Vancouver Canucks: This is team we’ve been waiting for

Vancouver Canucks fans have waited long enough. They finally have a team that’s ready to take the city by storm.

In some ways, it doesn’t feel like it’s been nearly a decade since the Vancouver Canucks last had the makings to contend for a championship.

But truth be told, it’s been eight years since fans could realistically take this team seriously as a Stanley Cup favorite. The Canucks won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2011-12, but they’ve slipped mightily ever since.

This team has only made the playoffs twice in the last seven years — in 2012-13 and 2014-15. But fans knew that the Canucks weren’t a serious contender at those stages, and the team was eliminated from the first round both years.

While some rebuilds can be fun, Canuck fans were forced to watch a very slow and painful rebuild. After missing the playoffs in 2013-14, ownership and upper management ignored the fact that this team’s window was long closed. It was time to restart.

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Even though the Canucks earned top-five selections in 2015-16 and 2016-17, fans knew that the team was only “rebuilding on the fly,” which meant they were still aiming for a playoff spot. Why else would they give Loui Eriksson $36 million?

Even though the Canucks showed some progress in 2017-18 and 2018-19, they weren’t exactly that close to making the playoffs. And some fan excitement was taken away in those two years due to the fact that Vancouver wasn’t really in contention to win the draft lottery.

But finally, oh finally, the Canucks have a team that’s extremely enticing to watch again. A team that is providing the signs of an extremely bright future. A team that truly looks ready to reclaim its status as one of the NHL’s elite clubs.

Everyone knew that the team would lean on Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat and Quinn Hughes to carry the way here in 2019-20. So far, so good.

General manager Jim Benning is starting to see great results from some of his recent acquisitions. Tanner Pearson is a perfect fit in Vancouver’s top six. J.T. Miller is off to a scorching start with seven points in five games.

Jacob Markstrom is providing some stability in the crease that the team has needed since trading Roberto Luongo nearly six years ago. The blue line, at least so far, looks like the best unit this team has iced since the post-Alain Vigneault era.

The Canucks are firing on all cylinders right now. Their young studs are improving, the veteran newcomers are producing, the defence is holding down the fort and the goaltending might be the best in the Pacific Division.

It’s still early, and there’s a lot of hockey to be played. But Vancouver Canucks fans who’ve waited a long time to see a legitimate Stanley Cup contender are finally being awarded for their patience, and there’s good reason to believe that the team will continue to take yet another step in what’s shaping up to be a promising season.