Vancouver Canucks Tanking 101: A Plan of Action
By David Joun
Day One Bottomline: Vancouver and #TankNation
So what does Vancouver look like as part of #TankNation? Not much different in terms of competitiveness, actually. A lot of personnel changes that essentially aid the youth movement and
Not much different in terms of competitiveness, actually. A lot of personnel changes that essentially aid the youth movement and hence give the youth a chance to win in place of the disheartened veterans — essentially what the Toronto Marlie Leafs accomplished in the 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
After all that, the Canucks lineup would look like this, with Markstrom starting:
Daniel – Henrik – Dorsett
Baertschi – Horvat – Virtanen
McCann – Vey – Etem
Friesen – Cracknell – Grenier
Hutton – Tanev
Sbisa – Bartkowski
Biega – Pedan
The way that the Sedins have cooled off (until last night’s loss against the Minnesota Wild, that is), that might not be the worst of lineups if that promises an Auston Matthews or even a Matthew Tkachuk.
But the true bottom line takeaway from day one is this, that the Canucks don’t have to do much to become favourites for the Draft Lottery.
The larger issue is the play of the fellow tankers of the league, namely the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, the Buffalo Sabres, and the Toronto Marlie Leafs.
More from Canucks News
- Canucks are in “wash, rinse, repeat” mode after Monday’s 5-1 loss
- Canucks send Jack Rathbone and Vasily Podkolzin down to Abbotsford
- Canucks acquire Ethan Bear, Lane Pederson from Carolina
- Brock Boeser, Curtis Lazar placed on injury reserve
- Canucks officially unveil Reverse Retro jersey in latest aesthetic change
But as I said, if the Canucks are going to have this much in cap space, they will be in the running to sign the top fish of the free agent market. In essence, this is a one-season tank.
No one has really done a one-season tank in the NHL. The Canucks are treading dangerous waters here, coinciding a potential tank with the youth movement.
So what does a tanking Van City look like? Empty Rogers Arena, a sea of red when the Flames pay a visit, and a disgruntled Trevor Linden behind smiling eyes trying to watch his team find ways to lose. Is it going to be pretty? Well, no.
Will it pay off? I will try to answer some of that throughout the week. Check back tomorrow and see if tanking for the top pick is a working, proven strategy!
Next: Willie Desjardins on a Hot Seat? Duh.
Ask questions and comment below, and Tweet us at @FSTheCanuckWay! I will try to answer your very own questions at the end of the week.