The Canucks managed to get a win in their first game without their former captain, earned or otherwise. Zeev Buium made the biggest wave, but Marco Rossi and Liam Öhgren were both fine in their debuts as well. No word on when [insert future player here] is getting into the lineup, but we should probably wait until he's drafted before forming an opinion on him.

So what did we learn?

Seismic Change and Aftershocks

Moving the best player in team history is going to have an effect. But it's not like Vancouver hasn't done it before, trading away both Pavel Bure and Roberto Luongo mid-career. This time, their hand was forced by Quinn Hughes' disinterest in staying with a team that seems uninterested in a long-term vision. Go figure.

We've already talked about the trade itself, looking at the return. Now, one game and a few days later, we can a bit more clearly think about the rest of the team. Because if there is one thing we need to see after this move, it's more moves.

"The TANK, Thursday! What About The TANK?"

Don't worry about the tank. Seriously. Vancouver wasn't as bad as their record said - but they might be now.

That isn't a slight against the new arrivals, either. But one of them is 20 years old and hasn't scored a point in 19 games this season. Another is very skilled, but a rookie defenceman. The third is a good, second-line centre. None of them is Quinn Hughes. It wouldn't surprise anyone if Öhgren went to the minors as the Canucks returned to Vancouver. We like him, we do. But he's not a needle-mover yet.

And if you doubt the commitment to getting a top-five draft position, remember, coach Adam Foote sat Aatu Räty to dress Öhgren, keeping Drew O'Connor at centre. That's commitment.

The biggest risk to their draft position is in goal. Thatcher Demko is exactly the kind of player who can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. But he's not going to be in every game, either. Ideally, that will be because Foote will stick to his limited use of Demko. We're not going to talk about the potential for future injuries, because you can't plan for them. Limiting him to 25 to 30 of the remaining 49 games makes sense.

Still, we do have a plan. And we think you'll like it.

More Movers

Okay, yes, they put Lukas Reichel on waivers. That's fine, they aren't going to recover the fourth-round pick they spent to get him anyway. Abbotsford could use him, and one accidental point in 14 games isn't enough to keep your spot in the NHL. Taking a flyer on Reichel was worth trying, but it didn't work. But that bloody well better not be all the Canucks are planning to do.

A move getting made before the break took me by surprise. A lot of teams try not to trade bodies this close to Winter's start just because it's rude. No one wants to tell their kids they're getting a shiny new address for Christmas. But if Hughes can be traded, anyone can. So let's try beating Allvin and Rutherford to the punch.

In Goal

We've talked Demko already. He is not likely to be moved. He has an expensive three-year deal starting next season, a lengthy injury history, and, well, the Canucks want to keep him. Vancouver's prospect depth is good, but seriously, Demko is already great. If the team wants to challenge for more three years from now, he's one hell of a place to start, even at 33 years old.

It would be a huge surprise if Kevin Lankinen were traded. He has a no-move clause attached to the first two of his five years, and unless it's to a potential champion, he won't waive. Why would he? He's behind an injury-prone starter that the team want to keep healthy: he's gonna get his starts. He's being paid like a 1-A and will be played like a 1-A.

On Defence

This gets interesting. Defence is, unquestioningly, where Vancouver's depth lies. But that depth is also extremely young, and there aren't many teams willing to tolerate the growing pains of three young defencemen at once. Victor Mancini has proven himself capable in bursts, but he is still a bit rough around the edges. Sawyer Minyo and Kirill Kudryavtsev are both legitimate prospects, amazingly enough.

The players in the NHL are showing their value, too. Elias Pettersson is continuing his solid play from last year's sample, and while Buium is now Vancouver's top prospect, that shouldn't make anyone forget Tom Willander. Their respective ages are 21, 20, and 20, and that's too young for an NHL defence. Expect one to move down for some of the year, especially when Derek Forbort returns.

Not every prospect makes the league, of course. The odds of all six of these young guys not only making the league but making an impact are staggeringly remote. Doing it on the same team just ain't happening. Not only can a couple of these players get moved, but a couple probably should.

Up Front

We have the usual set of much-talked-about unrestricteds and unreliable, but there aren't many names that would really signify a sea change.

If you have a bunch of young guys coming up, do you really want to trade Conor Garland? Is there anyone on the team who works harder? Yes, there's something to be said about moving who gets you the best return, but someone has to teach the kids how to drive opponents off their game. Nils Höglander hasn't gotten his game back and needs to play more to at least rebuild his reputation.

Unless someone is willing to throw the kitchen sink at them, the Canucks are better off hanging on to Elias Pettersson the Forward. He can play so much better than he has that any trade now will be undervalued. And if he does recover - or change his game to an Anze Kopitar style - then he'll be extremely valuable to a team pushing into the playoffs.

Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk are both streaky scorers who could get something on the market, but it won't be too much. Trading them with the intent to get younger could certainly work - if they're willing to go. Of the forwards who could bring any kind of return, these two are the ones that make sense to trade.

The Plan

Vancouver has forwards who can take the brunt of a rebuilding year with hard work and pride, if not the most skill. Giving Max Sasson more ice time could be great for him. Linus Karlsson and Drew O'Connor are great guys to cheer for: hard-working guys who have earned their spots! Even if those spots should be a line (or two) lower!

Don't get us wrong, here. Rossi, Pettersson, Garland, and Höglander have plenty of skill. But it probably wouldn't be enough to rack up the wins with Karlsson, O'Connor, Sasson, and Räty as the secondary scoring. Not yet, anyway.

In two or three years, on the other hand, when Braeden Cootes is breaking in, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki has found a spot, and Liam Öhgren has his NHL legs going? And maybe this year's first pick, whoever it is, is in the league, à la Beckett Sennecke or Ivan Demidov. And suddenly, skill isn't as much of a problem.

When a team can be the worst in the league and still have 25-30 wins, it's not far away from competing once again. If, and only if, they plan for it.