Team: 2022-23 Vancouver Canucks

Initial Creation Date: Dec. 15, 2022

Published: Dec. 15, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Following the 2020 bubble run the Canucks were widely considered to have one of the most promising young cores in the league, and it seemed if it would only be a year or two before they upgraded into being true Cup contenders. Instead, Jim Benning and others have botched managing this team in every way conceivable, with has led to the mediocre directionless mess we find ourselves with today.
Here is a hypothetical exercise demonstrating what Canucks could currently look like based on these changes. Hindsight is 20-20:
2020 Off-season
1. Sign Chris Tanev and Tyler Toffoli
Tanev’s chemistry with Hughes was special and when you take his character and leadership into account the 4 x 4.5-million-dollar deal seems like a steal.
Toffoli is a solid 2-way piece and was a nice fit with the team, probably re-signs for 5 x 5 million.
To create room for signings: Brayden Holtby and Jake Virtanen are never signed, and Schmitt never traded for.

2. Trade Tanner Pearson at 2021 deadline
At the time Pearson was 28 and a solid, 2-way top 6 option, a team pays a 2nd for him.

2021 Off-season
1.Undo the OEL trade
Awful trade by awful GM, truly the ugliest deal of Benning’s embarrassing tenure.

2. Do the Eichel Deal
Jack has proved he remains a potential franchise level player with his play through this year. Trade is made form exact substitutions of the VGK- BUF trade.
Touch = Miller
Krebs = Podkolzon
2022 1st = Lekkeramkki
2023 2nd = 2023 second VAN originally sent away in OEL deal

3. Cancel Poolman deal, Dickinson trade
Self explanatory, bad bets on mediocre players.

4. Draft Logan Stankoven instead of Danila Klimovich
I cringe every time I watch Stankoven play knowing VAN could have him over a longshot-project Klimovich. Stankoven from BC too, this one stings.

2022 Off-season
1. Dump Tyler Myers
Long overdue.Adding 2nd gets it done, B-level prospect comes back.

2. Trade for Jacob Chychrun
Meet ARZ ask, definitely an overpay but without throwing away assets in other horrible trades team can afford this kind of move. Chychrun locked up long term completes D core during cup window

3. Sign Andre Burakovsky in Free Agrency
Burakovsky has been a pleasant surprise in SEA and seemingly has found a new offensive gear, currently playing at a ppg rate. Only 27, so 5.5 million through prime years more than reasonable. Ideal fit fir Eichel’s wing.

4. Give Horvat Miller Deal
Every Canucks fan now knows this was a mistake. Prioritize your CAPTAIN and do right by a guy who has given his all to this organization. 7 years x 8 million before the season gets it done.

Conclusion
The team above would clearly be a top tier Cup Contender. Obviously making this sequence of unbelievable moves would’ve been highly unlikely, but the point of this exercise was to show how detrimental managements short-sighted moves become when compounded with one another. It is abundantly apparent that the Canucks to believe the evidence in front of them and give up any hope that this group as currently constructed will achieve anything meaningful. It is time to play the long game, prioritize the acquisition and development of young players and prospects, move aging players with value, and become comfortable with the word rebuild. If these steps are followed, the Canucks just might eventually win that seemingly forever illusive Stanley Cup.

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