Concerns about this team

[PureQuickness]

I acknowledge that we as Canucks fans have a mosaic of opinions on the team's performances recently. Though I am fully aware that I've posted some more negative stuff recently, I also want to state that I have been very happy about the season, as a whole. That said, there are some disturbing issues about this team that I feel the team needs to fix QUICKLY if they hope not to be a first round exit.

 

https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/canucks-penalty-stats-last-5-games

 

 

So the above numbers aren't good at all, but I am careful to wade into this territory as success is not linear.

 

Here are some points that I know people are fully aware of, but I can't shake this feeling after the loss against a bottom feeding team who didn't exactly capitalize on all of our mistakes. I believe that a better team would've made us lose this game IN regulation.

 

1) Our PP for the most part has been very bad. Aside from the Vegas game, our PP has been very poor. It feels like they are trying to make too many cute passes and they're too predictable. Hronek, IMO, is not worth the extension and should be traded this off-season (especially if we don't succeed deep in the playoffs). I know it sounds crazy, but we did give up a first rounder for him, and we did give up Lindholm who is basically a no-show up to this point (last game was admittedly decent, and there's still SOME time to prove that the trade was worth it).

 

2) Our PK has not been great. We are taking too many penalties in general, so you'd think we'd get a lot more practice in this area right? Nope. Honestly, I feel we are not good enough to make it into a deep run. Make no mistake, I WANT to be wrong. I WANT the Canucks to go deep. I am just waking up to the reality that we might just not be that good.

 

3) Pettersson seems like a shell of his self. Whether it's injury or confidence, he just hasn't been the same. I was very surprised that he scored yesterday because of how he's been this season. I know it's crazy because he just got his 34th goal. It's pretty damn good, right?

 

4) Lindholm - so far, he's a very expensive faceoff/PK specialist. This has been a bad trade and unless he shows more than what he did last game, winning faceoffs is JUST not good enough.

 

5) Soucy/Cole - we need upgrades on these guys for next season. Too many mistakes for defensive defensemen. Well, to be fair to them, maybe our defensive coaching needs some overhaul. I honestly like Juulsen now and I was NOT high on him prior to this season, but he proved his worth. I'm more than okay to be wrong.

 

6) Suter/Aman/Lafferty - not a great 4th line. Lafferty disappears way too much for my liking and I LOVED him early on. It's just disappointing. Maybe he's injured? I dunno. Aman has zero offense. Suter - I feel like he's on the ice a lot when he's on the ice, despite the fact that he doesn't have THAT many minutes. Also, no offense. But that's to be expected with a fourth line, I suppose.

 

The obsession with faceoffs is a bit concerning. Faceoffs are a small but important part of the game. Clearly, it's not everything. What good is it to win the faceoff and not be able to score? We lost against Arizona despite BADLY dominating them in the circle. Guess what? We lost two rare defensive zone draws and we ended up paying the price for it. It might be reductive to say this, but faceoffs are so overrated. We supposedly have a deep team that can win faceoffs - great. But we are bad in other areas. What's the point of winning a faceoff and then giving it away?

 

This team has been shooting itself in the foot A LOT in the second half of the season. We should NOT be afraid of a 1-3-1 system in LA. It's ridiculous. If we don't win against LA (or some other wild card team), I think we need to make the above moves. But I'd love for this thread to age poorly and be mocked for it. I WANT the Canucks to win. I am just very alarmed that we seemingly haven't learned any lessons recently.

 

Edited April 11 by PureQuickness

[Devron]

We’re going to the playoffs! Best team in over a decade 

[Nucker67]

Great teams need great goaltending. The Canucks are a 0.500 team without Demko (6-5-2 since his latest injury)

 

I can only hope he makes a big difference when he returns. I'd like to see the team confidence go up, some swagger. Soucy has been a mistake machine lately, they need to get Juulsen back in the lineup

 

Hughes - Hronek

Zadorov - Myers

Cole - Juulsen

Soucy 

 

 

[Bob Long]

@PureQuickness your assessment of Lindy isn't fair in the least. He's been injured. If he's back, healthy and playing like last night he'll be a key player in round 1. 

Edited April 11 by Bob Long

[higgyfan]

It's all about Demko's return; rested and ready to go for the playoffs.

 

Right now, the teams are vying for the best placement in round 1.

Vegas and LA are in a spot where they can move up or remain the same.

Neither want to end up with Dallas, Col, or Edm.  Both teams have 4 remaining

games, with fairly easy competition.  They can make adjustments to go up in the

standings, or stay where they are.  Both teams want Nash, Van or W-peg in the 1sr round.

