Vancouver Canucks May Be Closer to Stanley Cup Than You Think

One NHL expert believes Vancouver Canucks fans have the longest wait for a Stanley Cup, but is this team really that far behind the rest?

Rocket science isn’t needed to suggest the Vancouver Canucks’ Stanley Cup championship window closed five years ago, nor do we need it to prove that this team is far from ready to win its first title.

This team was among the top squads in the Western Conference from 2001 to 2013, reaching the playoffs all but two years in that span. Vancouver won seven Northwest Division titles and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 before falling to the Boston Bruins. But those days of perennial dominance are over.

When it comes to discussing the future — more specifically when the Canucks are ready to contend for championships again — are they really a step behind the other 29 NHL teams, though? Well, one expert seems to believe so.

The Hockey News did a roundtable in which they asked their experts to select the team that is furthest away from winning the Stanley Cup. Matt Larkin picked the Canucks, and here’s in part what he had to say:

"True Canucks fans should pray the Sedins decide next year that they want to chase glory and are willing to waive their no-movement clauses in the final seasons of their deals. Hearing any talk about wanting to push for the playoffs next year should be alarming…Canucks fans need lottery balls before they can even dream about starting a proper rebuild… I say five years, easy, before this team can dream of championship contention. At least sad-sack Colorado knows what it is and has already landed on the cold, hard basement floor."

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The Canucks do have a nice foundation in youth, beginning with third-year centre Bo Horvat who is on pace to reach the 50-point mark. Markus Granlund and Sven Baertschi could have threatened for 25 goals apiece if injuries hadn’t sidelined them.

Rookie defenceman Troy Stecher has shown plenty of flashes, but he’s a long time away from being a reliable top-pairing blueliner.

This all goes without mentioning sniper Brock Boeser, slick puck-moving defenceman Olli Juolevi and potential franchise goalie Thatcher Demko, all of whom are among the top prospects in the Canucks system.

That being said, we’re probably at least three years away from those three players being on the full-time roster, and it could be longer until they all reach their ceilings.

But are the Canucks really that far off?

When you look some of the stronger teams, the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings are really facing now-or-never situations. Both teams are relying on core players in their ’30s, and neither have many promising prospects in the system. Looking five years into the future, Vancouver surely will have a better chance at the Cup than those teams.

How the Rest Stack Up

Then you look at other bottom feeders like the Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars.

The Wings, like the Canucks, tried a rebuild on the fly approach by getting younger yet adding one or two proven veterans to make the playoffs.

That has failed miserably for the Wings, who are going to see their 25-year playoff streak end. As Jared Clinton from The Hockey News pointed out in the roundtable, this team has a handful of bad contracts that includes Henrik Zetterberg, Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader. Tough to rebuild when you have so many immovable contracts.

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The Devils really don’t have much to look forward to other than Cory Schneider in goal and Taylor Hall up front. Not one Devils prospect was on Craig Button from TSN’s list of the top 50 from a year ago. This team isn’t one to chase big free agents, either. So the Devils appear to be in the midst of a significant tear down, too.

The Dallas Stars won the Central Division a year ago but now find themselves among the worst teams in the NHL. Yes, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn are perhaps the best duo in hockey, but the lack of depth on defense problems in net are alarming. Prospects Julius Honka and Jason Dickinson aren’t ready for prime time just yet.

And how about those Colorado Avalanche? It’s really a matter of when, not if, stars Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog get traded. That will surely prolong Colorado’s rebuild even longer. And let’s be honest in saying the Canucks are much better than the Avalanche right now.

Are the Boston Bruins any closer, either? Patrice Bergeron (31), Zdeno Chara (40), David Backes (32), and David Krejci (30), are ageing rapidly, and the Bruins don’t have the depth in prospects that Vancouver does. Zachary Senyshyn (46th), was the only Bruins prospect to appear on Button’s aforementioned top 50 list.

Canucks Aren’t That Far Off

In Horvat, Granlund and Baertschi, the Canucks have a trio of young 20-to-25-goal scorers that can carry them in the long run. All three had breakout years even though the latter two sustained injuries that cut their campaigns shorts.

Jake Virtanen and Brock Boeser have the potential to be top-line wingers should they come as advertised.

In goal, Jacob Markstrom hasn’t shown signs of being ready to overtake Ryan Miller for the starter’s job. But Thatcher Demko does remain one of the most intriguing prospects between the pipes. And with this year’s free agent pool loaded with talented goalies like Ben Bishop and Brian Elliott, the Canucks may be able to find themselves a reliable No. 1.

As for the back end, the Canucks are rich in up-and-coming blue-liners. As we said about Stecher, the impressive puck-mover should only get better as he develops a stronger taste for the NHL level.

Ben Hutton continues to impress many with his nice speed and maturity — but the 23-year-old hasn’t come close to reaching his full potential yet. And then there’s Juolevi, the team’s first pick last year.

The Canucks also look destined for a top-five pick once again. All of a sudden, this team has so many young players that could blossom into stars. It could take three to five years before they’re contending, but the Canucks are on the right track.

Next: Brock Boeser Ready to Turn Pro

So, with their bright future and seeing other teams have it worse right now, the Vancouver Canucks don’t exactly appear to be the team that’s the furthest away from bringing home Lord Stanley’s mug.

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