So, how was your weekend? Anything eventful happen?
As Canucks fans still process the final five minutes of Saturday’s 5-4 overtime loss to Seattle and the injury news on both Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson, we’ll try our best to offer up a distraction in the form of the Monday mailbag. It’s the final one of the year. So like moving on from Saturday’s collapse, soon we’ll all be turning the page and looking forward to a new year and new storylines. But first, for one final time in 2024, we are here to answer your questions.
This one. Hands down. Even without Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson, it’s still this one without question. Opening night was death by a thousand cuts as the Flames just kept chipping away at the Canucks 4-1 lead. And remember, the Canucks scored late to force overtime and salvage something against Calgary. This one came out of nowhere, and it’s important to remember that Seattle entered the game having lost five straight and scored just six times in that span. So context matters. The Kraken looked lost for 55 minutes until they morphed into the mid-80s Edmonton Oilers for a brief moment, aided in large part by Canucks mistakes. By Game 35, I wanted to believe the Canucks were a more mature bunch than they showed late on Saturday afternoon. Guess they’ve still got some work to do in that department.
I don’t know about the puck, but in the late stages on Saturday, it sure seemed like the black skate jersey made it difficult for the Canucks skaters to pick up any of the Kraken players wearing white uniforms.
I sure hope not. I see the parallels you’re highlighting, but I also know that this version of the Canucks has a Norris winner in Quinn Hughes, who has taken his game to another level this season. It also has a pair of players with 100-point seasons on their resumes, a 40-goal guy and a Vezina finalist. On paper, this team is light years better than that Seattle team that stuck to its systems, found a groove and played hard every night, upsetting Colorado in the opening round of the playoffs and forcing Dallas to Game 7 in the second round. But in saying that, the Canucks are a more talented team, however unless all of that talent is available, shows up and produces, then all of that is just talk. 
Surely, the Canucks still believe that this is a year to build off what they accomplished last season and try their best to push further in the playoffs. But the team that started the season on a 102-point pace (11-6-3) through 20 games has just one win in its last five games and only four in the past 12 (4-3-5). Over the past three and a half weeks – with JT Miller and Thatcher Demko both back in the fold – the Canucks are playing at an 89-point pace over a full season. The Canucks have 15 games in 30 nights in January with 10 of those games on the road and nine of the 15 against teams currently in playoff spots. And now they have to get by for a while without both Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson. Even with those two playing at the top of their games, it was going to be difficult. Now, without a doubt, it’s going to be a grind. Taking all of the factors into account, I think something like an 8-6-1 record, given the line-up, the travel and the quality of opponents, would represent an overwhelming success. Is that asking too much?
It’s hard to put a number on it, but I’d peg it at somewhere around 40%. Coaches at this level are dealing with elite athletes who understand the game. So what separates the good players and the good teams from the rest of the pack? There are a number of factors: Good health, peak production, depth players rising up, exceptional goaltending and ultimately, full buy-in to what the coach is preaching. A good coach has to reach each individual player and understand which buttons to push to bring the best out in each guy he’s working with. For some it’s a kick in the pants, for others it’s a pat on the back. And talks. Lots and lots of communication. While every coach at the NHL level has full command of the X’s and O’s of the game, the truly elite coaches find ways to get their players to execute the game plan while also motivating their teams to rise up in key moments. They have to find a way to get their message across to 20 individuals and get them to bond as a group. So the mental side of the sport is as important as it has ever been and certainly makes up a significant portion of a successful head coach’s job description.
I can’t wait to find out. And hopefully, it won’t be long now. There is no question that even before Filip Hronek was sidelined in late November – and more recently Quinn Hughes – that bolstering the blueline was this management group’s priority. Then after watching the defence meltdown in crunch time against the Kraken, it’s hard to imagine that didn’t escalate the crisis level in the Canucks front office. We’ve said all along we felt management wanted to be patient to see what the team looked like once Hronek returned and with a healthy Thatcher Demko in goal. But it may not have that luxury now with Hronek expected to be out for another month and Hughes and Pettersson now joining him on the shelf. It was interesting to see Jim Rutherford, Patrik Allvin, and Emily Castongauy all intently watching practice from the lower bowl on Sunday. They now have a decision to make about pushing their chips to the middle or changing their course of action ahead of the trade deadline, and it feels like this next month may give them plenty to chew on. Nothing has really changed on the wishlist. It’s now a matter of how much are the Canucks willing to spend and how quickly will they pull the trigger. It doesn’t feel like this team can roll the dice and take its chances without Hughes and Hronek for much longer. The late stages of Saturday’s game provided a glimpse into what that world looks like without the team’s top two defenders – and it wasn’t pretty.
I put this very question to the coach after practice on Sunday. He suggested that whatever the nature of the captain’s injury, playing in that game on December 23rd when listed as questionable did nothing to inflame the injury and didn’t expose Hughes to further danger. Only the Canucks know for sure what exactly is ailing Hughes. It’s believed to be a hand injury, but the club hasn’t confirmed that. So what he was playing through last Monday remains a mystery, and how Hughes went from questionable on Monday night to now listed as ‘week to week’ on Sunday is also as curious as it is disappointing for the player, his team and Canucks fans everywhere.

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