6 reasons why Canucks are one of the NHL's worst teams
It’s been a frustrating past decade for Vancouver Canucks fans.
However, this has to be one of the most infuriating seasons in recent memory.
For most of Jim Benning’s tenure, the team wasn’t expected to be good. The Canucks massively lacked talent during the transition from the Sedins to the Elias Pettersson/Quinn Hughes era.
This season, the roster seemed loaded with offensive talent.
But, it hasn’t amounted to anything except losing, as the Canucks currently have the eighth-worst points percentage in the NHL.
Bruce Boudreau said himself during training camp that it would be a big disaster if the Canucks didn’t make the postseason.
Well, we’ve now been witnessing a full-blown disaster for almost half a season.
So, why have the Canucks been so porous? Here are the six main reasons why they’ve been one of the worst teams in the NHL.
1. They have one of the worst penalty kills ever
We’re nearly halfway through the season, and the Canucks have a chance to make NHL history.
Currently, they’re on pace to have the worst single-season penalty kill ever.
The Canucks have killed off only 67.2% of their penalties to date. The worst penalty kill in league history came from the 1979-80 Los Angeles Kings, who killed just 68.2% of their penalties.
2. They allow way too many scoring chances
They say defence wins championships.
Has anyone on the Canucks ever heard of that before?
It’s yet again another season where the Canucks are a bottom-five team in terms of allowing scoring chances, high-danger chances, and expected goals against at even strength.
3. Goaltending hasn’t bailed them out
While this team has been bad defensively for a while, the goaltending struggles are a new issue.
When you watch this team, you clearly see the defensive gaffes, five-alarm turnovers, and the wide-open lanes that the opposition has in terms of getting pucks to the net.
However in past seasons, guys like Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko were there to mask the Canucks’ defensive issues.
Not so much this season.
Spencer Martin and Demko both have matching .883 save percentages. The Canucks as a whole also have the fourth-worst save percentage at even strength.
That’s a massive fall from last season after Martin and Demko led the Canucks to the best even-strength save percentage in the NHL.
4. Too many highly-paid players are underperforming
The ghosts of Benning still loom large over this team. However, the new management group has exacerbated the issue with extensions for J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser.
Both American forwards were supposed to be leaders for the Canucks. Instead, you have two players making a ton of money who have vastly underwhelmed.
Miller in particular has been a turnover machine.
Common Lindy W. pic.twitter.com/9lgKy0C171
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 1, 2023
Conor Garland was supposed to be another go-to guy in the top six. Instead, he’s been stapled to the third line.
Tanner Pearson was arguably playing some of the worst hockey of his career before his injury. And on defence, Riley Stillman and his $1.35 million salary might actually be making fans miss Jason Dickinson.
However, two highly-paid players in particular are really propelling the Canucks to the bottom of the standings.
5. OEL and Myers have regressed badly
Two of Benning’s biggest blunders – signing Tyler Myers and trading for Oliver Ekman-Larsson – are sinking the Canucks right now.
Last season, it was a surprise to see Ekman-Larsson and Myers put forth a decent effort defensively, despite facing tough competition on a nightly basis. However, their effectiveness began to dwindle towards the end of last season.
This year, both defenders have been brutal. They both look slow and they both constantly turn the puck over.
All of the above culminated on this play from the Canucks last game against the New York Islanders, when Myers coughed up the puck to Mathew Barzal, leading to a goal against.
what a shot. pic.twitter.com/b1YzpPeWu9
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 4, 2023
Both players eat up a ton of ice time too, which exacerbates the issues. Myers himself actually plays the 30th-most even-strength minutes in the entire NHL.
Myers and Ekman-Larsson make a combined $13.26 million per season.
6. They stink at home
You have to feel for the paying customers at Rogers Arena this season.
In their last 10 home games, the Canucks have won four times, but only once in regulation. Two of those wins were also nail-biter overtime victories against the lowly Montreal Canadiens and Arizona Coyotes.
When they lose, they lose big. All of their last six home-ice losses have been by at least three goals. Five of those six losses have been four-goal defeats.
The Canucks have a 7-10-1 record at home, tying them with another lowly team – the Anaheim Ducks – for the third-worst points percentage at home.
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