It’s been a long time since you could say the Vancouver Canucks are having a youth movement. Not since the 1998–99 season have the Canucks had three rookies start on the team. There hasn’t been a concerted effort to integrate youth into the lineup since the team started playing two baby-faced twins from Sweden. And it’s giving the fans something to be excited about.
It’s been well documented how shit the Vancouver Canucks drafting has been throughout the years. From 2006 to 2011, the Canucks drafting produced two NHL regulars, Michael Grabner and Cody Hodgson. Grabner, after scoring 34 goals in 2011 with the Islanders, has struggled to score goals consistently, while Hodgson is now a Nashville Predator after being bought out by Buffalo.
And don’t even get me started on their drafting in the 1980s. The Canucks routinely passed on future hall of famers for guys that never panned out, missing out on players such as Al MacInnis, Gary Roberts, and Brian Leetch. And Cam Neely, the one good player they did draft, got traded away for some scraps.
The team’s history of poor drafting is what makes the recent emergence of Jake Virtanen, Jared McCann, Ben Hutton, and even Bo Horvat super exciting as a fan. In just a couple of years, Canucks general manager Jim Benning has turned drafting, scouting and developing into one of the team’s major strengths. McCann is leading the team in goals, and both Virtanen and Horvat scored against the Flyers last Monday.
This hot start does not mean that McCann, Virtanen, Hutton, and Horvat will be this effective the whole year, but these rookies are providing the organization and the fanbase with hope for the future. For too long the Canucks have lacked young talent pushing into the team and earning roster spots. Not only does it potentially provide depth that can take pressure off the Sedins, but it provides cheap talent. In a salary cap league, it’s imperative that you get the most out of your entry-level contracts. If McCann can get at least 20 goals on an entry level contract, it would be considered a massive success.
These young guns are providing cheap, quality talent for a Canucks lineup that no one is quite sure what to make of just yet. With their play showing tons of potential, the future looks bright for now.
