Vancouver Canucks: 5 Takeaways from Year-End Press Conference
The Vancouver Canucks year-end press conference was quite interesting to watch. Here are five takeaways.
The postseason is where the fun starts — even for the Vancouver Canucks. Okay, we only get to watch all-American playoffs and the World Championship instead of Canucks hockey, but speculating about what could and will be is also a lot of fun.
Thanks to the Canucks’ year-end press conference, we have quite a bit to talk about. Almost every player talked to the media on Tuesday, but the really interesting part was when general manager Jim Benning and head coach Willie Desjardins sat down on the podium. The players had some cool stuff to say, of course, but Benning is the one in charge when we are talking about the offseason.
Unfortunately, Benning did not reveal any of his offseason strategies other than the usual “we’ll explore every possibility” talk. But, he did talk about what he thinks of the club’s young players, what could happen with his unsigned college free agents, and what he expects to get out of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Here you can find the full press conference:
And here are five important takeaways!
Next: Takeaway #1
Aiming at Playoffs Next Season
Is this a rebuild or not? That is the question every Canucks fan has asked themselves several times this season.
Jim Benning’s opinion on that was always clear, and finishing 28th in the league did not change that.
Every year that we play, our goal is to make the playoffs. (…) We asked Willie (Desjardins) to work with our young players. I think over the course of the year we’ve seen our young players improve. (…) We’ve been asking a lot but we got to the point where we have an older group of players and it was time to start transitioning younger players into our group. I think the hard thing for us this year was the injuries to our experienced players where we had to elevate young players into roles that they maybe weren’t quite ready for.
That sums up exactly what Benning has been saying all season long. But, it is something many fans and writers do not quite agree with. Were the injuries really all that held the team back?
Fact is, the Canucks were second in the Pacific Division standings when captain and No. 1 centre Henrik Sedin suffered his first injury of the year. Until then, the young players looked good and the team looked good overall. It really did go straight downhill from there.
More and more players got injured and the Canucks slid all the way down to the bottom three of the league standings. Coincidence?
One big issue Vancouver has is the division they play in. Pacific Division teams finished the season with an average rank of 19, which is the lowest in the entire league. First are the Central teams with an average rank of 12.43, second is the Metro Division with an average rank of 12.75, and the Atlantic comes in third at 17.88.
Now, the Canucks play 29 games per year against their division rivals — the worst division in the NHL — and finished second-last in that division. They would almost certainly compete for last in any other division and have no chance at the playoffs.
Finishing the season 28th in the league as a Pacific Division club proves how bad the season really was. Playoffs next year? A dream rather than realistic projections.
Next: Takeaway #2
Benning Thinks Vancouver is Prepared for Post-Sedin Era
Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin have been the face of the franchise for many years and they likely will be until they retire. However, the twins will turn 36 this summer and the Canucks need to think about the future. Even if the Sedins continue to play until they are 40, it would probably be best to have them in a middle-six role sooner or later, and find players for a new top line.
As Benning noted in the press conference, he is confidence that the club basically has the new top line in the system already.
We started that process. I just came back from Tampa Bay and watched Brock Boeser play. He could potentially be a No. 1line player for us. (…) If we were to stay in the top three (at the draft), we’re going to get a No. 1 line player there. (…) Our goal is to draft and develop our next group of core players that this team is going to win with going forward for a long time.
If the Canucks end up drafting in the top three, it looks like they really might get that top line set with Brock Boeser and one of Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi. In addition, Bo Horvat, Jake Virtanen and Jared McCann should be top-six players in the future.
If Vancouver falls out of that top three, they might take a defenceman instead. They could still go for a forward, but the top tier of Matthews, Laine and Puljujarvi is a big step ahead of guys like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Matthew Tkachuk.
Whatever happens, the club has a long way to go in forming a new top six without the Sedins. Benning is right, though, the Canucks’ system is and will be as well prepared for that time as it possibly can.
Next: Takeaway #3
There Will Be no Goalie Controvery Anytime Soon
Benning was asked what he will tell prospect goalie Thatcher Demko if Jacob Markstrom looks like the starter of the future. After all, Demko projects to be an elite starter as well. The GM had a fitting response.
If (Demko) decides to sign with us now, he is going to have to spend some time developing his game into the pro game and into a No. 1 goalie at some point, too. (…) Goalies develop in dog years almost, we have to be patient with him.
Goalies develop in dog years. Sounds about right. Indeed, goaltenders tend to take much more time to develop than skaters.
One example is Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson. The American made his NHL debut aged 20 and is now in his third professional season. But, he still spent time in the American Hockey League this year and is just starting to turn into a starter.
Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals is one of the best goaltenders in the league today. He started his professional career aged 20 as well, but it took him three years to become the starter for the club.
Next: Canucks Facing Tough Draft Decisions
Now, three years are obviously not much. However, Markstrom will get his shot at the starting position and Demko will have at least three years to develop and be brought along slowly.
Dog years are a bit of an exaggeration, but we get the point.