This is how I judge the rebuild's progress - Horvat progressed from a 25-point player to a likely 40-point player. Baertschi is looking like a 35-point player. McCann and Virtanen are playing at 25-point paces. Hutton might hit 30 points.Ronning's Ghost wrote:Maybe this is the source of some of the differences in perspective on how Benning's moves are viewed. I had hoped there was still a chance for the Canucks to reload and be contenders while the Sedins were still making significant contributions (perhaps at the 'elite second line' level that was often projected to be their ceiling).dbr wrote:....it's pretty clear that barring catching lightning in a bottle with a handful of very young prospects we are not going to be contending any time soon.
As such I expect this team to fight the good fight on the ice and restock the cupboards for when the Sedins retire and we really bottom out and I'm okay with that.
If those players modestly progress next year, the Canucks would actually have a solid 2nd scoring line if they all approach 40 points. If a team has more than 5 players crack 50 points, they're probably going to be in the running for the President's Trophy - the 2011 Canucks had Sedins + Kesler over 60 points, and Ehrhoff, Sammy and Burrows right around 50. This year's Capitals have 3 players around 80 points, 2 more likely to crack 50, and 3 more who might get 40. Last year's Blackhawks had 4 over 50, and Sharp would have been over 50 in a full season.
Right now, it looks like the Canucks have developed a 40-point center in Horvat - something they haven't done since Kesler, and a player that goes for $4 mil + on the UFA market. If, in the next 2 years, the Canucks have developed their prospects into a 45-point center, a 40-point LW (Baertschi), a 35-point Dman (Hutton), and a 35-point center (McCann), the rebuild is in excellent shape, even if all of those players have hit their ceilings in their 2nd or 3rd year of pro hockey.
