Vancouver Canucks

[Canucks_fan18]

This team missed the playoffs last year, made a couple minor adjustments to their bottom six in the offseason (no cap space) and you think their only glaring deficiency
is on the back end?

The Canucks top 9 at forward has to be in the top 50% in the league. You got potentially Petterson, Miller and Horvat down the middle. With depth on the 4th line with Lazar and Dickinson. On the wings you got Boeser, Garland, Mikheyev, Pearson, Podolzkin, Hoglander and a wild card with Kuzmenko. That is a ton of depth. At goalie you got Demko again has to be top 50% in the league. Also, Martin played really well last year. On D you got Hughes who last year he dedicated himself to being better defensively and his numbers showed it. I think this year you’re going to see him emerge and a top 10 D in the league. So you got a number 1 who’s better than 50% of the leagues number 1’s. After that, the D is pretty scabby. I don’t think were a cup contender but I would be upset if we missed the playoffs.

[stevegamer]

This team missed the playoffs last year, made a couple minor adjustments to their bottom six in the offseason (no cap space) and you think their only glaring deficiency
is on the back end?

To be fair they did address a major deficiency in coach mid-season.

[Axeman33]

To be fair they did address a major deficiency in coach mid-season.

Hot start, slower finish.

[tweetdrivr]

I don’t think this team is better than Calgary, Edmonton, LA, and Vegas. That’s a lot of teams to climb over for a playoff spot. The Central will get both wildcards again.

[audiopile]

I don’t think this team is better than Calgary, Edmonton, LA, and Vegas. That’s a lot of teams to climb over for a playoff spot. The Central will get both wildcards again.

I agree, will be a toss up.

I'm somewhat underwhelmed by Vancouver's offseason. Bruce was a good move, but lets see some more.

[hawkdog]

To be fair they did address a major deficiency in coach mid-season.

Exactly - they were on pace for over a 100 points after Boudreau took over. And Demko is a top 10 goalie. I expect big things this season.

[hawkdog]

I don’t think this team is better than Calgary, Edmonton, LA, and Vegas. That’s a lot of teams to climb over for a playoff spot. The Central will get both wildcards again.

Vegas is a trailer fire with goalie issues. Nucks finished only a 2 points behind them last year - and Vegas has gone backwards (lost Max, injured goalies) so not sure how feel they are a better team unless you feel Hill is better than Demko? Eichel was a bad trade.

Who knows how Calgary's new players gel. Likely good but its still a ? at this point.

I don't see LA as better than the nucks at this point.

[hawkdog]

Potential starting lines as per Canucks army.

Here’s what appears to be the current make up of the NHL forward lines:

1st line: Tanner Pearson – J.T. Miller – Brock Boeser

2nd line: Conor Garland – Bo Horvat – Vasily Podkolzin

3rd line: Andrey Kuzmenko – Elias Pettersson – Ilya Mikheyev

4th line: Dakota Joshua – Jason Dickinson – Curtis Lazar

The most glaring takeaway from the forward lines is that Nils Höglander is currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the NHL forward group.

[Axeman33]

What I see glaring is EP40 not in the top 6.

[tweetdrivr]

What I see glaring is EP40 not in the top 6.

Ditto

[Canucks_fan18]

3rd line: Andrey Kuzmenko – Elias Pettersson – Ilya Mikheyev.

This line could potentially perform better than the Horvat line.

[TrailerParkFlyers]

Every year every coach on every team talks about scoring from the third line and it pretty much never happens to any great degree on any team ever. I predict one of Miller, Horvat or Pettersson will end up on the wing to allow two good scoring lines.

[Canucks_fan18]

Every year every coach on every team talks about scoring from the third line and it pretty much never happens to any great degree on any team ever. I predict one of Miller, Horvat or Pettersson will end up on the wing to allow two good scoring lines.

I tend to agree with this. I think the last high producing third line I can remember was way back in the day with Pavelski playing line 3 in San Jose with Thoronton and Marleau in front of him.

[Axeman33]

3rd line: Andrey Kuzmenko – Elias Pettersson – Ilya Mikheyev.

This line could potentially perform better than the Horvat line.

I think the key word in that statement is potentially, which really means might or might not happen. The fact that they are putting Petey down there and not with the big guns is a bit of a head scratcher for me. And I get it, it's preseason and I dont put much stock into it but I just found that more interesting that Hoglander.

[chuckcouples]

It's day 1 of training camp. Don't read too much into lines at this point in the off-season.