The Real Reason the Canucks Are Struggling

The Real Reason the Canucks Are Struggling

All right, Kucks fans. I think we have to have a little talk. But first, let’s quickly recap their last two tilts. Starting with game 26 against the Los Angeles Kings. Alias Patterson continued his string of dominant play. Here he is powering his way to the net, making a nice move and scoring just 30 seconds into the first period to put the Conucks up one- nothing. Except the puck didn’t actually fully cross the line here. It was reviewed and deemed no goal. But whatever. I mean, to me, that’s a goal. I’m fine with it not counting. I agree that it didn’t quite go in, but when the PD highlight pack gets put together at the end of the season, this should be included. That’s a goal. Zero nothing Vancouver. LA scored one- nothing Kings is what I would say if they hadn’t been caught cheating. Entering the zone offside and trying to sneak past everyone like we’re all stupid. No goal. You can’t do that. Still 000. Two disallowed goals in the first 3 minutes of a game is pretty unusual. So when Atu Ratu redirected a Quinn Hughes point shot past the pads of Anton Forsber to give the Conucks a one- nothing lead, I didn’t even celebrate. I wasn’t going to let this sport punk me any more than it already had. No goal. See, still 000. After that flurry of disallowed goals, both teams locked it down and turned this game into a defensive battle. The Kings opened the scoring late in the first period. The Canucks tied it up early in the second and the game stayed tied at once for the rest of regulation. Kevin Lankin was in net for Vancouver after missing the last two games for personal reasons. And as usual, he was solid. He stopped 91% of the shots he faced to keep his team in the game. Jonathan Lcramaki was back in the lineup for the first time in 22 games, which is awesome. But now Connor Garland’s out with an injury. Tom Dander was the most noticeable kuck in this game. And it’s not just because he’s slowly turning into my favorite player. This kid is just really good at hockey. In fact, I think his progress is getting a little lost in all the noise surrounding the team right now. He’s developing into a top four defenseman right in front of us, but we’re all too caught up in the chaos to really appreciate it. Willie T’s been a huge positive for Vancouver so far this season and it’s time we take notice. We all got to be on Willie Wash from here on out. Anyway, the Conucks lost this one in overtime. Kings won 2-1. Now, before I talk about Tuesday’s game against Kale Mar and the Colorado Avalanche, I want to give a quick shout out to the sponsor of today’s video, Manta Sleep. Manta makes sleep masks for people who actually want to sleep. Like really sleep. Their masks give you 100% blackout and adjustable fit and ultimate comfort even if you’re a side sleeper. I’ve been using mine every single night and it’s been so helpful. It feels like shutting off the arena lights after a big win. Total darkness, pure bliss. If you’re ready to sleep like a goalie after a shut out, calm and unbothered, grab your Mantis sleep mask today and use my code Nuck 10 for 10% off at checkout. Again, click the top link in the description of this video and use code NU10 for 10% off at checkout. Your future well-rested self will thank you. Okay, game 27 against the Colorado Avalanche. Look, the ABS are the best team in the league. Coming into this one, they had only lost one game in regulation time. One in 25 games. They’ve made a lot of teams look bad so far this season. Good teams, too. This wasn’t going to be easy. But then Lenus Carlson opened the scoring off a sweet feed from Archie Baines and all of a sudden it felt like the Conucks were going to blow out the best team in the league. Colorado Avalanche, more like avocado dipped in ranch. I don’t have any idea what that could possibly mean. Okay, I’m sick. right now. Give me a break. One- nothing Canucks. Kefir Sherwood busted in on a breakaway, but was stopped by ABS goalender Scott Wedgewood. When it comes to wood, are you team sure or team wedge? I’m sick. Let me try again. I know Kefir sure would have loved to wedge that puck into the net. Too bad Scott wouldn’t let him. Nailed it. Then De Brusk was stopped on a partial breakaway. And of course, just when I thought the Canucks were about to escape the first period, up one- nothing, Nathan McKinnon scored 1-1. Vancouver had a few solid scoring chances in the second period, but couldn’t capitalize on any of them, which sucks because the ABS scored twice to take a 3-1 lead into the third. And that was pretty much it. Aside from this beautiful individual effort from Max Sassone to create a scoring chance and Quinn Hughes demolishing some guy’s ankles, nothing else really happened. Well, nothing good at least. Unfortunately, Evander Kane was forced to leave the game with an injury after a collision with the linesman along the boards. Luckily, it’s not as bad as it sounds. He’s only listed as dayto-day, which means he’ll probably only miss a game or two, if even that, but still not good. Anyway, Kevin Lankin was the star of this game for Vancouver, at least in my opinion. He stopped 90% of the 31 shots he faced and without doubt did everything he could to help his team win. But the Canucks only scored one goal, and that’s just not going to be enough against a team like the Avalanche. Final score was 3-1 Colorado. The Conucks now have a record of 1014 and three, which puts them at 23 points on the season. That’s only one point away from being tied for dead last in the entire league. So, what the hell is going on? Why do the Canucks have less wins than they do losses? That’s not allowed. Who do we blame for this? Management, ownership, the players, our own expectations? I honestly don’t know. But let’s look at the facts. The Conucks came into this season with one glaring, universally agreed upon issue. They lacked depth at the center position. The entire off season was spent looking for a center that they never ended up finding. They came close though. Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi was almost shipped to Vancouver, but the Conucks didn’t want to give up their first round pick, so it fell through. And then they used that pick to draft Braden Coots, a player that we’re all super excited about. So, I don’t mind them saying no to that deal. The only notable addition they made in the offseason was trading for Evander Kane, a scoring winger in the later stages of his career with a sizable, albeit expiring capit. The move was controversial from the moment it happened, but it really peaked when Pew Sudter signed with St. Louis. Why bring on Kane’s contract if it meant losing Sudter in free agency? Sudter’s a center. That’s what we need. What were they thinking? Some Canucks fans point to this as proof that it’s all management’s fault, but I don’t really see it that way. If you remember, Brock Besser was as good as gone going into the offseason. And losing a 25 plus goalcorer is never a good thing. So I imagine when the Oilers put out feelers on Kane, the Canucks saw that as a cheap way to bring in a guy who could at least put a dent in that number in Besser’s place. I think it got complicated when Brock accepted Vancouver’s last minute lowball offer 15 minutes into free agency. I don’t think management expected that to happen. I don’t even think Besser expected to be back. That put the team in a weird situation. They kept Besser, but they also kept his replacement. Now, they did apparently offer free agent Christian D’vorak a three-year deal worth $4 million per season, but he declined and chose to sign a one-year, $5.4 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. As for why D’vorak chose to leave $6.6 million on the table, I have no idea. Maybe it’s because he’s American and wanted to play in his home country. Maybe it’s because he liked Rick Tocket. Maybe it’s something else. Who knows? It is weird, though. But I don’t think failing to acquire Christian D’vorak is the reason the Conucks season is where it is today. Although I’m sure he could have helped at least a little. Look, I know we’re all trying to find a source to blame for this. I understand. But in my opinion, which is only just an opinion, I think this is what it looks like when a team starts the season with a third of their starting lineup out with injuries. Yes, a deeper forward group that could handle this amount of injuries would have been nice and that you can blame management for, but really this is because everybody’s hurt. Are the Canucks a Stanley Cup contender when everybody’s healthy? I don’t think so. But are they a team that needs to flirt with the idea of rebuilding? Absolutely not. However, that doesn’t change the fact that we’re now officially 1/3 of the way through the season and the Canucks are just one point away from being the worst team in the league. Which brings us to why the thumbnail of this video is a picture of Gavin McKenna. And for those who don’t know, McKenna is projected to be the first overall pick in the upcoming 2026 draft. And listen, I have never and will never cheer for the Canucks to lose. Not because I’m standing on any moral high ground. It’s just not in me. I can’t do it. I’ve tried before and it didn’t work. I just got sad. The Conucks are in such a strange predicament right now. They have a great core in Person, Hughes, Demco, Besser, Garland, and Herronic, who aside from Hughes are all signed to long-term deals. And they even have some really promising prospects coming up in Leer Maki, Villander, DPI, Coups, Mino, Medvidev. I truly believe this is a team to be excited about. But because Quinn’s current contract is set to expire at the end of next season, management is doing everything in their power to keep him around. Hence why they’re trying to stay competitive. Now, I know people are angry about them saying that, but it’s because they’re trying to keep Hughes happy, and you can’t really blame them. He’s one of the best players this franchise has ever had. They don’t want to lose him. Neither do we. I don’t know what the answer is, but I do think it starts with Hughes. So, Quinn, if you’ve somehow stumbled your way into watching this video, please listen to what I have to say here. This organization will give you any dollar amount you request. Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities to live in, and I can only imagine how much more beautiful it’d be if I had over $und00 million in my checking account like you’re about to have in yours. Now, if you want a practice facility built, tell them. Make them write it into the contract. They’ll do it. I know you’ve never actually said you want to go play with your brothers, but I imagine it must at least be a fun thought you have from time to time. But listen, you have all your life to be brothers. You’re going to be at each other’s weddings. They’re going to be in the hospital room when your children are born. Plus, you’re going to be playing with them on Team USA for the next decade. You have the opportunity to captain a Canadian hockey team to their first ever championship. You will go down in history. You’ll never have to. I mean, you don’t care cuz you’re going to have $100 million in your checking account, but you’re never going to have to buy a beer in this city again. All of BC. If this team does end up finishing dead last in the league this season, and we end up drafting a Gavin McKenna or someone of that caliber, first, second, third, or whatever, don’t leave. What? That’d be crazy. Anyway, um, thank you so much to everyone who bought a mug last week. They’re extremely close to selling out already, which I did not expect to happen. So, thank you. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, you better go quick because they are about to be all gone. They might already be gone by the time this video goes up. I don’t know. Comment your score predictions for the next three Conucks games down below. If you get any right, I’ll shout you out in the next video. Thank you to these wonderful channel members for continuing to support what I do. I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for watching. I’ll see you later. Bye.

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In this video, I break down what’s going wrong with the Vancouver Canucks right now, including their most recent games against the Los Angeles Kings and the Colorado Avalanche. I look at the injuries, the depth issues (specifically down the middle), Tom Willander’s rise, and why Gavin McKenna suddenly matters to this fanbase. I also speak directly to Quinn Hughes.

Skip to…
00:00 — Intro
00:06 — Game 26 vs. Los Angeles Kings
02:08 — Sponsored by Manta Sleep
02:44 — Game 27 vs. Colorado Avalanche
04:37 — The Real Reason the Canucks Are Struggling
09:57 — Outro

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