Can the Canucks copy the Flames’ model for success next year?
To their great dismay, the Vancouver Canucks have one of the most passionate fan bases in the NHL.
After a good game, they’re on pace to win the Stanley Cup, in the minds of their fans. After a bad loss, they should sell every good player for picks and prospects. For this reason, it’s hard to gauge how good the Canucks actually are.
This season is no exception.
The game of musical chairs to determine playoff spots continues, and the Canucks are just hoping to get a spot when the music stops. Half of the fans believe they should sell at the deadline, while the other half hopes against hope that this season is different than the past few.
Admittedly, the 2021-22 season is a coin toss for the Canucks— they might make the playoffs, they might not. But those who think the team should sell are overlooking the coaching change and the history that coaching changes have on teams.
The Canucks are in the same boat this year as the Calgary Flames were in last year. Next year, they could be in the same boat the Flames are in this year.
How does these two teams truly compare? Take a look below!
2020-21 Calgary Flames
The Flames started the 2020-21 season with a mediocre 24 points in 24 games. They looked uninterested and unmotivated, and it showed in their results. A little less than halfway through the season, they decided to change that by firing head coach Geoff Ward and hiring Darryl Sutter in his stead.
Although Sutter’s numbers as a whole were similar to Ward’s numbers, he transformed the identity of the team. They became tough. They played well defensively. They were a new team.
2021 ended in disappointment for the Flames, as they fell four points short of the playoffs. But all was not lost.
Sutter got the chance to command the Flames from the beginning of the season this year, and things couldn’t be going better for them. They sit atop the Pacific Division at the moment, and look like true Stanley Cup contenders.
Sutter is also getting the most out of his players this year. Johnny Gaudreau, who has struggled the past few years, is on fire. Andrew Mangiapane and Elias Lindholm, among others, are having career years. Oliver Kylington has broken out as a legitimate top-four defenceman.
The Flames made this improvement with minimal roster changes over the summer. They added depth in net with Dan Vladar, a middle-six forward in Blake Coleman, and a couple of bottom-pairing defensemen in hopes of filling the void left by Mark Giordano. Their improvement was the result of organizational change, not roster transactions.
2022-23 Vancouver Canucks
This is a Canucks website— you’re not here to read about the success of one of the Canucks’ biggest rivals, so we’ll stop talking about them. But here’s what we can learn from the Flames, and how it applies to the Canucks.
Similar to the Flames last year, the Canucks had a less-than-perfect start to the season this year. When they fired head coach Travis Green 25 games in, they had a mere eight wins. The playoffs were already a lost cause. But things changed under new coach Bruce Boudreau.
Through 30 games, Boudreau has a record of 18-8-4. As previously mentioned, the Canucks are by no means guaranteed to make the playoffs, but it is certainly a possibility.
Just like last year’s Flames, the Canucks’ star players struggled at the start of the season. Elias Pettersson was infamously bad— we don’t have to get into the numbers. Likewise, Brock Boeser hardly scored under Green this year. Even thought it did take Pettersson a while, it’s clear that both players have turned their seasons around under Boudreau
The Canucks have also improved their power play and penalty kill numbers significantly. Under Green, their 64.6% penalty kill was the worst in the league. Their 17.4% on the power play was good for 22nd in the NHL. Under Boudreau, their PK has improved to 76.6% (21st), and PP is running at 23.9% (ninth) prior to Thursday night’s contest against the Islanders.
The Future of the Canucks
A large portion of the fanbase believes that the Canucks will be bad for years to come unless they sell at this year’s deadline. Looking at the Flames’ example, this is not necessarily true.
The Canucks’ point percentage since Boudreau took over is .667. Over the course of a full season, they would earn 109 points. That’s enough to win the division. If they keep up that pace, next season could be the turning point for the Canucks.
2021-22 is a write-off season because of the bad start. Had Boudreau taken over from the beginning and kept this pace, the Canucks would be buying at the deadline— not selling. With a full season under Boudreau next year, that’s the type of team we can expect the Canucks to be, just like the Flames are this year.
People will argue, saying, “We don’t have any prospects – we’re just perpetuating the Benning Cycle of Mediocrity.” Here’s the thing: the Canucks already have their core, and a good one, at that. They’ve already built through the draft. It’s time to make a push.
Starting a re-build now would waste the prime years of Pettersson, Boeser, Thatcher Demko, Bo Horvat, Conor Garland, and others’ careers. While this is not the year to buy at the deadline, it would be irrational to sell everything and start over with so much young talent at its prime.
If management decides to give up on this season and sell at the deadline, they should sell depth players only; players that you can replace in free agency. This would give the Canucks a few extra picks and prospects, allowing them to stock the cupboards a little bit.
This is not a lost team. It’s just a lost season. Bruce Boudreau’s Canucks are good. Whether or not they make the playoffs this year, they will be contenders next year— but only if they don’t sell at the deadline.
Next. Is Juho Lammikko worth keeping for the Canucks?. dark
What are your thoughts when comparing this year’s Canucks to last year’s Flames? Let us know in the comments!