VANCOUVER — Everything has changed about the Vancouver Canucks, and nothing has changed about the Vancouver Canucks.
Less than 10 months since the most sweeping mid-season regime change in franchise history brought coach Bruce Boudreau and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford to the West Coast, the Canucks lineup’s strengths and weaknesses are largely as they were: lots of offensive skill up front that should make the power play formidable, a young superstar (Quinn Hughes) leading a defence that has questions about its bottom half, and a Vezina-capable goalie (Thatcher Demko) who must stay healthy and be near his best for the team to win.
But there will be a fresh energy to this training camp, which opens Thursday in Whistler, with the new regime, new ideas and a completely rebuilt hockey-ops department.
There are also some new forwards, notably former Toronto Maple Leaf Ilya Mikheyev and KHL free agent Andrei Kuzmenko.
At least for the start of the pre-season, Hughes will be tried on the right side of defence, likely on an alpha pairing with Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
But the biggest change for the Canucks is the mindset expressed by new general manager Patrik Allvin, who helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win three Stanley Cups: Nothing these players have done so far has been good enough, so everyone needs to be better.
It’s time for the Canucks young stars to lead the team back to the playoffs.
Current cap space: $586K (with Micheal Ferland on LTIR)
General manager: Patrik Allvin
Head coach: Bruce Boudreau
Assistant coaches: Mike Yeo, Trent Cull, Jason King, Ian Clarke, Dylan Crawford
Unsigned players: Danny DeKeyser (PTO)
ONE IMPORTANT QUESTION: Are they ready to win?
Had you not witnessed it, it would have been difficult to believe the team that finished last season 32-15-10 under Boudreau was the same one that started 6-14-2 with former head coach Travis Green. Those final 57 games created a lot of excitement and hope in Vancouver, but it also brings significant expectations and pressure to a team that has made the playoffs only once in the last seven years — in the bubble in Edmonton after a 69-game regular season.
No wonder Allvin told Sportsnet: “Whatever people think of those last 50 games, it wasn’t good enough because we didn’t make the playoffs. So let’s stop talking about it.”
The real Canucks are probably somewhere between the two extremes they displayed last season, but potentially much closer to the Boudreau version. They’ll have to be to make the playoffs.
Demko is 26 years old, Brock Boeser 25, Elias Pettersson 23 and Hughes is 22. Leading scorer J.T. Miller is 29 years old, and team captain Bo Horvat 27, still in their prime. Defenceman Ekman-Larsson is 31, Tyler Myers 32.
If they don’t win now, when will they?
CAMP BATTLE TO WATCH: Who plays — and with whom — on defence?
The Quinn Hughes Experiment will get lots of attention, and fans will be obsessed with forward line combinations as Boudreau utilizes upgrades on the wings by trying to create a balanced top nine rolled out with centres Miller, Horvat and Pettersson. But the most important decisions will be on defence, where there is potentially a huge dropoff after Hughes, Ekman-Larsson and Myers.
Can rookie Jack Rathbone, who may be a kind of Hughes Lite, make the lineup and actually play on a second pairing where he could be mentored by Myers?
Travis Dermott will be on the third pairing, but with whom?
Tucker Poolman has reportedly recovered from his neurological problems (severe migraine symptoms) but must play better than he did last season to dislodge dependable, rugged veteran Luke Schenn.
And then there’s local boy Kyle Burroughs, who finally became an NHL regular last winter and will fight to stay there.
Allvin could yet ease some of the quandaries by acquiring another NHL defenceman to upgrade the bottom half of the defence, something he has been trying to do — without success — since last season.
PROJECTED LINEUP
Forwards
Vasily Podkolzin—J.T. Miller—Brock Boeser
Andrei Kuzmenko—Elias Pettersson—Ilya Mikheyev
Tanner Pearson—Bo Horvat—Conor Garland
Dakota Joshua—Curtis Lazar—Jason Dickinson
Defencemen
Oliver Ekman-Larsson—Quinn Hughes
Jack Rathbone—Tyler Myers
Travis Dermott—Luke Schenn
Goalies
Thatcher Demko
Spencer Martin
Extras
F Nils Höglander, D Tucker Poolman, D Kyle Burroughs
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
