The Sedins, hired as co-presidents of hockey operations on May 14, met with Vancouver media Thursday to discuss their first quarter season in charge and a 3-16-1 start to the rebuild that is the worst in team history.
“We're disappointed.” Henrik said. “Every player wakes up every morning and they feel that they want to do better, and it's the same with us. You don't sleep well after losses. You never do, but you wake up and you try to get better and so, looking at whatever's going to happen, we want to see progress. That's what we all want to see, from individual players and also as a team.”
The Sedins pointed to a tough early schedule that included an 0-5-1 road trip and said they’ve seen signs of that progress over the past seven to eight games, even as the team has lost six in a row in regulation. It’s the worst 20-game start in team history and the second worst in the NHL over the past 20 years, ahead of only the Arizona Coyotes 2-15-3 start to 2017-18.
“I don't think in a couple years you're going to look back at this season, if you want, as if you put up 40 points or 60 points or 70 points,” Henrik said. “We want to see progress. That's just the way it is. In 20 games, when we sit here again talking to you guys, I hope that we're playing better and we're taking steps, and that's all we care about. Could we have three, four more wins right now? There's no question if you look at the games, but we don't.”
There’s certainly lots of room for improvement at each end of the ice. The Canucks sit last in the NHL per game in goals against (4.50), tied for 31st in shots against per game (30.5), last in shots per game (21.8), and 25th in goals (2.80). Their only win in the past 17 games (1-15-1) came on an overtime power play at the Anaheim Ducks and required a three-goal comeback late in the third period.
“We knew going into this that it would be hard and challenging, and we wouldn't want it any other way,” Daniel said. “Building consistency in our game and day-to-day performance is going to take time. That said, we're certainly not happy with the results, and nobody should be. We all understand we need to be better, and that starts with holding ourselves accountable and continuing to find ways to improve. We want to make it clear we are looking daily at ways to improve our chances to build a championship team.”
That will not include wholesale trades of veterans for draft picks, Henrik said, because of the need to support young players already in the lineup. But it does include evaluating how each player is handling the adversity early this season because the Sedins believe that is a reflection of how they will be able to handle things whenever they get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“Losing is hard, absolutely, but you also, as a player, you don't want to go through this again,” Daniel said. “Our belief is that our players are going to look at every day as an opportunity to get better because they don't want to be in this situation again. That's how we think every day too. … If they shy away from that, then like they shouldn't be here. We need players that can push through adversity, become mentally strong … So, we're learning a lot about our players right now. I think the players are learning a lot about themselves. They need to learn how to deal with adversity and get better every day.”
The Sedins praised first year coach Manny Malhotra and his staff for doing just that amid a tough start. Each mentioned effort, something Malhotra has singled out after some of the harder losses as well, but said those problems were isolated. The bigger challenge has been consistent execution, and drew a distinction between accepting losses as part of a rebuild and accepting the habits that lead to losing, or as Malhotra said on the eve of the season, the difference between losing games and playing losing hockey.
“It is a big difference between being close in games and winning games,” said Henrik. “It's mentally hard … when you're in the losing streak, it's not easy to get the first one to feel positive about things. They're going through something right now that's tough as a player, as a coaching staff, and as an organization. But you got to learn to do the things to win games, and that's blocking a shot, that's making the right play at the right times, it's winning a 50-50 battle and being uncomfortable, and that’s what we need to get to.”