 

Of course, sometimes it can end up being advisable to be 'careful what you wish for'.

[Warhippy]

Going back to even February one can easily see this team started struggling hard against playoff calibre teams and teams we most likely will meet in the first round.  We had a great run from Oct through Jan but sputtered out.  We've lost so many tight games or been outright blown out by teams we should be beating if we want to have any hopes in the playoffs.

 

Since Feb 15: 

 

Feb:  Lost to Winnipeg, Colorado, LA

March:  OT win against LA, Win against Vegas, Loss to Winnipeg, OT los to the Avs, lost to LA, Dallas

April:  Win against Vegas, lost to Vegas and LA.

 

The thing is, the other games against non playoff teams and even the wins we did have.  Not many of them were in any way convincing.  The games we did win outside of Winnipeg in Feb haven't been the kind of take control games at all.  People can claim it is because teams are shutting things down and playing more playoff style hockey but that isn't true.  The teams offense has almost dried up outside of Hughes, Garland and Miller.  

 

If you're not worrie,d you bloody well should be

[AnthonyG]

To be fair to Lindholm, he hasnt had much time to build chemistry and familiarize himself with the system. They say it takes roughly 4-6 months to adjust to a new team. He's also dealt with injuries, he plays with less offensively gifted line mates and his line is in a blender often. 

Num	Time	%	Line	GF	GA	+/-	SF	SA	SF%	CF	CA	CF%

4	57:47	5.5	ELIAS LINDHOLM - ELIAS PETTERSSON - NILS HOGLANDER	5	2	3	33	22	60.0	69	45	60.5
5	45:36	4.3	ELIAS LINDHOLM - CONOR GARLAND - VASILY PODKOLZIN	1	1	0	21	27	43.8	46	46	50.0
6	28:50	2.7	J.T. MILLER - ELIAS LINDHOLM - BROCK BOESER	0	0	0	9	17	34.6	28	41	40.6
7	28:01	2.7	ELIAS LINDHOLM - SAM LAFFERTY - ILYA MIKHEYEV	1	0	1	14	11	56.0	36	23	61.0
8	23:38	2.2	ELIAS LINDHOLM - ELIAS PETTERSSON - ILYA MIKHEYEV	0	3	-3	4	14	22.2	14	25	35.9
9	23:07	2.2	ELIAS LINDHOLM - CONOR GARLAND - ARSHDEEP BAINS

[Strawbone]

For much of the year, the Canucks played like a legitimate top-3 team in the league. They are not playing like that recently, but I do think that it's possible, if not likely, that they get that swagger and mojo back for the playoffs and go on a deep run. I'll be disappointed if this amazing regular season leads to a quick playoff exit, but even if that happens, I feel like they've built a good base for several more years of consistently being a good team that makes the playoffs, and I'm excited about that. Watching the Canucks is fun again.

[Pears]

31 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

Going back to even February one can easily see this team started struggling hard against playoff calibre teams and teams we most likely will meet in the first round.  We had a great run from Oct through Jan but sputtered out.  We've lost so many tight games or been outright blown out by teams we should be beating if we want to have any hopes in the playoffs.

 

Since Feb 15: 

 

Feb:  Lost to Winnipeg, Colorado, LA

March:  OT win against LA, Win against Vegas, Loss to Winnipeg, OT los to the Avs, lost to LA, Dallas

April:  Win against Vegas, lost to Vegas and LA.

 

The thing is, the other games against non playoff teams and even the wins we did have.  Not many of them were in any way convincing.  The games we did win outside of Winnipeg in Feb haven't been the kind of take control games at all.  People can claim it is because teams are shutting things down and playing more playoff style hockey but that isn't true.  The teams offense has almost dried up outside of Hughes, Garland and Miller.  

 

If you're not worrie,d you bloody well should be

5-0 win against Winnipeg**

[Gawdzukes]

Lindholm played great yesterday. Not sure what you were watching but gave me a glimpse of why we traded for him. Also his first game back from injury. He should just get better.

 

Soucy is just fine and you'll see his value come playoff time. I hope Cole sharpens up but he's veteran with 10 years straight of playoff hockey. I'm quietly confident he'll be a warrior come playoff time. Unfortunately, we can't afford much more with our cap problems. C'mon now, our defensive coaching is awesome, couldn't be better. They have Myers playing good hockey for crying out loud. Like they completely re-made him. We have the best defence in the league lately.

