The Freshman Year
2023-06-17As these lines are being written, the Vancouver Canucks are sitting 3rd in the Pacific and are expected to be a part of the playoffs for the first time since... well since too long ago. The end of the regular calendar marks the first complete season for their new GM and his presence seems to have brought a breath of fresh air over the franchise. However, like Mr. Dore mentioned to the media during a press conference from his hotel in Minnesota, his first year was more him adjusting to the league several complex rules and their impact on the game rather than making a lot of trades. "Yeah, my first year as the Canucks GM was more of assessing the impact of the rules on the any moves I could make as GM. My learning path is mostly completed, but since I am a patient GM, I still have some learning in front of me. I know it has frustrated some of my peers this past winter and some may refer my way of working as ''boring''... but that's fine... it's their opinion. I have my plan"
Mr. Dore was also questioned on what has been the key this year for his team making its way to the playoffs. "Well, we haven't played very different from past year. I guess we've been more steady than our previous seasons, but even if we are in the playoffs picture, we are still 16th in the league. That's not where we want to be. I haven't made a lot of transactions, so the team on the ice is pretty much the former management team's product and I can't take all the credit. But my plan is building over these good foundations moving forward''.
Speaking of moving forward, one of the biggest challenge Marc-Andre Dore will face is building a future for his team. Doug's latest prospects rankings made it even more obvious, as the Canucks are ranked 32nd, thanks to their shallow futures bank. Mr Dore has made this his top priority from Day 1 and it seems to be true so far, since he is sticking to his draft picks. Another area that will need improvement is the Power Play. The Canucks are ranked 32nd in the PP column with 12,2% of success, which could have had an impact during tight games.
On the positive side, the defense has been strong this year. Vancouver PK is ranked 2nd amongst the other teams and the team is 5th for GA. If we look at the Canucks players stats, 2/3 of the players have a positive +/- rating, which translates into a strong 5-on-5 team. So if the team can maintain a strong defense and 5-on-5 while improving the PP, the Canucks could be dangerous down the road.
It will be interesting to watch in the the next few weeks whether the Canucks players will play more hockey or more golf this summer. The Canucks GM is confident that his team can surprise EHE behemoths... a statement that could fireback at him.
Great work Marc. Will be good to see the Canucks back in playoffs, especially considering the work the former GM put in to building a playoff calibre roster.
The Freshman Year
Vancouver Canucks are aiming at their first playoffs participation in years
will the ehe canucks also buyout oel? :)
The Freshman Year
Vancouver Canucks are aiming at their first playoffs participation in years
Nice article, Marc!
The Freshman Year
Vancouver Canucks are aiming at their first playoffs participation in years
Also: have I really accounted for 75% of your trades since you joined the league? lol
The Freshman Year
Vancouver Canucks are aiming at their first playoffs participation in years
Great article! The Canucks had a steady hand for a long time with the former GM, and it looks like they won't miss a beat with the new one.
The Freshman Year
Vancouver Canucks are aiming at their first playoffs participation in years