Let's all take a step back and look how far the team has come along.

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

Willie Desjardins

  W         L              OTL

109      110            27

 

 

Travis Green

  W         L              OTL

 79        87              26

[captainhorvat]

Not takn a step back to look at nothin until we win a cup!

[189lb enforcers?]

5 hours ago, Me_ said:

Dude we get it. All of us.

Probably better for you to stay home and turn that TV off. That way you’re sure nothing is going to happen.

 

 

That was me not long ago. 

Now I just observe. 

Maybe I'm less of a fan today, but I’m still here. 

I’m going to just enjoy things for what they are for a bit, not even think about the flip side at all. I can’t afford any more hair loss. 

[Me_]

4 hours ago, ChuckNORRIS4Cup said:

Willie Desjardins

  W         L              OTL

109      110            27

 

 

Travis Green

  W         L              OTL

 79        87              26

Willie Desjardins has a stagnant ex-Finals team.

 

Green has had a rebuilding team.

 

Two very different emotions evoked. Willie was that of senseless despair, while Green is that of faith in a very bright future.

[Phat Fingers]

On 11/28/2019 at 4:37 AM, ruilin96 said:

There have been a significant amount of negativity among the Canucks fanbase all across the internet recently. Not going to lie, the Canucks are not good lately. They have trouble winning games and lately, they seem to find ways to lose games. However, in this post, let's take a step back and see how far this team has come over the past few seasons.

 

Let's go back to the dreadful 2016-17 season. For the Canucks, that was a miserable season. The Canucks finished the year with a record of 30-43-9 by a total of 69 points. It was a terrible season for many reasons. Personally, I remember watching the Canucks got shut-out in 3 straight games; watching depth players/AHL regular players such as Megna, Chaput, Skille, Cramarossa etc. taking up regular roster spots. The team as a whole generated very little value in terms of entertainment. Bo Horvat was the only bright spot on the roster that season (although Boeser join the team very late in the season, but at that point he is still more of an unknown at the NHL level). In comparison to many other teams top-star young players, Bo wasn't quite at their level (this is to no disrespect of Bo). There were also some younger players on the bubble such Sven Baertchi, Markus Granlund and Troy Stecher etc. that were on our roster, and the fanbase really hope atleast 1 or 2 of these players will be able to take that next step and be a consistent top 6 forward or top 4 defenceman at the NHL level. That season, the Canucks finished 2nd last in the NHL. If it wasn't for a historically bad season from an extremely underachieved Colorado Avalanche, the Canucks, likely finished last overall. The narrative at the end of the season was, the Canucks need to rebuild. The Canucks need to "play the kids." Many fans wanted players such as Goldobin, Gaudette, Demko etc. to be given a roster spot as soon as next season, because we want to "play the kids."

 

The 2017-18 season was a slight improvement record wise in comparison to the 2016-17 season. The Canucks finished the season with a record of 31-40-11, improving by only 4 points (only 1 more win) in comparison to the pervious season, the overall sentiment among the fanbase is very different. That year, we saw a young rookie by the name of Brock Boeser coming into the league, took the NHL by surprise, scoring 29 goals in 62 games and finished 2nd place in the Calder Trophy voting; on top of that, it was fun watching Boeser being named to the NHL All-Stars, winning the accuracy shooting contest among the best shooters in the league and adding an All-Star MVP title to his belt. Although the Canucks finished with a very similar overall record than the previous year and only winning 1 more game, it did felt like the Canucks have won more than just that. In fact, as I was suprised to find that the Canucks only won 1 more game than they did in 2016-17 because it felt like we won atleast 5 more. Again at the end of the season, knowing that the Sedins will retire, the fanbase once again wanted to inject more youth into the line-up. More younger players in the line up the better. And I have read posts stating roster spots should be "given" to the kids as soon as next season.

 

The 2018-19 season was the first season since 1999-2000 season we will not see a pair of familiar and identical faces on our roster. Most sources projected the Canucks to be one of the teams to finish absolute last in the league. Where will the goals come from without the Sedins? What was Jim Benning doing signing players like Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel? And last season, we witness the debut of our very own and very special player, Elias Pettersson. Pettersson stormed out of the gates with 10 goals in his first 10 career games and carried onto have a signifcant rookie campaign. Pettersson brought in something the fanbase desperately needed argubly since 2011 - that is hope. The Canucks were fighting for a wildcard spot for the majority of the season until the wheels finally fell off near the end of the year. The team was playing meaningful games and took a major step forward. We start to see the development of a new core group of players.

 

Here we are today, almost 2 months into the 2019-2020 season, the Canucks are still currently sitting in a playoff spot. They have played some games where they look absolutely amazing, dominating the opponent from start to finish and we also have seen some very terrible efforts like the ones we have seen recently. However, there is one thing we have to realize is we have got our wish. We are playing the kids in the line-up. The current top 5 scorers on the Canucks are: Pettersson (31 pts in 26 GP), Miller (26 pts in 26 GP), Boeser (24 pts in 26 GP), Hughes (21 pts in 25 GP) and Horvat (20 pts in 26 GP). Four of the top 5 scorers on the team are young players drafted and developed by the club and they are the ones leading the charge. We have finally got what we wished for line-up wise: a team consist of a core made up of Pettersson, Boeser, Horvat and Hughes with Thatcher Demko getting some quality back-up goaltender games in net. This has been the type of line-up we have all been hoping for in years. The torched has been passed, Bo is now the new captain of the team (another thing the fans wanted for a long time). This team is now at the hands of these "kids" we have always hoped to see in the line-up. And they are the best players on the team, and they are leading the charge.

