So is this season officially a success?

[RobertKron]

This was a success of a season, regardless of the absolutely bizarre way it came about. That also doesn't mean that I believe the team is currently in a good position moving forward.

 

[MS]

I think one of my biggest worries is that management will have some of their worst instincts, ideas, and moves, validated, and they won't make the necessary adjustments that will materially improve the team going forward. For example, they may pin these victories on their fantastic bottom-6 character players like Beagle and Sutter and refuse to upgrade on those positions/move money out, or think that they need to get big board-go-boom players to go deeper into the playoffs.

It seems like anytime one of our not so good players on a terrible contracts has a blip of good play and might have any semblance of trade value in the moment...they see that good play and want to hold onto that player because it validates their thesis that they are the kind of player you need to win instead of capitalizing on a temporarily valuable asset.

Ultimately I think we're going to hear Benning say something along the lines of "well if Myers and Toffoli were healthy...." and completely miss the point.

Yeah, exactly. In their minds it will validate a whole pile of monstrously unsound processes. And yes ... Jim Benning is simply incapable of selling high. Or buying low.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

So with Benning we made it to the second round in 1 of 6 years = 16.67%
Without Benning we made it to the second round in 10 of 43 years = 23.26%

Seems like Benning is a below average GM

Below average *Canucks* GM, which is saying something

 

[supercanuck]

I voted yes because, if there were any doubts before, I think EP and Hughes has now proven that they are NHL superstars that the franchise can hope to build a Stanley Cup winner around.

The next 2 offseasons and how the cap is managed will be crucial if EP/Hughes are to help this team win the Cup. For example, I hope we don't overpay Motte this offseason. He needs to show more next season to earn a nice raise.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

It seems like anytime one of our not so good players on a terrible contracts has a blip of good play and might have any semblance of trade value in the moment...they see that good play and want to hold onto that player because it validates their thesis that they are the kind of player you need to win instead of capitalizing on a temporarily valuable asset.

I don't disagree with your overall point but...who are you referring to here? Eriksson and Sutter have had their moments this postseason but neither played nearly well enough to justify their salaries. Beagle and Roussel have been flat-out bad and largely benched. Obviously you're not talking about Ferland.

Maybe Jordie Benn ? He has looked decent on the right side ... maybe that will create a market for him, though I do think the team would still like to move on from him.

 

[MarkMM]

Yes, the big thing now if Benning can fix his mistakes especially with regard to contracts that are blocking a path to sustain/grow from here.

 

[timw33]

I don't disagree with your overall point but...who are you referring to here? Eriksson and Sutter have had their moments this postseason but neither played nearly well enough to justify their salaries. Beagle and Roussel have been flat-out bad and largely benched. Obviously you're not talking about Ferland.

Maybe Jordie Benn ? He has looked decent on the right side ... maybe that will create a market for him, though I do think the team would still like to move on from him.

I'm referring to the last 3-4 years where you have a completely unsustainable run of play from a guy like Brandon Sutter (in say November) with reports of a couple teams (think it was ANA/LAK?) sniffing around, and we continue to hold onto these players for reasons along the lines of having veteran leadership, or "guys who play the right way" even though we know this guy will regress into being a broken down low-effort player in a few weeks.

But you are outlining an overall problem with our cap crunch vs the cap crunch of say, Toronto, where they have extraneous players that other teams around the league actually want and are willing to pay for vs our murder's row of guys who are severely overpaid and given too much term.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

I'm referring to the last 3-4 years where you have a completely unsustainable run of play from a guy like Brandon Sutter (in say November) with reports of a couple teams (think it was ANA/LAK?) sniffing around, and we continue to hold onto these players for reasons along the lines of having veteran leadership, or "guys who play the right way" even though we know this guy will regress into being a broken down low-effort player in a few weeks.

But you are outlining an overall problem with our cap crunch vs the cap crunch of say, Toronto, where they have extraneous players that other teams around the league actually want and are willing to pay for vs our murder's row of guys who are severely overpaid and given too much term.

Yeah, Drance put it best:



This is why the Lightning and Blues won't have cap problems this summer either.

 

[timw33]

Yeah, Drance put it best:



This is why the Lightning and Blues won't have cap problems this summer either.

"May we interest you in a 0 point in 11 playoff game top-6 forward?"

 

[member 328930]

To me....if this team just collapses against VGK, I would say that unequivocally it would NOT be a success. Reason? The GM basically ran the team into the ground carrying on like he was one move away from a cup. If the team is destroyed against VGK they will go into the off season as a team that is clearly lacking in significant personnel to compete with true contenders, they will have next to no cap space to make any additions, they will lose an extremely valuable player because of poor decisions made on the UFA market in past years, they will have no draft picks for the first tw0 rounds......in short, the team looks like it will regress next year, not continue to grow. All these comments from the "pundits" out there advising us to apologize to Jim.....I wonder if they truly understand what is likely to happen AFTER this year?

If the team is able to re-sign Toffoli, Tanev and Markstrom (not sure how that would be possible), puts up a good fight against VGK and somehow acquired a top 2 round pick this off season, maybe we can surmise Benning is learning, but I suspect he overpays Markstrom, has nothing to offer Toffoli, loses Tanev, trades Demko for a recent washed up 1st round pick that has had no success in his current organization but that will help the team make the playoffs sooner than a draft pick, etc. (basically proves he's learned nothing).

Hope I am wrong.

