Vancouver Canucks 14 Thoughts for the Last 14 Days of the Season

With just 14 days remaining in the Vancouver Canucks season, this would be a great time to start thinking this season over.

The Vancouver Canucks still have seven games left to play in the 2015-16 season. With the Canucks now officially eliminated, it is time to look back with an attitude of learning and not so much the “what if” mentality. Folks, we got a long offseason ahead of us to do that. And whenever you do think over this season, please have drinks on your table. They will help a lot.

Just 14 more days of hockey and Vancouver will be free from the Canucks. In another 20 days or so afterward, I am sure most of us will long for some Canucks hockey, though. So here it is, the Canucklehead Lament, with 14 thoughts for the last 14 days of the season. There is more to a season than just the points, you know.

Thought #1: Looking at the Goods — the Netminding

Whatever you say about the skaters on the Canucks roster, the netminding has been up to the NHL standards. Not saying that Ryan Miller and Jacob Markstrom have given the Canucks the elite-level netminding the city had enjoyed for so long with the likes of Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider, but the truth is, these two have been the best players not named Sedin. More on that later.

Here are some numbers to mull over, courtesy of War-On-Ice.com.

Ryan Miller is third in save percentage in 5v5 close situations at .946. Adjusted, he is second only to Brian Elliot at .947. Jacob Markstrom has tied Ryan Miller in all-situation save percentage at .917, which is good to be in the top-30 of the league, meaning that Markstrom is playing a starter’s game.

And please. The netminders have made  5-1 losses feel better by making them 3-1’s and 2-1’s. Let’s thank them for creating a competitive environment, at least score-wise, for the new core to develop in.

Next: Thought #2: Setting Expectations for the Next European Pros

Thought #2: Setting Expectations for the Next European Pros

Is Nikita Tryamkin setting the expectations high for the next wave of Europeans or what? The 6-foot-7 giant is giving this faltering season a reason to cheer about and watch. Every shift he is on the ice, my eyes are looking out for the giant number 88 wearing visors that can’t come low enough to cover anything but his forehead.

Good thing he is 6-foot-7. Hopefully, that is tall enough to evade rising slapshots for Dan Boyle among many other pucks and sticks that are coming six feet above the ice surface. Dan Hamhuis, Alex Biega, and Brandon Sutter will all tell you.

But really. Look at where Tryamkin has settled in now. He certainly is in the top-four on a pairing with Ben Hutton, arguably in the top pairing, depending where you view Hamhuis to be right now. Tryamkin is certainly not a top-four player in the elite teams of the NHL but he is what the Canucks needed and will need to build around in the future.

Coach Willie Desjardins has been impressed.

Sorry if you haven’t noticed, but his sweeping stick check is a beauty. He swallows up the play by either taking the puck or the man and never neither. The effort and the urgency are there for him.

So what does that say to Anton Rodin and Philip Larsen? I think the Canucks like the message here. The two are going to have to stick with a rebuild and see it through as active members of the Canucks. They are going to get their opportunity to prove themselves, and if they do as Tryamkin has done, they will get their places in the lineup.

Which leads me to my next thought.

Next: Thought #3: Too Many Reasons to be Playing Urgent Hockey

Thought #3: Too Many Reasons to be Playing Urgent Hockey

And with those two Europeans set to cause more roster space issues, the skaters have got to be worried about their jobs. Let’s take it step by step. Enter Linden Vey, the oldest one on this list.

Linden Vey is a mixed bag for Jim Benning. He has improved from last year. With 14 points in 38 games, he has eclipsed last year’s rate od production of 24 points in 75 games. Despite starting 53.2 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone, he has managed to better his Fenwick stats, which account for all unblocked shots.

Troubling, though, is his plus-minus. After going a minus-three last year in 75 games, Vey is a minus-15 this year, having played just half as many games as he did last year. Sure, nobody is going to be a plus the way the Canucks have played in the second half, but nearing 25, Vey is running out of excuses.

