I don't disagree but that's ready included into the equation
I'm actually not sure what you mean by that...
Which is a pretty reasonable stance to take, I think. Just because we aren't contenders yet, doesn't mean they should just tank. There is going to be a window of time where you go from Tanking -> Middle of the pack/fringe playoff team -> contenders. I'd say the Canucks are right in the middle and definitely need those extra pieces to be a 2011 Canucks caliber team - what do you suggest the team does right now, not try?
Sure although following that course of Bad Team > Mediocre > Contenders will be somewhat jeopardized by how badly they've screwed themselves in regards to their cap situation. For a team that's been as bad as we have over the past couple years, you'd expect rapid improvement due to a push from having lots of young, homegrown talent on the rise. Right now we have EP, Boeser, JV, Hughes... and that's it, really. Maybe Gaudette if I'm feeling generous.
In my mind it looks like they're stuck in an awkward position for the next few years because of all the poor contracts they've signed. Too good to bottom out because of Markstrom, yet no room to add over the next 2.5 years or so because of our cap situation. If you fiddle around with contract projections on CapFriendly you'll see just how tight to the cap they'll be.
By the time all their poor contracts are completely expired and they've dealt with the EP and Hughes extensions, vets like Markstrom, Edler, Tanev etc. will already be in their early to mid 30's when you'd expect their performance to start falling off. So then you'll need to find replacements for them. Will it be as easy when they're no longer constantly drafting in the top 10? Hard to say, really.
My preference would be to tank hard for the next 1-2 years, cycle out older players for assets with which we can incentivize teams to take on our junk, sign some guys on 1-year contracts to be liquidated at the TDL and then go for it. Rather than doing nothing for the next 2.5 seasons because they're handcuffed, I'd rather go through very short-term pain to get our cap right so they're free to truly aim to compete for the long-term with this core.