How does it keep getting worse? The Canucks don't just lose like normal teams. Every loss seems to come attached to punishments that test their collective wills to go on.

Vancouver Canucks (9-12-2) vs. Anaheim Ducks (14-7-1)

Honda Center, Anaheim, CA

7:00 pm PST; 10:00 pm EST

TV: Sportsnet Pacific

Radio: Sportsnet 650

It's never been easy being a Canucks fan. Years of ineptitude from ownership, front office, coaching and the actual on ice talent have made cheering this team into an experience not for the feint of heart. Hell, we've even had anthem singer drama. And the thing that sucks, the only thing we've wanted, since I started following the team in 1973, is hope. Just to be able to watch this team and not feel existential dread every time they go on the ice. Honestly, apart from their expansion cousins, there's no other team that just continually makes life harder for their fans.

Miss me with the tales of woe about the Leafs, okay? You have Stanley Cup banners hanging in your rink. You've been competitive for a long time now, and I would trade that in a heart beat to what is going on here. Playoff failure, and failing to make the playoffs are two entirely different things, and one of them is infinitely worse than the other, believe me.

So after another loss, we've gotten all kinds of responses from coaching and management, about how things could change, and there could be veterans moved out to try and shore up things for the future. Honestly, Apart from Quinn Hughes, I think I am good now with anyone being moved. Look, I love Elias Pettersson, and seeing him starting to regain his form this season has been one of the few bright spots. The only way this team can be rebuilt/retooled into a team that can be a contender, is with Hughes as the core. That and just one more thing.

They need to win the draft lottery this year.

Gavin McKenna is a generational type player like Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini. Until the Canucks are able to draft a legit superstar forward to go along with a guy already proving to be a Hall of Fame worthy rearguard, it's just not going to get any better. So the Canucks need to stop selling their future and blow up the present if they want to make things better. That means shipping out Conor Garland, Kiefer Sherwood, Evander Kane, Teddy Blueger and Tyler Myers. Stop bringing in guys like Lukas Reichel, David Kampf and others. They're already near or at the bottom of every team metric in the NHL right now, and only there because they've managed to be half decent beyond 60 minutes.

They have an opportunity to just blow it up this year, and set things in motion to finally do things the right way, and give us a team we can believe in. It takes courage from management, and for ownership to actually do what is right and understand that building a better team will actually be better for the bottom line in the long run. This fan base isn't stupid. If you can put together a plan, where you put together solid, high draft picks to compliment what we already have in terms of prospects, they will get better. This is how every team apart from Vegas has done it, and most of us understand it's gonna continue to suck before getting better. Right now, all we have is suck. No hope, no future.

Look at Anaheim. Are they for real? We'll find out as the season goes on, but they went through some crappy years and built a young team that is ready to make some noise. I'd genuinely say this is a feel good story, if they hadn't hired Joel Quenneville to coach them. Instead, they should just be mocked and ridiculed, and every misfortune cheered heartily for being such a soulless organization as to allow that fucking scumbag a pass back into the game of hockey. It's embarrassing for the league that they continue to put victims last.

LINEUPS

From the nhl dot com thing on the interwebs, here's what to expect tonight:

Canucks projected lineup

Evander Kane -- Elias Pettersson -- Jake DeBrusk

Conor Garland -- David Kampf -- Brock Boeser

Drew O'Connor -- Aatu Raty -- Kiefer Sherwood

Arshdeep Bains -- Max Sasson -- Linus Karlsson

Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek

Elias Pettersson -- Tyler Myers

Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander

Nikita Tolopilo

Jiri Patera

Scratched: P.O. Joseph, Kevin Lankinen, Lukas Reichel

Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Nils Hoglander (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)

Ducks projected lineup

Cutter Gauthier -- Leo Carlsson -- Beckett Sennecke

Chris Kreider -- Mason McTavish -- Troy Terry

Frank Vatrano -- Ryan Strome -- Alex Killorn

Ross Johnston -- Jansen Harkins -- Nikita Nesterenko

Jackson LaCombe -- Drew Helleson

Olen Zellweger -- Jacob Trouba

Pavel Mintyukov -- Radko Gudas

Petr Mrazek

Ville Husso

Scratched: Ian Moore

Injured: Ryan Poehling (upper body), Mikael Granlund (lower body), Lukas Dostal (upper body)

Okay, so just to put this all in perspective: Heading into the Pacific Division leaders building tonight, where they are one of the best home ice teams in the NHL right now, the Canucks are starting a goaltender in his NHL debut. Nikita Tolopilo will make the start tonight, and Jiri Patera, who had been sent down to Abbotsford, will back him up as Kevin Lankinen is taking a personal leave and not with the team. Thatcher Demko has traveled with the team, but there's no guarantee that he'll start one of these three games. This could get ugly.

Arshdeep Bains is back in after sitting in the press box for five straight games, and there's word that Nils Hoglander and Teddy Blueger could join the team on this trip, but again, we'll believe that when we see it. And yes, Evander Kane is still on the top line.

GAME DAY CHATTER

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

While there's an album of covers paying tribute to METALLICA's 'Kill Em All' currently getting all the hype, don't sleep on this new cover of 'Hit The Lights' from GIRLSCHOOL, featuring help from ALCATRAZZ and blues guitarist Joe Stump. Gritty as fuck, and absolutely has the fire and fury of that 1983 release.