What do the Vancouver Canucks need to do to improve this season?

How can we have the best defenceman in franchise history but the weakest core? With the addition of Ethan Bear the Canucks took a step in the right direction but Quinn Hughes needs someone he can build off of. Luke Schenn seems to fit in with whichever d-man he is paired with, but we need a bonafide top 4 defenceman. There will have to be a trade before Christmas at this rate if the Canucks want to stay in the contention this season for the playoffs. Forwards have to play more defensively, as great as Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko are they need to become 200 ft players in this stage of their careers.

Where is Bubble Demko? The Vancouver Canucks are seeing a different starting goaltender this season so far but it is still early. Spencer Martin has gotten the start a few nights and has done alright but we need Thatcher Demko to return to goaltender we all know he can be. When Demko is on his game he can be an impenetrable wall. Demko needs to start winning Vancouver games and even stealing some wins on the odd night.

The Canucks used to be the comeback kids in the Luongo, Sedins, Kesler, Burrows, Bieksa era. Vancouver would explode in the 3rd period over 10 years ago and now the Canucks implode in the last 20 minutes. Conditioning to being an elite team in the NHL takes time but it's going to be a whole team effort and finishing checks all game long. Canucks have to protect their leads because they've been winning in games multiple times in the year but have blown the lead.

If Jim Rutherford wants a system change than Bruce Boudreau better start implementing those changes immediately. We've all seen the writing on the wall that BB's job as head coach may be in jeopardy but hopefully he can have time to work his usual magic. It all depends if Boudreau and Rutherford are butting heads behind closed doors, it wasn't really a kept secret that Jim Rutherford had a different man in mind for the job when he showed up to the Vancouver Canucks as President.

Vasily Podkolzin and Nils Hoglander are underperforming at the moment and at this point anyone in the bottom 6 can step up and start contributing to the scoresheet each game. Leading penalty minute leaders on the Canucks are Tyler Myers (35 PIM), Luke Schenn (35 PIM), Dakota Joshua (23 PIM), and Tanner Pearson (21 PIM). Nobody is upset with you if you're standing up for your teammates, but don't be taking lazy or taking negligent penalties in the game.