Canucks won't be contender/top team for at least 3 years

[Junkyard Dog]

On 11/21/2019 at 9:35 PM, CanadianRugby said:

Let's say the Canucks become arguably the best team in hockey.  When will it happen?  IF it happens, it could go down a lot of different ways and I feel here are a couple of realistic possibilities. 

 

Next year scenario: The young guys catch fire.  Petey, Hughes, Boeser & co put up some of the best numbers they will in their careers while some of them are still on cheap contracts.  Our goalie(s) play great all year.  Players coming off the cap are replaced by better replacements.  

 

2-3 years in the future: I feel like this is the least likely time period for a cup winning team because all the young players are going to get PAID and like with virtually every other team with young talent, good depth players will pay the price.  

 

4-7 years in the future scenario: The current team fails.  Management is replaced and the team is rebuilt around the young players in their primes.  As the cap goes up the young players eat up less and less of the % of the cap, enabling the team to add more talent.  

 

My fantasy scenario:  A certain lovable giant Russian mongoloid comes back and plays like Chris Pronger & Zdeno Chara had a baby.  

I ideally see it in 3 years at least in this go right. Like you say young guns might catch fire but they would really have to carry this team. Lack of dynamic offensive talent besides Petey. Need a couple more top 6 dynamic offensive forwards IMO.

 

After 3 years Benning will be on the hot seat. He'll have cap to surround our now seasoned young guns with a good supporting cast with Luo, Loui, Roussel and Beagle off the books. He'll also have to find replacements for those bottom 6 players but that's where the prospects we have could come into play the next few years. If not then Benning will have a tougher job.

[IBatch]

On 11/20/2019 at 11:56 AM, luckylager said:

I'm not going to get all hung up on semantics.

 

IMO, we're a few years out from being a perennial playoff team. Our core still lacks experience and most of the veteran/UFA support pieces are bottom six calibre.

Hopefully kids develop in the right way and fill holes/make the jump the way it's all planned out, with a couple good surprises mixed in there.

3-4 years  before we're making noise and striking fear into the opposition.

 

I don't think JYD deserves the crap being thrown his way.  It's a perfectly reasonable discussion topic.

 

Well said LL.  The team we have right now is skilled enough to get more PP’s then any other team in the league (that’s how many we draw) - that’s impressive (not that I agree with those whistle happy zebras - leads to a lot of even up calls and a special teams game).   The core is just getting started - in a few more years this team should get five or so cracks at the bat - maybe even this year which would be great.    Also agree with those bringing up parity - as all the extra cap space we get back will mostly end up in the cores pockets and we will need to replace Edler, Tanev, Sutter, Roussel, Beagle etc.   

 

Can see Demko getting the starting role next year.   JM has been good for us the past year but we simply can’t afford extending him and will need to find a cheap back-up to balance the books, unless he goes to free agency and nobody wants him and we can get him back for cheap and as our sacrificial lamb for the upcoming ED - which I suppose is a possibility (a lot depends on how well he plays for the remainder of the season).   

 

This team is only going to get better with time - but I’m not sure we will ever be considered contenders the way things are right now.   Most of that will depend on the same thing that brought us to this point - our prospects.   If they can come in at least on par with the guys I said at the start that need to be replace then yes we will be contenders.  A big question mark still.   Think we have a decent shot though and really any playoff appearance nowadays matters more then it used to before the cap where the favourites usually toyed with the mediocre teams.   Last year more “upsets” then ever.