 

Face-offs are very important in tight games, which is basically all playoff games. Not sure why this would concern you. If you give the other team the puck every stoppage you're going to regret it eventually. It's a good thing we are strong here. Great for holding a lead at the end of games, and killing our PP's. 

 

I thought Lafferty had a bit of jump and some nice plays in the last couple games. The line is underwhelming but we're also looking at Blueger going there and we have Pods to put back in as well. At the very least they are defensively responsible and have another gear if they can find it.

 

PK and PP will be huge as always in the playoffs. Got to win the special teams battle or it's a steep uphill battle.

 

Enjoy the ride, we won't know what it looks like until we're knee deep in battle.

 

[Ghostsof1915]

Past two seasons if you said we were going to the Playoffs people would have been jumping up and down for joy.

The only true lousy teams are teams like Chicago, San Jose, Columbus, and Anaheim. And even those teams have won 18-26 games each.

Arizona and Montreal are 6 games below .500.

This is what Bettman wants, parity.

Every team has warts. And ebbs and flows in a season.

Vancouver started hot, then started to cool down in February. Which shows how critical strong starts are in the season.

 

Whatever happens in the playoffs happens. Do I want to see a Stanley Cup win? Absolutely.

But if we lost in the first round I wouldn't be surprised either.

[Jess]

This might seem simplistic, but I literally think add Demko in and we go from 4 goals against a game down to about 2.5 and that alone is a huge difference maker. I think most complaints will fall away if we start winning due to the 1.5-goal difference.

[Reg]

"Concerns", are you f*ing kidding me? Of course there are questions about this team. Offense and defense to name two.

 

However the fact remains they were considered an average team at best to start the season and by the end they have proved to be among the elite teams. Lets celebrate the success we have all enjoyed and not concern ourselves with concerns. Here's to wishing the boys all the very best in the playoffs. Cheers!

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

2 hours ago, -AJ- said:

This might seem simplistic, but I literally think add Demko in and we go from 4 goals against a game down to about 2.5 and that alone is a huge difference maker. I think most complaints will fall away if we start winning due to the 1.5-goal difference.

So you're basically saying this team will be better when Demko returns. 

[Strawbone]

7 minutes ago, AlwaysACanuckFan said:

So you're basically saying this team will be better when Demko returns. 

 

I think that goes without saying

[Jess]

8 minutes ago, AlwaysACanuckFan said:

So you're basically saying this team will be better when Demko returns. 

 

Haha, and substantially so. I think people underestimate the effect he has on the team. He's likely the Vezina runner-up this year.

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

52 minutes ago, -AJ- said:

 

Haha, and substantially so. I think people underestimate the effect he has on the team. He's likely the Vezina runner-up this year.

He's relied upon mostly on bailing the team out whenever we have defensive breakdowns, plus players have certain degree of confidence on who's in net. 

[kilgore]

I have no problem discussing a fan's concerns in a thread dedicated to that.  The way I see it is that one could go down both roads. Pessimism and optimism about the playoff readiness.

 

Pettersson:  Getting less concerned as the games go by. IMO, he didn't want to sign before the playoffs, because he knows himself best, that he wanted to prove to management he was worth the money, and playing without the pressure of living up to the elite paycheck until he does earn it. A personal challenge that great athletes, like Jordon, give themselves.  But it is what it is now.  I think he'll be fine once the playoffs start, as there will be so much going on that issue will fade onto the back burner.  He won't have time to think too much, just react and perform.

 

2. Defence:  Soucy has been disappointing. I don't think he's that smart.  Anything requiring more hockey IQ and he's lost.  Cole is what he is.  An older veteran who is behind a step or two. But. A big Butt. Cole is an experienced playoff beast who will be invaluable in the post season. As long as his minutes are managed.  Which brings us round to Myers.  I know he's playing better, but for the life of me I don't get why Tocchet puts him out, sometimes with Hughes, in late game important shifts. His few good plays are many times overshaddowed by the few terrible plays and dumb penalties at the worst possible time.  Myers is the player I will have have the sweats going for every second he's on the ice in the playoffs. He can reverse momentum on a dime more than any other Canuck.

 

3. Special teams:  It seems like Huges is the only one actually moving around and trying to take advantage of being the team with the extra player.  If Pettersson wants to root himself to right side position, he has to make good on a shot like he did last game. Too many times the pass isn't perfect enough for him, or he stick handles the puck first, negating the surprise element. They need more movement in general.  The PK actually seems fine. I like the aggressive style vs the passive box.  I think a lot would change when we get Demmer back.

