Here is my last post of how I think teams who missed the playoffs can improve and today I am doing the closest teams to make the playoffs that missed in Vancouver and Vegas.
VegasNotable UFA’s: Reilly Smith, Mattias Janmark
Notable RFA’s: Brett Howden, Jake Leschyshyn, Jonas Rondbjerg, Keegan Kolesar, Nicolas Roy, Jack Dugan, Benjamin Jones, Nicolas Hague, Danill Miromanov, Dylan Ferguson
Draft Picks: VGK 2RD, NYR 3RD, VGK 5RD, CHI 5RD, VGK 6RD, VGK 7RD
Why did they miss the playoffs.
The Golden Knights wound up being the closest team to a playoff spot this year only missing the playoffs by 3 points and while this team looked like they would make the playoffs, their are three reasons why I think they missed.
First I would have to say that the injuries were a really big part of why the Golden Knights missed the playoffs as Martinez only played 26 games, Stone played 37, Pacioretty played in 39, Hague played in only 52, Smith in 56, Whitecloud in 59, Karlsson in 67 and McNabb in 69 and on top of that goalies Lehner and Brossoit were consistently missing time due to injury and then after they acquired Eichel they had to wait 3 months before he was able to return from surgery and before the Eichel trade when they had Tuch, he was also recovering from surgery. So to put this in perspective their almost never had both goalies healthy, what was supposed to be their top line only played the last handful of games together, some of their middle six forwards missed significant time, and their 3rd to 6th best defensemen all missed time with injuries and while I know injuries aren’t all to blame, this year it handicapped the Golden Knights hugely. Secondly the Golden Knights had major cap problems this year and their injuries are actually the only reason they didn’t move other players this year. Toward the end of the season just to activate Stone and have their top line play together, they had to put 5 players on LTIR and couldn’t call anyone up so that just tells you how much of a problem this was for Vegas this season and they will need to become cap compliant before the new year.
Third and finally the Golden Knights had done some good things in the late part of 2021 and early part of 2022 but from the time of FEB 9th to MAR 22nd the Golden Knights fell flat and went 6-12-1 during that time which brought them from a 28-16-3 record and a decent 59 points to 34-28-4 and only had 72 points in 66 points and while they basically played their hearts out during the final stretch and won a good portion of their remaining games, I think had they won 1 or 2 more games during that awful stretch they would have absolutely made the playoffs, so do to being over the cap and in a tight cap situation all year, a lot of injuries that gave this team very little top end talent to work with, and a losing record during a crucial time in their playoff chase were all factors in my opinion that lead to the demise of the Golden Knights.
How can they improve in the offseason.
The Golden Knights were the closest team to the playoffs that missed only missing by 3 points and while injures were the main reason in my opinion, they can definitely improve their team in the offseason.
First with their goaltending as it seemed that the relationship between Lehner and Vegas has been torn but I think the Golden Knights will need to mend it before the season as they are nowhere close to as good of a team without Lehner. As much as Lehner might be upset with the way Vegas treated him while he was dealing with a injury toward the end of the year, I feel that they should do whatever they need to do to keep him happy and in a Vegas jersey cause even though they could get a lot of cap space by trading him I think they are better with him and shouldn’t trade him. And for the backup position, in the games that Thompson was able to play due to the injuries he looked amazing even if he lost three consecutive shootout games late in the season and I feel that with his contract and play that he should backup Lehner next year, and that would leave Brossoit on the outside looking in. Brossoit is a good backup but I think that with the Golden Knights already .500 Thousand dollars above the cap before the offseason and needing to clear space I feel they will move Brossoit because they already have a cheaper backup and a lot of teams who would want Brossoit as a affordable backup with him entering the final year of his deal.
On the defence they have signed in season three of their defenders and all of their defenders are basically locked up past next year and I think they will have to move a defender in the offseason instead of acquiring one. They already have Pietrangelo and Theodore signed long-term, and signed McNabb to a 3 year deal and Whitecloud to a 6 year deal in the season so with these 4 players locked up I can’t see any of those guys moving. Nicolas Hague is going to need a new deal and is probably the biggest priority for Vegas and I think he could be a top 4 D-Men next year and will need enough space to sign him, and while Coghlan and Hutton can both be 7th defensemen or play on the 3rd pair I think that Martinez time in Vegas is done. He has a $5.25 Million dollar cap hit over the next two years and while he has been very productive and is a good defensemen, I think he leaves to help the Knights cap hit and one of the young defensemen get a top 4 role and move him on to a team that has cap space, and I could even see Kaedan Korczak or Danill Miromanov get a chance at the NHL level if they feel that Hutton should be in the minors and one of those two should be up.
