It's Been a While, but I'm back to writing.

I know I haven't posted in a while. I have had some issues with technology and I didn't have a device to actually post stuff on. I've got it sorted out now. It sucks too because a lot of good stuff happened while I was away. So right off the bat, I have to congratulate the Penguins on winning their second consecutive cup and also to Nico Hirschier for being drafted first overall by the Devils.
I am planning on making a lot more posts now. This will be my second full NHL season of posting content. I will do my best to post Canucks content, however I'm pretty sure there will be more generally NHL related content. I might also dive a little more into other sports if possible. I have a story concerning the Houston Astros and the Edmonton Oilers coming soon.
Looking back at my previous posts, I also noted that the writing was quite poorly edited. I plan on editing it better by drafting and other sorts. Definitely, I expect better content coming soon.

Canucks Pick Fifth Overall (Possible Picks for the Draft)

Sigh.
Well, the day has come.
As they say, you can't win at everything.
Even if it's losing. You can't win at losing. Because somehow, team's better than you will end up drafting ahead of you. Even a wild card team.
Man, being a Canucks fan is hard. Ever since they changed the lottery system in 2016, many teams have suffered through challenging issues. While teams being bumped happened less in the former system with only 1 lottery, the new top 3 lottery system has caused teams to be bumped more than passengers on flights.
But yeah. For the second straight season, the Canucks find themselves bumped down. Last season, they bumped down two spots. This season, they've bumped down the maximum amount, three spots. Both times, they've gotten fifth overall picks.
That isn't the end of the world. Top 5 picks are generally going to be promising prospects, even for weak draft classes. 1999, one of the weakest, being the Patrik Stefan draft, still produced the likes of the Sedins. Unfortunately, that was basically it, in the top 5 and also the entire first round. Now, I don't know if I've stated this on my blog in the past, but for me, I personally believe that the first 3 rounds are the gem rounds. These are the ones to produce the most stars, with expectations that a good half of the first round picks would become stars, while the second and third there would be a few that were as good as the first rounders.
However, that was not the case for rounds two and three. Not a single relevant name appeared on that list. You had to go way down in the list. Rounds four, nope. Round five at least provided the studded goalie that is Ryan Miller, and then we had Radim Vrbata.
Hey, these guys all became Canucks in 2014-15!
Anyways, then there was Zetteuberg. Henrik Zetterburg.
WAKE UP PEOPLE.
Someone, maybe even the Thrashers, could have taken Henrik Zetterburg! He was worthy of being a first round selection with his career, yet they took Patrik Stefan first overall!
But to be honest, another weak draft was 1996. The only allstars on that list that were relevant are Zdeno Chara and Daniel Briere. Not bad, but that was less than even 1999. Their top 5 produced no stars at all.
This year is already looking dim, with analysts stating that it could be the weakest draft of our decade, or at least of the 21st century. What makes it worse, there's not a set list. By this time of the year in 2016, people have already predicted an accurate top 5 list. It was mainly accurate, although Matthew Tkachuk did not make the top 5, dropping just under to 6, when Juolevi made a sudden bolt to 5th amid the Blue Jackets sudden selection of Dubois, who had been slated to go the Vancouver.
This makes predictions and mock drafts hard, and confuses people like me to write about. So, here's a list of a few players that could rep green and blue in June.

GABE VILARDI
A star for the Windsor Spitfire of the OHL. Vilardi was one of the first few stars to appear on the list, alongside Nolan Patrick and, originally, Timothy Liljegren (Remember that name), until Liljegren was diagnosed with mono.
Vilardi had 61 points in a short 49 game campaign this season. Not bad, and his brief season did drop his value by a few picks. If Vancouver does land him (As he could still end up being a top 3 pick, or go to Colorado at 4), they'd have a solid centre that could compete with Horvat in the future as the number one.

CASEY MITTELSTADT
Mittelstadt has played for his high school team as well as a team in the USHL. He definitely could be serious business, being ranked very high and consistently placed in the top 5.

OWEN TIPPETT
Playing for the Missisauga Steelheads of the OHL, Tippett does place in the lower half of the top 5, sometimes just barely missing it, but mainly a good top 10 pick. He's a right-winger who could definitely be a good insurance deal if Jake Virtanen's woes continue for several more seasons. 75 points in 60 games should make his value improve more than Mittelstadt and Vilardi, depending on circumstances.

