It’s been a season to forget for the Vancouver Canucks and their fan base, as the city grows tired of waiting for a Stanley Cup.
Year two of the fall from grace was rough after the club came within just one game of the Western Conference Final in the spring of 2024.
While languishing in the basement of the NHL and amid a full-blown rebuild, with players traded away, and empty seats as some long-time season ticket holders abandon the organization, there are reasons to be optimistic.
Sportsnet 650 Host Mike Halford tells 1130 NewsRadio the first thing on everyone’s mind is the upcoming NHL draft lottery, which takes place May 5.
“Assuming things go reasonably well in the lottery, there’s the first overall pick, and that’s always exciting and not always a given part of a rebuild,” Halford explained.
“In which case, if the Canucks choose to go that route, is Gavin McKenna, who is a very highly thought of, very highly-profiled prospect. And it’s not just the player but the hype that’s been built up over the last few years, and that gives a sense of excitement.”
But, Halford reminds that the team, which has never received first pick, could be forced to go third overall.
“Obviously, there’s going to be a tempered enthusiasm because there’s a sense of losing and that you’ve lost the lottery and you’ve dropped from where your rightful spot at the top, to ‘It’s not your choice anymore. You don’t dictate how the draft goes.’ I think when you drop to third, you can still get a very good player. And historically, you could get the player of the draft, because anything inside the top five, at times, still renders you an elite-level player. You just don’t control your own fate and destiny and that’s been something that’s been lacking from this organization for a long time,” said Halford.
“It’s tiring. It’s very frustrating watching a team that loses more than it wins, but also a team that’s done it in the manner that the Canucks have.”
“They’ve been on the wrong end of a lot of games this year, they’ve been losing far more frequently than they’ve been winning, and there is a sense of, ‘It would be nice if something just went our way,’ and we can say, ‘OK, we’ve dictated how we want the draft to go. We’ve got our guy, and we were the ones who got that pick.’ So, there would be a sense of disappointment if they dropped to third.”
As the Canucks move into the off-season, one thing is certain: the disappointment among fans.
“It’s tiring. It’s very frustrating watching a team that loses more than it wins, but also a team that’s done it in the manner that the Canucks have. There are teams that put forth a good effort and tried, and put on good shifts on a nightly basis, and a team that was maybe light on talent but fought and played for one another, and had good camaraderie and chemistry but just didn’t have talent. The Canucks team of last year had a lot of talent, but through in-fighting, dysfunction, and instability, it all fell apart. And this year, they had to blow it all up.”
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Halford says fans can expect next season to be lacklustre, but ideally not as bad.
“Usually when a team gets torn down, and pieces are traded off like they are, there are some real lean times that go with that. So these two years back-to-back are exceptionally trying for a fan base that is passionate and really has a fever pitch when it comes to following the team and to watch games that don’t matter and are often lopsided. When apathy starts to overtake disappointment, that becomes problematic. That’s another reason why the lottery is such a big deal: there’s a sense of optimism that comes with it, and luck — something breaking your way and finally something goes right. I just hope there’s not too big of a letdown.”
“I think they can overhaul everything. I think moving on from [Allvin and Foote] is a way to show the players and the fans that this is a new era and a new generation of Canucks hockey.”
Aside from the draft, fans can expect the team to be busy this summer, trying to nail down who stays and who goes.
“All of it is in the front office and behind the bench. They’re going to need to figure out what they’re going to do with the general manager position. They need some sort of confirmation, Jim Rutherford, as it sounds like he will, will stay on as the President of Hockey Operations. They need to decide if Patrik Allvin is going to remain as the General Manager or, as some rumblings suggest, he may be reshuffled into the organization. If he is removed, who is the next general manager? Does Ryan Johnson get elevated from his Assistant GM role and the GM role in Abbotsford? He’d be a rookie in GM in the NHL, so there’s some inexperience there.”
In addition to Allvin, Halford thinks it’s time for Head Coach Adam Foote to move on as well.
“If you decide it’s time to part ways, who do you bring up? Do you do the same thing à la Ryan Johnson with Manny Malhotra and bring him up from Abbotsford? If you do, what’s his role? Is he a teacher? Is he a guy who’s going to be here for the long haul? Is he prepared to lose a lot more games than he’s going to win, because that’s probably what next year is probably going to be at the NHL level. I think they can overhaul everything. I think moving on from both is a way to show the players and the fans that this is a new era and a new generation of Canucks hockey. And the guys in charge aren’t carrying any of the baggage of the past, they’re ready to look forward, and I think the best way to do that is with new personnel.”
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To focus on the draft, Halford says the team needs to make those decisions quickly.
The Canucks play their final game of the regular season in Edmonton Thursday. Puck drop is just after 6 p.m.
Listen live to Halford & Brough in the Morning, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Sportsnet 650, or subscribe on your favourite podcast app.