Monday Mailbag: The Captaincy, Trading Horvat, and Podcast Beefs

I don’t have the slightest idea what the Canucks’ plans are, but I could certainly see them waiting until the Sedins jersys have been retired before they name a captain.

The question of who that captain should be is, frankly, not of interest to me. For the most part, it’s something the media makes a big deal out of because it affects who is going to come out and give them quotes every night. From an actual on-ice perspective, it doesn’t make a lot of difference and even in the room, leadership is something that arises naturally and can’t be artificially imposed on the team by the organization. Teams don’t just have one leader with a “C” on their jersey, anyway. Players take on different roles in the locker room based on their own unique skill sets, and the captaincy is largely symbolic and doesn’t necessarily have a lot to do with who is actually hyping up their teammates before a big third period or holding them accountable after a loss. It’s funny to me that in a sport that’s often called the ultimate team game, so many fans seem fixated on who gets the special crest in the top corner of their jersey.

They’ll probably name Bo Horvat the captain, largely because they can’t really justify doing anything else in the wake of the “next captain” narrative that’s surrounded him since he joined the organization. I just hope they do it soon because I’m tired of talking about it.

Now that the Lightning have jettisoned both Miller and Callahan, they don’t really have any bad salary they need to shed. Any asset coming back the Canucks’ way would be considered positive value, and for that reason I just don’t see any realistic way they would get that pick back without involving a third team.

I still don’t quite know what to expect from Jack and Quinn Hughes next season. They’re both capable of being special players at the NHL level, but it may not happen right away. Having said that, I expect both to bring their A-game when facing off against each other and the new-look devils look like they could be one of the most fun teams in the league to watch next season.

I think the matchup I’m most excited for is the Avalanche. The legendary game from last season was the most fun I’ve had watching Canucks hockey in some time, and if the two teams are headed for another track meet it’ll be appointment viewing.

Truth is, I don’t really see an underrated Canucks prospect making the roster this season, because it’s pretty crowded and chances are there’s a reason those prospects are underrated: they’ve still got a year or two before they can realistically be expected to challenge for a spot. I guess I could see Zack MacEwen beating out one of the Canucks bottom-sixers for a permanent spot on the roster, but I don’t know how underrated he is anymore. It seems to me his coming-out party happened last year and that most fans who run in our circles expect him to be in the NHL within the next couple of years.

It’s way too early for this. Ask me again in December.

I would expect the Canucks to give up somewhere between the 12th and 15th overall pick in the 2020 draft. I think they’re going to finish just outside the playoffs in each of the next two years unless something major changes. Since every team that finishes outside the playoffs has a chance to win the lottery, it could technically end up being the first, second, or third pick, too; but that’s not likely to happen. I’m sure the Canucks will have better luck this time.

Frankly, I’m disgusted that a so-called “leftist” would use language associated with misogynists and white supremacists. I will be contacting your employer about this.

I really love this question because this scenario has been my favourite Canucks doomsday theory to arise over the past few years. I don’t think it’s going to happen, but I also think it’s far, far more plausible than most fans are ready to believe.

If the Canucks miss the playoffs in 2019-20 and 2020-21, that would leave 26-year-old Horvat with two remaining years on his contract and no playoff appearances in six years. If they miss the playoffs again the following year, the GM would have to seriously consider the possibility that Bo would walk in free agency. That puts the earliest possible trade talks at somewhere around 2022, by my estimation. A lot would have to go wrong for that to happen, though, and my guess is the Canucks will at the very least squeak in at some point over the remaining four seasons on his contract.

I’m debating how much context to give for this, but I will at the very least give a brief overview.

Tej Dhaliwal debuted the Larschcast, a podcast by and for what Jason Botchford might have called the “anti-negs” when he was still among us. They popped on the scene a couple months ago with this novel of a mission statement and their consistent anti-negativity, anti-media stance.

Myself and a few friends have sparred with them a few times, mainly because I consider myself a bit of a curator of fan conspiracy theories and I find ones about an agenda-driven media trying to bring down the Canucks to be particularly amusing. But I don’t hate any of them. They’ve been one of the few truly entertaining things about the offseason, even if they’re wrong about basically everything.

I’m a man of science, which means I only believe in things that are observably true, like astrology.