it’s going to take more then that. Myers was a god awful contract he sucks I watched him live on Kelowna and on buffalo and after year one his play fell off a cliff he isn’t worth three million let alone six. fetland  was a good one and we’re on the right track but sorry jt miller is no messiah and Hughes is a 19 ur old dman. Not that huge.

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4 hours ago, Bertuzzi44ever said:

Huge? Adding J.T. Miller a guy who can barely crack fifty points on the top line of the best scoring team in the league is going to come to Vancouver and suddenly light it up with less points then eriksson when we signed did and produce even better,? and a full year out of a 19 year old defensemen? Are you serious? It takes until they’re 25 (most of them) u too they get the job at the pro level. dahlin did amazing and was the second best 18 yr olD dman  inn NHL history and it did little to turn buffalo around. Hughes can be amazing but it’s going to take more then that. Myers was a god awful contract he sucks I watched him live on Kelowna and on buffalo and after year one his play fell off a cliff he isn’t worth three million let alone six. fetland  was a good one and we’re on the right track but sorry jt miller is no messiah and Hughes is a 19 ur old dman. Not that huge.

Even if JT gets 40 points he will be a huge upgrade and unlike LE he is only 26 and not about to drop off the edge. QH is no ordinary 19 year old D. Myers is no superstar however he is an improvement and along with Benn will add much needed depth. Who or what is a fetland?

Playoffs here we come.

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7 hours ago, Bertuzzi44ever said:

Huge? Adding J.T. Miller a guy who can barely crack fifty points on the top line of the best scoring team in the league is going to come to Vancouver and suddenly light it up with less points then eriksson when we signed did and produce even better,? and a full year out of a 19 year old defensemen? Are you serious? It takes until they’re 25 (most of them) u too they get the job at the pro level. dahlin did amazing and was the second best 18 yr olD dman  inn NHL history and it did little to turn buffalo around. Hughes can be amazing but it’s going to take more then that. Myers was a god awful contract he sucks I watched him live on Kelowna and on buffalo and after year one his play fell off a cliff he isn’t worth three million let alone six. fetland  was a good one and we’re on the right track but sorry jt miller is no messiah and Hughes is a 19 ur old dman. Not that huge.

You're undermining the impact of acquiring pieces that are needed and how filling holes can impact everyone's game/numbers.  We aren't looking for "superstars" = we have one (potentially 2-3).  So we needed a supporting cast that could help them do what they do more than anything.  These players fit in that.  

So you're looking at points and what a guy did 5-10 years ago.  Players mature and sometimes it's a matter of them being utilized in order to maximize their potential.  So many things that you've decided on but I'd prefer to see what happens HERE....not just look at the past.

 

We do need scoring and have players in place to lead the charge in that - the problem was, they were being targeted and focused on and we needed some players who could distract from that.  It's not quite as one dimensional as you've broken it down.

 

An "amazing" player or two are the building blocks and you're not really accounting for the fact that we do have them.  The other guys just need to focus on their roles and make sure they do them well.  I'm confident we've added players that can help in that.

 

It is huge to bring in some grit and size...even if it's not of the beat them down kind.  It will serve as more of a deterrent. 

 

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5 hours ago, Bertuzzi44ever said:

Huge? Adding J.T. Miller a guy who can barely crack fifty points on the top line of the best scoring team in the league is going to come to Vancouver and suddenly light it up

 

5 hours ago, Bertuzzi44ever said:

Not this again.  Have another look at Miller's stats.  2017 he's in NY and at 23yrs he puts up 56pts.

                                                                                            2018 he's in NY then moves to TB puts up 58pts altogether.

                                                                                            2019 he puts up 47pts playing on TBs 3rd line.

 

It's not a huge jump for him to get +60pts; especially if he plays alongside Pete.  Miller also brings a physical presence that fills a huge need for the Canucks.

 

5 hours ago, Bertuzzi44ever said:

with less points then eriksson when we signed did and produce even better,? and a full year out of a 19 year old defensemen? Are you serious? It takes until they’re 25 (most of them) u too they get the job at the pro level. dahlin did amazing and was the second best 18 yr olD dman  inn NHL history and it did little to turn buffalo around. Hughes can be amazing but it’s going to take more then that.

You are projecting Miller's game on how Eriksson turned out?  This an unfounded deduction and extremely negative.  Miller is just 26yrs old and in his prime; while Eriksson signed at 31yrs old and was (in retrospect) obviously on the decline.

 

High end dmen are developing earlier than 25yrs old nowadays.  There's no way of knowing how quickly a player like Hughes will develop.  At the very least, he certainly improves the team's PP and overtime units and will be far better than last years equivalent.

 

5 hours ago, Bertuzzi44ever said:

Myers was a god awful contract he sucks I watched him live on Kelowna

Meyers was always in the top half of the 1st round in the 2008 mock drafts.  He was picked 12th overall, so I guess the pro scouts viewed his game differently.

 

5 hours ago, Bertuzzi44ever said:

and on buffalo and after year one his play fell off a cliff he isn’t worth three million let alone six. fetland  was a good one and we’re on the right track but sorry jt miller is no messiah and Hughes is a 19 ur old dman. Not that huge.

Meyers hasn't made less than 5.5m a year since 2012.  He was the best UFA dman not named Karlsson this year.  It's highly doubtful any gm though they could pick him up for 3m.  Yeah, he's hardly elite, but he skates well, has offensive upside and improves the team d,  The addition of Meyers will allow Green the flexibility to increase/reduce toi for each d pairing as needed.

 

Along with Benn, Ferland;  Miller, Meyers and an excellent core that continues to develop, make this team much better than last year.  Bigger, more aggressive, faster + more skill.  I would have though a guy with a your username would be happy with these additions.

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11 minutes ago, debluvscanucks said:

We aren't looking for "superstars" = we have one (potentially 2-3).  So we needed a supporting cast that could help them do what they do more than anything.

Good point. Canucks already have superstars in Pettersson, Horvat, Boeser, and I'll even include Hughes. They really needed to upgrade their supporting cast (Eriksson, Sutter, Granlund, etc). Remember how effective Burrows was? Not a superstar. He was the ultimate support player though.

 

I love the additions of Ferland, Miller, Myers and Benn. More speed and grit/size, just what they'll need for the playoffs next April. 

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