 

[Zippgunn]

The season is a success if the Canucks can show reasonably well against Vegas if not win the series. If the Canucks get blown out, there will be gnashing of teeth and many angry takes in the management thread.

There will be angry takes in the mgmt thread no matter what happens. We could win the Cup and the Benning haters would find a way to complain about it...

 

[Disappointed EP40]

Voted "no"

Because if our team suffers cap causalities next season and the team takes a step back, that means this could our peak for awhile. Which would be terrible. The team sacrificing Maddens, and other picks for "this big run" is not success in my eyes.

It was a good season, but it needs to have context to be deemed "successful" imo

 

[Disappointed EP40]

This should be a poll but a resounding yes.

Anyone who uses an excuse that it's lucky is ridiculous and is only engaging with hypothetical scenarios.

Not a single person has suggested luck.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

For the record - I think it's a totally valid perspective to both think this season has been a success, but to quantify that by saying this sort of success needs to be maintained and built upon. Hindsight would render this pretty poorly if the Canucks faltered in their development next season a la Edmonton.

 

[Hit the post]

Not a single person has suggested luck.

Even good teams require an element of luck.

When the Kings won their first Cup, they had few if any major injuries before/during their postseason run.

 

[Cupless44]

I don't disagree with your overall point but...who are you referring to here? Eriksson and Sutter have had their moments this postseason but neither played nearly well enough to justify their salaries. Beagle and Roussel have been flat-out bad and largely benched. Obviously you're not talking about Ferland.

Maybe Jordie Benn ? He has looked decent on the right side ... maybe that will create a market for him, though I do think the team would still like to move on from him.

Where was Eriksson's moments? I must have missed it. I see a player who belongs nowwhere near the 2nd line of an NHL team as his 0 points in 11 games attests. Cannot match the speed or physicality of Vegas either.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Where was Eriksson's moments? I must have missed it. I see a player who belongs nowwhere near the 2nd line of an NHL team as his 0 points in 11 games attests. Cannot match the speed or physicality of Vegas either.

He's done a lot of good defensive work and Horvat improved with Eriksson on his wings in a matchup role. Is he a top 6 winger? No. Is his contract tradable? No. But he's a good checking depth winger.

In contrast to Roussel and Beagle, who Green has to hide as much as possible at ES most nights.

 

[Hit the post]

He's done a lot of good defensive work and Horvat improved with Eriksson on his wings in a matchup role. Is he a top 6 winger? No. Is his contract tradable? No. But he's a good checking depth winger.

In contrast to Roussel and Beagle, who Green has to hide as much as possible at ES most nights.

Horvat shouldn't be given the 'heavy D minutes' (at least at this stage of development as a player). He's awful at it. But given the lack of an alternative (Beagle , Sutter ), Green doesn't have much choice.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Horvat shouldn't be given the 'heavy D minutes' (at least at this stage of development as a player). He's awful at it. But given the lack of an alternative (Beagle , Sutter ), Green doesn't have much choice.

Yup. The biggest need this offseason is a 3C that can take some hard defensive ES minutes, freeing up Horvat to play more of an attacking game.

 

[F A N]

Horvat shouldn't be given the 'heavy D minutes' (at least at this stage of development as a player). He's awful at it. But given the lack of an alternative (Beagle , Sutter ), Green doesn't have much choice.

Yup. The biggest need this offseason is a 3C that can take some hard defensive ES minutes, freeing up Horvat to play more of an attacking game.

Horvat is 25 and in his 6th season. If not Horvat then it will be Petey. In today's game, it's hard to have your 3rd or 4th line out there against the other team's top line all the time and be successful. At some point you need to be able to go top line against top line and win the matchup.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Horvat is 25 and in his 6th season. If not Horvat then it will be Petey. In today's game, it's hard to have your 3rd or 4th line out there against the other team's top line all the time and be successful. At some point you need to be able to go top line against top line and win the matchup.

At some point, sure.

Bo Horvat plays the toughest defensive minutes, bar none, of anyone in the league. Because Green is afraid of playing Sutter/Beagle/Gaudette in those minutes.

A big reason the playoffs have gone so well is a fresh and healthy Sutter finally is over his groin issues and is playing his best hockey of the past few years, but you can't count on that for a whole season next year, when he'll be 32.

 

[F A N]

At some point, sure.

Bo Horvat plays the toughest defensive minutes, bar none, of anyone in the league. Because Green is afraid of playing Sutter/Beagle/Gaudette in those minutes.

A big reason the playoffs have gone so well is a fresh and healthy Sutter finally is over his groin issues and is playing his best hockey of the past few years, but you can't count on that for a whole season next year, when he'll be 32.

I don't think that's true at all. Sutter and Beagle have been trusted to play defensive minutes for the Canucks.

 

[BB06]

I don't think that's true at all. Sutter and Beagle have been trusted to play defensive minutes for the Canucks.

Suter has been consistently injured and Beagle missed a lot of last season as well. By the number I think 2018-19 season Horvat had the toughest deployment by any centre in the league. Pretty sure 19-20 is up there as well.

 

[F A N]

Suter has been consistently injured and Beagle missed a lot of last season as well. By the number I think 2018-19 season Horvat had the toughest deployment by any centre in the league. Pretty sure 19-20 is up there as well.

I don't disagree. What I was responding to is the fact that Horvat has received the toughest matchups because Green doesn't trust Sutter and Beagle. I don't think that's true at all.

 

[Spectrefire]

Teams almost never get two players on ELCs at the same time who are performing at franchise levels of performance.

This is a window for this group, might as well take advantage of it.