Pre-Game Talk: Canucks vs. Islanders, Saturday night: Uncle Lou and the Barzal brigade come to town

[Zombotron]

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[WTG]

What's the countdown till Hughes arrives?
How many more games?

 

[Zombotron]

Michigan has four games left, last game of their regular season is next Saturday

 

[CherryToke]

Excited to see Barzal. Best skater on the planet.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Again,..its going to be tough for the Canucks to get an edge without their two top D (and a weak selection of wingers in the top 6)..Everytime Edler goes down, its just a matter of days until Tanev follows him to the infirmary.

It wouldn't surprise me if Saturdays game was another low scoring affair,...especially since Barry Trotz is the opposing coach.

 

[Pip]

Every game is tough because we aren’t a good team

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Every game is tough because we aren’t a good team

There are seven other teams in the Western Conference having tough games as well.

 

[tantalum]

There are seven other teams in the Western Conference having tough games as well.

Correct. And a few of those teams are winning more of them than the canucks. They now need to leapfrog 4 teams (and then of course stay ahead). Or the other way to look at it is they need to outpace the Wild by 3 points, and the other three teams ahead of them by 2 points. Oh it sounds easy because the numbers seem small but it's actually quite a gap to close in 21 games given the level of play this team has had outside of a three week stretch in December. Note that the 7th place wild card is already likely out of reach though they are "only" 5 points back (that's 3 extra wins needed in 21 games). It's why the probability is below 20% right now.

 

[VanJack]

I guess the talk of 'playoffs' is great for casual fans and the gum-flappers on talk radio. But seriously, this roster isn't remotely capable of winning enough games down the stretch to hang in there. Even with Tanev and Edler in the lineup, they'd be a long-shot. Without them, no chance.

I'm still more interested in the impending arrival of Quinn Hughes and the mid-April lottery balls than anything else.

 

[The Iron Goalie]

Give me

Spooner, Horvat, Boeser
Goldobin, Pettersson, Leivo
Roussel, Gaudette, MacEwen
Eriksson, Beagle, Motte
Scratches - Schaller/Granlund

Hutton, Stecher
Sautner, Biega
Pouliot, Schenn
Scratch - Gudbranson

Markstrom

Wont happen but....

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Correct. And a few of those teams are winning more of them than the canucks. They now need to leapfrog 4 teams (and then of course stay ahead). Or the other way to look at it is they need to outpace the Wild by 3 points, and the other three teams ahead of them by 2 points. Oh it sounds easy because the numbers seem small but it's actually quite a gap to close in 21 games given the level of play this team has had outside of a three week stretch in December. Note that the 7th place wild card is already likely out of reach though they are "only" 5 points back (that's 3 extra wins needed in 21 games). It's why the probability is below 20% right now.

Thats fine with me..I had no expectations for the Canucks to be a playoff team this season..Its all gravy from now on anyway..Probably the best thing for the team is to play as many meaningful games as possible,miss the playoffs, and get the highest pick.

I've already predicted the playoffs for next year..so we'll see how that goes.

 

[Hodgy]

Thats fine with me..I had no expectations for the Canucks to be a playoff team this season..Its all gravy from now on anyway..Probably the best thing for the team is to play as many meaningful games as possible,miss the playoffs, and get the highest pick.

I've already predicted the playoffs for next year..so we'll see how that goes.

Jim Benning has to be a pretty terrible general manager in your eyes for him to enter his fifth year of his tenure and for you to have "had no expectations for the Canucks to be a playoff team this season". But again, we have already established that your expectations for Benning are so unreasonably low that you could never possibly be disappointed.

 

[Hit the post]

Jim Benning has to be a pretty terrible general manager in your eyes for him to enter his fifth year of his tenure and for you to have "had no expectations for the Canucks to be a playoff team this season". But again, we have already established that your expectations for Benning are so unreasonably low that you could never possibly be disappointed.

It’s a pretty low bar to hit in any event (where about half the teams in the league make the postseason). Certainly no measure of competency. Even Dave Nonis managed that feat with the Laffs.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Jim Benning has to be a pretty terrible general manager in your eyes for him to enter his fifth year of his tenure and for you to have "had no expectations for the Canucks to be a playoff team this season". But again, we have already established that your expectations for Benning are so unreasonably low that you could never possibly be disappointed.

Canucks last made the playoffs in 2015..How many years did you think it would take to turn over most of the roster to a young core and be a legit playoff contender ?..2-3 years?

 

[Hodgy]

Canucks last made the playoffs in 2015..How many years did you think it would take to turn over most of the roster to a young core and be a legit playoff contender ?..2-3 years?

I think five years into a GM’s tenure it is reasonable to expect that GM’s team to be a playoff team. Anything less is unreasonably low.

 

[Hit the post]

Canucks last made the playoffs in 2015..How many years did you think it would take to turn over most of the roster to a young core and be a legit playoff contender ?..2-3 years?

The 1970 team, a true expansion team took its fifth season to make the post-season. If the Canucks make the playoffs in 2020 (next season), they'll match that.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

I think five years into a GM’s tenure it is reasonable to expect that GM’s team to be a playoff team. Anything less is unreasonably low.

Fair enough..I'd say if he misses next season, he will be out.

 

[mathonwy]

Fair enough..I'd say if he misses next season, he will be out.

And then the rebuild begins!

 

[RobertKron]

Canucks last made the playoffs in 2015..How many years did you think it would take to turn over most of the roster to a young core and be a legit playoff contender ?..2-3 years?

What the f*** is a "legit playoff contender?" Half the league makes the playoffs. There are, what, like 28 teams each year in "legit" contention to make it?

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

What the **** is a "legit playoff contender?" Half the league makes the playoffs. There are, what, like 28 teams each year in "legit" contention to make it?

A team that is considered good/deep enough to make the playoffs yearly on a sustainable basis...Not a SC contender, or a bottom feeder.

 

[Cupless44]

I think five years into a GM’s tenure it is reasonable to expect that GM’s team to be a playoff team. Anything less is unreasonably low.

5 years is certainly enough to be farther into a proper rebuild. The Canucks have 3-4 good young players but the veteran portion of the roster remains terrible.

Any success the team has is completely driven by the young players and Markstrom. With the exception of Roussel the Canucks are getting nothing out of the “ veteran mentors”

As usual the reality is that the Canucks are actually finishing closer to the bottom of the NHL than they are a playoff contender.

 

[Cupless44]

Is Travis Green actually going to stick with the same line-up from Thursday??

Playing useless Schaller over MacEwen and Goldy?

 

[CherryToke]

Interesting video. Quinn Hughes does some of this too.

 

[Fire Benning]

Call up Gaunce you cowards

 

[Love]

Call up Gaunce you cowards

Yeah I don’t understand why he’s not playing