First half Analysis after 42 games ..

[Tiger]

Just wanted to get your thoughts on the changes in the team and its position since we are just past the halfway point of the season.. A lot of small changes in personnel since we did this at the 1/4 point..
Its now become Bo Horvats team.. Sedins are fading out.. New star arising is Tryamakin.. ( f I cant spell it right ) ..Sbisa most improved player.. At the beginning of the season I prophesysd ( wild guess ) we'd just miss the playoffs ..We've had some great goaltending and hockey luck and are still in contention..

[Mr.Miyagi]

Good take Tiger.

I've went from intrigued, to excited, to impressed of Tryamkin as well. He's my new favourite Canuck. So much that I bought a #88 Tryamkin jersey when I was at the Kings game on the 30th. Disclaimer - that usually means decline or traded when I buy a custom jersey, so if it happens ... you know why.

Fully agree on Sbisa for most improved. I heard/read somewhere he has been seeing a sports psychologist and it seems to be helping alot. The guy was always physically capable but had a lot of mental gaffs. He has really come around this season.

Agreed that this is Bo's team now, and I think the twins are fine with that, too. Speaking of the twins ... I believe they are still a very effective 1A/1B line if they can get a capable winger playing with them full time. Hansen is the perfect fit when healthy. It pains me to see Megna with them and I was quite relieved to hear WD is giving Ericksson another chance with them. As long as the triple B's keep up their play, the Sedins should have some more breathing room and begin to produce again.

I've also really liked the development of Granlund this year. He has proven he deserves to be in the lineup full-time and can contribute on both ends of the ice.

Goaltending has been quietly consistent and above average. The team needs this if we want to compete.

As for negatives ... WD makes me scratch my head and wonder "WTF" at least a few times a week. I still haven't quite got that guy figured out.

Gudbranson was disappointing prior to the injury (which I am sure played a part in his under performance) and I hope to see him bounce back when he returns. The problem with that is who the heck do they take out of the lineup, assuming a healthy defense ? ... I'm not sure he deserves a spot over any one of the bottom 4 after Edler and Tanev.

Special teams have been the achilles heel of this team, and I think if they can improve drastically in both PP and PK they can make playoffs.

So far, so good. Let's just hope the injuries stay away for the second half and we don't have to see too many more AHL'ers.

[SKYO]

I predicted playoffs in the offseason/preseason citing a fixed up defense, solid goaltending and hoping the youth improved.....then we went on 9 game losing streak and I went on team tank mode like a true champion mwahaha, flip flopped back to hmm maybe this team has some jam to pull this off, now it's I don't know what's going to happen!

One thing to take note is the team has a lot of fight and will power to never give up in every game, lots of comebacks this season. Helps having the backbone of strong goaltending every game, a luxury not many teams have in a rebuilding phase. MillerTime earning that cash this season for sure, Markstrom learning from a pro.

Team is getting energized by the youth, while the Sedins are still the possession wizards, especially setting up the powerplay, just lacking finish in their older pro sports age.

When I watch the horvat line in the powerplay they have a harder time trying to setup compared to the Sedins, in time it looks like Baertschi can be that guy to enter into the zone taking lead in that category.

Seems pretty clear Henrik will have to pass the torch to Horvat, like Naslund did to the twins, what would be a nice gesture this offseason is Henrik naming Bo captain for the 2017/18 season.

[Tiger]

With the Sedins playing 20 minutes a game and Bo's line about 18 its no wonder the twins look tired..

Maybe if the Sedins played a maximum of 15 min a game ( including PP time ) they might be more effective ?

I was looking at ESPN stats.. we are ranked 20th on both pk and goals against so aren't doing too bad defensively .. But we are 23rd on goals for and 27th on the PP.. time to change PP units ?

[Madcombinepilot]

Seems pretty clear Henrik will have to pass the torch to Horvat, like Naslund did to the twins, what would be a nice gesture this offseason is Henrik naming Bo captain for the 2017/18 season.

The Twinsition is moving along nicely, but there is no need to rush moving the 'C'. Make Bo and Assistant next year if you really have a hankering, but really, other than optics, what good will come from the extra pressure (especially that pressure crested by bag licking media) of making Bo the captain? Really, what (if any) advantages come from making Bo a Captain early?!? -- and what are the disadvantages of having him cave a bit under the pressure?!?

From the outside of the locker room, we have no idea what the leadership groups are, nor do we see how the leadership works inside that's room.. let Hank and Danny mentor the younglings until the twins are gone, then make your announcements.

The concept of a 'smooth transition' goes out the window when there is '2 captains' in the room.

[Mickey107]

I have to say that the Sedins do still cycle the puck well on the PP. They are still very hard to defend against.
The problem is, there is no velocity on the shots, when the shots are taken at all.
I am very aware that age slows you down somewhat but come on guys, lets pump some iron. Do a few wrist curls. Work on the shoulders a tad.
The age is no excuse for whimpy shots.

