Canucks slowly increasing draft lottery odds under Tocchet

If you didn’t realize it recently, despite the new coach, and the possible associated bump, the Vancouver Canucks are climbing the ladder in the draft lottery.

The team is sixth worst in points in the NHL as we talk right now.

Now, there are pressures on and off of that of course.

First, the coach’s effect will continue to be felt. Every practice is one more opportunity for systems to be understood and implemented, and for the players to understand what will impress the new guy. They’ve been on the road a lot, the all star game, there haven’t been many practices.. That will make the Canucks better.

Spencer Martin on waivers suggests that Thatcher Demko is at least close, and that is bad news for the loss column as well.

You can bet Demko wants to be better than he’s been in the season, he’s motivated, and if he finds that superhero cape, oh boy. There could be a massive change to the Canucks fortunes.

Of course there’s also the pulls in the other direction if the liquidation continues on the roster, and the team does end up losing the likes of Brock Boeser and Luke Schenn and maybe others.

The team in front of Demko and Colin Delia changes, and the ask of the goaltenders may just become too great. And let’s face it, it’s not a great team in front of them right now. Not to mention the coach continues to limit the minutes of one of his best, most dynamic forward in Andrey Kuzmenko despite, you know, logic.

The Canucks are knocking on the door of a top-5 draft pick. They are. And it didn’t seem like that was even close to being possible earlier this season. The bad teams were just so bad. And Chicago and Columbus probably still are.

But with the Canucks just one point up on the fifth worst Sharks, and just six points up on the third worst Coyotes? Heck, the floor’s the limit.

You might also like:

Canucks' Martin available for free after team places goalie on waivers