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

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Misconceptions about Draft Comments

Speaking of the draft, Jim Benning has mentioned that he wanted to take a defenceman in this year’s NHL draft unless there is a forward available who is too got not to pick. At the year-end press conference, he explained the actual background that led to the comment.

At the time, the Canucks were still in legitimate playoff contention. They struggled mightily, but thanks to the division they play in and some odd surprise wins, they were always a contender for a playoff spot. Hence, Benning expected to get a pick somewhere in the middle of the first round.

Now, behind the top three, there is a first drop-off. What follows is a bunch of equally talented players, both forwards and defencemen, who project to be drafted in the top 10. Behind that, however, it starts to get hard to project what players could become.

Related:Early 7-Round Mock Draft

In other words, selecting a defenceman who is perhaps ranked 20th in draft rankings, with something like the 12th-overall selection would not be a terrible choice. In the top three, however, things are different.

“Things have changed now,” Benning explained. “As of today, we are at three and we will take the best player available.”

The best player could be anyone. No matter who it turns out to be, Benning is making the right call.

The top-three forwards are too good to pass up, but after that, Jakob Chychrun, Olli Juolevi, Pierre-Luc Dubois or Matthew Tkachuk would all be terrific choices.

Next: Takeaway #4

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Impact Player Could Come in at Draft

It is no secret that the top three of this year’s draft features professional players who are playing huge roles for their respective European clubs. Jim Benning is convinced either one of the trio could make an impact as early as next season:

“If we are picking in the top three, I believe the top-three players can step right in and play in the NHL next year and be players who can contribute.”

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He is right that all three players could make an impact, but that does not guarantee anything for next season, even if the Canucks end up picking in the top three. Coming from Europe, Matthews, Laine and Puljujarvi will all be eligible to play in the AHL. While Matthews seems to be a middle-six NHL centre already, especially because he grew up playing in North America, giving Laine or Puljujarvi some time at the AHL level could certainly be a good decision.

There are obviously players like 2013 second-overall pick Aleksander Barkov, who jump right into the NHL and make an immediate impact. However, playing in the AHL has seldom hurt a player’s development.

Recent examples are Toronto Maple Leaf William Nylander and Colorado Avalanche Mikko Rantanen.

Nylander stayed in Sweden for the first half of his draft+1 season but joined the Toronto Marlies for the second half. He spent the majority of this season in the AHL as well, and now has a career total of 32 goals and 77 points in 74 games — ready to make an impact at the NHL level. For the Maple Leafs, Nylander scored six goals and added seven assists in 22 contests.

Rantanen, on the other hand, came right over to North America following the draft. He only had nine goals and 28 points in 56 games in his draft year in Finland, but became the San Antonio Rampage’s top scorer this season. He recorded 23 goals and 59 points in 50 games.

As opposed to Nylander, Rantanen has not been able to record his first NHL point yet, but he looks close to NHL-ready as well. Growing into a leader in the AHL before going to the NHL is certainly not a bad thing.

Next: Takeaway #5

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.