Last year was an aberration.

[nuck nit]

Problem is, as it has been for years. Live by the Sedin line, die by the Sedin line. They need to stop building the team around the Sedins. As far as I see it, they're not first liners anymore. Time to look at a new first line.

Seemed to me that Gillis did not build the team around the Sedins.

He did not support Kesler adequately,either.

Ditto the PP with a puck moving d man.

What NHL team can succeed without a good/very good PP d man and rely on two skilled guys and a puck hog to get into the playoffs?

[TheXFactor]

We had the sum of 1 playoff win in 2012 and 2013. 2014 was not an aberration and the team in fact has been in a very steep downward spiral.

Sedins are not playoff performers. That makes 2 of our 3 1st liners liabilities when winning is most important.

We don't have a clutch defenseman, and our top 2 D make too many mistakes.

We may have a lot of cap space, but as far as I know there are no young top 6 wingers available, which we need more than anything else at this point. Exception being E. Kane but many fans don't want him because of his attitude.

We may not be bottom 10 next season but unless the roster has significant changes then we aren't getting past 1st round of the playoffs.

[lmm]

hey Watermelon,

when was the last time a team did damage in the playoffs with a 200 year old top six?

Stastny is the "kid" in that group at 28.

I think you missed the memo about getting younger

[coastal1]

Ok so i understand that last year was terrible in so many ways with so many players having career lows, but why does everyone suddenly think our team is in need to rebuild. Yes our team is in a decline, and yes we are getting older/slower, but you have to admit last year was an aberration... What exactly states that it's going to happen again?

looking at our current roster

Sedin - Sedin - Burrows

Kassian*** - vacant - vacant

Higgins - Matthias - Jensen

Hansen - Richardson - Archibald***

Bieksa - Hamhuis

Edler - Garrison

Tanev*** - Stanton

Lack

Markstrom

***need to re-sign

****21M in cap space when Kes is traded

after signing the RFAs we'll have about 13M for 2 roster spots. Realistically speaking, you have to expect bounce back years from sedins and burrows now that they're healthy. Edler finally showing us he's capable of being a number 1, and garrisons big shot. By looking at this roster our only question marks are in goaltending and the 2nd line. With the draft and free agency coming up we have sooooo many options to fill that void, i.e.; Horvat, Shinkaruk, 6th overall(or higher), Santorelli, return from kes deal, and various free agents.

Our first line will definitely be better this time around (expect sedins to be back at ppg), 3rd line is pretty solid, and 4th line is filled with hard working individuals that play with an edge. I want to clarify this, this doesn't look like a team that's threatening or a shoe in to be a contender, but it's definitely not a rebuild and definitely seems like a playoff team. In my opinion a rebuild will commence when the top 2 players on our team are gone.

In sum, don't expect this team to suddenly fall into the bottom 10 again next year unless a major trade is involved in which are roster would consist of primarily prospects and the sedins.

Have you just moved here from Calgary?

[2009cupchamps]

Burrows-Stastny-Kesler Sedin-Sedin-Kassian Higgins-Horvat-Santorelli Sestito-Richardson-Matthias Edler-Tanev Hamhius-Bieksa Garrison-Stanton With the signing of one legit UFA and keep Kesler, our lineup is improved by leaps and bounds.

[Crabcakes]

We got "TORTALIZED" last year!

Sure, the Canucks were/are declining anyways. But Mr Torts who marched to the beat of his own drum (re organizational mis-alignment) and the goalie saga, led to the acceleration of this trend. There will be a bounce back this year without roster changes. However, changes are coming and this will improve the team in the short term.

What is truly vital is to replace what remains of an aging top 6 within 3 years. In Benning we trust.

[Fanuck]

 

We got "TORTALIZED" last year!

Sure, the Canucks were/are declining anyways. But Mr Torts who marched to the beat of his own drum (re organizational mis-alignment) and the goalie saga, led to the acceleration of this trend. There will be a bounce back this year without roster changes. However, changes are coming and this will improve the team in the short term.

