The Vancouver Canucks went from 101 points one season to the NHL’s third-worst team with 75 points the next.
In most cases, when that happens a head coaching change takes place. But the Canucks opted to retain Willie Desjardins for at least the beginning of 2016-17, hoping he would right the ship and take this team back to the playoffs.
Vancouver opened the season with four consecutive wins, but then proceeded to lose nine in a row. They entered January with a mere 17-18-3 record, and they looked far from capable of reaching the playoffs.