In some ways, it doesn’t feel like it’s been nearly a decade since the Vancouver Canucks last had the makings to contend for a championship.
But truth be told, it’s been eight years since fans could realistically take this team seriously as a Stanley Cup favorite. The Canucks won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2011-12, but they’ve slipped mightily ever since.
This team has only made the playoffs twice in the last seven years — in 2012-13 and 2014-15. But fans knew that the Canucks weren’t a serious contender at those stages, and the team was eliminated from the first round both years.