National Hockey League
Canucks News: Gillis' Draft Record, Canucks Will Make Playoffs
National Hockey League

Canucks News: Gillis' Draft Record, Canucks Will Make Playoffs

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:05 p.m. ET

The Vancouver Canucks’ last game was terrible. Does a comeback guarantee a playoff ticket? Plus, we’ll talk about the Mike Gillis era — again…

What do you think of when you hear the name Mike Gillis? The former Vancouver Canucks GM is mostly associated with bad drafting. But is his draft record really as bad as we remember it?

Canucks Army’s Jeremy Davis investigates.

Plus, we take a look at the upcoming weeks with a piece by Iain MacIntyre of The Province.

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Gillis’ Draft Record

Jeremy Davis (Canucks Army) — Time Has Made Mike Gillis’ Draft Record Look Better — But It’s Still Bad

The emergence of several players after Mike Gillis was fired, including Bo Horvat, Ben Hutton, and Brendan Gaunce, and even strong AHL showings from Jordan Subban, Alex Grenier, and Joe LaBate have served to dull the pain from a decade of poor results during the Ron Delorme era, the pinnacle of which coincided with Gillis’ reign as GM.

Canucks Nation has kind of started to dislike Jim Benning for some of his recent roster moves. But, Benning’s scouting and drafting skill are undeniable.

Unlike Mike Gillis’.

But that has changed, sort of. Several of Gillis’ picks, headlined by Bo Horvat and Ben Hutton, have recently emerged as serviceable pros. But is that enough?

I don’t think I’m going too far if I answer this with a simple “no.”

Anton Rodin — though injured — seems to have NHL potential, Jordan Subban may eventually make it, and Joseph LaBate had a strong training camp. But that just isn’t going to cut it.

No matter what happens with Gillis’ picks in the future, his era will always be remembered as a time of terrible drafts for the Canucks. I have no doubt about that.

For an in-depth look, read Jeremy Davis’ article — it’s worth it.

Making the Playoffs

Iain MacIntyre (The Province) — As trade deadline nears, Canucks’ vacation is done. Is surge over, too?

If the Canucks respond to their dismal game before last weekend’s all-star break the way they reacted to their awful performance before the Christmas break, the team will make the National Hockey League playoffs.

Iain MacIntyre of The Province talks about the Canucks’ upcoming schedule, the things that have happened in the past, and what all that means for the future. What kind of threw me off was the quote above.

    The Canucks went into the all-star break with a terrible 3-0 loss against the Arizona Coyotes. Not only did they lose to a team they really shouldn’t lose to, but they did so in a very bad way. That kind of play does not get you into the playoffs.

    Now, one bad game obviously doesn’t decide anything. One bad loss doesn’t mean the season is over.

    However, that also goes for wins. One strong comeback win won’t change anything. Neither will two. Even a three-game winning streak against some of the top teams in the league won’t guarantee a playoff spot.

    The Canucks have an extremely tough schedule coming up, as opposed to the extremely easy one they had in January. Because of that, making the playoffs will take more than a hot streak following the all-star break.

    Still, give MacIntyre’s piece a read, as he talks about everything coming up in the next weeks.

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