TSN: Bob McKenzie's season preview
- Thread starter Billy Kvcmu
- Start date
Balls Mahoney
2015-2016 HF Premier League World Champion
Bob's a pretty careful guy.....every team has some hope if everything brings their way....but reading between the lines, veterans including the Sedins will get off to a hot start and the team will be decent until December...that's when the injuries start to crop up they'll likely fall out of contention with depth issues....not one pre-season analyst is picking the Canucks to make the playoffs and they can't all be wrong.
LickTheEnvelope
Time to Retool... again...
"Many believe last year was just a hint of things to come"... well jeez last year was the least goals in a season in team history. If that's just a sign then i'm worried as hell.
"If... if... if... then it's plausible the Canucks could make the playoffs, not to be confused with challenging for a cup."
And that's why it's a dismal season to look at. Going to be a slogging, not very good offensive team that has to hope and pray goaltenders and D-men stay at 100% to have a chance.
"If... if... if... then it's plausible the Canucks could make the playoffs, not to be confused with challenging for a cup."
And that's why it's a dismal season to look at. Going to be a slogging, not very good offensive team that has to hope and pray goaltenders and D-men stay at 100% to have a chance.
I feel kinda bad for Bob for having to do this - I can feel the sighs he must've had while trying to come up with a neutral unbiased preview for our team.
I am quite confident that this team will be a playoff round 1 trash squad. We should NOT be aiming to make playoffs, because our talent pool simply doesn't have enough depth to ensure playoff experience to be beneficial enough. Of course Benning and WD plus Don Aquaman won't give a **** because to them not making playoffs is high treason, and once you are in the playoffs you're holier than Jesus himself. All they ever want to sacrifice the team's future for their own disgusting, vile, and selfish gains.
I am quite confident that this team will be a playoff round 1 trash squad. We should NOT be aiming to make playoffs, because our talent pool simply doesn't have enough depth to ensure playoff experience to be beneficial enough. Of course Benning and WD plus Don Aquaman won't give a **** because to them not making playoffs is high treason, and once you are in the playoffs you're holier than Jesus himself. All they ever want to sacrifice the team's future for their own disgusting, vile, and selfish gains.
Canucks officially at 66-1 to win the Cup.....the worst odds for any of the 30 teams in the league....is this fair?....Probably....playoff odds might be better, but not by much. Of course Bob McKenzie is the kinda guy who could put a positive spin on just about any train-wreck.
me2
Go ahead foot
DCantheDDad
DisplacedNuckfan
The season preview can pretty much be summed up with one word: Pain. The Hockey News has us finishing dead last in the league. So yeah, not exactly looking good for us.
LickTheEnvelope
Time to Retool... again...
Eh I think Toronto, Buffalo and a couple others could still be down below the Canucks but i'd be quite shocked if the Canucks aren't in the bottom 10.
There's a silver lining in every dark cloud....if this prediction is accurate, the Aquaman would surely be forced to bring out the brooms, starting with Willie and eventually extending into the executive booth by the end of the season. I doubt Linden would return to his fitness and glasses businesses, but you never know.
BloatedGuppy
Registered User
That would be AMAZING. I'd be very happy with that.
I mean, it would result in me not actually watching any games, which is sad, but think of the draft position! Think of the house cleaning!
Balls Mahoney
2015-2016 HF Premier League World Champion
I'm longing for the day we get an Aquaman firing Nonis like press conference for this gang of idiots.
But I think we'll get a 10th-12th place finish and another song and dance about how we sucked this year to win next year.
But I think we'll get a 10th-12th place finish and another song and dance about how we sucked this year to win next year.
I would bet against that. Though that said there is probably 10 teams that could place last. I do hope if we are out of the playoffs we sell at the deadline to get assets while improving draft position. However I do think Vancouver will be in the playoff race until the end. Last year they were terribl in ot and so games, played many rookies and had injuries. This year few if any rookies, should be better in extra time and likely will have less injuries to important players. Expect 90 something points.
In the polls section its down to the last 6 or 7 teams and the Canucks get no votes so it gives a idea of what we should expect of the season. I really cant see another team doing worse
Think of all those draft picks traded away to try and shore up the team to cling to a playoff berth, then floundering to the bottom and failing once again to make any deadline trades.
Years of damage from this crew. We're years away from things turning around. Happy face! But it's what you get with a poorly run sporting franchise, and nothing we've not experienced before.
The real hard part is there's no guarantee that who they select after this group of clods will be any better.
