-AJ-

An interesting thing I've noticed is that while many fans from the 90s or late 80s go nuts over the Skate nostalgia, I don't see the same thing from older fans from prior eras, like the Flying V or Sitck 'N Rink era, though there may be some exceptions. I suspect fans who've seen so much change over the years aren't keen on yet another change, but also don't have the nostalgia tied with the Skate, since their nostalgia logo would be the Flying V or Stick 'N Rink. @smithers joe @Rick Blight @RUPERTKBD What are your opinions on the Skate logo and the idea of switching back to it? Genuinely curious to know what older fans think and if my theory holds true.

Why do you think many stars opt out of the World Cup of Hockey, even when they're out of the playoffs? Not only is it a tournament and trophy, but they can even represent their nation with pride and still many decide not to play. I think it's obvious that they're prioritizing regular season and playoff hockey over any other hockey. I think if you somehow had the tournaments as part of the regular season or in some way impact playoff seeding, you'd see fierce competition the whole way, but I think it would have to be linked to the playoffs in some way.

I can simply see some players choosing to opt out in the same way they opt out for the All-Star game. If it's not contributing to their Stanley Cup hopes, they aren't interested in risking injury for it. Maybe some would find motivation, but I suspect some players are more singularly focused on the Stanley Cup and nothing else, going so far as to avoid hockey that doesn't contribute to their Stanley Cup journey. I suspect NHL hockey players are brought up in a different culture than EU footballers and so might be less interested in a variety of tournaments and competitions, as EU players are. As a fan, I'm sure they could be entertaining, so long as the players put in a full effort.

Might be interesting to watch, but I don't think I'd put that much stock into a random draw tournament and even if the Canucks won the trophy, it certainly wouldn't feel like "winning it all" if it isn't Lord Stanley's Cup. Might be interesting, but with most players having the primary goal of winning a Cup, playing games that do little to progress them towards that goal might not be terribly motivating. It's like the World Cup of Hockey except without the motivation that comes from representing your country.

Key words there might be "could" and "potentially".

It really comes down to their offensive depth. That's what killed them in the playoffs last year. If they have depth, they can go very far. As a Canuck fan, I want them to fizzle out and fail. As a hockey fan, I want to see McDavid secure his legacy and have playoff success (at least a strong conference final showing). I expect they'll get at least a few good runs with McDavid and Draisaitl.

I wouldn't mind it as a third, but I do like our current third better. Maybe a fourth jersey? Is that a thing? Definitely don't want it as a main jersey, nor do I want any significant changes to that one. I'm glad we're finally forming an identity with our logo and colour scheme. We've used the same colours for almost 15 years now and roughly the same logo for almost 25 and that makes me happy.

I've noticed this for sure. I've said it before, but his ability to get shots through reminds me of Salo.

More than anything else, I'm really disappointed with his poor start in the faceoff dot. 27% is beyond abysmal. Sure it's a small sample size, but when you're that far below a reasonable win % with 37 faceoffs, sample size isn't likely your problem anymore. Horvat is our only centre doing well in the faceoff circle unless you include the small 12-faceoff sample of Dowling.

As @Coconuts said, in a 32-team league that's been 30+ teams for 20 years, not many players nor coaches get to win a Cup, even some great ones. I'd also say everyone needs to begin somewhere. If only coaches who've won in the past are hired, what happens when they all retire? Even the legendary great old coaches started their first NHL job without any legacy of success at the highest level.

If he could get the offensive skills of Marchand too, that would be amazing.

I will say that Toews continues to be massively underrated. I had him ranked 5th in my personal Norris votes last year. If Makar struggles without Toews, we might see him get more respect.

3-2 Kraken. Pettersson scores the first Canuck goal. Geekie scores the GWG.

You're probably right. I haven't followed the Avs, but if they're doing that poorly and he has those stats, he no doubt has something to do with it.

Not to be a downer, but Makar always follows Hughes on almost every one of these lists and does it better. He currently had 95 points in 103 games. He's on pace to hit 100 points in 110 games, which would rank him 5th.

Miller frustrates me sometimes with what seem like lazy mistakes, but I've gotta admit, he's still very effective. 6 points in 5 games so far. Almost makes you wonder if he has even more to give.

Not the best game, but good enough. Demko was very good. Let's keep it going and get above .500 to get us in playoff contention again.

Poolman matching his production for last year already!

Great stick check by Boeser.

Great work by Pearson on that shift.

I'm excited by how many people are starting to get into hockey from Seattle's introduction to the league. Tomlinson will be a nice addition and a source of knowledge for the small minority that tune into radio calls of the games.

I think there's at least a 50% chance that no playoffs this year means either Green or Benning is gone--I'd guess the former.

For sure, I'm still holding my breath for a turnaround. If we win the next three straight games, all is well and looking up. It's amazing how quickly things can turn around. It's if this drags on that I'll be a bit more down on things.

Not gonna lie, I am getting some Megna vibes with some of the lineup choices recently. I'm very slow to turn on almost anyone, especially coaches or GMs, but if we keep on losing, Green is going to start losing all support, even from those resistant to negativity like me. Really hope we start to win soon, especially for Green's sake. His job isn't on the line yet IMO, but if disaster ensues and we start something like 1-8-1, I do think we enter a world where he could very realistically be canned.

3-1 Hawks. Shots are 39-26 Canucks. Kane GWG.