Thomas Drance on the Canucks season coming to a close and off-season plans
Thomas Drance from The Athletic joined the guys to look back on the Canucks season after it came to a close last night and what is ahead for the off-season.
Don't hate on Drance he says what most people are scared to, and Is usually right. I know I feel like Drance most of the time. So Stupid to win down the stretch.
I never felt that this team had any chance of getting Bedard, but it was still hard to watch them winning all the games down the stretch. They are not just meaningless wins; they are harmful wins that hinder the rebuilding process. I am not suggesting they should have tanked, but management and coaching staff definitely had the ability to approach those games differently.
And Drance is right once again in stating the gap between the Canucks and the likes of the Flames, the Kraken, and potentially a team like San Jose that would be revived with the addition of Bedard. Somehow, I think the Canucks are just going to be permanently stuck in mediocrity, with the team giving fans fools' gold every few years with one playoff run that cannot be sustained.
The Canucks do have good pieces that in theory should make them a playoff time. A strong two-way #1 centre in EP40, 1st line winger in Kuzmenko, JT Miller has #2 centre, Beauvilier who may round out being a top-6, an elite top pairing offensive defenseman #43, a workhorse goaltender in Thatcher Demko, 2 somewhat overpaid middle-6 wingers in Garland and Boeser, good role players in Aman, Joshua, Burroughs, etc., a handful of upcoming (cheap) players to slot throughout the lineup in Hoglander, Podkolzin, Raty, Hirose, Kratsov, etc.
The only real issue is the defense. IF OEL can return to the player he was back in ARI (he's not even that old as he's only 18 months older than Miller)…. the Canucks will be very competitive.
It's been a brutal season and a lot of people with short term attention spans loved the pointless stretch drive that will hurt this team in the long term. Momentum is built in the playoffs, not by missing them. The Canucks are off for 5 months, there will be a bunch of new faces, and if Tocchet tries to overplay his stars like that for 82 games they will completely implode. If you have great structure you don't have to play Hughes 27-30 minutes a night and overplay Demko more than any other starting goalie down that stretch of games. They were good in the softest part of the team's schedule and then there were less good when facing playoff bound teams that weren't playing 3 games in 4 nights. Those later LA games were telling. They have a ton of things to fix on this roster, no cap space to do it, and nobody wants their bad contracts. It's another season of having to do a lot to turn this team around and I see Team Rutherford swinging for the fences again and trading away our remaining 1st round draft pick to try to do it.
I suspect that "Drance" is a French name, so it actually should be pronounced that way. As for the Canucks…my feeling is that incremental improvement could take them a long way. Am hoping that Reinbacher will still be available at 11; if not, then Sandin-Pellika. His edges are fantastic, but he doesn't have Reinbacher's size. We'll see. If Reinbacher isn't available, that means one more good forward who will be. It's not a terrible spot in a deep draft. The scouts are all over the place on the players between 6 and about 16.
Can we all admit, that Drance complains a ton? And while he keeps saying "shed salary," he never gives ideas on how! In fact, he even admits how hard it is during a flat cap era. He should start applying for GM positions. Would love to see him build a team in the real world.
The Canucks are the only lottery team to actually intentionally hurt their chances of winning it. So what else is new in the life of a Canucks fan? After 1994, I thought the Canucks were going to at least attempt to add a piece or 2 to try to get back to the finals. Instead, they went on a dismantling spree that led to Mark Messier, chasing every key member of that team out of town in short order. Nothing surprises me anymore. If you look at almost every Cup winner in the last 10 years, they started at the bottom, drafted and developed well and when they were ready, they used their cap space to bring in the assets they were missing. The Canucks are following the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
All I can say is that upper management and the coaching staff of the Canucks they will be served on a platter if the Canucks don't start next season 16-4 or 14-6. I say this because the arrogance and ego of these people to defy all reason and use culture and a mini training camp to audition for next season is not going to cut it. They deliberately went out and played their top players to maximum minutes to go out and win hockey games when this was known as the best draft in the last 10 years. To keep climbing the ladder of the draft lottery and not in the right direction is an insult to Canuck fans. The wrath that will come down on management and coaching next season if they start at 10-10 will be something never seen in Canucks history. Mark my words we have a long memory and we won't forget what they did to insult the intelligence of the fans. Won't it be interesting if a team in the bottom 6-10 ends up winning the lottery and getting Bedard because that's where the Canucks should of finished realistically. Oh boy Rutherford better start praying now.
heard drances questions after the last game. Even Tochett though that his questions were ridiculous. The most inept media person covering the canucks. All he does is yell. He makes zero sense and still braggs about his time as the media person in florida who are no better off then the canucks. Its embarrassing.
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All I can guarantee this off season is that it will be more of the same, bad trades and overpaying for average NHL’ers
Edit: oh and they’ll trade the 1st rounder because they F’d up their chance for a great pick.
Don't hate on Drance he says what most people are scared to, and Is usually right. I know I feel like Drance most of the time. So Stupid to win down the stretch.