CODY GLASS
I honestly don't see why he places consistently low on mock drafts. Cody Glass is a talented player on the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL, who produced an astonishing 94 points in 69 games, yet he is only expected to be a top 10 player. Suppose Glass isn't chosen, and two of the three players listed above are picked, then the Canucks do have a good opportunity with Glass, or they could go with the third player. Personally, I see Glass has good capabilities. Like Vilardi, he could certainly compete with Horvat.

MICHAEL RASMUSSEN
I've heard some odd things from Rasmussen early on, how he was similar to Jake Virtanen and such. He had 55 points in another shortened campaign of 50 games, hurting his value like Vilardi, and he is still a certain top 10 pick. I don't see the Canucks picking him though, as the four listed above could prove of more value. Still, the team that does draft them will have a capable asset.

The Canucks Roller-Coaster of a season in a nutshell

I apologize about the lack of activity on the blog. There just hasn't been any good stories to write about. The Canucks also had an awful season as well, finishing 29th place. With the addition of Vegas in the lottery, the odds seem to be spread more evenly, and it's pretty much likely a team with terrible odds will win the lottery.
Now, this post is basically to explain what an insane season the Canucks had in 2016-17. Here we go.

2016-17 SEASON OVERVIEW

ROLLERCOASTER TO START
The Canucks start off the season with 3 insane comeback wins at home, follow by a non-comeback win against the Sabres. The Canucks then went on the road, where things went downhill. They then took on a losing streak, and afterwards it remained an up and down, with wins and losses happening on a slightly even spread.

ROAD WOES TO BLAME
The Canucks really played awful on the road this season. They were a mediocre .500 team at the Rog, but let's be honest, they were, in general, a mediocre team that really could've placed better. If they had an almost equal record between home and away, they'd still miss the playoffs, but they'd be a much better team than last season.

53 HORVAT MAGIC ON THE ICE
Last season, Bo Horvat went on an extended point drought. However, the second he paired up with Sven Baertschi, they both improved a lot. Horvat finished the season with 40 points, and this year he added to that total by several points. However, his improvement during his first half totals versus last year's let to the management selecting him as the team's only all-star this season, and, unfortunately, a terrible music video too.

ROLLERCOASTER CONTINUES
By Christmas, the Canucks have had the second best odds. However, a sudden winning streak caused most fans that supported the tank to panic. They stopped worrying when the Canucks suddenly found themselves in the wild card race. Considering the lack of depth in this year's draft, and the fact it's one of the worst in recent history, unless they have those late round stars that come later on, which is unlikely, it's nice to see the Canucks this close.
But they're the Canucks. They're uncoordinated and have no plan at all. They end up falling out of the race and find themselves a little too high in the lottery race too.

NO MAN'S LAND EXPLAINED
In Hockey, there are two types of no man's land. One is good, one is bad.
The good one is when you are in wild card contention, however, because the opposing conference's lower teams are better than you (As in, they'd be in a wild card berth if they were in your conference), you find yourself also in a very good lottery pick.
The bad one is otherwise. You're out of lottery contention by a good amount of points. Not a blowout amount, but too much for you to catch up. Not only do you have teams with less points than you, but there also teams from the East too. Basically, you have some really bad odds even when you're not making the playoffs.
However, a good no man's land might not pay off in the future.

LOSE TO END IT
As the games kept rolling to the end of the season, the Canucks escalated into a massive losing streak, going extremely low. Soon they found themselves in a must lose versus Arizona. If they lose, Arizona wins, getting higher in the standings, and giving the Canucks better lottery odds. And we lost! Unfortunately, there was only a single point that separated the Canucks with the Coyotes. They had to lose both games in Edmonton, or else they'd drop all the way to the 5th best odds. But no. The Canucks keep their calm and secure the 2nd best odds to close out the season.

