Which team has a better outlook in the next five seasons? New Jersey or Vancouver?

[dalewood12]

Curious to read your thoughts.

Click to read more...

 

[David Suzuki]

New Jersey for sure.

 

[Bounces R Way]

The Canucks do simply because they have a goalie and (probably)a coach. Some people think well those are easy things to fix, they aren't.

I would take Jersey's young skaters over Van's pretty easily though.

 

[Hisch13r]

I think the Devils will have the better skaters but if Demko keeps being great then that's big for the Canucks if we're never able to get someone truly great and we run out like average to above average goalies going forward.

 

[Painful Quandary]

Even though I like Vancouver's star players more than New Jersey's, I have to give the edge to the Devils. They have plenty of cap space and their biggest hole is goaltending. Vancouver still has to recover from the damage Jim Benning did.

 

[rotiman187]

New Jersey for sure.

Explain, if you're so sure lol.

 

[FlappyGiraffe]

Definitely NJ

1c Hughes locked up long term
2c Hischier locked up long term

#2 overall should be a good top 6 / top 4 player for a majority of this timeframe

1D in Hamilton on the right side
Luke Hughes coming up in the next 5 years, likely a star player imo

They also have plenty of prospects coming through on the wing.



Really just need to trade for a good starter, make some good depth signings, and that's a playoff teams in the next year or two imo.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

NJ easily.

We’ve already seen Vancouver’s entire core on the roster already, with no noteworthy prospects in the pipeline, and they weren’t a playoff team. While coaching was an issue, so is our defence, along with a capped out roster full of scrubs.

Meanwhile, NJ hasn’t even incorporated Luke Hughes and the 2nd overall pick into their roster, and their other young stars like Jack Hughes and Holtz are about to breakout.

 

[HugeInTheShire]

Devils desperately need a goalie, other than that they are ahead of Vancouver in every other position.

Taking the Devils because their players are coming in to their primes while Vancouver has some of their better guys headed out of it.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

Vancouver because of their goaltending.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Devils have zero goaltending at all. So until they figured that out, it's certainly not them.

 

[David Suzuki]

Explain, if you're so sure lol.

They have Jack Hughes who is going to be a superstar very soon

 

[Connor McConnor]

I guess I'd prefer the "what if" potential of NJ a bit more just because we've already seen most of Vancouver's "core" for several seasons now and they can't make the Playoffs even with multiple Calder winners and a guy who can play Vezina level for long stretches.

We will see if their new management can get them out of their salary cap issues and return good assets for some departing players. I think Vancouver COULD jump right into Playoff contention if they make some shrewd moves with Miller, Myers and/or Boeser.

Also need to see a full season of 1C play from EP. I still have high hopes for him as a top 10C but he's been very inconsistent. Hopefully he hits the gym this entire offseason.

 

[Regal]

New Jersey definitely has better what if potential given what’s on the roster, their ages and what’s in the pipeline, in particular Hughes and the 2nd overall. Demko gives Van a big edge in goal though, and the division should be easier as well. I could see Vancouver being better the next couple years and Jersey being better beyond that. But a lot will also depend on what new management does with Van’s roster and whether/how quickly Jersey can find a goalie. If everything else was equal, I’d prefer Jersey’s roster and futures though. More to work with and without the negative deals

 

[Play]

Canucks because they have Demko.

Also, Canucks have 1C and 1D already secured.

Demko pulls this in the Canucks favour

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

are Hughes and Hischier better than Pettersson and Horvat? I would take Q Hughes over Hamilton. Plus Vancouver actually have a goaltender.

 

[BoHorvat 53]

Devils desperately need a goalie, other than that they are ahead of Vancouver in every other position.

Taking the Devils because their players are coming in to their primes while Vancouver has some of their better guys headed out of it.

Some of their better guys headed out of it? JT Miller just had his peak season thus far into his career, he’s likely getting traded for a haul this off season, Pettersson, Hughes, Boeser, Garland, Horvat are all still young players. I’m curious who “some” of our “better guys headed out of it” are.

I’ll take the Devils, just because they had competent management managing their rebuild while we had a Neanderthal managing ours.

 

[Davo Ikinzom]

Vancouver actually has a legit goalie. I guarantee they will finish higher in the standings next year.

 

[HockeyWooot]

Vancouver. Cornerstone pieces at C, D,G set. Last year was a tale of two seasons, under Boudreau I believe they were a top 10 team in terms of points percentage.

For both teams there is a lot more to show. Also I do think very soon the best player between both teams though will be Jack Hughes.

If the question is about a rebuild and what not it would be NJD. Benning was completely incompetent.

The young stars of Hughes, Hischier, Bratt will be buoyed by another crop of youngsters coming in that better fits their window so an argument can definitely be made that way.

 

[Three On Zero]

Vancouver has the better “corner stone” players, but New Jersey has a lot of potential if everything works out.

I think they’ll be fairly even in

 

[Holymakinaw]

NJ aniec.

 

[Evergreen]

The Canucks do simply because they have a goalie and (probably)a coach. Some people think well those are easy things to fix, they aren't.

I would take Jersey's young skaters over Van's pretty easily though.

Isn't Boudreau only signed for one year?

 

[HugeInTheShire]

Some of their better guys headed out of it? JT Miller just had his peak season thus far into his career, he’s likely getting traded for a haul this off season, Pettersson, Hughes, Boeser, Garland, Horvat are all still young players. I’m curious who “some” of our “better guys headed out of it” are.

I’ll take the Devils, just because they had competent management managing their rebuild while we had a Neanderthal managing ours.

In 5 years
Vancouver:

Horvat 32
Miller 34
Pettersson 28
Boeser 30
Garland 31
Hughes 27
Demko 31

New Jersey:

Hischier 28
Hughes 26
Mercer 25
Bratt 28
Hughes 23
Hamilton 34

In 5 years the Devils core are in their prime whereas the Canucks are aging out.

We can't take in to consideration what we think will happen with trades, because unless we have some connection to management and they are telling us this is happening it all just rumors

Although it is about the next 5 years and I took it as in 5 years, so I guess I somewhat misunderstood the project, it's probably still NJ but it's closer.

 

[biturbo19]

The other thing Vancouver has going for them in this, other than a stud goaltender having that part of the equation pretty well backstopped, is that the Western Conference (outside of Colorado) is pretty darn wide open these days. It won't necessarily take much to tip the balance and move from outside the playoffs to in the playoffs in the next few years. A lot of very flawed, incomplete teams made the playoffs in the West this season, with glaring holes in their roster. A lot of those situations look unlikely to change much in the near-term future, as most of those teams are also pretty capped out (or will be by the time they manage to retain key players).

I'd think that landscape in the Western Conference and the Pacific Division particularly, colors the context of Vancouver's outlook in the next handful of years in a potentially more flattering light.

 

[ViD]

Kuzmenko tips the scale obviously