It doesn’t really seem to matter what day of the week it is for the Vancouver Canucks right now. There is a sameness to the way they play whenever they step on the ice. But the days of the week still matter to us here at CanucksArmy. That’s because Monday means mailbag time. And while the hockey club we cover isn’t exactly delivering these days, you can always count on CA to bring the goods. As you debate whether the Canucks’ losing streak is seven games or 10 (0-8-2) — or if there is much of a distinction to be made at this point — we’ll go about the business of answering some of the many questions sent our way this week. Let’s start with a big one.

Given the state of the franchise on the ice and in the standings, I think a strong argument can be made that yes, this is the darkest chapter in Vancouver Canucks history. This team can’t score, can’t defend and doesn’t offer up much resistance in any form or fashion. Oh, and add to that the fact it’s been abysmal on home ice all season. At least the Keenan era had Pavel Bure to excite the fan base. There is no Russian Rocket on this current roster. Far from it, in fact. So while there have been some forgettable years through the hockey club’s history, with this version sitting 32nd and dead last in the standings and without a win in three weeks, it’s hard to think that things have been any bleaker for any other group of Canucks through the years.

Both are close to returning, and as we learned at practice Sunday, Teddy Blueger may be inserted into the lineup on Monday night against the New York Islanders. Filip Chytil shouldn’t be far behind, although he may not suit up until the end of the week. Optically, it just seems hard to imagine he’d pick the Washington Capitals as the team to resume his career against. After all, it was Tom Wilson who put Chytil on the shelf with a heavy hit on October 19th. As for how the Canucks will accommodate both players on the roster, I’d imagine Arshdeep Bains will be re-assigned to Abbotsford to make room for Blueger. And the Canucks could easily put Kiefer Sherwood on the injured list to create a space for Chytil. Alternatively, the Canucks may get around to the business of trading away players and as long as they don’t take players back in return, then that will create roster room as well.

While I have wondered the same thing for a while now, these things do take time. The Canucks aren’t going to simply give their best pending UFA trade chip away to the first suitor. As many have said, if they had received an offer of a first round pick, they surely would have jumped at it already. So it tells you that no one has yet met the Canucks asking price. And that’s fine. This is all part of the art of the deal. The Canucks still have time on their side. Kiefer Sherwood is sidelined at the moment, but it’s not believed to be a serious injury, nor is it believed to have any impact on his trade value. So the Canucks will continue to shop the feisty forward, hoping to increase demand, while interested parties may try to wait the Canucks out, hoping that they lower the sticker price.

Certainly your point about nearing the deadline and having more sellers emerge is a legitimate concern, but we’re talking about one of the best trade options — and values — available on the market this year. Sherwood can score, he hits, he can play special teams, he’s a low-maintenance true professional and he carries what’s left of a $1.5M salary. There has been — and will continue to be — plenty of demand. This is about the Canucks getting the deal right, as opposed to getting it done quickly.

Patrik Allvin does almost all the daily duties of any NHL general manager. He oversees the daily roster, he works the phones with his fellow GMs, he runs the Canucks scouting meetings and signs off on player contracts. But, he does have a boss, who gets the final say on many of the larger hockey decisions. There are a number of front office models used around the league, but the Montreal Canadiens appear to have a similar structure with Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton serving in tandem as the team’s top two executives. They’re not alone however. The President and GM combo of Joe Sakic and Chris McaFarland seem to have the Colorado Avalanche humming this season. And there are plenty of other examples. As for previous Canucks presidents having say in personnel matters, Pat Quinn’s served as the club’s superboss for most of his tenure here not only coaching, but managing as well.

After ‘the letter’ went out the other day to Rangers fans, it’s hard to imagine the Blueshirts looking to add a soon to be 29-year-old Brock Boeser who has been mired in the worst slump of his career. I hear people suggest that JT Miller could bring the best out of Boeser and certainly those two performed well together in Boeser’s 40-goal season in 2023-24. But that seems like a significant gamble on the part of the Rangers given that Boeser has struggled so mightily in the first year of his seven year extension signed last summer. However, maybe they’d view Boeser as a bounce-back candidate that could simply use a change of scenery. I still don’t see it happening. As for 24-year-old Lafrenière, I suppose, he falls into the age group that the Canucks seem keen on adding these days. He’s had one big season — and playoff run — but has otherwise underwhelmed as a former first overall pick (2020). While their salaries nearly cancel out, Lafrenière is five years younger and only has four years left on his deal. Therefore, if the Rangers had interest, I think the Canucks would have to sweeten the deal either in the form of some salary retention or by adding an additional piece.

The Canucks will likely send all of the waiver-exempt players on their NHL roster to the minors. So that means guys like Tom Willander, defenceman Elias Pettersson and Victor Mancini (if he isn’t already in Abbotsford by the time the break rolls around). We’ll see where Jonathan Lekkerimäki is by then, too. But really, that’s all they can do. NHL rules still apply about sending players to the farm, so the Canucks aren’t likely to risk waivers on guys that have been with the big team all season. Besides, those players have earned the same break as their teammates who aren’t going to represent their countries in Milano. Abbotsford has a pair of two-game weekend sets at home between February 6th and February 16th. After that, the farm team heads out on the road while the NHL team will begin practicing again that week (minus its Olympians) before resuming its schedule on February 25th.

It’s a fair question, considering the big-league Canucks have been shut out twice in their past five games and have managed just one goal in two of the other games over that stretch. Adding a goal-scorer to this lineup seems like it would make perfect sense. That said, you may have noticed there aren’t a lot of playmaking centres on the big league roster, so there are limited options to put Lekkerimäki in a position to succeed. Also, he missed a pair of games recently with the flu, so perhaps the organization wants him to get his legs under him again and find his goal-scoring groove in the American Hockey League before he is recalled. I have to think we’ll see Lekkerimäki at some point down the stretch, but I don’t know that it’s going to happen before the Olympics. Although, should the Canucks trade out a winger or two, that would certainly open the door for