The Canucks have faced one of the softest schedules in the league.
Still, it’s hard not to look at the results this season: despite everything — injuries to key players, bad starts, a sometimes-sputtering power play — the Canucks have themselves in a good spot. Not a great spot, but a good spot.
How the rest of this season’s story plays out is very much in their hands.
Is there a strength of schedule corollary to the Canucks strong record so far? Seems like they’ve taken care of mostly lower quality teams. Just being a good Canucks fan & looking for the black cloud in the silver lining. — Duncan Stewart vis Bluesky
The schedule will be harder going forward, though by most measures only about league average.
Still, there are a whack of tough opponents still to come: the Canucks have yet to face the Vegas Golden Knights, for instance.
On the other hand, the Canucks’ schedule is perhaps the easiest on travel it’s ever been, as they will finish the season roughly middle of the pack for total distance travelled.
If the Hart Trophy is truly for the team’s most valuable player then Kevin Lankinen should be in the conversation. It won’t happen but he deserves it; he’s been THAT important to the Canucks
this season. — DonkeyFest via Bluesky
It’s hard to fathom what this team would look like.
Coaches love to say it’s a hard league to score goals in but they never mention it’s hard league to score goals in … if you’re facing quality goaltending.
Just ask Buffalo’s Tage Thompson.
Why does Myers keep getting sent out there? Mistake after mistake — Jibada74 via Bluesky
Sure, he doesn’t have much offensive upside anymore, but he’s still a competent defender in his own end and he does a decent job of moving the puck.
In his first four seasons in Vancouver, that wasn’t always the case — but under the Benning regime he was often being asked to be a guy he’s simply not. Now, under Tocchet, he’s a depth defenceman, asked to kill penalties and be generally reliable.
Now, because of the Canucks’ current roster structure, he’s played a lot. Probably more than you’d like.
So the real answer here is about roster construction: the Canucks know they have to add at least one more quality defenceman. And when they do, Myers’ minutes will be managed a little better.