CanucksArmy Monday Mailbag: Quinn Hughes, Rasmus Dahlin and the West Coast Express

I could see all of Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina playing in the NHL next season and doing very well at that.

Sorry, buddy, I’m just not qualified to answer this question. I’m not usually the best resource for NCAA hockey, and this year especially I’m way behind on that level. With all my work covering the Canucks, I just haven’t had as much time this season as I have in years previous to keep up with lower levels of hockey. The sacrifices I make to do this job; I tells yeah.

This might piss off some of you, and I’m sure you’ll let me hear about it in the comments section, but I’d go with Connor McDavid.

He’s not the hero we need; he’s the hero we deserve.

One quick note, which might strike some of you as pedantic, but Jason Botchford has been in our corners for more than the past few weeks. A lot of the shoutouts and voluntary exposure Botchford’s offered this website has definitely played a substantial role in its growth, and for that, I am immensely grateful.

I think that it meant more to me a few years ago when I was just getting started as this site’s managing editor. I’m not saying I don’t appreciate it now that I’ve had the job for a few years. It’s just that I feel like I’ve worked my ass off and sacrificed a lot to make it in this industry, so it seems more deserved at this stage when someone noteworthy appreciates my work in any capacity.

That was more of a tangent than a direct answer to your question, but I hope it provides some insight into my mindset.

For whatever it’s worth (probably not much) whenever someone reaches out by email or direct message on Twitter or whatever to let me know how much they appreciate my work, it doesn’t matter who it is — it puts a massive smile on my face and is immensely gratifying. Even if, as I admitted, I feel it’s deserved in some respects. I’m nothing without you, and whether you’re a casual reader on this website or one of the industry’s big-wigs who’s invested themselves in our content in any way, that’s a truism.

I’m leaning towards Quinn Hughes. I have him at second-overall right now, though, so take that for whatever it’s worth.

Troy Stecher has to be up there.

In spite of trying to be playoff competitive, the Canucks have the worst points percentage in the NHL over the last three seasons. You tell me.

Adding assets in the form of draft picks in prospects. There is no way a team this bad should be this attached to a failing roster. If I’m the Canucks, I’d let every team in the league know that the only untouchables on my roster are Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat and that our doors are open for business.

I’m sorry to hear that, though I understand where you’re coming from in this instance. Covering this team isn’t exactly a riot.

The Canucks will make him a healthy scratch for the first two games; then he’ll step in and be their best player for the rest of the season.

I have to be honest, I don’t know, and I’m not sure I care as to why the Canucks have had so many logos. If I had my way, the Canucks would change their logo again, and go back to the stick-in-rink on the front of the jersey.

There are better options to fix the Canucks blue line in free agency than what’s currently available to them in their organization, but Clayton Stoner and Andrej Sustr don’t qualify. I wouldn’t want the Canucks to sign either of those players. They’d fit in on the Canucks insofar as they’re not especially good hockey players.

Jake Virtanen, Markus Granlund, Reid Boucher, Troy Stecher and Derrick Pouliot.

You’d have to be concerned at this stage, no? They cleared Chris Tanev to play on a broken leg, and that’s just the most recent eyebrow-raising decision. One could also point to letting Erik Gudbranson play for as long as he did on a shoulder that clearly needed surgical repair. And the list goes on and on.

I put most of the emphasis on the players for showing up to training camp in poor shape, though, I could see the Canucks training staff sharing some semblance of the responsibility.

I have no doubts in my mind the West Coast Express era would have borne at least one Stanley Cup with a non-Dan Cloutier goaltender.

None that I can find.

You’re wrong. You’re just plain wrong about this, and I don’t think I need to elaborate.

In the Eastern Conference, my bold Wild Card prediction is that the Florida Panthers will edge out the New Jersey Devils for the second spot. The Columbus Blue Jackets will hold the top Wild Card spot. In the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings will lock down the two Wild Card spots, and the Dallas Stars won’t make the cut.

The Winnipeg Jets will go the farthest in the playoffs among Canadian teams. And the Edmonton Oilers are the most disappointing Canadian team.

Don’t @ me.

There are a few problems with this blue line. For starters, Hughes won’t be in the NHL next season. It seems highly unlikely anyway. There’s no way that Nikita Tryamkin is going to be in Vancouver either. And based on the seven defencemen that leaves the Canucks with, there’s no way Gudbranson slots in ahead of Ben Hutton. That doesn’t work for me.

Obviously, the Canucks would be a better team if they could have stayed healthy the last three seasons. I just don’t think it would’ve made much of a difference, frankly. It would just hurt their draft position. It’s not like a clean bill of health is the difference between making the playoffs or not. This team is just terribly constructed.