I never felt that this team had any chance of getting Bedard, but it was still hard to watch them winning all the games down the stretch. They are not just meaningless wins; they are harmful wins that hinder the rebuilding process. I am not suggesting they should have tanked, but management and coaching staff definitely had the ability to approach those games differently.
And Drance is right once again in stating the gap between the Canucks and the likes of the Flames, the Kraken, and potentially a team like San Jose that would be revived with the addition of Bedard. Somehow, I think the Canucks are just going to be permanently stuck in mediocrity, with the team giving fans fools' gold every few years with one playoff run that cannot be sustained.
#teamdrance
Best way to refer to it: Season 52….endured.
The truth and nothing but the truth.
The Canucks do have good pieces that in theory should make them a playoff time. A strong two-way #1 centre in EP40, 1st line winger in Kuzmenko, JT Miller has #2 centre, Beauvilier who may round out being a top-6, an elite top pairing offensive defenseman #43, a workhorse goaltender in Thatcher Demko, 2 somewhat overpaid middle-6 wingers in Garland and Boeser, good role players in Aman, Joshua, Burroughs, etc., a handful of upcoming (cheap) players to slot throughout the lineup in Hoglander, Podkolzin, Raty, Hirose, Kratsov, etc.
The only real issue is the defense. IF OEL can return to the player he was back in ARI (he's not even that old as he's only 18 months older than Miller)…. the Canucks will be very competitive.
I didn't mind the hockey after I quit listening to Drance.
It's been a brutal season and a lot of people with short term attention spans loved the pointless stretch drive that will hurt this team in the long term. Momentum is built in the playoffs, not by missing them. The Canucks are off for 5 months, there will be a bunch of new faces, and if Tocchet tries to overplay his stars like that for 82 games they will completely implode. If you have great structure you don't have to play Hughes 27-30 minutes a night and overplay Demko more than any other starting goalie down that stretch of games. They were good in the softest part of the team's schedule and then there were less good when facing playoff bound teams that weren't playing 3 games in 4 nights. Those later LA games were telling. They have a ton of things to fix on this roster, no cap space to do it, and nobody wants their bad contracts. It's another season of having to do a lot to turn this team around and I see Team Rutherford swinging for the fences again and trading away our remaining 1st round draft pick to try to do it.
I suspect that "Drance" is a French name, so it actually should be pronounced that way. As for the Canucks…my feeling is that incremental improvement could take them a long way. Am hoping that Reinbacher will still be available at 11; if not, then Sandin-Pellika. His edges are fantastic, but he doesn't have Reinbacher's size. We'll see. If Reinbacher isn't available, that means one more good forward who will be. It's not a terrible spot in a deep draft. The scouts are all over the place on the players between 6 and about 16.
It’s all too true. Going to take something special to get out of this orbit.
I'm glad its over so we don't have to listen to whiney Drance
Vancouver’s version of Skip Bayless
I like them winning. Stop hating them because they are playing better. It shows that they are getting better.
Can we all admit, that Drance complains a ton?
And while he keeps saying "shed salary," he never gives ideas on how!
In fact, he even admits how hard it is during a flat cap era.
He should start applying for GM positions. Would love to see him build a team in the real world.
Forever in mediocrity!
I think I heard Drance's wife laugh there, thank you, I wondered where she went, have a fun off season!
Can’t buy out Garland, would be so stupid.
The Canucks are the only lottery team to actually intentionally hurt their chances of winning it. So what else is new in the life of a Canucks fan? After 1994, I thought the Canucks were going to at least attempt to add a piece or 2 to try to get back to the finals. Instead, they went on a dismantling spree that led to Mark Messier, chasing every key member of that team out of town in short order. Nothing surprises me anymore. If you look at almost every Cup winner in the last 10 years, they started at the bottom, drafted and developed well and when they were ready, they used their cap space to bring in the assets they were missing. The Canucks are following the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
All I can say is that upper management and the coaching staff of the Canucks they will be served on a platter if the Canucks don't start next season 16-4 or 14-6. I say this because the arrogance and ego of these people to defy all reason and use culture and a mini training camp to audition for next season is not going to cut it. They deliberately went out and played their top players to maximum minutes to go out and win hockey games when this was known as the best draft in the last 10 years. To keep climbing the ladder of the draft lottery and not in the right direction is an insult to Canuck fans. The wrath that will come down on management and coaching next season if they start at 10-10 will be something never seen in Canucks history. Mark my words we have a long memory and we won't forget what they did to insult the intelligence of the fans. Won't it be interesting if a team in the bottom 6-10 ends up winning the lottery and getting Bedard because that's where the Canucks should of finished realistically. Oh boy Rutherford better start praying now.
Not gonna watch the Drance interviews anymore, tired of the same ole energy that's always whining…
heard drances questions after the last game. Even Tochett though that his questions were ridiculous. The most inept media person covering the canucks. All he does is yell. He makes zero sense and still braggs about his time as the media person in florida who are no better off then the canucks. Its embarrassing.