Canucks Recap: March 20th – 26th, and team expectations moving forward

Part 2

The Canucks have also recently had solid outings from players like Nate Schmidt, Jayce Hawyrluk and Tyler Motte. Plus, it was great to see the captain continue his ironman streak on Wednesday night after what appeared to be a long-term ankle injury the previous game, so not all is bad on the ice.

Off the ice, the team added yet another Maple Leaf to their roster, this time claiming Travis Boyd off of waivers on Monday morning. Not exactly a point-producing stud down the middle, but don’t be surprised if Boyd plays an impactful role in the bottom six at some point this year – injuries!

Boyd is only on the books for $700,000 this year, and he gives Jim Benning and co. more NHL-ready options to slot into the line-up if they (fingers crossed) end up becoming sellers at the deadline. We don’t know when he’ll make his Canucks debut, but if it’ll be even half as good as waiver buddy Jimmy Vesey’s, the Canucks should be able to confidently chalk up this acquisition as a win.

As mentioned earlier, the team also still sit two points out of the fourth and final playoff spot, a statistic that the glass-half-full crowd will place in the spotlight for as long as they can, in large part due to a few more external factors going in their favour.

The Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers were forced to postpone their three-game series at the beginning of the week due to COVID-19 complications, and it appears that the league is still trying to finalize how those games will be made up. That’s number one.

The Calgary Flames continue to plummet deeper and deeper into a dark pit of despair with their consistently poor outings, and they’re dangerously close to swapping places with the Ottawa Senators in the standings. We’ll call this number two.

And finally, the Maple Leafs, after sitting atop the entire league standings at one point in the year, boast a mediocre 4-6-0 record over their last ten contests. Number three.

So yes, the Canucks technically have a chance to sneak into the postseason if luck stays on their side, and if the top half of the division suddenly explodes into pure pandemonium for the remaining five weeks, but that’s a stretch. A big, big streeeeeeeetch.

Let’s face the negatives.

Currently, the team has played the most games out of all of the Canadian teams with 37, and they’re also in the middle of their seven-day break that doesn’t have them playing until the last day of March, giving the other Canadian teams more time to catch up.

Upon return, the Canucks will face off against the Flames at Rogers Arena.

Normally, this would be considered an easy win when you compare each team’s point totals and overall trajectory, but let’s be real. One team is bound to be the bigger disappointment after 60 minutes, and the Canucks have a 50/50 chance of wearing that dunce hat after the game.

After that, seven of their nine contests will be against the Jets, Oilers or Maple Leafs, all of which are must-win-in-regulation situations, and it appears that these games might be played without the services of Elias Pettersson. Injuries!

In other words, after weighing the pros and cons, it’s hard to say that the Canucks are built to be a playoff team right now.

Realistically speaking, they are at least a few years from actually contending for the Cup, despite their success from last year. Their bubble is about to burst any moment now, and we’re all just waiting for one more needle to do the honours.

So let’s pose the question again – now what?

If you’re management, it’s time to start listening more intently to phone calls from other teams in the league.

Quite frankly, only four to five players should be marked untouchable for this franchise. The others? Fair game.

• Could they move someone like Tanner Pearson, who continues to sit fairly high on every tradeboard?
• What could they get in return from players like Brandon Sutter and Adam Gaudette, both of whom are possible depth pieces for contenders?
• Should they consider flipping a heart-and-soul grinder like Motte before he reaches UFA status at the end of next season?

The April 12th trade deadline is fast approaching, so they need to come up with answers ASAP.

If you’re the coaching staff, it’s time to give the younger players a chance.

Easier said than done, of course, especially when you’re not mathematically out of contention yet, and when you directly report to management, the entity that ultimately controls your paycheque next year. But if the bigger picture goal is to be competitive in two years, head coach Travis Green and co. should be pushing to inject more youth into their line-up for development and experience.

• How many more games will Olli Juolevi and Jalen Chatfield suit up for on the blueline?
• Will Zack MacEwen continue to move in and out of the line-up?
• Should Michael DiPietro be promoted from the taxi squad at some point this season?

The Canucks have one of the most promising young cores in the league, but it’s time to see if these prospects have what it takes to fill in as the supporting cast. And if all else fails, at least harp on the importance of moving your feet and moving the puck.

And if you’re the fanbase? Who knows. At this point, we’ve heard it all.

We’ve been teased, toyed with and transcended into euphoria, all in the same season, and our patience is undoubtedly running thin. This team has given us hope, albeit sparingly, during this shortened season, but most of us have accepted the reality.

You can’t build a championship team overnight, especially with the moves that have already been made up to this point. Right now, all we can do is hope that the Canucks put together an up-tempo and competitive style of hockey for the next five weeks, and, more importantly, that this organization plays the right cards in the coming months.

Upcoming games:

• Wednesday, March 31st – Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks (7:30 pm PST)
• Saturday, April 3rd – Vancouver Canucks @ Edmonton Oilers (7:00 pm PST)
• Sunday, April 4th – Vancouver Canucks @ Winnipeg Jets (6:00 pm PST)
• Tuesday, April 6th – Vancouver Canucks @ Winnipeg Jets (5:00 pm PST)
• Thursday, April 8th – Vancouver Canucks @ Calgary Flames (6:00 pm PST)

What are your thoughts on the Canucks as they wrap up the month of March? Make sure to drop a comment below! And don’t worry — we’ll be back with our weekly three stars selection in April!