Vancouver Canucks 2016-17 Season Has More Positives Than You Think

Though many are viewing the 2016-17 season as a disaster, the Vancouver Canucks have shown plenty of progress in the right direction.

The fans knew the playoffs were a long shot, but the Vancouver Canucks front office believed they were icing a team that would be among the top eight in the Western Conference for the 2016-17 season. The fans were right.

Despite signing former 30-goal man Loui Eriksson and bringing in big stay-at-home defenceman Erik Gudbranson, the Canucks’ new additions haven’t been enough to get this team out of the Western Conference basement. They are on pace to be among the league’s bottom-10 teams for the third time in four years.

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Daniel and Henrik Sedin have shown that the 70-point seasons are long gone, and that we should be impressed enough if they manage to get 50.

Not a lot has gone the Canucks’ way this year. Their power play and penalty kill rank among the bottom five, they’re third-last in goals-per game and allow the eighth-most goals per game. That’s not exactly inspiring for the Canucks.

So now that we’ve gotten to the depressing numbers, do you still want me to try telling you there are plenty of positives to take away? Because I’m not lying when I say so.

Bo Horvat has finally broken through with 20 goals and 50 points on the season, despite a plethora of new linemates throughout the season. With Brock Boeser all but a lock to make the team next year, Horvat will have a new flashy winger to work with. He can easily elevate his game to the next level.

Meanwhile, it seems like some folks are overlooking the other trio of 20-goal scorers this team has. Markus Granlund scored 19 in 69 games before his season was cut short after needing wrist surgery. Without a doubt, he would have reached 20 if he stayed healthy.

Sven Baertschi has 17 goals in 63 games, and he still has a shot at 20. But if he didn’t miss any games, you can guess he would have come close to 25. He was a solid fit with Horvat and should score 20-plus in 2017-18.

And don’t let his bad contract give you a bad name — Brandon Sutter has 17 goals on the season despite often being placed on the third line. This guy can reach 25 if he gets more top-six minutes next season.

Many pundits and fans were also frustrated with this team’s lack of willingness to commit to a rebuild. But general manager Jim Benning traded Jannik Hansen and Alexandre Burrows at the trade deadline, netting a pair of intriguing prospects in Nikolay Goldobin and Jonathan Dahlen.

The rebuild finally appears to be on.

The numbers also show that the defence hasn’t been all that great, but rookie Troy Stecher surpassed league expectations and should be this team’s power play quarterback for years to come. Second-year blueliner Ben Hutton also came around and will continue to make more progress as he matures.

This all goes without saying that elite prospects like Boeser, Thatcher Demko and Olli Juolevi haven’t even cracked the roster yet. Plus, the Canucks are likely going to land a top-six pick in this year’s draft.

So was 2016-17 that big of a disaster?

One year ago, the Canucks were coming off of a second-place finish in the Pacific Division, only to become the NHL’s third-worst team as they delayed an inevitable rebuild.

Next: Daily News: Targeting Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in Trade

Yet here we are today. Sure, the 2016-17 season didn’t go as planned, but it was an indicator that this team is heading in the right direction. With so much young talent on the rise, the Vancouver Canucks will soon transition from bottom feeder to among the best in the West before long.

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Vancouver Canucks: 2016-17 Season Has More Positives Than You Think

By Alex Hoegler | Mar 27, 2017

Though many are viewing the 2016-17 season as a disaster, the Vancouver Canucks have shown plenty of progress in the right direction.

More from The Canuck Way