Last week, Travis Green took over as the new bench boss of the team. It’s not an easy situation for him, as he’s tasked with trying to pick up the pieces form a disappointing 29th place finish this season. He’s the right man for the job, though, as he knows most of these players well from his time in Utica.

Playoffs are not in the cards for the team next season. So what does equal a successful season for Travis? I asked our writers.

Question: What do you see as a successful for 1st season for new head coach Travis Green?

This might come as a surprise to some, but the Canucks aren’t an especially good team. Shocking, I know. That means expectations should be adjusted accordingly. For me, a successful first season won’t be measured in how many points the Canucks finish the season with, but what kind of strides their young players make under Travis Green’s tutelage. It’s going to be a good litmus test, too. Green hasn’t exactly had much to work with in Utica. Now he has Nikolay Goldobin, Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, Troy Stecher, etc. etc. to help mould into marquee players.

Next year is going to have a lot of growing pains. More, you say? Yep. The lottery will dictate if there is a flash of brilliance in the lineup but overall it will be more of the same. Thankfully, we SHOULD see some better setups on the PP, a consistent Sedin addition on the wing, maybe some healthy bodies and the odd game where the future shows itself. A success would be seeing systems executed properly and line deployments that make sense to even the casual fan. It wouldn’t hurt to see the goal output increase. If they do get a few extra points in the standings that would be nice

Yes, the success of this upcoming season will be based on the progression of the young players and not on points or the Canucks’ place in the standings. The club will likely finish near the bottom, anyway. But as an ardent Canuck fan, I would also like to see the introduction of a more entertaining brand of hockey. It is doubly sinful for a pro sports team to be both bad _and_ boring, which is precisely what Vancouver has been the last couple of seasons. If the Canucks are going to be bad, let it at least be fun. This season, for me, will be successful if the young players make reasonable strides in their development and the Canucks play a style of hockey that is worth the price of admission.

It’s cliché. But I think a success for him would be that all of his younger players take a step forward next season. They’re gonna lose, probably a lot, so keeping their morale up will be key.