On Wednesday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal looked at what fans should actually take away from the Canucks’ recent strong stretch to close out the season, and whether it says anything meaningful about the team’s direction.

Head coach Adam Foote has pointed to culture and buy-in as key reasons behind the improved play, especially given everything the group has dealt with over the course of the year.

“With the trade deadline, names flying around, we’re going through a rebuild, getting rid of some older players – yeah, they’re paid pros, guys are supposed to be able to handle it, but they’re human as well, and this market we all know is tough,” Foote said. “To see who’s here and how these leaders are forming the new culture – you see Teddy fighting, you see Fil fighting.”

Foote emphasized that the group has had plenty working against it, from roster turnover to injuries and major changes at the top of the lineup.

“There’s been so much going on, with our captain leaving, the injuries, and they’d been getting torn apart as a group for a very long time,” he said. “They decided, ‘hey, this is our team, this is where we’re going,’ and it allows the way Boeser, Fil, Blueger, Marcus – the way they’re leading – it allows the youth to grow and grow fast. They’re holding them accountable, so it’s not a fluke what’s happened the last three games. We’re doing things right, playing as a team, sticking to the game plan.”

Harm pushed back slightly on how much weight should be put on the wins themselves, pointing to similar late-season runs in previous years that ultimately didn’t translate into anything meaningful.

“We’ve absolutely seen positive signs over the last couple weeks,” Harm said. “The wins themselves, I don’t necessarily put a lot of stock into that as evidence of how the culture is changing, because we saw every year in the Benning era they’d finish strong. Even last year they only had one regulation loss in their last five games,” Harm said. “It was the same storylines about, ‘they’re not quitting and finishing strong,’ and we all saw how this season went, so I don’t put a lot of stock in wins.”

Instead, Harm is paying closer attention to how the team is playing for one another – and whether there are tangible signs of a shift in mentality.

“What I do put stock into is the care level for one another,” Harm said. “Blueger fighting Gudas in that Anaheim game, Hronek fighting last night, when Curtis Douglas scores his first career NHL goal and everybody on the ice is celebrating as if it’s their first goal.”

Those moments, he argued, are far more telling than the standings.

“Those are the things I pay more attention to when it comes to the culture and things seemingly turning a corner, rather than if the team won a few games in a row,” Harm said. “Bad teams have success when they’re out of it and it’s kind of meaningless to them. How often for years would we talk about, do these guys actually stick up for one another? When there’s a bad hit, is somebody jumping in to fight to send a message?”

Lately, that answer has been yes.

“Recently it’s felt refreshing to see guys go in without hesitation,” Harm said. “That’s what I care more about from a culture perspective.”

As the Canucks close out a difficult season, the results on the scoreboard may not carry much long-term meaning – but the way the group is responding to adversity just might.

You can watch the full replay of the show below!

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