Vancouver Canucks Tanking 101: The Right Model of Tanking
By David Joun
Day Two Bottomline: The Vancouver Model of Tanking?
Will tanking really come to Vancouver? That question comes with a lot of strings attached. Hold on fellas, I will tackle it in full force this Saturday on my Canucklehead Lament.
Prospects of Significance
- C, Bo Horvat
- RW, Jake Virtanen
- C, Jared McCann
- D, Ben Hutton
- G, Jacob Markstrom
Tanking in Florida: Tanking a Youth Movement
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The way the Canucks have been playing lately with the veterans slacking and the kids pressing, tanking a youth movement seems virtually impossible to achieve.
But looking at the flip side, may I suggest that the Canucks, as an organization, are in a position a few years already into the tank.
“Tanking” without losing is what the Canucks have accomplished in the past few seasons. With good picks in the past few years, the Canucks have a good batch of kids coming up on the offence — like the Edmonton Oilers. I list Virtanen, Horvat, and McCann under this list.
Grabbing that ninth overall pick in exchange for Cory Schneider and picking Bo Horvat might have saved the Canucks franchise. Without tanking, they essentially put themselves in a tanker’s position at the draft by picking Horvat.
Then the Lost Season happened. Jake Virtanen came to town. This was essentially a tank year for the Canucks, one that didn’t feel much like a terribly losing season. Hindsight? Maybe.
Glimpses of Chicago can be found in the luck the Canucks have had. Thatcher Demko was a great pickup in the second round, and Ben Hutton was a terrific steal in the fifth round. In order to tank, you have to have these lucky picks, you know.
Last but not least, the veteran presence is here already. The Sedins and Alex Burrows are here. Ryan Miller is here. Dan Hamhuis is here, too. This bears resemblance of the Florida Panthers. The balance is there, the experience in net, on the blueline, and the scoring department.
Then why isn’t it working?
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Who said it wasn’t working in the first place? If we indeed equate the youth movement to a tank that is already in effect, the result of the tank is the youth movement, which will pull the Canucks out of the tanking.
Vancouver has to just wait.
Chicago took five years. Florida took five years. Edmonton is taking forever. If I include the 2012-13 season as part of the “effective tank” that led to the drafting of Horvat, that five-year period should end in the 2017-18 season.
Just two more years, folks. But if Jim Benning wants to rebuild fully, the Canucks should dispose of the lost season this year and pray that an Auston Matthews or a Matthew Tkachuk lands in Vancouver.
It also means keeping some veterans around, continuing to draft all-around, and continuing to show support for the team. Are we up to the challenge? What Vancouver will need to do is pull of the ultimate tanking.
A #Tank does not happen in just one season. The Canucks will have to combine these three models of tanking — the talent and luck in Edmonton, the drafting prowess in Chicago, and the veteran excellence in Florida — and make the ultimate model of tanking for Vancouver.
Next: Tanking 101: A Plan of Action
What are your thoughts on these models of tanking and the model that Vancouver needs to craft for itself? Let us know in the comments!
*drafting history courtesy of HockeyDB.com