It has been an interesting season for the Canucks, to say the least.
Right now, the Canucks have a less than one per cent chance of making the playoffs. By the time you read this, they’ll be out, officially.
That being said, I still look forward to the remaining games. Even though they cannot make the playoffs, I still want to see them win every game left. I would like to see them fight for a ninth spot. Tanking for draft picks is shameful, even if they are knocked out of the playoffs, and there are still so many questions that this final stretch can help answer.
For one, David Booth’s play for the next few games will likely decide whether he will be bought out or not. I do not believe Booth will regain his scoring touch and score 20 goals next year — that’s just not realistic — however, he has developed into a good third-liner.
Obviously, injuries are always a question, and his consistency in any position is a question as well, but now it may be tempting to just let him play out the last year of his contract rather than buying him out.
Speaking of playing for contracts, it will be fun to see if Zack Kassian can end out the season on a high note, continuing the recent trend of the third line being the best line. Kassian is a restricted free agent (RFA) this offseason, and the Canucks would be foolish to give up on him so soon.
Unfortunately, Jordan Schroeder who is in a similar position, becoming an RFA this summer, does not look good enough. He is too small for a fourth line role and seems unable to show his skill in a top-six role. Maybe it is the coaching staff’s fault for not giving him the right chances, or perhaps injuries which have hurt his season are to blame. Maybe another team will sign him and he will have a breakout year, but I just cannot see the Canucks re-signing him. However, the next few games will be a perfect audition for him.
As for behind the scenes, general manager Mike Gillis is on the hot seat in a big way. He’s not a terrible GM — he put together the final pieces for the cup run, and built (from Brian Burke and Dave Nonis’ foundation) the Canucks into an elite team.
However, in three short seasons since the cup run, the Canucks are out of the playoffs and possibly on the eve of a rebuild. The last straw, after destroying possibly the best goaltending tandem in the NHL, was not doing anything this trade deadline. He took the middle route, not adding someone so that the Canucks could go on a playoff run, and not starting the rebuild.
Head coach John Tortorella is in a similar position, and may be the scapegoat for this season. But perhaps he should stay. His strengths are as a playoff coach, and I believe that if the Canucks made the playoffs this year, he could be the coach to get them past the first round, even with their depleted talent.
The Canucks haven’t been good this season, and at times, they’ve been painful to watch. But with the team on the brink of an overhaul, it will be hard to look away.
