5. What does the club have to improve to be successful again, and will it happen before the Sedins retire?
Sarah Laug
To be successful moving forward they need to develop from within and that begins from the day a player is drafted (or signed if undrafted) to the day they are called up and/or earn a roster spot.
The Sedins retiring is a terrible truth that will eventually come true but before that day comes, any and all players will learn from two of best in the league what it means to be a professional both on and off the ice. The Sedins are career Canucks and it would give me absolute joy to see them succeed and have that big moment before their careers end.
The Canucks have come tantalizingly close to that success and to get back to that level will definitely take a lot of work, but if there are two players that are determined to get there, it is Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
Gerald Morton
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They need to build a time machine and not waste a decade worth of draft picks (this was a sci-fi / fantasy themed roundtable, right?). They need to get as many picks and prospects as possible for the assets they have. First, and above all, they need to concentrate on a terrible defence core, lacking in both NHL talent, and prospects.
This won’t happen before the Sedins retire. I love the Sedins, but they are undeniably on the decline. Of course, their peak was high and their decline is still good. But my fondest wish is that they have a chance to pull a Ray Bourque and win a Cup.
As a fan of them, I’d be thrilled. As a Canucks fan, I’d be excited for a handful of picks and prospects in return. Trevor Linden was the heart and soul of this organization. He was traded. He came back. Nobody thinks of Linden as anything but a Vancouver Canuck.
A season or two away won’t change anyone’s vision of the Sedins either.
Jeff Godley
With Miller, Markstrom, and now Thatcher Demko, goaltending is an area of strength. They could use a puck-moving defenseman who can shoot the puck on the powerplay and a new Radim Vrbata — a top-six winger who can score goals. Anton Rodin will join the team next season, but it might be unfair to expect him to step in and score 20 goals in his first NHL season.
If the Sedins stay healthy the next two seasons, there’s a chance they could play beyond their current contract. And if that happens, I’m pretty confident the Canucks can become a good team in that time frame. Jim Benning has taken the Canucks from almost no prospects to a healthy pool of potential NHL players in the space of two years. Scouting is becoming an organizational strength, and that alone gives me hope for the near future.
David Joun
The Canucks need time and luck mixed in with a daring Benning as a GM. The prospects are piling up, led by Demko and Brock Boeser. With luck, perhaps McCann can be something bigger and Philip Larsen a game-changing top-six defender who scores double-digit goals consistently. Be patient, and the draft will yield steals, perhaps Tate Olson and the three playing in the QMJHL.
Then Benning has to be aggressive with player acquisition. Pursue Drake Craggiula. Pursue the big free agents with the spending in mind. Trade and exploit other teams’ cap or roster space struggles. Really, not much different from cherry picking players like Baertschi and Granlund — just bring it up a notch and get some bigger pieces!
Don’t worry about losing a potential NHLer in, let’s say, Kyle Pettit. Dare to trade some young pieces – they are the currency of the new NHL. If that happens in the next two years and coincides with the pro-coming of Boeser and the first-round selection at this year’s draft, the Canucks will enjoy themselves some happy nights at the Rog.
Steve Boddy
The Canucks need goal scorers. They need someone to succeed Edler. They have their bottom six and enough talent in Utica to cover for injuries there. The same goes for the bottom-four D-men.
What they don’t have is guys to take the reigns of the first line from the Sedins. And at 36 years old, the Canucks really do need a new first line. Maybe that elite talent will be Baertschi? Horvat? McCann? Virtanen? Boeser? Those are all pretty big question marks though right now. Getting a stud forward at the draft could go a very long way for this team.
Next: Canucks in for Blockbuster Trade?
Janik Beichler
The Canucks had an incredible amount of injuries throughout the season. Still, it is tough to say what a healthy roster could have done. I’m just going to say it would not have been enough and it won’t be enough next year either.
Vancouver will have to go through a long rebuild and it will be another five years until they can even start to think about the Stanley Cup again — too late for the Sedins.