Related: 2016-17 Vancouver Canucks Roster Outlook

Maybe the fact that he hit Jim Benning’s Garage Seven list should suffice as the sole reason for concern. But Vey is just one, though.

Markus Granlund should get another look after running into injury problems early in his career as a Canuck, one in which he has two points in nine games. That translates to 18 points in a full 82-game season. Should Granlund return from his injury, he will want to up that total to make sure he gets a raise. He is likely to stay, but at what cost and what place in the lineup?

Emerson Etem also falls into this category. I must admit that Etem is playing harder than some others haven been. But with just five points in 31 games, he is set to produce just 15 points in a full season. He is not a scorer, but he was traded for one. He will need to prove himself in the remaining eight games so he has a better chance to earn a contract after the one-year “prove it” contract he likely receives this summer.

These are just a few of the players who should be playing real urgent hockey for the sake of their contracts. Will we see that urgency in the remaining 14 days of the season?

Next: Thought #4: What to do with Chris Higgins?

Thought #4: What to do with Chris Higgins?

Yes, Chris Higgins has come back after a stint with the Utica Comets. You know, he got me thinking that he earned an NHL spot after putting up with the kids in Utica. After all, everyone else that got sent down with him — Yannick Weber and Brandon Prust — is not in Utica anymore. Prust is done for the season and Weber is in Vancouver filling in for injuries.

When Chris Higgins scored 13 points in 22 games down in the AHL this year, he had me thinking that he earned a call-up. Guess what. In the five games he played since his recall, he has four shots in four games, a minus-four rating, two blocked shots, and one hit. Hold on, he just got an assist on Sunday. Does that look like a stat line for a guy fighting to earn a spot on a depleted roster like the one the Canucks have right now?

Honestly, should he not be better than at least an Emerson Etem? At least a worn-out Jared McCann? At least, an ancient Alex Burrows playing fourth-line duties? C’mon Higgy. Do you really want to put in volunteer hours in the Utica Comets locker room for nothing? Show us something better than the stat that in the four games you have played for the Canucks that Vancouver has only one point in a shootout loss to Nashville.

The Canucks won’t mind holding onto you or buying you out. They have the salary to eat that up. What they do not have space for is another veteran who does not produce consistently. Please come back to training camp and show us how much of a defensive force you can be. The Canucks may need you.

Next: Thought #5: Alex Burrows is Underestimated

Thought #5: Alex Burrows is Underestimated

Alex Burrows, please let us keep you around. You mean something special to all the Canucks fans, for the life-long Canuck commitment, for the dragon slaying goal, and the personality you bring to the team. The Canucks have the cap space to buy you out of bury you alongside Higgins in the AHL. Please make us want to keep you around.

Well, Vancouver. He’s done his share. We just aren’t noticing.

Alex Burrows has 21 points in 71 games this season. That is five more than Jared McCann’s total, eight more than Jake Virtanen‘s total, and nine more than Derek Dorsett‘s total.

Related: Rising Salary Cap Does Not Help Much

Fine, let not the simple stats dictate the argument. How about that Burrows is 10th on the team in Fenwick For percentage, the stat that takes into account shots on goal and missed shots. Burrows is a +0.6 Fenwick player. Just for comparison, Sven Baertschi is 20th at -1.1.

Sure, $4.5 million is a lot for a 20-point fringe player that Burrows has become at age 34. But if we can make the argument that the Canucks can eat up salary in a trade or take on the buyout penalty, can we not also make the case that the Canucks have enough salary to keep him around?

So, in the remaining 14 days of the season, my hope is that Alex Burrows feels and plays the urgency that he talked about last week when he said that the younger core is taking over the roster and there might not be a spot left for him. As the mental foundation for the team, Burrows needs to show that and stay to see out his contract in Vancouver, perhaps a retirement in Vancouver.

Next: Thought #6: How Much More can Veterans Endure

Thought #6: How Much More can Veterans Endure?

Then the question arises, can veterans wait for this full rebuild to bear fruit? Let’s count them down. Alex Burrows, as mentioned, is not in a waiting position. He is competing for his own job. No worries about him not giving his all. No worries about the leaders, too. The Sedins have already said that they want to see their contracts out in a Canucks uniform, perhaps even more after their current ones expire.