What is truly vital is to replace what remains of an aging top 6 within 3 years. In Benning we trust.

You`re definitely not too far off the mark. I disagreed with the Torts hiring from day one (easy for me to say in hindsight, I know, but my post history backs this up completely). IMO,he was the wrong guy for how this team was built over the last 5 years or so. I can accept that it is common practice and somewhat of a cliche that you can`t fire 23 players but you can fire one coach. That said, I think events which unfolded last season clearly indicate AV wasn`t the problem, in fact he was likely a much bigger part of the team`s success than most thought.

GMJB, Pres. Lynden, and Willie would do well to review the teams recent history (5 years or so) as I`m sure they already have - and focus on the fact that the team was most successful when they played, well....the complete opposite of how Torts coached. That is to say, exactly how AV coached. Willie can put his own stamp on the style of play (which I`m looking forward to actually), but he needs to realize this team was built a certain way, and zebra`s don`t change their stripes if you know what I`m saying.

Now, if JB and his management team want to change the personnel of the team so as to change the style of play, that is their perrogative, but that will take time and plenty of coaching - which I`m sur Willie is up for!

I guess that was my long-winded way of saying I agree with the OP, last year was indeed an abberation IMO, they will at least return to a playoff contender this season - not saying cup contender, but once you`re in, anything can happen.

[canucks.brad]

because last year we didn't make the playoffs

the year before that we swept by the sharks

the year before that we lost to the kings in 5

we have been trending downwards for years now...we clearly cannot match up against the classes of the west.

lets say we magically get past the ducks...we still have to get past one of sharks/kings, and or wild/avalanche/hawks

[Moonshinefe]

Ok so i understand that last year was terrible in so many ways with so many players having career lows, but why does everyone suddenly think our team is in need to rebuild. Yes our team is in a decline, and yes we are getting older/slower, but you have to admit last year was an aberration...

Umm, no, I won't "admit that". Your argument is pretty weak if it relies on the presumption that everyone agrees with you on a major point. The Canucks have been in decline ever since the cup run. Sure we did OK in the regular season a couple times before last season, but we went nowhere in the postseason.

Divisional re-alignment made the Canucks' season much harder, and I don't think it's an aberration so much as a sign of things to come if the Canucks DON'T make changes. As it stands we'll be lucky to get a wildcard playoff berth with our division. I have faith though and think we might get one next season, but certainly not if we keep all the same players and just hope it'll get better.

[Nuxfanabroad]

See here, ol'chap..I'll RAISE your aberration to an abomination!

[coastal1]

because last year we didn't make the playoffs

the year before that we swept by the sharks

the year before that we lost to the kings in 5

we have been trending downwards for years now...we clearly cannot match up against the classes of the west.

lets say we magically get past the ducks...we still have to get past one of sharks/kings, and or wild/avalanche/hawks

OK, OK, the last 3 years were an aberration. There. I mean surely Henrik compares to Kopitar as #1 center. And Bieksa or Doughty? It's a toss up. Lack or Quick? Pretty even. Depth at forward: Wiliams, Gaborik, Brown, Carter, Toffoli, Stoll, Pearson versus Higgins, Burrows, Mathias, Kassian, Danny. It's all an aberration, personnel wise the Canucks match very well with the Kings, it's obvious. Next year big rebound. henrik goes back to the form of when he was 29.

[Vansicle]

We got "TORTALIZED" last year!

Sure, the Canucks were/are declining anyways. But Mr Torts who marched to the beat of his own drum (re organizational mis-alignment) and the goalie saga, led to the acceleration of this trend. There will be a bounce back this year without roster changes. However, changes are coming and this will improve the team in the short term.

What is truly vital is to replace what remains of an aging top 6 within 3 years. In Benning we trust.

Nonsense. Pure, concentrated nonsense.

I'm no fan of Torts style by any means, but this team would have ended up in more or less the same predicament regardless of who "coached" them last season.

