WWYDW: The Next Captain
By J.D. Burke
6 years agoThe Sedins have made their decision: they’re retiring at the end of this season. It’s a sad moment for all of Vancouver, myself included.
Now the question shifts to what the Canucks should do this summer. It’s unlikely that the Canucks will be able to replace what the Sedins brought on the ice. Even in their advanced age, the Sedins have been productive players for the Canucks and two of their best players at tilting the ice at 5-on-5. Still, it’s possible that free agency bears some similarly useful options in the short term.
Replacing the Sedins off the ice, now that’s another matter entirely. That, I think, will be downright impossible. They’re the two best people ever to grace the sports scene of Vancouver period. Someone is going to have to step into their roles as leaders, though; someone is going to have to take on the captain’s ‘C’.
With that, my question to you is: what would you do about the void at captain? Who should be the next Canuck to wear the ‘C’?
Last week I asked: It’s not a “What Would You Do” per se, but a “Where Do You Stand”, and I want to know where you stand on the issue of tanking in hockey. The floor is yours!
Cageyvet:
I would do exactly what the team is currently doing. Shut down any vet with an injury, and play the kids, but don’t even try to lose by giving a half-assed effort. Not only is it going to build bad habits and a loser mentality, but it seems to be a truism that less than a full effort lends itself to injuries, and I don’t want to see Bo or Jake suffer any kind of injury.
If the old system was in play, and finishing position equalled draft position, then you could justify having Nillson in net and bring up Megna, etc., but the ugly truth is that the field has more chance at number 1 than the last place team. No matter what, we will get a top 10 pick, so it’s not a total disaster. My version of embracing team tank is you don’t fret about winning, develop good habits in your future core, and let the chips fall where they may. As long as you don’t keep the kids on the bench in search of meaningless wins, then send your team out to play hard every night, knowing that we will usually lose anyway because we’re just not good enough.
Sandpaper:
I would have JD Burke go and coach the remaining 5 games.
Reuben:
I believe in rebuilding but I also believe that throwing games is unethical, so I suppose that no, I don’t believe in a full tank. That being said, I also can’t support loading the team with overpaid “name brand” free agents on untradeable contracts. I think that, if you truly and sustainably build through the draft, with luck a team can contend indefinitely.
Obviously that’s a totally unrealistic fantasy in 2018 Canuckland. So if it were up to me, I’d spend to the cap floor. Short term contracts on free agents. Take salary dumps and draft picks at the trade deadline. No free agent pickups until July 8th, to help resist the urge to enter a bidding war on a blown out 32 year old. Then I’d fill the ranks with guys from the existing prospect pool. I’m pretty sure that after that, the tank would take care of itself. With some good luck on the draft floor the prospect pool would slowly replenish. At the optimistic pace of two NHLers per draft you’d have the beginnings of a real team after 6-7 years. Then I’d attempt to make a couple aggressive free agent signings to fill the gaps in the top 6 and 4 and maybe I’d have something.
Defenceman Factory:
The purpose of the 82 games is to provide entertainment. If the incentive to lose is significant the games are not entertaining. If getting better odds from finishing last are still worth losing for the NHL doesn’t have it right yet. I absolutely hate watching teams trying to suck. Let’s make team tank extinct.
How about the bottom 3 teams don’t get a lottery pick. They pick 4th, 5th and 6th respectively in every round. Simplify the odds for the remaining 13 teams. The 4th 5th and 6th worst teams get the same odds in the lottery. Poor teams would be trying to win in order to get a lottery pick rather than icing the worst possible line-up. That would make team tank extinct and the last 10 or 20 games in a season would be much more entertaining.
argoeleas:
First, we should remember why this team is at the bottom of the league: it is rebuilding, it has aging vets while the emerging core is a few years away from truly taking over, the goaltending is suspect, and no depth to handle a really bad stretch of key injuries. All of these conspired to result in where they are. But if just Marky played better (i.e. like now), and just Horvat and Boeser were healthy all season, they would be probably 10 spots higher and we would not be having this discussion.
As such, I cannot support telegraphing to the players that they should play lousy. Vanek was traded, and other vets and top players are injured, and spots were filled with prospects and castoffs. Can we complain that somehow this group tailor-made for tanking still found a way to win? Marky is playing better (not just late season push crap), Goldy seems to be finally grasping playing away from the puck and hounding for it. Am I going to say to Gaudette ” hello Hobey Baker favorite, now go suck for a few games?” That is nuts.
I still do hope that they finish as low as possible, but I will not curse Canucks players for playing to win. I will in fact, cheer for the players on Buffalo, Arizona, Montreal, Ottawa, and Detroit play to win too!!! Go Eichel!!
Most of all I hope all the teams left on Canucks’ schedule also come to play and win. Not another Duck Suck, plz!!
Killer Marmot:
I don’t understand “fans” who want their team to lose. What is the purpose of being a fan except to watch fun, exciting games where the players and management are giving it their all? Team Tank wants Stanley Cups, but they don’t seem to actually like hockey.
Dirk22:
It’s not that complicated. The fans, myself included, wishing for the highest draft pick possible want to get excited about this team again and see guys like Dahlin, Zadina, Svechinov etc. No one expects the players currently on the roster to care and rightfully they should be playing for their jobs. Problem is, Brandon Sutter having a great game, or Sam Gagner having a great game does nothing for the long term prospects of this franchise. There is no ‘winning culture’ in jeopardy of being tarnished as this is the worst team in the league since the start of the 2015-16 season. This franchise will make it or break it on the backs of their 2018 pick, Horvat, Boeser, Petterson, Juolevi – none of which will be impacted by the last few games of the season.
The absolute only guy I can see anybody make an argument for is Markstrom – he’s the only player who might gain something meaningful from the last few games if he strings something together. That only matters if you think Markstrom is going to be part of this team’s future – maybe, maybe not.
In conclusion, this ‘real fans don’t cheer for losses’ sentiment is horse s$&@. Team tank fans want this franchise to get back to where they were about 9-10 years ago. The majority of players donning the jersey right now have nothing to do with that.
TheRealPB:
There is no way your head can cheer for a win and there’s no way your heart can cheer for a loss and therein lies the conundrum. It doesn’t make you any more or less of a fan to break either way and I think most of us are pretty torn. Yeah, the odds are still against you even if you finish worst but go and run the simulator and see how much better the positions you get are in 20 or 100 sims when you’re in 2nd versus 5th. I struggle so much with this; I want to see what Gaudette looks like, how Virtanen is progressing, what the possibly final games of the Sedins look like and all the rest. But I cannot deny that when the Ducks tied it up on the fluke goal I was slightly relieved and then felt deeply conflicted when Biega scored. Each time I feel like I should just turn off the game and look at the boxscore the next day. I probably should. I can at least take solace by watching an Oilers or Flames game these days and be grateful we’re not in their messes, totally crapping the bed while having the best player in the league or in having basically no draft picks in the first few rounds for the next two years. And in the case of the Oilers almost no prospects in the pipeline either…
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