Canucks: 3 takeaways from the year-end media availability

What’s going to happen with the veteran players?

There’s no surprise that the Canucks have their fair share of older players in the line-up.

Out of the 32 players currently listed on the official roster, seven of them are 30 years or older. Of course, every team has older players, so the Canucks aren’t operating out of the norm. However, unlike the more successful teams in the league, the Canucks aren’t receiving significant contributions from these older players, both analytically and statistically, and there should be some concern given how some of them spoke during the media availability.

Edler, who turned 35 in April, indicated that he has no intention of retiring. For most, this didn’t come as a surprise, as the Swedish blueliner is still able to log 20+ minutes at both even strength and on the penalty kill, and is still searching for his 100th career goal. At the right price, he’d be a good fit on any blueline that requires a strong veteran presence, with Vancouver included in that mix.

Forward Antoine Roussel, who will be turning 32 at the end of this year, recorded yet another disappointing season in Vancouver. Roussel only posted one goal and three assists in 35 games before suffering an apparent season-ending lower-body injury on April 20th against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Roussel has one year left on his four-year deal, which will provide a $3 million hit against the team’s cap, and has never shied away about how much he’s enjoyed playing in Vancouver. The left-winger isn’t known for putting up points, but he also hasn’t been able to provide the physicality and grittiness that was expected from him, aside from the occasional hit or taunt.

Even if Roussel is healthy next year, there’s a chance he’ll either be on the outside looking in when it comes to the coach’s final line-up decision, or he might even playing down the 1-5 if the Kraken go down that road.

The most interesting case, however, would be for Sutter, who also spoke with the media on Thursday. Like Edler, Sutter will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and his future in Vancouver has been surrounded with questions. The 32-year-old didn’t put up good numbers this year, posting 12 points in 43 games in the bottom six forward group.

More importantly, however, Sutter had yet another season hampered with injury. He missed the final 13 games of the year with a tweaked shoulder, rounding out his total missed games to 178 in a Vancouver uniform. His most productive and healthiest season came in 2016-17, where he recorded 17 goals and 17 assists in 81 games, but he hasn’t been able to eclipse the 30-point plateau since then.

Again, these decisions are well out of our hands, and it’s up to Benning and his staff to make the final call with his older players. Could history repeat itself with this franchise, or will Benning finally be able to learn from him mistakes and go another direction with his veterans? He has hinted towards trades, buyouts and aggressive moves this offseason but, as we’ve all come to realize, we’ll never know what’s going to happen until it happens.

What are your thoughts on the team’s media availabilities? Make sure to drop a comment below!