Post by Canucks - Admin on Dec 7, 2021 23:49:41 GMT -6
The Vancouver Canucks are the laughing stock of the PFHL. They struggle offensively. The have little if any defense. Goaltending is non-existent. The team cannot buy a win even if they had enough money to do such a thing. THIS TEAM SUCKS.
Oh wait.....That was the pre-season......
Thankfully the Canucks ended their AWFUL pre-season campaign, and turned things around right away in the regular season. After an early sample of just 4 games, the team has won 3, and has looked like they are enjoying themselves on the ice, scoring at will.
The defense is still struggling, with the Canucks allowing considerably more shots than management feels is acceptable for the team they have on the ice, but they are winning....for now.
Regular season highlights have to be the play of defensemen Samuel Girard and Jani Haakanpa, as well as defensive winger Riley Nash. Girard was picked up in the second round of the dispersal draft and currently leads the PFHL with 8 assists in his 4 games played. Haakanpa leads the league as well, but in a different category. The early fan favourite has 25 hits thus far into the campaign, and sits at +4 with 2 helpers as well. Riley Nash, a late addition that was added via trade from the Western Conference bottom-feeding Calgary Flames, has surprised many by scoring 2 goals and adding 2 assists in his 4 games.
The lowlights so far have been the play of Patrick Kane and Adam Fox. Now it is hard to slag a guy like Patrick Kane who has gotten 4 points in 4 games, but this type of winning pace will not keep up unless Kaner is at his best, and we haven't seen that yet. Likewise with Adam Fox, the first round dispersal pick. While being given top minutes and also time on the PP, he has struggled offensively with just 2 points in 4 games, although he does lead the team in shots blocked with 8, and also logs the most minutes of any Canuck.
Honourable mention goes to William Karlsson, who has really kept the offense afloat in the forwards so far.
What is next for the Canucks?
Reports have come in that GM Aaron Sanderson has been reaching out to other GM's around the league, in a search for higher end talent to add to his squad. It is said that he has the cap space and wouldn't mind filling it with skill, but no suitors have been found yet.
Going forward, look for the team to continue to put up wins if Kane and Fox can become the top players that management expects them to be, because of that doesn't happen, then this early success the team has found will likely be short lived.