[Benjo]

D

I was wrong about Gudbranson being slightly better than Sbisa. He has trended in the complete wrong direction, possibly due to his wrist injury (not that he was any good in October) while Sbisa has dramatically improved his own play. I think the Canucks should definitely trade him to a playoff team at the deadline rather than re-signing him.

Its going to be fun seeing what Tryamkin and Stecher turn into, they are showing a lot of promise in their own ways.

Hutton has had a much tougher 2nd year but I'm seeing glimpses of what he showed last year, could just be its his Sophomore season.

F

The 4th line is playing serviceable minutes with Dorsett gone, Gaunce is doing a good job of anchoring that line.

The Baer-Bo-Burr line has performed way above expectations and brought Burr back from the dead.

The Sedins and Hansen have been terrific, the Sedins and anybody else save for Erickson have been putting in the effort, but have been getting buried by opposition for the most part. It seems like teams are focusing more on Bo's line as the offensive threat now. I'd be happy if I never saw Megna or Sutter on their line again.

Granlund's line has also performed above expectations this season, but some nights the line just seems like a non-factor.

It would be nice if Rodin could start showing some life in practice and start earning some ice time, this team always needs more goals and he has so much more potential than Megna.

Happy to see Virtanen ihe minors. I hope he stays there until he is ready, he hasn't show near enough for a #6 pick.

All in all the team has performed way above expectations thus far, projected bottom 3 finish and they are still in the playoff hunt. Credit goes to the leadership for pushing the guys to not quit on the coach. I think this team has worked hard for Willie and has helped him keep his job in spite of his curious decision making at times.

[ESQ]

I've noticed that Coach Manny has already had an enormous impact on the team's faceoff performance. Last year Bo was 50.9%, Henrik 46.0, and the rest were 42% and under.

This year, Bo is up to 54%, Sutter is at 55, Henrik 50.1 and even Chaput and Gaunce are over 50% on the 4th line.

The scoring is also more balanced, though obviously lacking that top-end. Right now, Horvat is on pace for 57 points but could crack 60, and Henrik is on pace for 51 points. What's interesting is Sven, Daniel will be in the 40s, and Sutter and Eriksson could all end up in the 40s. Burrows and Granlund are both on pace for mid-30s. That is actually quite decent production from 2nd and 3rd liners in today's NHL.

And while its of nominal value, its also interesting that Bo went from a -30 last season to currently +2. That's probably cancelled out by Sutter's -14 and Granlund's -15.

Its encouraging to see a few players having career years (Bo, Sven, possibly Sutter, Granlund). Unfortunately that doesn't make up for the drop in production from the Sedins and Eriksson.

Hmm, wonder if maybe they should play together a bit more often...

[Todd Bersnoozi]

I've also really liked the development of Granlund this year. He has proven he deserves to be in the lineup full-time and can contribute on both ends of the ice.

I'm really happy with Granlund as well. He's like 5th for team lead in goals and 7th for points. For a guy playing mostly on the 3rd line, it's solid contribution. I can't believe some guys think he should be exposed in the expansion draft. IMO, it's a no brainer, we have to protect him because of his age, contract and potential. I don't know, the guy just seems to have a quiet confidence in himself. He knows he can play in the league and he's willing to pay the price to prove it.

Sutter with his defensive skills and speed, if he was also a playmaker/passer & grew some biceps he'd be Ryan O'Reilly.

I have been pretty happy with Sutter as well. We didn't really see enuff of him last year to really know what we had in him. This year he's showing everything that was hyped about him. I think he's basically a poor man's Kesler, similar skill set, but minus the edge. However, I think Sutter will be a better player than Kes in a couple years, mainly cuz of the age.

[Diehard1]

The good:

Stecher - much further along than I thought he would be at this stage
Tryamkin - big and poised - plays a solid game
Bo - not much needs to be said, the best player on the team so far this season
Goalies - both have been very solid this year
Sbisa - not a great player but miles better this year than in years past

The bad:

Gudbranson - just a tire fire so far, much worse than he should be and I'd actually protect Sbisa over him for expansion. Can't say enough about how bad he's been so far
Larsen - hasn't done much of anything right when he's played
Rodin - to this point I don't even know why they brought him back given he's barely played. Kind of incomplete I guess
Megna - the fact he's still getting chance after chance makes no sense, he's done next to nothing in his time in vancouver. Solid AHL player which is where he should still be
Eriksson - was bad to start and has gone to meh. Not want you expect from a $6 million a year guy

The rest of the team has been somewhere in the middle. Some have been good when they play (Hansen, Tanev) but haven't played enough games. Others have been up and down (Edler, Twins, Hutton, Sutter). I have liked Gaunce's game, looks like a solid 4th line center with some small upside. Baertschi has been good lately but eas garbage to start the year. Granlund looks like a solid 3rd line guy for years to come.

