Vancouver is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in North America and is a jewel of the Pacific Northwest. That being said, the 2021-22 Vancouver Canucks, as representatives of this fine city, did very little to do this town and its loyal hockey fans any justice last season. Thankfully, the fans revolted and the ownership listened and what began as a fire sale last December helped turn around this team from a moribund franchise into a somehwat competitve team downt the season’s stretch.
December 5, 2021 was a pivotal moment in Canucks history when head coach Travis Green was shown the exit door after starting last season with an abysmal 8-15-2 record. In a move that truly told the tale of how bad the Canucks were early on last year, GM Jim Benning found himself quickly unemployed as well which signaled a desperate move by the Canucks front office to change the entire tracjectory of this organization.
What happened next is nothing short of a minor miracle. Well, maybe not a minor miracle but incoming head coach Bruce Boudreau was able to restore the Canucks to some level of consistency and bring Vancouver to a final season record of 40-30-12. With new GM Patrik Allvin and president JIm Rutherford in place, the Canucks somewhat salvaged the rest of the season and prevented an outright fan coup at Rogers Arena from occurring before last spring wrapped up the 2021-22 season.
What to expect from the Canucks this season-the good
Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko is a stalwart between the pipes and one of the main reasons that the Canucks survived last season as well as they did. The 26 year old Demko stayed in goal for 64 games last season and should be expected to make that many appearances this year, if not more if bench boss Boudreau has his way. Demko moved into the top ten for NHL goalies last year and posted a 33-22-7 record with a decently solid 2.72 goals-against average and a very impressive .915 save percentage.Demko will need to be pushed to his limits this year to help bolster the Canucks defensive unit and he may approach 70 or more appearances this season, assuming he stays healthy.
The Canucks have also brought in youngster Spencer Martin as the sidekick backup goaltender and Martin should get in some playing time whenever Demko just needs a day off or even a period off. Martin has a good amount of AHL playing time under his belt so he should prove to be a capable backup who does exactly that- back up the now and possibly future goalie. Martin comes relatively cheap as the Canucks were able to ink a contract for less than $1 million dollars a year – a seemingly small price to pay as a goaltending insurance policy.
What to expect from the Canucks this season -the bad (maybe)
Although it’s always more fun to talk about a season preview full of optimism and glowing predictions, I would be amiss if I didn’t point out the obvious problems with the Vancouver Canucks. This team is on the verge of pushing the proverbial panic button if things start heading south quickly this season (and I don’t mean heading towards Seattle.) Bruce Boudreau is an old-school hockey coach and is respected by players in general. The Canucks were able to turn around their season with Boudreau at the helm last year but what happens if they fall into the same trap again early on in say November?
Will the Canucks ownership look to jettison Boudreau and start over yet again? To add to the pressures of the future and its inevitable uncertainty, Boudreau enters the option year of his two-year contract and may decide that greener pastures are available. Then again, Boudreau may stay and help right the Canucks ship into the postseason and make a legitimate run in the Pacific Division. The Canucks face a Jekyll and Hyde-type situation with the 2022-23 season looming just around the corner. However, it’s pretty safe to say that the Canuck fans and the ownership alike will not tolerate a return to the losing ways that marked the beginning of last season.
