Vancouver Season in Review

This past season has been quite the roller coaster ride for the Vancouver Canucks. They started the season hot out of the gate, surprising everyone by surging to the top of the league’s standings. But unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

About a quarter of the way through the season the Canuck’s pace started to slow, but they still had a firm grasp on a playoff spot. However, an eight-game losing streak midway through the season would change that, and the Canucks were never able to recover.

The team would go on to only win 12 of their last 43 games, falling all the way to 25th overall in the standings and well out of the playoff picture for the third straight season.

Luckily for Canucks fans, the season ended on a high note. Vancouver beat the odds and was awarded the 2nd overall pick in the league’s upcoming entry draft. The team will be able to add another top prospect to their talent pool, which will hopefully allow them to return to contention in the near future.

We recently sat down with Vancouver GM Travis Fleming to review the season and his plans for the future.

First of all, what are your thoughts on this past season?

I’m disappointed mostly. Early on it looked like we were really coming together as a team and I was looking forward to being part of the playoffs again. Then it seemed like within a matter of weeks we went from the top of the league to outside of the playoffs. It happened so fast we barely had time to react and make adjustments. But that’s sports for you. One moment you’re up and the next you’re down. You just have to brush yourself off and move on.

Let’s review some of the trades you made this year, starting with acquiring Dimitry Orlov.

Honestly, this wasn’t the type of move I was expecting to make before the season started. But given the way the team was playing, I felt like I owed it to the guys to give them some support. Fabbri is a talented young player, and he’s going to be a great defenseman in this league. But Dimitry gives us the veteran presence on the blueline that we were lacking and I thought he’d be a valuable asset come playoff time. It didn’t work out that way of course, but I stand by the move.

Perhaps the biggest trade you made this season was moving Sam Reinhart for Alex Tuch and Ville Heinola. Can you tell us what your thought process was there?

It just goes to show how quickly things changed. One moment I’m bringing in veteran players to prepare for a playoff run, and the next I’m trading one of our best forwards for depth. By the time the trade deadline rolled around it was clear we were out of the playoff race. Sam’s been a great player for us, and I was sad to see him go. But this was a great opportunity to add a talented young defenseman in Heinola. And Tuch is a great player as well and should be able to replace the offense we lost in moving Reinhart. I think in the long run this trade makes us a lot better.

Congratulations on being awarded the 2nd overall pick. That must be really exciting for the organization.

It absolutely is and our scouting team is working around the clock to ensure that we make the most of the pick. It’s a nice consolation prize for a disappointing season, but I’d still much rather be playing playoff games right now. Hopefully, this pick is the start of a turnaround and we’ll be back in the postseason soon.

Do you have any idea who you might take in the draft?

It’s far too soon to tell. In all likelihood, the draft won’t be held until next fall, and a lot can change between now and then. There are going to be so many great options in that spot and we’re confident that whoever we take is going to be a really impactful player for us for years to come.

What’s your plan for the offseason?

We have a number of expiring contracts and a lot of money to burn, so we should be active in the free agent market. My primary concern will be to fill out our roster to ensure we meet requirements and get over the salary floor, but we may look to make a major signing if the right opportunity comes along. I don’t want to sign a contract that’s going to be a burden down the road, but we have the room and resources to sign some big name guys if we choose to. So, we’ll just have to see how things play out. 

What’s your goal for next season?

I want to push for a playoff spot next season. That doesn’t mean I’m going to rush things and throw away the future to get there. But I would like to see some improvement. The fans deserve to see some meaningful games and I hope to deliver that to them.