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, the league itself had gotten worse for the lower half of the teams. The Canucks find themselves in the exact same place as last year, yet they were many points lower. They surely could have been the worst team in the league last season if they finished with this year's record.
The Canucks definitely reached their goal of having young players on their roster. Unexpected undrafted signee Troy Stecher became the dark horse and this year's Ben Hutton, winning the award for best defenseman. What's odd was that Stecher started the season in Utica, while Hutton started on the main roster. The best reason would be because of Phillip Larsen, one of the bad parts of this season. Other bad parts include Loui Eriksson's mediocre play, Jake Virtanen's slow development, and an extremely mediocre 4th line, full of guys like Jack Skille, Michael Chaput and Jayson Megna.
Willie Desjardins lost his job, Linden and Benning could be on the hot seat soon, and the Canucks need to get a good pick from the lottery because of the weak draft class, or else they may find themselves struggling even more in the future.
Fortunately, there is still a lot more to cheer for. Horvat's improvement, outstanding goaltending by Miller, Markstrom, and even Bachman during the later parts of the season.
Still, the Canucks need to work. It's not certain if guys like Nolan Patrick and Nico Hirschier are already NHL ready. Sure, Matthews and Laine certainly were, but that's because they were much better than the former. That just means the Canucks need to work Horvat, develop Virtanen, get better faces in the roster, make sure players worth a lot of money actually play like the money they're worth, and take it a stop further next season.

The farewell to the Dragon-Slayer (Alex Burrows traded to Ottawa)

  April 26, 2011. The Canucks face the dementing Chicago Blackhawks, the former stanley cup champions. Game 7, heading to Overtime. 1 goal will make the other team miserable, 1 goal will change the face of that team. The Blackhawks need that goal to continue their attempt at being repeat champions, the Canucks need it or else their best players and their fans will rot away, waiting yet another season for a cup that seems to never come. The goal can kill the dragon, or kill the warrior attempting it.
   And the beast falls.
    Only minutes into overtime, Burrows snipes a slapshot top shelf to send the Canucks to the 2nd round of the playoffs, with hopes high for the future. That goal remains, arguably, by all fans, as the most famous goal in Canucks history. Since that play, since he just burst into the show stage, Burrows became a favorite of the crowd. Everyone loved him, and the goal capped it off.
   But they couldn't.
    The Canucks lost in Game 7 of the Cup Final, to the Bruins. Riots insued, and like the fans expected, they'd rot another year waiting for the cup. And the players did rot, as Burrows would not return to his former self. Recent seasons how it, as he struggles to put up points, only getting less than 30. His oversized contract worried Canucks fans, but with it expiring soon, they hoped Burrows would retire a Canuck and have a special farewell.
    It never happened.
    On February 27, 4 years and 10 months after the goal, Burrows was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Swedish prospect Jonathan Dahlen. With his enormous contract size and his struggles, it is unlikely he would resign, possibly retiring in 2 seasons.
    While sad for Canucks fans, this trade has an enormous impact. Dahlen is a respectable player. While not the most highest on the Sens prospect depth chart, he is a good solid guy, a PPG producer in the 2nd tier of the Swedish Hockey System. While it isn't as good as 1st tier, keep in mind that like the football system in Europe, using promotion and relegation, he can't be called up, unless he is traded to a SHL team. And as the SHL is weaker than the NHL, and about same level as the AHL, then the 2nd tier is basically low AHL high ECHL level. As Dahlen is young, turning 20 this year, it is likely he will develop well.
    Needless to say, the Canucks lose one of their fan favorites. The Canucks will certainly give him a heartfelt commemoration video when he returns to Rogers Arena. And here's to hoping Dahlen will answer the Call that the Canucks, fans and the team, need him to.

Man, it would suck to be Jake Virtanen right now.

    As the title (and stats) suggest, Jake Virtanen is having a slump of a career.
The young power forward from Abby, BC, was drafted 6th overall by the Canucks in 2014. He took pride of being such a high draft pick, and the Canucks took pride in Virtanen being a future member of their core in the future. But then things would go downhill, as Virtanen failed to adapt to the big league level last season. And while he performed mediocre up to the Christmas break, his big slump came after being sent down prior to the World Junior Tournament. And so came the downfall of his young career, as Virtanen would become a scapegoat in team Canada's extremely early exit at that year's tournament, despite having taken it home in the previous one. But the Nucks organization, who do well in taking care and defending their players (As Corey Hirsch's story, which recently came out, reveals), defended Virtanen, trusting in his talents. He immediately came back stronger, scoring a game tying goal in his first NHL game back from the tournament. And while his season still remained mediocre, the Canucks still would put their trust in them, while shipping away younger players who could've been members of their future, like Nicklas Jensen and Jared McCann.
    Virtanen finished the season with 13 points. Not bad...
     The following season, the current one, Virtanen played in a few games with the Canucks, and his slump was noticed by the fans. He would go around the system back and forth between the NHL and the AHL, due to injury woes, but in the end, Virtanen remained down in the minors, where he currently is.

