They are not competitive. They don't appear to have any answers. They also have 24 games left on their schedule and the thought of seven more weeks of this is almost inhumane.

The one hope left for the faithful out of this lost season is they can descend far enough into the standings to get into the Auston Matthews sweepstakes. This year, which was hanging on by a thread at the best of times, has disintegrated over the last week, leaving the team's draft position has the only legitimate point of interest.

Five years down the road, when things are brighter, that will prove to be the best thing for this franchise. It's just hard to think five years down the road when things are as depressing as they are now.

-Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province where you can read more on the 5-2 loss by the Canucks to the Ducks.

Below, watch the game highlights.