Vancouver can go all the way and win Stanley Cup this year, adds former Canuck
Former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kirk McLean has told BetVictor that he believes the Canucks can win this year’s Stanley Cup after the leap forward they’ve made this season, while he sees many similarities between this group of players and his team who made a run to the final in 1994.
“The Canucks have got a core group of star players in Quinn Hughes, JT Miller and Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser is having a wonderful year,” he said. “They’ve all come together, and there certainly doesn’t seem to be any egos out there, which is very important, as our ‘94 team certainly didn’t have any.
“You can tell how tight this group is, in terms of what they do together away from the game on the ice. They’ve stuck together through thick and thin, and it has been nice to see from the perspective of a former Canucks player.
“The fact that you have that feeling, and you can see it, they’re playing the game with smiles on their faces and having fun. They don’t mind mucking it up and that was a knock against them in the past. They have that grit where they are not going to be taking crap from any team!”
McLean added: “Why can’t the Canucks win the Stanley Cup this year? They’re on the same level as everybody else going into the playoffs so they have as good a chance as anyone. They’ll need to cross their fingers that they don’t pick up any injuries, and that their best players will be their best players from the goaltender out.”
Anything but a deep playoff run for the Canucks would be a disappointment
And while McLean feels the Canucks have the ability to win the Stanley Cup this year, he feels it would be disappointing if they didn’t make a deep playoff run.
He said: “I think it would be a disappointment if they don’t. Through the community and fan base, I’m not sure they will be thinking the same, there may be some disappointment, but I know the fans are riding high right now with the way the season has gone. But anything can happen in the playoffs.
“I know the team would be frustrated if they didn’t go deeper than the Stanley Cup Finals because I do believe that they can win it. That’s the mindset they have to have going into the playoffs. Fans will just have to take things game by game, and shift by shift.
“They have to have a player or two, which happens with any team who makes a playoff run, who is a role player who plays out of character. So a role player, whether it be a third-line, low-minute guy, or a fourth-line low-minute guy that steps and gets you a big goal, whether it be someone like Nils Hoglander or Conor Garland, you need performances from players like that to make a run.”
Canucks will need to be at their best to go all the way
McLean went on to say that the Canucks face a tough challenge if they are to go all the way and win the Stanley Cup given the quality of teams they’ll be up against.
“Every team right now is tough,” he said. “There are no easy games in the NHL. Look at what Nashville has done, and the roll that they have been on. Of course you have the Las Vegas Golden Knights with the experience they have winning a cup, the LA Kings are a hard-nosed team, and Edmonton has their flaws, but my goodness you know what you have there.
“It’s going to be a grind, no matter who they come up against because whether it’s a wild card or not, these teams are playing playoff hockey right now to either get into the playoffs or to get a certain seed.”
McLean added: “If the Canucks are to be successful this season then they’ll need someone to step up and get them a big goal or someone who puts in a big shot-block or kills penalties like he’s an obsessed man, which can inspire the rest of the team to raise their level as well and be successful.”
