As the hockey world braces for a repeat of last year’s Stanley Cup Final, Vancouver Canucks fans are left to compare the remnants of the team’s roster with those that are nearing the opportunity to compete for hockey’s holy grail. It’s clear the Canucks have plenty of work to do this summer. It’s unlikely the roster overhaul happens until closer to next month’s draft. So in the meantime, we watch and we wait. And here at CanucksArmy we answer readers’ questions. You had some good ones this week. Some of you want to build the roster up. Others want to see it torn down. And some like DSto clearly want to blow our minds. So let’s start there.
I like chaos as much as the next guy. But even my definition of chaos has its limits and the idea of Brad Marchand in a Vancouver Canucks uniform pushes the boundaries of concepts I’m prepared to contemplate. Could the Canucks use everything Marchard brings to the mix? Absolutely. And the way he’s playing in the playoffs shows that even at 37, he still has gas in the tank. But it’s clear he’s revelling in playing for another Stanley Cup.
What would he look like at this stage of his career over an 82-game season on a middle of the road roster? I can’t believe I’m even considering the idea of Brad Marchand wearing a Canucks uniform. No, no a thousand times, no. But maybe? Just a little bit? No. Can’t get there at that price point and besides, of the places he could pick to play, even he would have to consider Vancouver off limits based on history. Somethings just aren’t ever meant to be and this feels like one of those things. So shame on you for even asking!
I can’t rule it out entirely. Obviously, Adam Foote wants to win in his first season as head coach. And Quinn Hughes wants no part of a flushing another season after this past one got away. Same goes for all the veterans who want to prove there is more on the roster than they showed last season. And Jim Rutherford has made it clear he wants to make good on his promise of building a contender while in the President’s office.
But if the team struggles out of the gate, then perhaps management will have no choice but to selectively peel away tradable parts. Obviously, with a lottery there is no guarantee. So that makes it difficult. But Gavin McKenna looks like the real deal and a grand prize for the team picking first overall. Tanking goes against everything the organization has ever stood for. But maybe, just maybe, they’ll have no other choice.
It’s pretty clear this team intends to be active on the trade front – likely in and around next month’s draft. Rutherford was on radio recently talking about ‘if’ the team still had money to spend in free agency which suggests the Canucks are looking to take on salary via trade. This front office has been among the most active on the trade front of the past few seasons so there is a pattern in place. I think it’s far more likely we hear of a significant trade before July 1st than it is that the Canucks break the bank on one of the big name unrestricted free agents available. So to answer your final question, yes, Patrik Allvin will be busy. He has to be. This team needs significant upgrades and the front office is well aware of that fact.
No. I wish Young Stars was still a thing and certainly hold out hope it will be again some day. It was the perfect way to showcase prospects and to launch into the new hockey season. I think teams value their summer development camps as a way to introduce prospects and draft picks to the organization and to give them a firsthand look at the way the team conducts its business on and off the ice. I see little value in a league-wide tournament for prospects.
Basketball rosters are much smaller and logistically it’s easier to organize an event like that. Also, national federations often have summer camps which presents another hurdle to this idea. Let’s give basketball the spotlight and the sweltering summer heat of Vegas. Hockey doesn’t need a summer league. 
Wow. A celebrity contributor. We don’t see that every week here in the mailbox. I might frame this question and hang it in my office. We’re talking Vancouver sports writing and reporting royalty weighing in here.
I’m going to say Alain Vigneault. Much of that is due to his longevity on the job and the fact that he found the perfect mix of honesty and humour. It helped that his teams won an awful lot so the mood at the rink was often much lighter than in the past decade. Travis Green gets high marks for putting up with me home and away for three seasons while I was covering the team at TSN 1040. Imagine having to deal with me that often? And Travis did it well. Almost all the time.
Recency bias gives high marks to both Bruce Boudreau and Rick Tocchet. Bruce was good fun even through the dark times. And Rick was engaging, enlightening — and instructive, which I valued a lot.
Jaden just finished a practicum with The Nation Network and it was fun to get to know him a little and to impart some wisdom as he ventures into the world of sports media and content creation. I wish him – and all our interns – well. As for the dream bottom six for the Canucks, it’s a tough question to answer without knowing who is in the top six.
But I liked what I saw from Aatu Räty with Dakota Joshua and Kiefer Sherwood down the stretch. So I could see a world where that was one of the bottom six lines. Beyond that, I’d like a little more edge in my bottom six so perhaps the organization has to go out and find a low-cost option that keeps opponents honest.
Teddy Blueger is likely the centre on the fourth line due to his penalty killing utility more than anything. Drew O’Connor brings some size and speed to that group. Linus Karlsson is probably in the mix as a 13th forward. But as I see that in print and compare it to what’s going on this deep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s clear that the Canucks need more than just six guys that can tread water in those roles. They need play drivers with size and speed who can also contribute offensively. So in many ways, just like at the top of the line-up, they need more at the bottom of the line-up, too.

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