The new Canucks "window" = circa 2015/2016?

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The Brown Knight
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The new Canucks "window" = circa 2015/2016?

Post by The Brown Knight »

The new Canucks "window" = circa 2015/2016?

I was thinking about the responses from Island Knucklehead and Hockey Widow from my posts last night (i.e. why holding onto Shinkaruk and not using him to trade for a "final piece" is probably not the greatest idea). As is the case with most of my ideas, I was never really '100% on board' with that idea........but was "thinking out loud" more than anything.

Nonetheless - I'm thinking that the 2015/2016 season, *might* be our next realistic shot of winning a cup if everything plays out the way it currently is.

While the Sedin twins and Kesler will be a little bit older obviously, I don't think it would be to the point where they'd be washed up. Kesler would still be in his prime, while the Sedins' could still be around PPG players given their style of play (i.e. playmakers don't tend to decline at the age of 34-35 as a 'Power Forward' or 'Grinder' might).

While this is happening, it's not farfetched at all to believe that both Horvat and Shinkaruk will be impact players by this time. Hell - given how exceptional this past draft was, and given how we're already seeing guys like Monahan, Jones, and MacKinnon making significant impacts, maybe we'll see this from both Horvat and Shinkaruk as early as next season?

On defense - as Hockey Widow pointed out, our Top 4 is pretty much set for the next little while and given everyone's age, there shouldn't be any decline of sorts. While this is happening, Tanev and Corrado will only get better.

In goal - again - age won't be a factor for Luongo as most goalies shouldnt start seeing any decline in play until they are atleast 37 years old. We all know what Tim Thomas did when he was 37/38. Lack will only get better as well.

The point I'm making is this:

Do I think this current Canucks team will win the cup this year as things stand? Nope. They'll get bounced 1st round......2nd round if they're lucky. They might even miss the playoffs.

However - if at some point between the years of 2014 and 2016 - Shinkaruk and Horvat become impact players while Kesler and the twins are still relatively close to their 2009-2012 level of play, then this team could see a return to the Cup Finals.
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Island Nucklehead
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Re: The new Canucks "window" = circa 2015/2016?

Post by Island Nucklehead »

The Brown Knight wrote: However - if at some point between the years of 2014 and 2016 - Shinkaruk and Horvat become impact players while Kesler and the twins are still relatively close to their 2009-2012 level of play, then this team could see a return to the Cup Finals.
It's so hard to predict. But just look at one of RD's favourite spank-bank teams: The San Jose Sharks.

Sure, they won the Presidents trophy in 08-09 and were bounced in round one (sound familiar?). The next season they were the best in the West and couldn't make the finals. This is a team that has accomplished a lot, has a great roster, and STILL hasn't even made the Finals (they're 3-12 in the Conference Finals all time). It's such a grind.

Ultimately, they can make all the big changes (Heatley, Havlat, Burns, Ehrhoff, Michalek, Cheechoo etc. etc.) and they haven't done a whole lot different come playoff time.

What the Canucks will need, is someone to become our versions of a Logan Couture and eventually Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Players that can begin the transition from the Thornton/Marleau (Sedin/Sedin) era while the team remains competitive. Shinkaruk has that pure-offensive ability that the Canucks desperately lack right now, and organizationally.

Once you have that kind of depth of talent on the roster, then you start to pray and hope for all the things that generally work against the Canucks: the salary cap, health, refs and luck for US, and hope for crippling injuries, bad calls and bad bounces for THEM.

I would suspect that the Canucks will be able to tread water this season, and probably next. What everyone seems to overlook is that this team has been hampered by a lower salary cap, basically making it impossible to improve the roster. Look for Booth to be bought out this summer, and coupled with an increasing salary cap, should give us enough room to re-sign the Sedins and add another decent free agent.

Going back to the Sharks, they have some major decisions to make. Thornton (10 assists), Marleau (7 goals) and Boyle (Brain injury) are all older than the Sedins, and they're all UFA after this season.
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Re: The new Canucks "window" = circa 2015/2016?

Post by The Brown Knight »

Island Nucklehead wrote:
What the Canucks will need, is someone to become our versions of a Logan Couture and eventually Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Players that can begin the transition from the Thornton/Marleau (Sedin/Sedin) era while the team remains competitive. Shinkaruk has that pure-offensive ability that the Canucks desperately lack right now, and organizationally.

Once you have that kind of depth of talent on the roster, then you start to pray and hope for all the things that generally work against the Canucks: the salary cap, health, refs and luck for US, and hope for crippling injuries, bad calls and bad bounces for THEM.
Great overall post. It would obviously be great if Horvat and Shinkaruk could be our version of Couture and Vlasic.

If the stars and moon align, you could have a new 1A line consisting of Shinkaruk-Horvat-Kesler at some point (while lessening the burden for Sedins/Burrows).

Speaking of the Sharks - I think it could be a 'cup or bust' situation for them this year. If they end up winning the Presidents' Trophy by a country mile this year (a la Vancouver 2011 and Chicago 2013) and still not win the cup, I think you will likely see Thornton and/or Marleau move to different teams in the off-season.

Who knows.......with the cap going up, maybe one of those guys could sign with us out of 'spite' towards San Jose for letting them go. :devil:
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