The Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres crossed swords last night. The Sabres weren't quite on their 10-game win streak, losing once before facing Vancouver, but were still riding high. The Canucks, on the other hand, hadn't been doing so well, with just one win in six games since a brief winning streak post-Quinn Hughes.

What happened next probably won't surprise you.

Causing Effects

Vancouver was on the road, which, in theory, is a tougher game. But the Canucks have triple the wins on the road as at home, so "grain of salt" that thought. It still didn't go well for them, as the post-game column here can attest. They outshot the Sabres 35-20, but some of that is score effects and some poor shot choice. Or maybe it's frikkin' genies, as the Canucks are 3-11-2 when they outshoot their opponents* this season.

It was a fairly lethargic game from Vancouver through two periods. They had 14 shots in the first, sure, but only a few were dangerous. A short-handed goal against, and, well, it wasn't their night. Until approximately ten minutes into the third, when Buffalo took a double minor. The team found new life, getting to within one before an empty-netter finished them off for good.

And if that game was played at home, the fans would probably have gone home happy. Or if not happy, then happy-ish. Because that, ladies and gentlemen, is where we are.

Is Losing Good?

Ask Team Canada at the World Juniors if they would rather have the Bronze medal or fourth place. It's a quick and easy reply to what should be an obvious question.

That being said, there is the matter of scale. A team in a tournament that happens once a year over the course of two weeks isn't the same as a team in an ongoing league. An Olympic or World team might plan a year ahead, maybe two, to consider the logistics. An ongoing team can change that to years.

Right now, the Vancouver Canucks have no plan. They had a plan, and one that involved a core of Elias Pettersson the Forward, J.T. Miller, Thatcher Demko, and, of course, Quinn Hughes. Anchors at all the important positions, and a coach who can bring them together with proper discipline and solid technique, Rick Tocchet. Add some reliable side pieces, like Brock Boeser, Kevin Lankinen, and Filip Hronek, and we're set to build a challenger!

Let's not go into details about how that went.

Suffice it to say, that plan didn't last. Three times, that plan didn't last, as Miller, Tocchet, and Hughes all fell away. Now they have a plane that didn't fly and are trying to decide what bits to sell off for parts.

Time, Gentlemen!

The NHL does help the worst teams in the league by giving them the opportunity to select draft-age talent before the better teams. This controls where said talent goes and for how long, with a few notable exceptions. Teams are reluctant to trade their highest picks because, over the years, we've seen that it is far and away where most of the talent is available.

You want a star? Bad news, buddy, they're tough to find! You're probably going to have to draft one.

So, yes, in the NHL, losing can be a good thing. In fact, it could be said that losing is an essential part of being good. So, shouldn't the Canucks be one of the best teams in the league by now? After all, they have been quite a bad team for most of the past dozen years! Well, that's the thing: you have to PLAN for when you are going to be a bad team. If you are an accidentally bad team, and the plan you have is to be a good team, then you're walking around London with a Paris street map. Interesting, but mostly useless.

Right now, the Vancouver Canucks are in Surrey with a topographical map of the Moon. A fine idea, but it ain't helping.

What Can We Do?

Are... Are you a shareholder in the Vancouver Canucks? Seriously? Uh, h-hey! How you doin' there, Francesco? Uh, don't read any other part of this website, okay? Not for a bit, anyway. It's dull. Really. Mostly about flowers and stuff. We're talking about maps now, so... anyway. Good of you to drop by. Maybe we'll talk later, eh?

(Is he gone? That was crazy, guys! WTF, right!?!)

We, as fans, are just going to have to decide what it is we like about the team. If what you like is winning, well, that might not be for a good long while. Not consistently, anyway. Know, though, that a win can come on any given night, and it's pretty fun to be there when the home team scores an upset. Granted, that's not been a common thing this season, but it's still fun when it happens.

The Solution: Pick 'Em

But that's not going to be the majority of nights. So you have to pick what you like from what is given us. Watching a young player like Tom Willander get through his growing pains to become a solid, middle-pair contributor is fun, even in losses. Heck, my favourite Canuck during the Sedin Era was Jannik Hansen. Those years got pretty frikkin' barren, but he was still a good watch.

Or pick a vet whose job has suddenly become guiding the kids as they come into the fold. There's always a risk of them getting traded away, but you can look for moments where they're giving advice on the bench or guiding traffic on the ice. And you never know how they'll react to a new world. The amount of ramping up Hronek has done since Hughes left is night and day. He was happy to be in a supporting role here, but he's loaded that defence onto his shoulders since becoming The Man on the blueline.

It's even fun watching the farm crew finding their way, like Linus Karlsson or Max Sasson, earning new deals. They aren't going to be stars, but becoming NHL regulars is already a huge task. Enjoy them for the work they put in. It doesn't always work out - I'm a big Jett Woo fan, and still waiting for his arrival. Might never come, but if it does, I'll be there for it. I'm a sucker for a throwback player, what can I say?

If you want to be really oblique, you can watch the coaching. See what styles they use in different configurations, consult a Jack Han manual or two. But if you thought watching your favourite veteran could be short-lived, the coach of a losing team has the lifespan of a mayfly. Watch it while you can. Remember: it's a game, and games are supposed to be fun. Find your joy in it now, and hope for a big payoff in the future.

Just not too far into the future, okay, Francisco?

*13-9-3 when they get outshot, just for the record.