Canucks Obstacles
All things considered, it’s been an impressive first 1/3 of the season for the Vancouver Canucks, and they’re still three or four games away from reaching that benchmark on the schedule.
Entering action on Friday, Vancouver has games in hand on everyone in the Pacific except the last place Anaheim Ducks.
The Canucks own the 3rd best winning percentage in the division despite a number of roster setbacks, some of them unfortunate, others being problems management created themselves.
Start with the latter. It centers on the wishful thinking involved with the potential 3rd D-pair when the season started. We brought it up as our biggest preseason concern: Issues about the mobility and overall lack of effectiveness of Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais, particularly together. ‘Vinnie’ is a suitable plug-in on occasion, but not an overly reliable regular, at least not one who’s going to help you reach the promised land if slotted improperly.
Size, durability and intimidation are still big factors come playoff time, but not when left alone on an island.
Aside from D-depth, for the most part, management should be commended. The talent on the roster, with delightful summer additions like Jake DeBrusk and Kiefer Sherwood, has overcome injuries and absences that would devastate lesser clubs, especially given the severity and/or length of the maladies.
J.T. Miller has been missing since November 17th for personal reasons. Brock Boeser missed a half dozen games with a head injury and now top-pair D-man Filip Hronek is out for a couple of months. There have been others.
Of course, the largest magnitude “events” that incorporate both the con and the pro; the loss of your number-one goalie (Thatcher Demko) for the entire season thus far, and the late-September signing (Kevin Lankinen) of a netminder that saved the team’s bacon.
Significant stuff, yet the Canucks are right where they need to be with an opportunity to make hay during a six-game homestand.
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