Before I begin this article criticizing Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning and head scout Brackett I'm not in the "room" and so I don't know if the owner is influencing decisions. And that in itself is a speculation because co-owner Francisco Aquillini has denied meddling but media reports from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman says he does. So I don't know.
However, I would assume Jim Benning has always had the option of quitting and walking away and he hasn't so I will throw a lot of criticism his way.
Ok, so first criticism - as I've said in my book "Hockey Sucks, Let's Fix It!" -- you need to draft athletes. Take away goalie Markstrom's amazing year - and this team is 31st in the NHL by a long shot. In fact, you could make the argument Markstrom is the NHL's Hart Trophy winner for a moving a team to 27th from 31st.
Benning and Brackett have built a team that can play 45 games. That's a bit of an issue for a league that plays 82 games. In Vancouver with its schedule you MUST draft size and athlete before anything else.
Elias Pettersson is a perfect example - can't play more than 50 games. That's not helping a team that needs to play 82 games. He's a TERRIFIC talent in those 45-50 games. But that leaves 32 games + for a team that can't score. They've been bagelled 9 games already in 65 games. That's impressive or unimpressive depending on your point of view.
The Canucks have 1 player with modern day talent - Jake Virtanen. The second player is Bo Horvat.
Jake Virtanen was the best player on the roster coming out of junior at 18.
And then coaching crashed him into Utica, and Utica under Travis Green made him worse.
Now he's a what?
Think about that for a second. They took a natural 50 goal scoring, 6' 225 pound winger and crushed his spirit. That's not really how you develop 6th overall picks.
Then what else do they have?
Can Brock Boeser play 82 games? No.
Can Elias Pettersson play 82 games? No.
Elias Pettersson is 86th in scoring in the NHL.
So with 31 teams you'd think just by accident you'd have someone in the top 31 in NHL scoring.
Maybe the top 40. At least the top 50 in scoring right? Top 60? Top 70? Top 80?
Last year's Calder Trophy winner had 85 points in 82 games (Matthew Barzal).
In another year Pettersson will get to 85 points (barring injury). Barzal did it in one year.
The legendary Canucks last year pick, Quinton Hughes, has 5 goals in 30 games in NCAA Michigan.
I'll just say that again - 5 goals in 30 games.
5 goals in 30 games.
For people that don't know - the NHL is a harder league than NCAA.
So anyone expecting a 5'7" 160 pound player to come in and better his stats in the NHL over the NCAA is also thinking Star Trek's Spock is a real Vulcan and that Vulcans are real.
Ok so let's analyze what the Canucks have.
Do they have a farm system developing players? No. Hard no.
Do they have a NHL coach developing players? No. Hard no.
Do they have any talent in the system coming? No. Hard no.
Do they have a plan? No. Hard no.
They tried to get into the playoffs by signing a bunch of old farts that can't score to make the playoffs. They're worse than they were last year.
Can they draft? I don't see any evidence.
They've had high, high draft picks. They don't have a 30 goal scorer drafted to show for it.
Think about that for a second.
They traded a 1st round player who was impacting their NHL roster in Jared McCann for D man Erik nson and then traded Gudbransonfor a 27 year old guy who is a guy on the roster. Meanwhile Gudbranson in Pittsburgh has looked really good.
What does that tell you?
If you were going to trade Gudbrannson you don't do it now, you wait to play him with Edler this year and half of next year, boost his stock, then trade him. But they didn't. That tells me they don't have a plan. They operate by the seat of their pants. That's not good.
Gudbranson played 20 minutes against Montreal in his last game and was a plus 3. He looked terrific.
So that tells me it's a coaching issue in Vancouver. How did Green get the job here? What did he do in the AHL to qualify for an NHL job? Nothing. What did Willy Desjardens do to qualify for a job? Nothing.
Look at John Tortorella and Stanley Cup Champion Mike Sullivan - both are doing great things without Vancouver. Vancouver fired both of them and hired Green and Desjardens. They downgraded the coaching.
I said it in the last blog and I'll say it again - Steve Yzerman.
They had Trevor Linden doing a good job. They lost Linden.
Now they need to bring someone in to replace Linden who can rebuild the franchise starting with scouting.
If you don't draft players capable of playing 82 games you're hooped. Period.
Then you factor in Vancouver's schedule and travel - boy, you'd better be drafting size. You'd better be able to grind games out in Las Vegas in March against a big, fast, physical team in game 65.
You have to stop thinking about game 30 and start thinking about game 70.
Size. Grit. Enforcer. You need all of those things and then on top of that you need a Number 1 center who is big, nasty, strong and can play 82 games.
They need a Number 1 center.
They need a Number 1 defenseman.
The current management staff is not equipped to create or draft this. Nico Hischier has 44 points in 62 games this year. He had 20 goals 52 points last year at 18.
Nolan Patrick is really finding his game in Philadelphia.
Cody Glass will be in Vegas next year.
What's my point?
Elias Pettersson's shine is coming off. He may not, in fact, be the best player in that 2017 NHL draft and that's the only thing Benning can point to and say "I did that!"
Now it's not so great a thing, is it?
It's been fine. Not amazing. It's been fine. Not a 30 goal scorer but he might one day. It's not a blown draft. But is he a franchise mover? No.
So that's where they're at. A completely dysfunctional hockey team from top to bottom.
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