The window has closed. The twins have aged. Goaltending, which used to be the Canucks strong suit, has disappeared – neither Ryan Miller nor Jacob Markstrom truly stepped their game up. It’s going to be an interesting summer for the Canucks, as they try to figure out where to go from here.

1. Fifth Overall

The Canucks fell to the bottom of the Pacific, but luckily that means that they now have the fifth overall pick. With this pick, the Canucks could take a few different prospects and potential future starters. Most mock drafts have the Canucks selecting Pierre-Luc Dubois, a potential heir to Henrik Sedin. Although he would more accurately be the heir to Bo Horvat, who will become the first center. The Canucks could also look at Matthew Tkachuk to be the heir to Daniel Sedin,

The Canucks could also look to improve their defense, with Dan Hamhuis aging and with former stars having moved on. Their best bets would be Olli Juolevi or Jacob Chychrun.

The Canucks have a bounty of prospects to look at, and perhaps their decision will be the hardest in the draft.

2. Dan Hamhuis

Do you re-sign him? Do you re-sign him only to trade him? Do you let him walk away? These are all questions Vancouver GM Jim Benning will have to answer, should he still be GM come draft day. His seat may be one of the hottest in the league, having been unable to trade Hamhuis at the deadline, despite multiple suitors. The Canucks have aged at every position, and Dan Hamhuis is the elder statesman of the Canucks defense.

This decision is another tough one. Do you keep the guy who helped lead the Canucks to a Stanley Cup Final? Do you let him walk free? Obviously the best course of action would perhaps be trading him, but having failed at the deadline, is that chance now gone?

The Canucks defense is still rather young, apart from Hamhuis. They have Tanev, who is their best defensive defenseman. In terms of offensive production, they have Matt Bartkowski and Ben Hutton. But they lack depth, and Luca Sbisa is one defenseman they can afford to lose. Perhaps re-signing Hamhuis to mentor a freshly drafted defensive prospect is the best course of action.

3. Defense As A Whole

Like I said, not a ton of depth. The Canucks need to get better on the second two pairings, even if they do re-sign Hamhuis. Part of this could be through the draft, and perhaps the Canucks look for talent on the free market. But they also need to re-sign a few of their other defensemen, including Yannick Weber and Matt Bartkowski. If the defense becomes the focal point of the Canucks again, it wouldn’t be hard seeing them as a contender in the future.

4. Goaltending

Both Ryan Miller and Jacob Markstrom will only have one year remaining. That means they are now eligible for extensions, should Benning want to hand either one a new contract. Markstrom should be a competent back up goaltender moving forward, but Miller’s career should be over. He’s not the goaltender he was once in Buffalo, and he’s not Roberto Luongo either. However, there will be multiple goaltenders available this summer, and Benning should be active in this market as well. I could see one of the Dallas goaltenders finding their way to Vancouver should they become available, and the option I see more is Kari Lehtonen. He’s capable, and all he needs is to find more consistency. A team that has produced Roberto Luongo’s career second half, Eddie Lack, and Cory Schneider should be able to help with that.

The Canucks have some rebuilding to do. This year was a sign of what’s to come, and it may be awhile but the Canucks will be back.