The recent Islanders (Downfall) in a timeline

The Islanders are at, possibly, a decade-time low. But you know, it's only the half way point, but the hell going on is a little intense. To make things clearer, let's take a look at the timeline of things.
-In 2009, after a terrible season, the Islanders land John Tavares, 1st overall, in the draft.
-Skipping a few years later, Tavares has advanced into a skilled young player who is an invaluable player and captain for the Isles, who have become a good team, making the playoffs several seasons this decade. However, in 2015, the Islanders moved out of their original home, the Nassau Veterans Coliseum, where they won their four Stanley Cups.
-Barclays Center was a weird arena for the Islanders. For one thing, the jumbo-tron was not centered with the ice well, and the seating was obstructed. It was later confirmed that the piping of the arena was of poor quality, resulting in poor ice conditions below league accepted quality. The Islanders ranked low in attendance in 2015-16, their first season in Brooklyn, despite being a playoff team that made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs.
-This season, the Islanders season is simply forgetable. A .500 record in the prestigious Metropolitan Division has made the season hell for the Islanders, who could've fared better in a weaker stage. And with confirmation that Barclays wants out after 2017-18, the Islanders will be left without a home. Possible options are to share a venue with the Rangers in MSG, but it's unlikely, as it's been home to the Rangers for 5 decades, and it's unlikely to change. They're a prestigious organization with money, and they're not afraid to state it. In 2014-15, a few years ago, they were the most valued, expensive team in the NHL, at over 1 Billion dollars.
-So, the Islanders could possibly see relocation. The Videotron Centre was designed for a reason, to host a NHL team! Québec is a hockey city, it wants a team, Las Vegas is not really considered a venue for hockey, maybe basketball or such sports, but not hockey.
-Despite the failure of this season, John Tavares is loyal to the team that drafted him and states he doesn't want to be traded. He is a good example of what a captain should be.

Will Ryan Miller be Resigned?

The Canucks have had 2 solid guaranteed starters of this decade. Luongo and Miller. It's not certain if Schneider could be considered a starter in the season he got traded, but at that time he was playing solidly.
Yes, Miller is the reason the Canucks went from 2nd last to pushing for a wild card. And he's been a personal favorite, a fan favorite, and a team favorite ( I have 2 Miller hockey cards, a cup from the game, and also a poster!). We will miss Millsy if he retires or doesn't resign.
But he's still doing well, even nearing 37. He can possibly go for a Brodeur push. He shows similar signs to him.
They both reached their prime at an older age, like at the youngest 27 or 28, which is 2 or 3 years back of the general prime. Brodeur was still slightly better than Miller, I mean he was a 1st round pick, while Miller was only middle round. He did do well in his general prime years, but was far more superior in his 30s. Brodeur retired at 43, nearing it, so Miller has another 5 years, at least, for his career.
But if he does come back for another season, it's mainly so the current Schneider of the Canucks, Thatcher Demko, can develop for another season in Utica. Demko is young, and can use seasoning, so long as he makes his debut before the age of 25, at that point, he'd be in his supposed prime and still haven't played an actual, hardcore, not preseason, NHL game. Although we can possibly push for another year. I see him being ready, after Markstrom wears out his stint with the Canucks, although he could be an older veteran backup for Demko, or even yet, the starter still? He's 27 now, and can still play a couple of season with the Canucks, and he can probably go into his 30s, although I really suggest them let Demko start.
Basically, Miller is supposedly only resignable if Demko needs to develop. There's no worries of Markstrom, but it all goes down to Demko.

