Canucks Live: Home stand from hell continues with Ducks in town

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Welcome to Canucks Live. Here we’ll highlight some of the news that drops daily about the Canucks. Come back throughout the day as we update with all the news you need to know. If you haven’t done so already, sign up for our Canucks Report to get our stories delivered to your inbox every day.

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Do you enjoy stats? With the Anaheim Ducks coming to town tonight here’s a few things to keep in mind.

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The Ducks have scored the third most goals in the Western Conference. The Canucks have given up the most goals in the entire NHL. While they lost their last game only Utah, Tampa Bay and Boston have a better record in their last 10 games than the Ducks. Vancouver is the worst team in the NHL over their last 10, and of course they’re the worst team in the NHL period when you look at the standings.

Value for money? Vancouver is the worst home team in the NHL, they’ve won five games on home ice. The next worst is the L.A. Kings who have won eight.

The Hockey News’ Adam Kierszenblat wrote about the historically awful product the Canucks are serving up season ticket holders as they’ve never scored fewer goals at home, not even in those awful days at the Pacific Coliseum.

As for goals, Vancouver has had a tough time not only scoring but keeping the puck out of their own net. The Canucks have a -35 goal differential, which is also the worst in franchise history through a team’s first 25 games. Vancouver has scored 64 goals and allowed 99 against so far at Rogers Arena this year.

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For those curious, 64 goals is tied for the eighth fewest on the list. As for the 99 goals, that is the fifth most in franchise history. Overall, the team has spent 239:25 leading this season at home compared to 785:05 trailing.

Lastly, the Canucks have scored just 12 goals on the power play so far at Rogers Arena. The 12 goals are tied for the second fewest in franchise history through a team’s 25 home goals. As for power play goals against, Vancouver’s 24 are the ninth most allowed.

Hammering home what it’s like to actually pay for tickets at Rogers Arena, The Athletic did a survey of home arenas and Vancouver came in 29th out of the 32 markets. The rankings included location, amenities, atmosphere and affordability. It’s a good read. And while Montreal takes top spot in the league in their rankings, most Canadian teams are near the bottom, aside from Edmonton with their new rink and Winnipeg is in 13th, the other Canadian teams are all in the bottom half. The Leafs ranked one spot ahead of the Canucks and Ottawa ranked dead last in the league. It’s an interesting survey, and if you have a subscription you should give it a read.

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Rogers Arena was a huge deal when it replaced the Pacific Coliseum in the mid-1990s, and for its time, the atmosphere for games and concerts was excellent. But that time was more than 30 years ago now, and compared to more modern buildings, the concourse is cramped and hard to navigate. The fact that the Canucks have struggled for years and ticket prices are so high has also contributed to a steep decline in game atmosphere.

While our beat writers felt it was still a middling barn, Canucks fans ranked it 31st in atmosphere and affordability and 26th in amenities.

Fan perspective:

• “Obviously, the atmosphere is hurt by the Canucks being a horrible team since 2013. Really, there’s nothing especially good or bad about Rogers Arena, besides the concourse being incredibly cramped compared to most arenas I’ve been to.”

• “Rogers will never rank high simply because of its physical size. Being squeezed between two viaducts means tight concourses, which feels like you are constantly being pushed through a toothpaste tube. Visiting other arenas like Climate Pledge you notice that difference immediately.”

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• “Amazing location downtown and the new seats and video board are fantastic. But the building itself is nothing special, and the music and game ops people still think it’s 1996. In as much as this team doesn’t accept reality on the ice, there’s a similar lack of innovation and trendsetting that permeates the fan experience.”

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Trade boards are all over the place. The line between buyers and sellers is being drawn and as was pointed out yesterday, the Canucks have several popular picks up and down those lists. With Anaheim in town tonight there’s been some chatter that Conor Garland would be a good fit down in Disneyland as the Ducks fight for a playoff spot.

Conor Garland
Another forward on a struggling team, Garland only has 22 points (7 goals, 15 assists) on the season, for the Vancouver Canucks. However, Garland has been around 50 points, the previous four seasons. While definitely not a game breaker, Garland would add more scoring punch to the Ducks. While he is slightly older than Kyrou, at 29 years old, Garland would still somewhat fit in the contention window for the Ducks.

With six more years and a $6 million AAV, the Ducks would be able to absorb the contract without any retention. Garland is also not in the upper echelon of trade targets, so the acquisition cost should be relatively low. Anything other than draft picks or lower tier prospects, the Ducks should walk away. But for the right cost, a Garland trade would be beneficial.

Check back for more Canucks news throughout the day …

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