How about Brandon Sutter? He can’t be blamed much for this lackluster season as he was outed with long-term injuries. How much losing can he take next year if the youth movement is as painful next year as it is this year? The solution is simple — if he plays and wins games for the Canucks, the year won’t be painful. But if Sutter cannot do so, how much patience does he have?

WATCH: Radim Vrbata’s top 5 Goals as a Canuck

Hopefully, that Sutter name means something. It better prove a worthy hockey household name even in Vancouver as it did in Los Angeles.

But how about feisty Ryan Miller? In his post-games, he is always about his own lack of quality. But having gone through this tearing-down already in Buffalo, does he want to see another one through in his career? Honestly, he has the right to win some cups, does he not? He is an Olympic-calibre (at least was, in 2010) netminder. With his competitiveness, how much more losing can Miller take?

The Canucks have done a good job keeping the “good vets” around who are good-willed enough for a rebuild. Look at where Ryan Kesler and Nick Bonino are now. But how much longer can the veterans put up with losing hockey? Well, the easiest solution for them to play strong to end the last 14 days of the season on a winning note.

Next: Thought #7: Will Injured Players Ever be the Same?

Thought #8: Adding the Blue Jackets Compensatory Pick

Well, great news. In a deep draft like this year, an early second-round pick is just as good as any other year’s late-middle first rounder. Each draft pick is an opportunity to hit a home run with GM Jim Benning. Vancouver will look to claim the John Tortorella compensatory pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Why is this significant? Well, the Blue Jackets could choose not to give up their pick for another two years. But how many years does Columbus finish above Vancouver in the standings? The Blue Jackets may just take this year to hand over the pick.

RELATED: Top 2nd-Round Options for the Vancouver Canucks

That will allow the Canucks to have two high second-round picks. A great situation for Vancouver, whether they actually draft with the pick or not. The famous incident that saw Dougie Hamilton come to Calgary was enabled by the Flames’ plethora of draft picks in the second round. Could Trader Jim pull off a similar trade, perhaps for a Travis Hamonic? Just spitballin’ here folks.

With the draft so deep, the Blue Jackets may not give the Canucks the pick at all. That is a complete possibility. The Blue Jackets sit fourth from the bottom in the standings right now. And of course, who knows when the Canucks could erupt with a set of W’s stringed together?

The first day of the draft goes June 24th in Buffalo, New York. Just three more months, and just 14 more days to help decide its fate!

Next: Thought #9: The Draft Lottery is April 30th

Thought #9: The Draft Lottery is April 30th

The 2016 NHL Lottery Draft is set to take place in a month’s time and the Canucks are looking forward to it all too much. The Canucks sit with the third-best odds to win the Auston Matthews, which is just 11.5 percent under the new lottery odds.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are ever so close, sitting at the bottom of the league with two fewer points and a game in hand over Vancouver. The biggest threat is the 29th-place Edmonton Oilers team who look to draft their millionth-ever first-overall pick. They have played three more than the Canucks but are tied with Vancouver at 67 points apiece.

RELATED: What does Drafting Auston Matthews Accomplish?

The thing about this year’s draft is that after Auston Matthews and the “Big Three” consisting of forwards Patrick Laine, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Matthew Tkachuk, there are a plethora of defencemen available. After months of Jacob Chychrun in the running as the top defenceman available, the table has now turned and the consensus has shifted towards others like Olli Juolevi and Mikhail Sergachev.

If a team finishes last, the worst it can drop down to is fourth overall. If a team finishes third-last, the worst it can drop down to is sixth overall. Auston Matthews would be the best, but others may do fine, too.

Of course, I would love the Canucks to trade up for another top-ten pick! Flipping a second round pick (or two) and some more for a, let’s say, a seventh-overall pick? Have fun with that, Jimmy. With Nail Yakupov‘s name in the market, could the Canucks use one of their second-round picks to throw an offer at Edmonton?