Troy Stecher may be the most underlooked Canuck

Bo Horvat has emerged as a consistent player. The depth on the Canucks had improved. Bärtschi, Granlund, Sutter, the Canucks are a solid team there. On the blue line, russian Nikita Trainamkin and Erik Gudbranson highlight the new roster, with longtime returnees Edler and Tanev, with Sbisa as the weird one who's there. But then there's Troy Stecher.
Stecher shown in the young stars weekend in Penticton, and was a stud in preseason. I would be quite surprised to see him start the season in Utica, but that was indeed what happened.
I knew that meant Phillip Larsen being the 6th D on opening night, but watching him, Larsen was nowhere near as exceptional as Stecher, who even outplayed Canucks top pick Olli Juolevi during preseason. Larsen fired wide shots constantly, and could've passes to the forwards, who could've played in front of the net. It sucks that he couldn't prove himself enough with Vancouver. He could've settled in well here if he wasn't injured perhaps. But that meant Stecher being in the lineup, and he really was good.
Stecher is, basically, the only defense mainly focused on offense. He takes the shot, but it doesn't go wide, it's accurate, and low enough so the goalie can't catch it, but has to play it with the pad, resulting in the rebound, resulting in more shots, resulting in possible goals. And even of his shot is a little high, there's always the chance of Stecher scoring.

So far, he has 2 goals, not bad, and 12 assists. Also not bad. He doesn't need to produce as many points as the forwards, as he is a blueliner. He can improve on his defensive play and positioning to help him. He is probably the biggest steal of the offseason for Vancouver.

Canucks in 2020: Their Golden Year

While most expansion teams are celebrating their golden year (The Blues, Penguins and Kings), the Canucks will have to wait until 2020 for their year (A golden year is a celebration of 50 years). But how should they?
First thing: Nostalgic jerseys. Bring home the flying skate, or make the stick and rink the primary logo? During that time, the Adidas jersey deal would have been active for 2 seasons, no need to really worry. Another thing, having a game at the Pacific Coliseum.
Who didn't love the good days when they played on the Rink on Renfrew? Almost won 2 cups in that building, and so many great names skated on the ice. The Giants would play there, and they won a memorial cup, which is basically the major junior league's Stanley Cup. Ahhh, it's a shame they moved.
A game wouldn't be too much to ask. It's unlikely they'll demolish the Coliseum.
But what else? Experts don't believe the Canucks will return to powerhouse status that season, but a brief playoff push could earn revenue and help out ( just like the current playoff push). But actually winning a playoff round would be nice (They haven't won one since the Cup Run!)

HENR1K!

Henrik Sedin was a legendary player.
I remember the day very well. November 2nd, 2010. For Henrik and Daniel Sedin, it was a normal Canucks win, 4-3 versus Edmonton at Rexall Place. But for me, it was the first time I had ever watched hockey. The first time I ever knew that Vancouver had a hockey team. The first time I realized how much hockey meant for millions of people. Now, fast-forward to 4 days ago. January 20th, 2017. A few hours ago, Donald Trump became the 45th President of the USA. For the Sedins, most importantly Henrik, it was a game that would help the Canucks' sudden shift for a wild card push, and it would be, perhaps, the most important game of Henrik's career. He entered the arena with 999 points. He left it with 1000.

The events leading up to it was crazy. Loui Eriksson, a player that I had just recently wrote a story about, robbed by yet another Lou, Roberto Luongo. In the 1st Period, intense push by the Canucks, but still no score. The chance of seeing Henr1k that night became less likely. The Panthers score, and then it happened. Daniel passes the puck ahead to Henrik, who scores one just past Luongo and the post. On that November 2010 night, they had been teammates. But now they were opponents who were playing against each other.
The entire bench comes off to celebrate. Rogers Arena, which isn't the fullest, which has become a staple for the Canucks, was on their feet. When it seemed like the celebration between players was over, Luongo heads over to say his congratulations. Henrik and them have a nice moment that reflects the Canucks 2011 Cup Run. And so, Henrik Sedin becomes the 85th player to score 1000 points, and the first to score every single one as a Canuck. Daniel is next.
#DanielwillbeNext