I in the Eye
Drop a ball it falls
- Dec 14, 2002
- 6,371
- 2,327
I am not confident that this team is deep enough in quality and can contend for a playoff spot. This team is constructed to be closer to a 75 point team than a 100 point team.
Injuries happen to players and this needs to be accounted for. Have the Canucks been improved with quality depth? No, I don't think so. Like the last 2 seasons, I think it's been one step forward, two steps back. And sometimes even two steps back, no steps forward. Yes, perhaps there is more quantity, in terms of what would be available on the farm if injuries occur... but quality? Not much better, if any better quality overall. A successful team is a team that is able to minimize the effect of injuries, and hockey is in many ways a game of how well a team is able to rise above injuries compared to the teams being played against. That Vancouver is already being singled out as a team that needs to stay healthy is a red flag. All teams need to either stay healthy, or be able to minimze the effect of being unhealthy to succeed. This is not unique to Vancouver. No team can expect to remain healthy, however, how many other teams have such poor depth that a key to the season is the team needs to remain healthy? Benning has systematically lowered the quality depth of this team, and his farm team, and what he has to now show for depth won't be able to minimize the effect of being unhealthy. I'm also not convinced that roster decisions are going to be made based on maximizing quality depth on the team and in Utica, nor do I think coaching decisions are going to be made to get the most Willie can out of the Canucks, out of everything he has. Lack of quality depth + lack of maximizing the depth available + lack of giving the players playing the best in a given game the most quality minutes in a given game will result in the pissing away of points.
I think the season is going to be full of games where a certain player (or group of players) looked great, in a losing effort... then injuries will eventually be used to say if we didn't lose these other certain players due to injuries, we would have won those games. I do think the Canucks will have hot streaks in the season, with the hottest streak perhaps being at the start... I do think the Canucks will at times look great. I think that many more times, the Canucks will look great, losing... as well as look bad, losing. I do think that Willie will be fired some time in the season, with the old time hockey belief that the team will get a jolt of energy as a result. But I don't think this firing would solve anything. The problem wouldn't be energy that needs jolting. The problem would be the quality depth on the team isn't good enough to compete against the other teams. In this league, this team is constructed (and run) to be closer to a 75 point team than a 100 point team. I'm pretty sure there will be some positive player surprises, and some steps taken forward by certain players. But I'm also pretty sure that not all the question marks will turn out in the Canucks favour, and nor will the Canucks remain one of the healthiest teams in the NHL that would perhaps allow them to compete with playoff contending teams.
There are times I would bet for an underdog, and take a risk on a team that I think is being undervalued. This Canucks team, I wouldn't bet on them.
Injuries happen to players and this needs to be accounted for. Have the Canucks been improved with quality depth? No, I don't think so. Like the last 2 seasons, I think it's been one step forward, two steps back. And sometimes even two steps back, no steps forward. Yes, perhaps there is more quantity, in terms of what would be available on the farm if injuries occur... but quality? Not much better, if any better quality overall. A successful team is a team that is able to minimize the effect of injuries, and hockey is in many ways a game of how well a team is able to rise above injuries compared to the teams being played against. That Vancouver is already being singled out as a team that needs to stay healthy is a red flag. All teams need to either stay healthy, or be able to minimze the effect of being unhealthy to succeed. This is not unique to Vancouver. No team can expect to remain healthy, however, how many other teams have such poor depth that a key to the season is the team needs to remain healthy? Benning has systematically lowered the quality depth of this team, and his farm team, and what he has to now show for depth won't be able to minimize the effect of being unhealthy. I'm also not convinced that roster decisions are going to be made based on maximizing quality depth on the team and in Utica, nor do I think coaching decisions are going to be made to get the most Willie can out of the Canucks, out of everything he has. Lack of quality depth + lack of maximizing the depth available + lack of giving the players playing the best in a given game the most quality minutes in a given game will result in the pissing away of points.
I think the season is going to be full of games where a certain player (or group of players) looked great, in a losing effort... then injuries will eventually be used to say if we didn't lose these other certain players due to injuries, we would have won those games. I do think the Canucks will have hot streaks in the season, with the hottest streak perhaps being at the start... I do think the Canucks will at times look great. I think that many more times, the Canucks will look great, losing... as well as look bad, losing. I do think that Willie will be fired some time in the season, with the old time hockey belief that the team will get a jolt of energy as a result. But I don't think this firing would solve anything. The problem wouldn't be energy that needs jolting. The problem would be the quality depth on the team isn't good enough to compete against the other teams. In this league, this team is constructed (and run) to be closer to a 75 point team than a 100 point team. I'm pretty sure there will be some positive player surprises, and some steps taken forward by certain players. But I'm also pretty sure that not all the question marks will turn out in the Canucks favour, and nor will the Canucks remain one of the healthiest teams in the NHL that would perhaps allow them to compete with playoff contending teams.
