Tyler Myers said he thinks the Vancouver Canucks are on the right path to becoming a Stanley Cup contender.
Myers, a defenseman, signed a five-year, $30 million contract with the Canucks as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019 after four-plus seasons with the Winnipeg Jets. He said he sees similarities between the Canucks and his previous team, which reached the 2018 Western Conference Final. The Jets, an up-and-coming group at the time, lost that best-of-7 series against the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
"There was such a solid dynamic core in Winnipeg that it seemed like when we got to that point, they were able to filter [in] a piece here, a piece there instead of moving too many guys in and out of the lineup," Myers said Wednesday. "My experience my first year here in Vancouver is very much the same. We're close; close to that point of becoming a winning team.
"It's just a matter of experience and getting that feeling of what it takes to win, and part of that is getting that experience in playoffs."
The Canucks (36-27-6) trailed the Calgary Flames by one point for third place in the Pacific Division when the NHL season paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. Vancouver, which is aiming to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since the 2014-15 season, is tied with the Nashville Predators for the second wild card in the West.
"I really like our group," said Myers, who has 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 68 games this season. "I like the direction it's heading, and I think we have a really good young core coming up."
That young core includes forwards Elias Pettersson (21) and Brock Boeser (23), and defenseman Quinn Hughes (20), a candidate to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie this season.
Hughes leads all first-year players with 53 points (eight goals, 45 assists) in 68 games. Pettersson has 66 points (27 goals, 39 assists) in his second NHL season; Boeser is bidding for a third straight season with at least 20 goals (16 goals, 29 assists).
Myers said a chance to see it through is what he wants most for the Canucks.
"I think all of us in the room, we see ourselves as a playoff team." he said. "It's impossible to tell what could have happened in the last (13) games. I really liked our strides made this year.
"I hope we're able to come back and try to end it off on a good note, that we could get back that feeling we had before [the season pause]."
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://almosthuman99.com
Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://almosthuman99.com/polls/babes/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://almosthuman99.com/polls/hunks/hunkofthemonth.html
No comments:
Post a Comment