Rocket science isn’t needed to suggest the Vancouver Canucks’ Stanley Cup championship window closed five years ago, nor do we need it to prove that this team is far from ready to win its first title.
This team was among the top squads in the Western Conference from 2001 to 2013, reaching the playoffs all but two years in that span. Vancouver won seven Northwest Division titles and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 before falling to the Boston Bruins. But those days of perennial dominance are over.
When it comes to discussing the future — more specifically when the Canucks are ready to contend for championships again — are they really a step behind the other 29 NHL teams, though?