The biggest problem for me? The shitty style of hockey they play. This dump and chase, New Jersey style trapping, grind it out hockey is painful to watch especially with a mediocre at best team. Rely on the goalie, try to win by one goal (which they've been doing at a rate that almost no team ever has), winning in OT and SO, late tying goal to salvage a point stuff has made them look better than they are.

To me this is a bad team that has some promise, but not enough depth to go anywhere anytime soon. The twins are falling off quickly, not enough young forward depth and a few bad contracts will mean they are still mediocre for the next couple of years. I really hope I'm wrong but the team will definitely need a couple of new scorers in the very near future, let's hope they can draft them as this type of player is very expensive in free agency.

[Island Nucklehead]

The biggest problem for me? The shitty style of hockey they play. This dump and chase, New Jersey style trapping, grind it out hockey is painful to watch especially with a mediocre at best team. Rely on the goalie, try to win by one goal (which they've been doing at a rate that almost no team ever has), winning in OT and SO, late tying goal to salvage a point stuff has made them look better than they are.

To me this is a bad team that has some promise, but not enough depth to go anywhere anytime soon. The twins are falling off quickly, not enough young forward depth and a few bad contracts will mean they are still mediocre for the next couple of years. I really hope I'm wrong but the team will definitely need a couple of new scorers in the very near future, let's hope they can draft them as this type of player is very expensive in free agency.

Your second point is the reason for the first.

[Meds]

The Sedins have fallen off a cliff.

Henrik has 4 points in his last 10 games, which includes a 2 point night in Colorado.

Daniel has 1 point in his last 10 games.

Both of them have been on the ice for some game changing goals at the wrong end of the rink. I would like to find the stat that shows how often they are on the ice when we have a short-handed goal scored against us.....I'm too lazy to do more than google it though.

They are far and away the leaders for PPTOI among forwards, and yet they often generate next to nothing in terms of chances compared to the second unit.

If Benning has a chance to pull the trigger on a deal that brings in a top line winger to play with Bo and Baertschi next year, then he should do it (no we cannot rely on Boeser to be that guy in 2017-18). The Sedins definitely need to be the 2nd line, in every respect, next year. I cannot see Benning offering them a contract beyond this one.

[Topper]

Disappointing.

Weaknesses last year were #1 scoring, #2 defensive depth

Moves to address the former have not panned out. While the growth of Bo, Sven and a lesser extent Granlund, has been expected and the return of a healthy Sutter makes the picture brighter, Loui is an enigma and the Sedin's have taken a larger step backwards than expected. Unfit and uncommitted Jake is unacceptable (on Jake's part).

Chaput, Megna and Skille? Really?

Defensive depth has improved with the emergence of Tryamkin and the acquisition of Gudbranson. Hutton is still learning and is finding the increased load difficult. I don't think Guds was ready for top four duty either. Stetcher and Larsen were brought in to help backend scoring and neither really have. The extra baby siting duty their D partners have to do take too much away from the balance.

Goaltending has been hot and cold. Miller still likes to surrender a soft one, but when he's hot, as of late, he's damn good. Markstrom has completely failed to step up and wrestle the #1 position. Goals against is abysmal and that resides heavily on the forwards failing to get their own forecheck going.

[Cornuck]

The Sedins have fallen off a cliff.

I'm a big Sedin fan, and love what they have done for this franchise. I've been for the idea of signing them to extend their time with the Canucks... but that thought is fading as the season goes on.

They're also looking to be 'minus' players for the first time since their rookie year. And although they've never been known for their speed, they're looking outright sluggish right now.

Will they have a rebound like Burrows? Will their pride carry them through next year and remind us what they're capable of? It's hard to believe they're suddenly so 'old' - but could a motivated off-season bring them back next year? If so - then what? Will they just be playing for a contract or re-energized to play a few more years, ala Jagr?

As for the team as a whole, they're about what I was expecting. Competitive most nights, but not having the guns to play against top contenders. The young D has been the most pleasant surprise so far - but can they hold up through the 2nd half?

[ESQ]

This year the handling of the Sedins reminds me a lot of Naslund's last season.

I remember getting to go to a game that year and seeing Naslund lining up with Brandon Reid and Jason Jaffray. And that was the team's second line!!!

The Sedins aren't the players that can lift a Brabarian from obscurity to productivity any more, which means they're not going to be in a position to succeed with a career-AHL winger.

I do think separating them from Eriksson has given the team more balanced scoring, though at the major expense of top-line productivity. With a good-to-great winger, I think the Sedins would be 60+ point players still.