So much is made of the "core", but most everyone is forgetting the role-players that were let go. The notion that this is the same team that went to the finals is laughable.

Where are the Malhotras? Torres'? Samuelssons? Ehrhoffs? Lappieres? Schneiders?

The fact is, this team is a shadow of its former self, and a simple coaching tweak was never going to be the solution.

That was always the problem with Gillis. He thought he could do a little tweak here, a little rental there and call it a day.

But ultimately it was never enough. He never made a big enough effort to provide the right amount of change to get the job done; always just shy of enough. And in so doing he ruined this team. But some delusional people still think we're just a piece or two away.

But we're not. A new coach, a great draft pick, an RFA here, a trade there. Those might stop the bleeding. But a band aid is not what is needed.

Last year was not an anomaly, it was an inevitability.

It's time to put the band aids away and get out the crash cart.

[Monteeun]

I'm willing to let last season go because of the new coach and style. I'll wait and see for this coming season.

[kmotamed]

The problem is, we couldn't score... And now with Luongo gone, we have a real hole in net too!

[EmilyM]

Their production on average, has only dropped by A TENTH OF A POINT per game in the post season.

The problem is when it comes to playoff hockey, it's hardly ever about pure numbers.

It's about who can rise up when it matters most.

Who does more than they're supposed to.

I would be hard pressed to find many people who could honestly say that the Sedins, or any of the Canuck leaders, stepped up in the playoffs when we needed them to the most.

[unknown33429]

I'm not denying that we shouldn't rebuild in fact i would love that idea. All I'm saying is do you realistically consider 2 vacant roster spots a rebuild? Face it, this is pretty much the team that we are being dealt, what seems to be in place is more of a retool, and front office definitely feels that way seeing as they "think" they can still win with the core guys such as the sedins, bieksa, hammer etc. 2 roster spots in which 1 is likely going to go to a UFA does not classify as a rebuild. Furthermore, while I do agree we are on a steady decline, the reason why i say it's an aberration is because do you honestly expect the same production or even worse from a healthy burrows and sedins? and don't you think coaching was an issue? Do you honestly expect the same or even worse in terms of production from a healthy team?

There will be a rebuild whether we like it or not. And I'm not saying it is limited to this year. It will take 3-4 years. Ageing core etc. We've heard this before, and I've realized this even before last year. Point is, this core isn't winning a cup or going deep in the playoffs.

I expect a playoff miss, or a first round exit. Hopefully the management is patient with Willie because he doesn't have a lot to work with right now.

[DownUndaCanuck]

If we keep Kesler, this team is a playoff-bound team for sure (granted the kids step up, otherwise Higgins takes 2nd line role and Burrows gets bumped up):

Sedin - Sedin - Jensen

Kassian - Kesler - Shinkaruk

Higgins - Santorelli - Hansen

Burrows - Richardson - Matthias

If we lose Kesler for say picks and Etem:

Sedin - Sedin - Jensen

Kassian - Santorelli - Higgins

Hansen - Horvat - Burrows

Etem - Richardson - Matthias

[fanfor42]

The Canucks schedule in October 2014 is fairly easy. They will likely get off to a good start. Then it gets tougher in Nov Dec Jan. By Feb they will be floundering and they will likely miss the playoffs again. That's not such a bad thing as another high draft pick will be a plus. Three to four years for this team to be on the upswing and making a regular playoff appearance again.

Last year was not an aberration. Come on.

[Riviera82]

To the OP, what is the point of delaying the rebuild if we're not going to be a contender? It seems like what your'e suggesting is that we should be happy to just see our team in the playoffs and prolong the season for a week or two.

[William_Clarkson]

Sedins out chanced all lines on Boston in the finals, they just couldn't be Chara and Thomas.

The Sedins don't do well against Chara. Remember the game against them this year where they let in 6 goals. The Sedins only goals that game came when Chara wasn't on the ice.