Why Bo Horvat is the most valuable young gun on the Canucks

Bo Horvat, the young rookie from Ontario, who many expected to be a Devil, who bursted into the high rankings of the Canucks organization, is now the sole Canuck on the Pacific Division's All-star team. But what does that mean for the team?
Horvat has a magnificent 31 point season. He is enroute for a 50 point season, which would already be his career best for a season, and he may try for 60. The Sedins are producing good stats on a mediocre team, but you can tell that they are getting older as they fade away from the newer generation of NHL players.
It is vital that the management team resign Horvat to a good sized contract for his caliber ( 2 to 3 Million). Perhaps shipping away overpriced players may help. He has shown the signs of a good leader, and fans believe him to be the next captain after Henrik Sedin.
And let's not forget about the trading of our supposed future starter Cory Schneider that shocked the Canuck Nation. Schneider has been struggling this season, while Horvat is just breaking out. Good win by Mike Gillis, his last big trade besides the farewell of fan favorite and former captain and starter Roberto Luongo. Despite the sadness, we got goalie Jacob Markstrom to replace Schneider. It also killed off the insane Luongo contract.
Horvat was a good steal, and his quick emergence resulted in Virtanen, a player that was picked 3 picks ahead of Horvat, note that they were in different draft years in case of confusion, dropping down. He hasn't developed as much as expected in Utica, and is a top 6 forward at best currently.
If Schneider does lead New Jersey to a solid cup run, Markstrom doesn't become our future ace, and Luongo becomes the next Jagr, then at least we can say that Bowie has some competition.
Also, if the Canucks trade for Tom Wilson and David Pastrnak, then the Canucks would have a Space Odyssey line (David-Bowie-Major Tom).

The End of Canucks Weekly Reviews: Bonus Story Included

Yes, I've decided to end the Canucks Weekly Reviews. To be honest, it's too much of a fuss to make, and tops to people like steve dangle who do game by game reactions. That's challenging to do. I will instead do an occasional story here or there, just like I did back in November, which I think was probably the best month this blog has seen.
Also, I forgot to mention this in my last post, but happy 2k17! Looking forward to a great year with hopefully some exciting things to happen. I may actually visit the HHOF, in Toronto, which I'm excited for.

Now, for the bonus story that I mentioned, to make this fair and not a clickbait, I want to talk about the biggest roller coaster of a player this season, Loui Eriksson.
Remember when I went to opening night in October? Yeah, I was there live for the Eriksson own goal and the people sitting to my left were saying "did Eriksson just put that puck into his own net?" My dad thought the Gudbranson dive was pretty nice.
So, that thing must have ruined Eriksson. The biggest accquiring of this off season, we signed him to a contract that is for a touted player that's first line caliber, a contract that is over 5 million (I believe the number is 6 Million, and 6 years?).
And for such a big elite player to score an own goal as his biggest play on a new team, his morale must've been poor. He struggled offensively, but he has been improving steadily. Still, 19 points ( 9 goals and 10 assists) in 44 games is below half a point per game, but still above a quarter point. I hope he forgets about that incident and continues to play well. I want to see him scoring 40 points and over a season, as he is over 30 and is an older player. And he is the only reason fans can chant Louuuuuuu in home games that aren't against the Panthers.
RIP Luongo

The Patrik Laine Hit

We all know what happened on saturday, in the game between the Jets and sabres, which I believe should be considered a rivalry, especially at this rate, patrik Laine received a suicide pass, I believe from Mark scheifle, and ended up getting the full blow from Jake McCabe.
He has been diagnosed with a concussion.
Now, people should think of it as this: it's likely he'll be fine, crosby suffered injuries in the past yet is still a superstar. McDavid got that brutal injury yet he's just leading the way for the Oilers. No need to worry right?
Well, true. But there have been times when an injury can ruin ones career. DiPietro may not have been considered a bust if not for the injuries he suffered, Kariya was a generational talent, the best Japanese player, but he got rocked a lot. And the saddest sob story of these 3, ladies and gentlemen, as a Canucks fan, it saddens me to say that Pavel Bure may have been a great legend if it weren't for injuries suffered.
But the biggest has to be Eric Lindros, if it weren't for injury, he may have been enducted much earlier. But still, don't worry. Concussions are common, if anything Laine would probably put up a good effort in his return.
Man, that Bure thing saddens me.