And lastly the Forward group of the Knights will have to change a bit as I think they will need a bit of a different combination and need to clear cap space. First I feel that they will keep at least most of their top 6 together as I believe that Eichel, Pacioretty and Stone will be the unquestioned top line best year and Karlsson and Marchessault will be part of their 2nd line. They have a lot of depth forwards and even though new deals for Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar and Nicolas Roy are needed, i think they will resign all and with guys like Patrick, Stephenson, Carrier and Amadio signed they have more then enough depth for next year to play on their bottom two pairings but I do believe they will do a couple other things. With all the depth forwards they have I don’t see them bringing back Janmark and he will leave as a free agent, while Evgeni Dadonov who will enter the final year of his $5 Million dollar contract will be moved to a team who has the cap space and needs a middle 6 forward but I think that leaves two middle six forwards they need to get. First I feel that Brendan Brisson who recently signed his ELC will be a big part of their team next year and would start the former 1RD pick on the third line unless he plays well and then he plays on the 2nd line, while they get another forward to play in their middle 6, and I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of them bringing back Smith as long as it is under $2.5 Million dollars. And this is how the Knights can improve in my opinion if they get Lehner to stay with them and move Brossoit, keep their D-Corp intact, call up a rookie and move Martinez, and then make sure that Dadonov is moved and they sign a cheaper forward who can play in their middle 6 and if they do this they can make it back to the playoffs I am sure of it.
VancouverNotable UFA’s: Alex Chiasson, Brandon Sutter, Sheldon Dries, Brad Richardson, Justin Bailey, Nicolas Petan, Brad Hunt, Noah Juulsen, Madison Bowey, Jaroslav Halak
Notable RFA’s: Brock Boeser, William Lockwood, Matthew Highmore, Juho Lammikko, Jack Rathbone, Michael DiPietro.
Draft Picks: VAN 1RD, VAN 3RD, VAN 4RD, VAN 5RD, VAN 6RD, VAN 7RD
Why did they miss the playoffs.
Vancouver was a team that wasn’t supposed to be remotely close to a playoff spot but they were close and just missed and here are the three reasons why I feel that they missed the playoffs.
First I would have to say that their slow start was something that caused them to miss the playoffs. Before the coaching change early in the season the Canucks played awfully losing 16 of their first 22 games and were 8-15-2 before the coaching change and while they played extremely well after the coaching change, had they won a couple more of their earlier games in the season this team could be a playoff team this year, but after a start like that it was surprising that they were even that close to a playoff spot. Secondly while their goal scoring was middle of the pack this season (they were 17th in goals scored), most of their offense was from their top 6 and even they struggled a bit. Miller was a dominant player the entire year with his 99 points, Horvat was pretty productive all year, Garland started and finished well but the middle wasn’t very productive, and Boeser and Pettersson started slowly but were able to finish strong in the second half. As for the rest of the forwards only 1 other Canuck forward had more then 30 points, and only 3 had more then 20 so while guys like Pearson, Podkolzin and Hoglander had pretty good seasons, they didn’t really help the top 6 in production so that lack of bottom 6 production really hurt the Canucks.
And finally the Canucks had some backup goalies issues that I think were also a factor in the Canucks missing the postseason. The Canucks actually had a great defence this year and Demko played out of his mind and those contributed to being top 10 in goals allowed this year but the Canucks didn’t have much in the backup position as Halak was good and Martin was exceptional putting up astonishing numbers, but were only able to play a handful of games down the stretch and with the amount of games Demko had to play and be brilliant, I just think he fizzled out at the end of the year and having a backup to play a little more in the earlier part of the year would have helped the Canucks this year. So to recap a bad start as well as not having Avery productive bottom 6 and the backups not playing to many games all lead to the downfall of a possible Canucks postseason birth.