 

However, we have to remember, these players are still young and with young players, it comes with excitement, and with young players, it also comes with inconsistencies. We have to understand that just because they are in the line-up now and they are putting up good numbers statistically, it doesn't mean they do not have deficiencies in their games.  We will have to understand that there will be stretches (like the one we currently have right now) where the team is not very good. And we will also have stretches when the team is very dominant (like what we had in October). Regardless, this team is now at the hands of the young players. We either sink or swim with them, and whereever this team finish in the standings, it depends on them. For this very reason, I think the Canucks have made a giant leap forward this season. The young players have shown what they are capable of when they are on their game, and they give us glimpses what it could be for years to come. We just have to be patient and show support and tolerence when the team does not perform well in stretches.

 

Our best players are still under-25, which means there are still room for them to improve. It took Mackinnon 4 full seasons in the NHL before he broke out in his 5th season and become the player he is now; it took Leon Draisaitl the same number of seasons before he is who he is today. What is very encouraging is that Pettersson seems to be well-ahead of Mackinnon was when he was at the same age and I can't wait to see what Pettersson can be in 2 years time. Brock Boeser is getting a lot of flack from the fanbase right now (yet he is still scoring at 24 pts in 26 GP rate), however, who is to say isn't a more complete player and dynamite goal scorer in 2 years? Bo Horvat is the new captain and put a lot on his shoulders and has been improving every year. Quinn Huges is an absolute suprise as if one were to tell me that Hughes gets 21 points in his first 25 games before the start of the season, I would not have believed them and here we are, his career just got started. Wonder how much he better he can be by the time he is 25? Demko had a fantastic start but had 2 rough games lately, but he had shown many signs of a future #1 goalie and he will learn from the bad games he played.

 

Our fantastic October had led to us to believe that the Canucks has "arrived." November is more of a reality check and market correction of where the team is at overall. We are not contenders, atleast, not yet. We can't expect the team to go in and dominate every game like an elite cup contender would. Hopefully, we will get there one day. The Canucks are still a work in progress, but we have came a long way since the end of the 2016-17 season. No more are we watching Michael Chaput, Jayson Megna, Jack Skille and Philip Larsen etc. Instead we get to see Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, JT Miller and Quinn Hughes on a nightly bases. We have came a long way. This team is much more entertaining to watch than the team we had 3 seasons ago, and over the course of the last 3 seasons, the team is icing a more exciting team to watch each year. I will always get behind this team and cheer them on.

 

 

The future is here, let's enjoy the ride from peaks and valleys together, Go Canucks Go! 

This is a playoff team.  

 

Still young and the normal ups and downs of a relying on young players to lead will always require a level of patience beyond the CDC's bipolar make up.  

 

November has historically been a bad month.  Compared to last season's november, the turn around is still evident.  Some factors that have likely added to our november drop off might hav to do with Markstrom's father's health and his passing.  

 

My sympathies and thoughts go out to him.  Losing a family member is tough.  

 

Still this team is a playoff team.  Scoring is up dramatically, goals against is down dramatically.  Teams have adjusted and now it's our turn to adjust. 

 

Still we are beating good teams, just not all the time.   The only question is does this team have to stamina to make it to the end of the season holding down a playoff spot?

 

Look to man games lost.  Another stat that is trending in the right direction and very different from previous seasons.  Also look to Utica and its play, the depth is there when injuries occur.  

 

When Rousell and Fattenburg come back from injury and score, you know this team is for real.  

 

They know they can beat the best teams in the league.  Just not constantly.  That last part comes with experience.  

 

 

[Nuxfanabroad]

Title is good advice. Nice positive thread.

[Nucker 67]

I look back as far as 2010/11, when they blew it. Since then. it's been tough. But I'm optimistic with Pettersson and Hughes on the team now. Anything is possible, as long as management surrounds them with the best possible playoff-type players, without giving up the future. Sucks to lose Madden and the 2nd, but if they can re-sign Toffoli, then it was worth it.   

[Lazurus]

The closer it gets to the end of the season the more some posters are entrenching themselves on sides and becoming more "fanatic" is those they support.

 

There are only 4 players under 24 making an impact.

This is the 2nd year of a rebuild that started according to Benning when the Sedins retired in 2018.

 

What if the team does not make the playoffs? What if they do? Not much thought about the next 3 years happening or being discussed except the usual "video game" type responses, like just trade Eriksson, just get rid of Beagle, just sign Markstrom to a huge contract and force Demko to stay, Byfuglien showed payers can still refuse to play and get rewarded, just forget that injuries take a toll and that performance declines as players age. Forget about the cap and sign everyone, like a fantasy game.

 

They have a shot at the  playoffs, the more Benning alters the team the less chance next year because he cannot keep all these players nor are they going to be the same in two years. This is a one off. To get rid of players with guaranteed contracts there needs to be a partner that is why so many teams GIVE up a first round pick to make it under the cap, Tampa is the exception, they ended up cleaning up, they signed the player they wanted and then traded for another that helps them now.

 

So many here will respond with "who cares about next year?" How about all those that keep throwing how good the prospects will be without ever looking at the team to see if there any apart from 4 even playing. Horvat is now considered a veteran of 5 going on 6 years