The shockwaves from the Vancouver Canucks massive trade on Friday night continue to reverberate around the NHL. It’s been about 24 hours since Quinn Hughes became a member of the Minnesota Wild. That event signals a crucial watershed moment for Vancouver.
The Canucks are no longer looking to compete this season and beyond. If anything, it’s game over on this season for Vancouver. The club is 32nd in the league and treading water at an accelerated rate. They’re riding a two-game skid and 2-7-1 in their last 10.
It’s been a frustrating season for Vancouver, to say the least. But Friday’s trade marks the official moment at which the Canucks are now a rebuilding team. The rebuild will hopefully be a one-year thing. The club got back several key pieces that could usher in a new era in Vancouver.
The Canucks now have a potential top-line center in Marco Rossi and a young blueliner who could be the next top-pairing fixture for the club. The team still has elite goaltending in Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen, with scorers like Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser leading the charge.
However, this season is pretty much done. The Canucks won’t be looking to compete anymore. If anything, the rest of this year will be about adjusting to life after Hughes. Most importantly, the team will now acclimate itself to a new paradigm.
Fans could see a team focused more on playing as a unit. If anything, ending the Quinn Hughes saga could be a good thing for the club.
Canucks Moving on from Hughes Distraction
One of the narratives surrounding the Canucks during the Hughes saga was the distraction the situation had become. Hughes did little to mask his frustration or anger at the way things were going.
Things got to the point where it was inevitable for the situation to spill over into the clubhouse. It was the sort of thing that, no matter how much the team tried to play through it, just wouldn’t go away.
In a way, it was similar to last season’s Elias Petersson-J.T. Miller feud. It didn’t matter what the team said or did publicly; the situation was festering beneath the surface. That’s what the Canucks faced with Hughes. It was a situation that risked eating the team from the inside out.
Now that Hughes has moved on, the team can also turn the page. It’s kind of like ending a dysfunctional relationship. Yes, there’s some relief, but that may not be enough to take the sting away.
Vancouver Has Pieces for New Enviable Core
The Canucks now have the pieces to build a new, enviable core. The pieces acquired in Friday’s blockbuster would impact the team as soon as this season. While that may be wishful thinking, that’s the potential that comes with these pieces.
Yes, the Wild got the better player in the deal. But the Canucks have a shot at building things right this time. They have a good coach in Adam Foote and a team primed for a fresh start. Sure, the club may still be reeling from this season’s drama.
But now, the team has hit rock bottom. There’s nowhere to go but up. And that’s actually the best thing that could have happened.
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