Biggest Question Mark heading into the season?

[Madcombinepilot]

I think the biggest question is how fast the players can adapt to whatever system coach Willie puts into place, and if that system jives with the type of players we have assembled.

the sum of the team is always bigger than the sum of a couple players.

[Topper]

Scoring.

The biggest hit to scoring the last two seasons has been the ineffective power play.

[Madcombinepilot]

Scoring.

The biggest hit to scoring the last two seasons has been the ineffective power play.

yet we have the same PP coach as last year......

[herb]

Who the hell is going to score?

What's concerning to me is that in order to get to 220 or 230 goals (2.7 - 2.8 goals per game)we need a lot of guys to either post career best kind of numbers or really turn back time and post the kind of numbers they posted two or three years ago.

Not impossible, but certainly concerning.

H Sedin - 15
D Sedin- 25
Vrbata - 25
Bonino - 20
Kassian - 20
Burrows - 20
Higgins - 15
Matthias -15
Hansen - 15
Richardson -10
Vey - 5
Dorsett - 5
Sestito - 2

Edler - 10
Bieksa - 8
Hamhuis - 6
Tanev - 6
Weber - 5
Stanton - 2
Sbisa - 1

This would get us to 230 goals on the year. Not impossible, but...

Turning the PP around is the first step, but we've been plagued with three years of terrible power play. At what point does it become an irreversible trend until the personnel change?

[herb]

yet we have the same PP coach as last year......

By all accounts Gulutzan was a lame duck last year with Torts and Sullivan running the show.

[mathonwy]

Turning the PP around is the first step, but we've been plagued with three years of terrible power play. At what point does it become an irreversible trend until the personnel change?

Tough question herb.

Since 2011/12 season, our PP has steadily gone into the toilet and IMHO, the biggest reason for that happening is Hank and Dank over-passing the puck in the corner to the right of the opposing goalie.

Hank usually sets up on the half boards and cycles it to Dank to get the opponents running around. This works 5 on 5 because of a higher likelihood of confusion and blown coverages because of those two extra bodies. However, on the PP, the opposition isn't biting anymore and chasing the Sedins. Everybody is now consistently holding their 4 man box until eventually, one of the Sedins get trapped and the puck gets turned over.

Fuck, I've watched this happen so many times I can visualize it anytime I want.

Last year, they tried using Garrison on the point but his "bomb" was more of a dud as it was rarely accurate and now we don't have that option. They also had a stretch of time of using Weber on the point but Weber isn't a good enough puck distributor to make anything happen.

Hank and Dank are our best puck distributors (the new players notwithstanding). If the twins are unable to adjust their power play game plan then it'll be same old same old.

[herb]

Maybe it is just me, but IMHO Hank and Dank have become too tentative and slow with the puck. They always seem to think, then over think and double clutch when they used to just protect the puck, move the puck and direct scoring chances towards the net.

I don't know what the answer is, but we're banking on the same basic recipe as the last couple of years - which hasn't worked - plus we have lost a very good shooter in Kesler who could create goals just with his shot alone.


As an aside, now that training camp is upon us, it's really sinking in that Kesler is gone. It still doesn't seem like we got enough for him...

[ClamRussel]

No pp QB = no pp success.

[Topper]

Power plays are quarterbacked from the half boards. Hank needs to move the puck quickly and often to someone outside his gene pool.

A lack of movement has been the biggest issue. Not only puck movement but player movement as well.

Garrisson's shot will be missed but he was also a stationary pillar on the PP and symbolic of the issue the PP had. He stayed at his point position and would only shoot, invariably wide, if the pass was perfectly in his wheelhouse.

[ClamRussel]

Thats one way of doing it, yes. Having a Dman who can carry the puck & control the play doesn't need to take away from Hank on the half-boards. More options = not being so one-dimensional which is exactly why they have struggled on the man advantage for 2 years now. Way too predictable.

[Hockey Widow]

yet we have the same PP coach as last year......

By all accounts Gulutzan was a lame duck last year with Torts and Sullivan running the show.

I thought Gulutzan was running the PK this year with Willie and someone else jointly running the PP.

[Meds]

When one of Hank or Dank have been injured, the one still lacing them up moves the puck faster and without the overthinking. The idea of splitting the Sedins up has long been rehashed, and 5-on-5 it's probably not a great plan, but maybe on the PP it's the way to go.

[SKYO]

What's your biggest concern about this edition of your Vancouver Canucks?

Bringing in the young guns....

JENSEN

HORVAT

SHINKARUK

FOX

This team hasn't brought along "young gun" in centuries, it'd be nice if they can finally bring along one like a true 're-tooling' team.

[Tciso]

When one of Hank or Dank have been injured, the one still lacing them up moves the puck faster and without the overthinking. The idea of splitting the Sedins up has long been rehashed, and 5-on-5 it's probably not a great plan, but maybe on the PP it's the way to go.

The twins don't think the game. They play by instinct. And that is not the problem with our power play. Our PP sucked last season because we were playing the same system all season, and it was a crappy system for a power play. We never took advantage of defensive breakdowns, and we didn't more the puck around enough to create a lot of opportunities. Torts' system took the skill out of our powerplay.

[herb]

I thought Gulutzan was running the PK this year with Willie and someone else jointly running the PP.

Maybe...I haven't been paying much attention, to be honest.

The only other coaches are Lidster (defensive coach), Cooper (video coach) and Melanson (goaltending coach).