You can never have too many picks. But can you have too many injuries?

Next: Thought #10: Should Vancouver Thank Injuries?

Thought #10: Should Vancouver Thank Injuries?

So what is the ultimate verdict on the fate of the Canucks as determined by injuries? Should the Canucks be thankful in some way that this great year of drafting has peaked for the Canucks thanks to the injuries? Should Vancouver thank the injury gods for catalyzing this youth movement? You know, had it not been for Tanev’s injury, Biega won’t be here.

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• Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
• Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
• 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg

Had Henrik not been injured, Linden Vey would not be here. Had Sutter not gotten injured, Mike Zalewski and Brendan Gaunce would not have seen light. If Alex Edler was still here, are we talking about Andrey Pedan seeing time? If Brandon Prust was still around, no need for Alex Grenier to taste NHL action. Ryan Miller’s “cramps” could have been the best injury of the year as Jacob Markstrom saw his play blossom while Miller was out.

Should the Canucks grab that Blue Jackets pick, that’s another thing that injuries would have accomplished for the Canucks?

But what if these injuries permanently scar the playing potential of these veterans like Captain Henrik and the top defensive pairing of Edler and Tanev? Secondary damage has already been done — Bo Horvat is struggling this year as both Sutter and Henrik were injured for extended periods of time.

And of course, it cost a season that could have resulted in a strong push for the playoffs with the Pacific being so weak to start the year. The irony of loving what hurts — should Vancouver really be thanking the injuries for helping the management truly “rebuild on the fly”?

Time will tell. But here is what time already has told.

Next: Thought #11: The #20in20 was a Failing Success

Thought #11: The #20in20 was a Failing Success

The #20in20 was great. The opening night’s “Jerseys off our Backs” kicked things off and ended with a night of “Sedinery” night against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Grizzlies night, the West Coast Express night, the 95′ Retro night… those were great nights of hockey memories. It was great to see Sami Salo and Ed Jovanovski back, seeing the West Coast Express line honoured, and the Black Retro jerseys in action.

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
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• Brock Boeser, Curtis Lazar placed on injury reserve
• Canucks officially unveil Reverse Retro jersey in latest aesthetic change

Could have helped if the Canucks actually won on the most important nights. Twenty home games were marked with special occasions. The Canucks have gone 13-20-5 at home this season. The Canucks were unable to convert that emotional energy into motivation to play harder and stronger.

The Canucks play better when emotion is at stake. Vancouver knows it and they know it too. When the Florida Panthers had their win streak snapped in Rogers Arena and the whole “low life Sedins” took over the hype. The line brawl after the game. The fire. That was when the Canucks played their best hockey.

They were unable to do that in the other #20in20 celebrations. Had they fuelled themselves with the emotion and played a complete game on those nights, could the Canucks have made the Wild Cards at least?

This was a great opportunity for the brand to rise above the rebuild and its detrimental losing brand of hockey. The Canucks failed. The Canucks will now have to wait for another few years and hope that the 50-year anniversary celebrations will revive the brand.

But here’s something that does not need to wait until that 50-year celebration which will take place in 2020.

Next: Thought #12: Who is the Season MVP?

Thought #12: Who is the Season MVP?

Alright. Let’s brighten up the mood here. Who’s the season’s MVP? Jannik Hansen has played admirably as the third Canuck. Ryan Miller has held up the fort very well. The Sedins are always in the conversation.

But in a season headlined by the youth movement, should a young Canuck have the honours as the most valuable player? After all, the youth is the most valuable thing that the Canucks have right now. The new core has come a long way from what it had been two years ago, and many more pieces have been added.

FLASHBACK: TheCanucksWay’s Midseason Award Picks

Could Ben Hutton be the year’s MVP? Or Jacob Markstrom? Those two were practically invaluable through the season stretch. Ben Hutton became the team’s number one defenceman after Alex Edler and Chris Tanev went down. Jacob Markstrom became the team’s number one netminder when Ryan Miller went down. And with everyone else having dry spells all over the place, these two have shown consistency.