There are times I would bet for an underdog, and take a risk on a team that I think is being undervalued. This Canucks team, I wouldn't bet on them.
biturbo19
Registered User
- Jul 13, 2010
- 25,955
- 11,015
I think that final string of "if, if, then" is a pretty fair assessment of where the Canucks are at this year.
-If the key vets can stay healthy and productive.
-If the young players can make significant contributions and take some steps.
-If a few "wildcards" pan out (Larsen for the PP, Rodin/Virtanen for the wings, Gudbranson for the D).
-If this team can come out on the positive end of more one goal games like the 2014-15 iteration.
This could be a lot closer to the 2014-15 team's point totals and a potential playoff team.
It's a lot of "ifs" for sure. But that's pretty much where this team is now. And "if" a lot of those caveats don't pan out...they're probably right back at the bottom.
-If the key vets can stay healthy and productive.
-If the young players can make significant contributions and take some steps.
-If a few "wildcards" pan out (Larsen for the PP, Rodin/Virtanen for the wings, Gudbranson for the D).
-If this team can come out on the positive end of more one goal games like the 2014-15 iteration.
This could be a lot closer to the 2014-15 team's point totals and a potential playoff team.
It's a lot of "ifs" for sure. But that's pretty much where this team is now. And "if" a lot of those caveats don't pan out...they're probably right back at the bottom.
If that virus from "The Last Man on Earth" wipes out about 29 of the other teams, I like our chances.
But think how worth it it'll be when they draft that checking forward with "two way upside" we've all been pining for?
Love
Registered User
- Feb 29, 2012
- 15,050
- 12,337
I have to say I'm quite shocked at the lack of faith in this team heading into camp.
Don't get me wrong, I know we're a bad team. But we still have the Twins, Edler-Tanev as a first pair, Horvat looks like he could/should be a 50pt C as soon as this season, Sutter will play more games than he did last season, and we added a 30 goal scorer and just an overall good player in Loui Eriksson.
We should not have the worst odds to win the Cup, that is shocking to me. We do in fact have a chance at the playoffs IMO. I don't think it'll happen but there is a chance. It may sound like I'm being overly optimistic, but the truth is just the opposite. My hope is that we get another top 5 pick. I want Patrick or Liljegren to be wearing Canuck jerseys a year from now. But if I try to look at this team as objectively as I can, I don't see that happening at all. We have too many good players (not very many, but still too many) to be THAT bad. And it would take another Torts level collapse combined with the same terrible injury luck to get there.
Don't get me wrong, I know we're a bad team. But we still have the Twins, Edler-Tanev as a first pair, Horvat looks like he could/should be a 50pt C as soon as this season, Sutter will play more games than he did last season, and we added a 30 goal scorer and just an overall good player in Loui Eriksson.
We should not have the worst odds to win the Cup, that is shocking to me. We do in fact have a chance at the playoffs IMO. I don't think it'll happen but there is a chance. It may sound like I'm being overly optimistic, but the truth is just the opposite. My hope is that we get another top 5 pick. I want Patrick or Liljegren to be wearing Canuck jerseys a year from now. But if I try to look at this team as objectively as I can, I don't see that happening at all. We have too many good players (not very many, but still too many) to be THAT bad. And it would take another Torts level collapse combined with the same terrible injury luck to get there.
ChilliBilly
Registered User
There is a lot of parity in the league. Any given year any team can surprise. Would i put money on? Nope.
I just hope that we don't pull a TO and try and make the playoffs at the expense of our future to end up getting the 12th or 13th pick.
The trade for Gudbrandson would have been great if instead of trading our 2nd and 3rd, we had given them Sbisa and retained salary on him. Then we would have been able to keep hamhuis for a couple of more seasons as a very reliable depth d man.
And would have had a couple of more decent prospects in the books.
I just hope that we don't pull a TO and try and make the playoffs at the expense of our future to end up getting the 12th or 13th pick.
The trade for Gudbrandson would have been great if instead of trading our 2nd and 3rd, we had given them Sbisa and retained salary on him. Then we would have been able to keep hamhuis for a couple of more seasons as a very reliable depth d man.
And would have had a couple of more decent prospects in the books.
dwarf
Registered User
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