(We don't count any garbage after 60 minutes -- that's circus time and misleads consumers).
Vancouver Canucks are now
8 Wins
9 Losses
5 Ties
They are a .480 hockey team and headed south. And keep in mind virtually everyone on local sports radio stations TSN 1040 and SPORTSNET 650 gushed and gushed about how much better this Vancouver team was going to be this year. I did not buy or believe the hype for one single minute because common sense said that without centers -- it was going to be a long year.
The Vancouver Canucks got beat down 6-1 in Dallas on Tuesday Nov. 19, 2019 in the latest loss of a team that can't score goals, can't stop goals from being scored on them and is in general disarray.
The important thing to remember is that someone in the management group looked at JT Miller and said, "Let's give up a (potential) 1st overall pick for JT Miller!!"
That happened.
Someone looked at JT Miller and saw a piece of the puzzle. It actually happened.
Furthermore someone made the assessment that the Vancouver Canucks, the team they worked for, was close to making the playoffs and that JT Miller was a final piece of the puzzle.
Miller pretty much got his entire point total of 20 in 22 games during October when they played Patsy after Patsy after Patsy.
Well... lol, now the playing Detroit is over and wow. JT Miller is who anyone who looked at him thought he was. He's a 13 goal scoring, 40 point winger WINGER! who is ... meh. He's MEH.
Here's the KICKER for Canucks fans.
It's not up to the Vancouver Canucks when they give the Tampa Bay Lightning the 1st round pick.
When the Canucks miss the playoffs this year the Canucks MUST draft this year.
That means they will be heading into next year needing to make the playoffs with pretty much the exact same roster they have now because the contracts they have signed are unmovable and the roster is full and unless they get the 1st overall pick in next year's draft they won't get help in the draft.
A new GM is required immediately so that they can start unloading any available talent to recoup 1st round picks.
In short, ownership must either sell the team - or commit publicly to a complete rebuild of the roster if this franchise is going to move forward.
What's done is done. JT Miller is going to cost the Vancouver Canucks next season quite dearly because they can't improve the team fast enough to make the playoffs next year, let alone this year.
This year is done.
But hopefully ownership is looking at this team and realizing that they have not drafted any help in the NHL draft.
Boeser is a neat little player.
Pettersson is a neat little player.
Neither of them make any impact on games.
Bo Horvat is a -10 (and as I said previously making him captain was a massive mistake). They should have put the C on Alex Edler because Horvat wasn't good enough to carry the weight of the C.
Horvat is a winger.
Pettersson is a winger.
That is no longer in doubt. A team that can't score is a team without centers. They haven't been able to score since Henrik Sedin was their center in 2012.
It's not rocket science.
They need a franchise center.
They don't have a franchise center.
They gave up a potential franchise center to get JT Miller. THE JT Miller.
The point isn't anymore about this season.
I think it's clear now at the 22 game mark the team is what it is -- it struggles against teams with goaltenders. It struggles against teams with defense. It struggles with teams that are organized.
The point is about the next 2 years now.
How do they recoup the disastrous JT Miller trade?
And how do they begin to rebuild?
They don't have any components of a rebuild on the team, yet.
Quinton Hughes appears to be not ready for the NHL. At times he looks okay, at times he looks like he's in way over his head. I do believe that under GM Pat Quinn Hughes would be in Utica. He's not getting better he's getting worse. He's not ready. That doesn't mean he won't be a neat little piece in the future - but he's not ready now. And he certainly won't be a Norris Trophy consideration.
So
When it comes to NHL drafting
What have the Vancouver Canucks done?
Jake Virtanen has been their best player. He's big enough, strong enough, but is playing without a center (and I would argue he IS the center), but the reality is he's yet to crest 20 goals.
Juolevi is finished.
Brock Boeser is a neat 25 goal scorer.
Elias Pettersson is a neat 25 goal scorer.
The Russian in last year's draft is ??? He didn't score well at the recent world junior tournament in October... but ??? Who knows?
That's the 1st round. Not a single 30 goal scorer. And keep in mind Vancouver has been picking in the Top 10 of the NHL draft.
2nd round -- Goalie Thatcher Demko. He's been Okay. Not great. He's okay.
5th round -- Adam Gaudette. He's okay. He might be a player. Not a 30 goal scoring center but he might be okay.
Did I miss anyone? I don't think so.
Virtanen, Boeser, Pettersson and Gaudette. Combined they won't get the same points as Edmonton Oilers Leon Draisatl.
It's a pretty big indictment of the entire management team in Vancouver.
Remember when everyone was touting GM Benning and Judd Brackett?
lol
Look, they're all well-meaning nice people I'm sure. But they have put together the single worst record of drafting in the Canucks history as far as I can tell. I mean, who knows? Boeser might turn into a player. Pettersson might. Who knows?
But is there a Stan Smyl there? No.
Is there a Thomas Gradin there? No.
Is there a Trevor Linden there? No.
Is there a Pavel Bure there? No.
Is there a Mattias Ohlund there? No.
Are there Sedins there? No.
It's pretty dismal.
If you look at their farm team - it's worse.
Reid Boucher leads the team, followed by Nik Goldobin - both aren't NHL players.
Remember Kole Lind? 3 goals this year in 16 games.
There's nothing there and again I'm sure they're all well-meaning very nice people and players. No disrespect to any of these players or any of the players in the NHL - they all seem to be nice players. They just can't play hockey real good or draft real good or trade real good or sign players on July 1st real good.
And so the following year - Alex Edler is another year older and he's their best D man and he doesn't have help coming. He'll be 35.
And so when you move this team forward to next season -- they're in a lot of trouble. That defense gets worse, not better. There's no help coming from draft picks. There's no help coming the NHL draft even if they get a top 3 pick and get the best D man in the draft - you can't ask an 18-year-old to stabalize the Canucks.
And they're tied down with contracts like Tyler Myers who has, I think, 3 points this season.
In fact I think their entire D squad has 6 goals in the 22 games the 6 D men have played so that's 6 goals in 132 man games.
6 goals in 132 man games available to them. Is that bad? Do you think?
Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Bieksa and Luca Sbisa and Andrey Pedan would have helped Alex Edler. Would it have been a great D? No. But it would have been viable.
And from what I understand, but could be wrong, the coach of the Canucks, Travis Green, had input on the players they signed, and has had input on the players they have signed.
And so you let a rookie coach help sign players to come in and kill penalties. Because that's pretty much all they can do, but even that they don't do very well.
So what's needed?
A sit-down from Canucks ownership at the microphone where
A) they own the mess they've created.
B) A commitment that they will now go fully and completely into a rebuild
C) Embrace a rebuild over the next 5 years that will include a 1st overall pick and stockpiling of 1st round picks.
D) A new management team and president who will oversee the rebuild and one that can draft impact NHL players. Not 25 goal scorers but actual players who have a chance at 50 goal scorers like Nathan MacKinnon.
E) A commitment that they will not rest until they get a FRANCHISE PLAYER.
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