 

On the positive counter, I agree with Shannon who said on D & D, that the Canucks are eager to get to the post season. Its difficult to play out these meaningless games. I give them some slack on this point. And no, the Canucks are not living and dying on finishing first in the Pacific. That is us the fans and the media who hype it.  They can't be afraid of who they meet, and really don't care about the prestige of it. It will be LA or Nashville. Both have their challenges.

 

Demko should greatly improve our performances. Although I am a bit cringe at those who seem to think hes the messiah who will fix all our problems instantly.  But there is no doubt our swagger will improve once hes' back.  The only issue I would have is....Is he gong to be 100%?  How many games will it take to get him back to good ole Thatcher?

 

All in all those concerns are not overly worrying. I listed them as part of this topic of what I would if asked. We still have  one of the best teams in the league. When games mean something, I have no doubt the team will rise to the occasion and overcome these issues.  I'm just grateful to be able to see them in the post season again....finally. I think they could kick butt.  The cliche 'turn the switch on' exists for a reason.  This team is overly ready.  I'm right there with them. Go Canucks Go!

Edited April 11 by kilgore

[NucksIn50]

No concerns. We have a championship mindset from Management to our Coaching Staff and we are blessed with a top Goaltender in Demko, Huggy and a Warrior in JT Miller. I don’t need to mention our supporting cast but I will say our big D will make it real hard for opposition to be near our net. Really proud of this team and believe the best is still yet to come from this group when it really matters. Playoffs Baby!

 

Go Canucks!

 

 

[Pickly]

Firm believer goaltending would have at least won us two if not more games in this average stretch of hockey. The backups have been adequate but not great for the most part. To be expected though. 

[Dr. Crossbar]

To be fair ...

 

Not concerned.

 

No fear. Let's go! Bring it on!

[Dr. Crossbar]

1 hour ago, kilgore said:

On the positive counter, I agree with Shannon who said on D & D, that the Canucks are eager to get to the post season. Its difficult to play out these meaningless games. I give them some slack on this point. And no, the Canucks are not living and dying on finishing first in the Pacific. That is us the fans and the media who hype it.  They can't be afraid of who they meet, and really don't care about the prestige of it. It will be LA or Nashville. Both have their challenges.

 

Exactly this. Glad you brought this up. I also agree with Shannon (John) that the players are eager to get going now that they've clinched. Fans and media have been over-the-top with inflated significance of these last few games and the division. I'm not saying they're not important but the bigger priority is getting Demko back and playoff ready both physically and mindset wise. Most of all, a win would be fantastic, but they can't let Saturday's game negatively impact their mindset if it doesn't go our way. And they certainly can't be insecure with who we face. They need to be confident in being one of the top teams in the league.

 

 

 

Edited April 12 by Dr. Crossbar

[JayDangles]

Everything the OP says is accurate..  but in reality, none of it matters now. 

We're in the playoffs for better or worse! So it's an automatic reset button. What we have been as a team, and what we are now mean nothing once the puck drops in the first playoff game. 

 

Let's go boys!

 

[stawns]

8 hours ago, Warhippy said:

Going back to even February one can easily see this team started struggling hard against playoff calibre teams and teams we most likely will meet in the first round.  We had a great run from Oct through Jan but sputtered out.  We've lost so many tight games or been outright blown out by teams we should be beating if we want to have any hopes in the playoffs.

 

Since Feb 15: 

 

Feb:  Lost to Winnipeg, Colorado, LA

March:  OT win against LA, Win against Vegas, Loss to Winnipeg, OT los to the Avs, lost to LA, Dallas

April:  Win against Vegas, lost to Vegas and LA.

 

The thing is, the other games against non playoff teams and even the wins we did have.  Not many of them were in any way convincing.  The games we did win outside of Winnipeg in Feb haven't been the kind of take control games at all.  People can claim it is because teams are shutting things down and playing more playoff style hockey but that isn't true.  The teams offense has almost dried up outside of Hughes, Garland and Miller.  

 

If you're not worrie,d you bloody well should be

 

Welcome to the wet blanket club.  

[stawns]

42 minutes ago, JayDangles said:

Everything the OP says is accurate..  but in reality, none of it matters now. 

We're in the playoffs for better or worse! So it's an automatic reset button. What we have been as a team, and what we are now mean nothing once the puck drops in the first playoff game. 

 

Let's go boys!

 

 

Why is the playoffs an automatic reset button?  Generally trends that happen at the end of a season continue in the post season