As for the other awards, there is a nearly indisputable case for Jannik Hansen to win the Most Exciting Player of the Year award. Who, though, should win the Best Defenceman of the Year award? Would it be Tanev who missed about a dozen fewer games as Edler has? Or would Hutton, who has missed just seven games, be the most suitable selection, having produced the most points from the blueline?

It would be nice to see youth rewarded with awards. So let’s take it to the next level. The prospects.

Next: Thought #13: Who is the Season's PROSPECT MVP

Embed from Getty Images

Thought #13: Who is the Season’s PROSPECT MVP?

This will be a debate for the ages. Who wins, Brock Boeser of NCHC’s North Dakota or Thatcher Demko of Hockey East’s Boston College?

Brock Boeser has been a Zach Parise-calibre player in his freshman season in the NCAA. His season is not over yet, as the North Dakota Fighting Hawks have now advanced to the NCAA Championships, otherwise known as the Frozen Four. He now has 54 points (26 goals, 28 assists) in 40 games through the regular season and the playoffs. (Parise was 26G/35A in his rookie year, then 23G/32A in his second year.)

Boeser was voted the NCHC rookie of the year and also to the NCHC’s first All-Star team.

Related: Top 11 NCAA Free Agents to Target

Thatcher Demko, however, will not go easy. He has had a Cory Schneider-calibre year, posting a .936 save percentage and a 1.85 goals-against average. His 10-shutout season is a new record for Boston College netminders, breaking the one previously set by Schneider at nine shutouts. Demko was also chosen as the H-East co-player of the Year.

So who is your prospects MVP?

Well, let us not forget about the CHL stars. Dmitry Zhukenov has had a great rookie campaign in the QMJHL, and both Carl Neill and Guillaume Brisebois have captained their respective teams in the Q. In the WHL, Tate Olson is among the top-20 defencemen in scoring league-wide.

Or do Nikita Tryamkin and Anton Rodin still fall under the “prospects” category? Because Tryamkin is one of the best Canucks defencemen now that he is in the NHL and Anton Rodin was named the Swedish Hockey League’s MVP despite missing the end of the season with a leg injury.

All being said, the race for the “Prospects MVP” is a lot hotter than the Vancouver Canucks’ race for the MVP for sure.

Next: Thought #14: Speaking Numbers

Thought #14: Speaking Numbers

As I close, let me throw some incredible numbers at you.

How does Yannick Weber not have a goal this entire season? 44 games and 63 shots, and he still has yet to register a goal. In the same boat, how does Alex Biega not have a goal either? He also has played 44 games and has 57 shots! Crazier to think, how does Ben Hutton have just ONE GOAL? Hutton has had 96 shots and has the lowest shooting percentage that is above zero — 1 percent.

More from The Canuck Way

• Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
• What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
• Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
• Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
• 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg

Bo Horvat has the worst plus-minus of the league at minus-35. He has 33 points, 11 of which has come on the power play. That means that he has contributed to 22 even strength goals, but also means that he was scored against 57 times this season. That, folks, is ridiculous.

The Canucks are the league-worst team in faceoffs this year at 45.3 percent win rate. The Canucks have the second-worst shooting percentage (which talks a lot about a team’s offensive skillset) at 7.9 percent. The Toronto Maple Leafs are just behind at 7.6 percent.

For all the whining about how the league is against the Canucks, Vancouver ranks among the top third of the league in the least penalties called against. The Canucks were just shorthanded 227 times this season.

But on the other side, the Canucks have not had many calls CALLED for them. Vancouver has only had 223 powerplay opportunities, which is 24th in the league.

Next: Abandoning Ship: Mike Gillis Destroyed the Future

Lastly, the Canucks no longer have the worst overtime record in the league. The Canucks have been surpassed (thankfully) by the Carolina Hurricanes, the Nashville Predators, and the Philadelphia Flyers.

And that is it for the Easter long-read edition of the Canucklehead Lament. Dear Vancouverite, have you 14 thoughts for the remaining 14 days of the season now?