Post by Canucks - Admin on Oct 15, 2022 16:41:21 GMT -6
The Vancouver Canucks couldn't be happier that the 2022 preseason has run it's course.
The pre-season had Vancouver finish in the very bottom sector of the league for shots for, goals for, shots against, goals against, and wins.
#1 goalie Connor Hellebuyck looked awful in his 3 starts, Patrick Kane was ice cold for most of the games, Jani Haakanpaa took 4300 pims, and the team generally just played without a plan or any cohesion.
The goal of the pre-season was to establish where players would slot into the Vancouver lineup this season, and that goal was not reached. Things are still in a state of confusion in Vancouver, and the coaching staff has yet to figure out where to put their off-season pickup; Brad Marchand, on this squad.
One development has been that the team has managed to secure the services of Alexander Steen, which allows them to put their best young player, Eetu Loustarainen, down onto the farm for one more year of development, despite him looking very good on both the 2nd and 3rd line pairings he was given in pre-season.
The move down will greatly improve the Abbotsford Canucks, and hopefully it doesn't hurt the senior club enough to become a regrettable decision.
The Canucks have the players, but will they find a way to make them click? One game into the season they have one win, albeit a shaky one, against their division rival, the Edmonton Oilers.
It is looking like the team will be attempting, again, to find a fit with Marchand, Kane, and Karlsson as their top line. If they can find a spark there, there is not telling what heights this team can reach.
