Since Nov. 9, the Vancouver Canucks have won two out of 12 games (2-7-3), the least amount of wins in the NHL in that span. Now, they’ve hit rock bottom – literally, as they’re the NHL’s worst team with a 10-15-3 record.
Vancouver has indeed had some injuries to key players, including injuries to starting goalie Thatcher Demko and forwards Conor Garland and Filip Chytil. But all the losing is starting to wear on Canucks players – most notably, on star defenseman Quinn Hughes.
As one of the NHL’s premier blueliners, Hughes logs more ice time than any other skater in the league at an average of 27:30 per game. However, Hughes made it clear this week he can’t pull off his civilian clothes and turn into a superhero who can carry Vancouver to wins all by himself.
“I’m not perfect, not Superman,” Hughes told the media earlier in the week. “Yeah, I get tired, for sure…there’s definitely moments in games where, you know, I’m breaking out pucks, I’m transporting pucks to the neutral zone, I’m doing my thing in the O-zone…(and) trying to create scoring chances for our team. And that’s hard to do for half the game.”
Indeed, when you’re on the ice as much as Hughes is, you’re going to see the good and bad in your team, and fatigue is bound to play a factor.
But as the Canucks have slid down to the bottom of the standings, there is increasing speculation about trades that are likely to be made by Canucks GM Patrik Allvin and Vancouver president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford.
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As one of the longest-serving management figures in the game, Rutherford is famous for making moves well in advance of the season’s trade deadline.
That’s what we saw from him last season when the Canucks dealt center J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers on Jan. 31 of this year, amid a rift with Vancouver center Elias Pettersson.
In any case, the Canucks have two wins in their past 10 games, and their upcoming schedule is a killer. They’ll be facing teams such as the Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks – all teams that are either in a playoff position right now, or that are close to a playoff spot.
By the time the calendar year ends, Vancouver’s playoff aspirations could be all but completely snuffed out. And at that point, there may not be any Canucks players who are untouchables when it comes to trades.
Aside from the Canucks stating they are willing to get younger in the trade market, only the team’s front office knows who could potentially be out the door next.
The Canucks look like they’re in dire need of a major makeover, and while the moves Rutherford and Allvin make may be shocking, the truth is that hanging onto the status quo would be even more of a shock.
When you’re as much of a disappointment as Vancouver has been, there should be few, if any, sacred players on the roster. With a rebound that is less likely by the day, the only question now is who gets moved out of Vancouver, and how deep the cuts to the Canucks are going to be.
Vancouver has made its bed with this brutal start to the year. And the rest of the way this season, they’re going to have to lie in that bed and change the makeup of the roster for years to come.
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