All teams get old. Their skills decline and their reign of dominance wanes. The Canucks need to be on an upswing in a few years from now, but where will their place be in the future Pacific Division?
The future is all the Vancouver Canucks can look forward to. We should also keep an eye on the present and avoid getting lost in the past. Without winning a Stanley Cup, it’s harder to fall into that trap. As time moves on, the current Canucks only have two remaining members from that 2011 team.
Fans have their sights set on what’s to come. Whether it be three years, five years or more from now, better days are hopefully on the way. By the time the Canucks’ younger players enter their expected primes, other cores will be in their twilight years.
But the Canucks aren’t the only team with a youth movement in the Pacific Division. Other teams are building as well. So, let’s estimate where the Canucks will stand compared to the rest. We need a date of reference, so let’s go with the 2021-22 season. That gives all eight teams three full seasons for their prospects to develop.
Of course, I can only make estimations based on what each team currently has. Certain teams will continue to draft high over the next three years (like the Canucks), but it would be frivolous to guess how much better or worse each prospect pool gets. We will take each team’s future and see how it could shake out, factoring in roster logjams and salary cap complications.