Vancouver Canucks Beginning A New Era
As one of the most iconic NHL photos of the last decade, “The Riot Kiss” represents the pinnacle of a franchise that has since been in free-fall from grace. But the Vancouver Canucks are ready to move on and it all starts with Bo Horvat.
It felt like just yesterday when Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows stole the puck from Chris Campoli and blasted a rocket past goaltender Corey Crawford, dethroning the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks in dramatic fashion.
The Canucks rejoiced like school children knowing they had just slayed a dragon. Their fans filled the Rogers Centre with deafening cheers and furiously waived their rally towels in the air knowing their team was one big step closer to competing for the Stanley Cup. The Canucks would defeat the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks in the next two rounds to indeed get a chance to play for the Cup that year.
The Canucks met the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final and forced a Game 7 set to take place on June 15th in Vancouver. But on the verge on their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, the Canucks lost an embarressing game 0-4. For a team that had the league’s best record all year and seemed destined for championship glory, they failed to act like it and show up in their final hour.
As most people know, Canadians take their hockey very seriously but nobody could have predicted what would ensue that night following that tragic loss.
That evening, a photo was taken of a young couple lying in the streets of Vancouver kissing while the riot was happening. The couple is surrounded by trash, what looks like emergency medical staff rushing in the other direction to help others, and an out of focus law enforcement officer in riot gear. The contrast between the glow of the streetlights and the darkness of the officer’s riot uniform is representative of a city bursting at the seams with passion.
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The Vancouver Canucks have since parted with every player on the 2011 team except for Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. The Sedin twins have been two of the Canucks best players every year but are now 36 years old and have expiring contracts after next year. It doesn’t look like the twins will be playing for any other team during their careers, but the future of the Canucks can’t be built around them anymore.
The New Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have been silently rebuilding, ridding their payroll of bad contracts and drafting young talented players. In the 2017 draft, the Canucks selected Elias Pettersson fifth overall and hit on their second and third round picks with Kole Lind of the Kelowna Rockets and goalie of the future Michael DePietro from the Windsor Spitfires. Along with a handful of other top picks lead by North Dakota standout Brock Boeser, the Canucks have a bright future ahead of them.
One piece that is pivotal to the Canucks organization moving forward is centerman Bo Horvat. The 22 year old who has been pegged by several to be the next captain of the Canucks is currently in contract negotiations. In his first three seasons, he has been one of the silver linings to Canucks fans during the team rebuild.
Scoring 25, 40, and 52 points in those first three seasons respectively, Horvat is improving his game and proving he is a core piece for the Canucks. The Hockey News believes an annual average salary for Horvat should be around $5M once he reaches a deal with the Canucks.
When teams reach their end of the winning cycle, it’s always tough to accept a rebuild, but good fans will support the team no matter what. The Vancouver Canucks will sell out their arena to watch the Canucks whether they’re 82-0 or 0-82, and it’s clear they feel the same about Horvat. All great teams have to learn to lose at some point and watching Horvat excel on a losing team gives the Canucks and their fans that glimmer of hope that his effort and heart can’t be outweighed by the teams record.
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As we’ve seen around the league, a change in captain can spark new life into a locker room. Look no further than the San Jose Sharks of 2016. They stripped the “C” away from Joe Thornton and gave it to Joe Pavelski, finding themselves competing for a Stanley Cup that year. Other situations weren’t as successful such as when the Kings did the same thing with Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. Regardless, when a leader has become stale after some time, a new face can change the dynamic of the team.
The Canucks are in a division where teams like Calgary, Edmonton, and Arizona are climbing their way to the top through the draft. Los Angeles, the Ducks, and the Sharks are constantly fighting the salary cap and will soon start to slip. A shift in the pacific division is eminent and it may end up looking similar to the Central Division log jam where a handful of teams could make the playoffs.
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The next few years should put the Canucks back in playoff contention with a new captain and a handful of young stars. Hopefully their ability to move on with a group of fresh faces can help the city of Vancouver forget about that night back in 2011 and focus on a new image of chaotic romance–winning the Stanley Cup.