Patrick Johnston: The Canucks are the NHL’s only squad without a third-period comeback win. That says something.
At the end of they day, there’s a simple truth that covers all teams in all sports — you are only as good as your best players.
The Canucks haven’t won a game this season when trailing after two periods. They are 0-19-4.
Of course most teams lose in this scenario, but the Canucks are the only squad in the NHL to be winless when trailing after two.
Yes, everyone comes back … except the Canucks.
And look how it’s gone for the two centres. One isn’t here anymore and the other, well … you know about the other. And then there’s Hughes, who single-handedly kept the Canucks’ offence good enough to stay in the playoff race. But look where they’ve been without him.
The Canucks have gone from a team that looked to be on the verge of taking a big step forward to one that is now in a true identity crisis. Miller was the team’s emotional pulse. Pettersson had struggled in the second half, but overall was coming off yet another strong two-way season.
And Hughes won the Norris Trophy.
But that all seems a dream now. The team started slowly. Management and the coaching staff misfired in a couple off-season signings. And the Miller-Pettersson situation blew up in their faces, far worse than anyone could have anticipated.
The Canucks hope to make the playoffs in the short-term. In the long-term, they really need to decide who they want to be.
There is promise on the blueline, between Hughes’ dominance — when healthy — and the youth of Elias “Junior” Pettersson and Victor Mancini, and (soon) Tom Willander.
Further, does Tocchet want to play a role in that? He needs a new contract — yes, the team has an option year for next season, but the relationship needs a deeper connection, an extension, in order to sell whatever vision management hopes to sell here, to the players but also to the fans.
So much of the frustration out of the trade deadline was about management being apparently stuck, staring back into the headlights.
They were aggressive in trade talks. They were looking to add a centre. They were ready to move players off the current roster beyond Boeser. They were prepared to continue to re-set this lineup.
They still have to fill the emotional and playing hole left behind by Miller. They have to figure out the path forward with Pettersson.
They need to create a vision that fans can buy into. Fans are being asked to fork out more and more money, but are seeing a less and less inspiring product. They aren’t bottomless bags of money.
They are people who want to care. They are people who want to see comeback wins.
They are people who are ready to be convinced of something — but it has to make sense.