Everyone take a breath.

The start of this season has been a frustrating one. I say this not because of the Canucks record, but because of the fans. I thought by the end of last year that we had come to an agreement. I thought we all knew that the Canucks were a bad team. Not an average team, not a team that just missed the playoffs….but a bad team. Didn’t we agree to this?

What changed over the offseason, preseason and first few games for you to change your mind?

And it does seem that many of you changed you mind. The anger and disappointment with this team’s results suggest that people were lying about their feelings at the end last year or have been hypnotized into believing this team is better than any advanced stats or eye test suggested.

Maybe you were given hope when the Canucks put Travis Green in charge? The belief that Willie was the cause of the Canucks downfall is great for selling papers (or clicks), but ignores the fact that the players play the games. The talk of situational deployment is great for discussion. The talk of lines that work well together is great for discussion. But there has to be a realization by fans that no matter who is out on the ice in any situation, that this team is not very good.

This team on a good night is competitive, but there are so many reasons why good nights are few. Let’s start with the glaring fact that the Canucks have never and do not now have a legitimate #1 defensemen. I would argue that we might have only real second pairing defenseman. (Tanev) The rest are serviceable 2^nd-3^rd pairing guys.

Next issue would be goaltending. As I pointed out before the season began, we have two large Swedish goalies that have limited experience. Maybe they could develop into top 25 goalies, but it won’t be this year. Both of these guys are backups. Backups who steal jobs from starters can turn into great goalies. We don’t have one of those.

First line forwards are something we used to have, now we should be happy if we have any two forwards reach 50 points. The Sedins are regressing. Bo is no longer unknown to teams and will be covered by other team’s shutdown lines. Again, this team is filled with 2^nd-4^th line forwards that need time to develop chemistry. It would seem that the fans and media have no patience to see chemistry can develop. If the first line is going to be Sven-Bo-Brock, let them play and struggle. Why? Because this team is not very good, but they can develop and get better.

I am not pushing for everyone to agree on lines….or a system…or deployment. I am wondering if the media…and bloggers…probably not Twitter, can remember that the Canucks are not a very team and dial back on the anger. There is no one player that could have turned this franchise around. The Canucks that went to the Finals had twins that were dominate on the PP and even strength. They had Kesler who scored over 40 goals. They had an effective Edler. They had one of the best goalies in the league.

Right now, the Canucks have potential. Potential loses a lot of games. Those who say they’ll stop watching or never go to games because they hate the direction of the team, have that right. But in the long run it may not help the team achieve the goal of winning a cup. We have had an owner willing to spend up to the cap because of fan support. Imagine an owner that that doesn’t get full attendance who decides to focus on profit and not winning. Oh wait….the Canucks had that already.

I’m not sure if it’s a generational thing or the increase in Canuck fans because of the trip to the finals, but the lack of patience in developing this team is……annoying. Those who argue that it should have started earlier….you have a point. But in reality, the rebuild can’t really get going until the Sedins leave so you are going to have to be patient this year as well.

I try not to spend too much of my time yelling at the wind. It’s just extra windy today.