The Vancouver Canucks are going to open the season at home against a tired Calgary Flames team. Not saying it's a "must win", but other teams' travel is one of the few advantages being coastally-based gives. So they better.

But in among the expectations for the coming season, something is always going to surprise. What is it that will make fans and players alike blink twice at the stats pages by the time all the hardware is handed out? I pestered a couple of my bitter rivals coworkers for answers.

Shocks to Adam Foote's System

Yeah, I'm gaming it because I'm the one writing it up. I'll put them in what I think is least to most shocking if it happens. We're not going to bother with the impossible - "Fans convince the Aquilinis to sell!" - but any of these would be a surprise.

jimmi.cynic:

"Cootes sticks for more than 10 games"

Did I mention I cheated? Because I asked his opinion last week, well before the mini-clinic Braeden Cootes and Jonathan Lekkerimäki put on against Edmonton. The kids showed they belonged, even if one's 18 years old, and even if it's briefly.

The magic of ten games is that's when his entry level contract burns a year, so is looked on as a hard line for NHL teams. I don't know how important that is anymore, though. A bigger line to me is when he's no longer considered a rookie going into next year, a 25-game limit.

The other barrier to his being sent down is that he can't go to the AHL, but would have to return to the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL. That's a huge jump, so even if it's close the Canucks might be reluctant to send him back. It's worth talking about.

"Vancouver wins a game by more than six goals"

Off the deep end quick, then. This season is going to be an interesting watch for a lot of reasons, not least of which is whatever system rookie coach Adam Foote puts in place. He consulted - a LOT - with his players over the Summer, and that had to include asking them what they wanted to see.

It looks like they're pressing for offence, led by the blue line. Not a bad decision, given where the talent lies, but it's risky. Demko and Lankinen are good at breakaways, but there's only so many a team wants to give up. If it doesn't work quickly, Foote might change his mind back to a tight, controlled game.

For the record, Vancouver had no wins with a 5-goal gap last year.

"The Canucks make the playoffs by double digits"

This one's going to be really tough. It means either the second wild card was handed a gimmie at around 90 points compared to Vancouver's 100-ish, or that the Canucks finished the year with 105+. Not impossible, but the weaker teams in the West have stocked up a bit, and we probably won't see the level of underperformance that we did last season.

westy99:

"Any Canuck reaching 100 points"

The obvious choice here is Elias Pettersson returning to form. No one else on the team is really "that kind of guy" to suddenly produce at a triple-digit pace. If Foote's system works as intended, then more players will have a chance at more points, but that'll be spread out.

If Pettersson makes it to 100 points, then everything is going perfectly. Things can still go just fine and he'll finish the year at 80-85 instead, and that's far more likely.

"Demko playing more than 55 games"

Okay, this is more in the "boy, I hope not" category than the "what a shock" one. It's a condensed schedule with an Olympic break, and we all know what Thatcher Demko's injury history is. If he's playing this much, it means Lankinen has been injured, Nikita Tolopilo tanked, and the race is close in February. Oof.

Thursday:

"Kudryavtsev plays 40 games in the NHL"

I'm going way out of the box with this one, but mostly because I want more people to notice Kirill Kudryavtsev. He is... disturbingly stable out there, and not just on his skates.

Have you ever heard of the 2003 movie The Cooler? William H. Macy plays a guy who is employed by a casino because whenever he's at a table, whoever else is there has a streak of bad luck. He doesn't win, but that's not why he gets a salary. He makes sure other people lose.

That's Kudryavtsev. When he's on the ice, nothing happens. Shots for, shots against, chances anywhere just dry up. It's kind of hilarious, but also a really underrated skill, especially for a sub-six-footer.

Now, for him to come to Vancouver, a lot of dominos would have to fall. With Jett Woo and Guillaume Brisebois both out long-term, Abbotsford need a stable top pair. That's probably going to be Tom Willander and recently-recalled Victor Mancini.

For Kudryavtsev to get the call, they have to need a stable player, not the swashbuckling style of those two. I'm anticipating a trade from Vancouver's blue line fairly early in the year, moving him up in the depth chart. And once he's here, I think the coaching staff will want him to stay.

So, what do you think? Too wild? Not wild enough? Let us know!