How can they improve in the offseason
The Canucks got off to a really bad start but then made the coaching change and played like pros again finishing the season a lot closer to the playoffs then anyone would ever think they could but there is room for improvement in the offseason and here is how I think that they can get better.
First is in net as it seems like they may already have their two goalies in their system for next year. Demko is the unquestioned starter of this team as he was one of the best goalie in the NHL this year and on top of he kept the Canucks in at least a couple games and also stole some wins for them and the Canucks don’t get that close to a playoff spot without him. He is signed for 4 more years at $5 Million dollars per year and will continue to be the starter for Vancouver. The backup is a little more cloudy as Halak is a UFA and after all of the trade rumors and Vancouver maybe not wanting to play him so he doesn’t get the signing bonus, I would say that he is good as gone. Now I could see Spencer Martin as the backup next year as he put up a astounding 1.74 GAA and a .950 SV% in only 6 games this year and while that is a small sample size I feel that he would and should be the backup next year and could help solve Vancouvers backup problem, but if by some odd chance they don’t want Martin as backup and feel he is better suited as a 3rd stringer, then I would see them get a cheap backup in free agency.
On the defensive side there is probably a few ways that it could go this year. Now as much as the OEL contract is bad, I can’t see a team trading for him with the contract length at 5 years and the cap hit at $7.26 Million per year and he is a good 2nd pair defensemen and would only see him being moved if they can move the entire contract without retention and I can’t see that happening. I feel that the Schenn-Hughes pair will remain next year even with Schenn entering the final year of his deal, because that pair was the best for Vancouver this year. I think that Rathbone will make the team next year and finally get a regular spot and play with Dermott on the third pair and I think that could be a great pair for Vancouver with a guy like Burroughs being the 7th defender next year. Now I feel that they will try to make some cap moves and moving on from Poolman and Myers would be the smartest thing to do. Myers has 2 years left at $6 Million dollars and while the contract is not ideal I think moving on from him even if they have to include a pick or prospect to get him somewhere I think that they will have to move on, as well as Poolman whose $2.5 Million dollar contract isn’t too bad but it it a 3 year contract and with the guys they have gotten I feel that he would not be a regular in Vancouver’s lineup so I think they need to move him and with these two right shot defensemen moved and new found cap space they look to free agency or via trade to get a new top 4 defensemen who can play right side with OEL and is probably making less then $5 Million dollars per year.
And finally the forward group will be the big question mark this offseason after all the rumours from last year. The Canucks could also move a forward to clear cap space as Garland, Boeser and Miller were all in trade rumours this year but I believe that Boeser a pending RFA, will come to terms on a new deal even if it is below his $7.5 Million dollar qualifying offer, Miller who is entering the final year of his deal will find a extension with the Canucks in the offseason, while I could see one of Garland or Pearson moved. Both make decent money with Pearson signed for 2 years at $3.25 while Garland is signed for 4 years at $4.95 Million and I think that if they believe that Garland can play up to that contract then they keep him and move Pearson, but if they absolutely need cap space and need to move a forward with more money then Garland goes and Pearson stays. Now top 2 Centers Pettersson and Captain Bo Horvat, as well as young wingers Podkolzin and Hoglander will stay and that 6 of the 7 forwards they keep will play in the top 6 but will need to completely rework their bottom 6. Now one of these guys (probably Pearson if he stays) will remain on the third line with a guy like Dickinson being the Center, but after that the depth is pretty bare as Lammikko and Highmore who are both RFA’s will probably be signed and could be 4th liners, and they still have Dowling signed but I think they will need to sign or trade for a third line winger and a couple of 4th line forwards to help their depth and give them that depth scoring that they definitely lacked this season.
So there we are as these moves including keeping Demko and Martin as your goalies for the next year, moving on from Myers and Poolman as well as getting a top 4 defensemen and giving Rathbone a big opportunity, and also moving Garland or Pearson, keeping Boeser and Miller and reworking their bottom 6 for more goals will all help the Canucks to make the playoffs next year and a side note here as I think that while on a 1 year deal or a 3 year deal the Canucks and Boudreau will agree to terms and he will be the coach next year.
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