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VANCOUVER – Just as in the camps of 29 other teams around the National Hockey League, optimism abounds with the Vancouver Canucks. Training camp offered up some compelling storylines and the preseason advanced them. The Canucks were slow to get going in their eight-game exhibition schedule, but ended with victories in three of their final four contests. And now, on Wednesday October 7, they start playing for keeps. With that in mind, here are my likes and dislikes about the hockey club with the new season upon us:

I like the fact the hockey season is here again. Every year, I survive summer and I tolerate the pre-season, but nothing compares to the games that matter. So thank goodness it's go time. While I'm happy to be back at the rink on a regular basis, I don't like the Canucks chances of making the playoffs next spring. I said the same thing 12 months ago and was forced to eat my words. The team's 101-point regular season was impressive, but I don't see enough areas of improvement and expect some regression from key personnel and from the team as a whole.

I like the youth movement and the fact the organization wasn't just paying lip service to the idea of going with fresh faces. And it's not just Jake Virtanen, Jared McCann and Ben Hutton. You have to start the discussion with 20-year-old Bo Horvat, the best Canuck skater through the preseason, and Sven Baertschi, who turned 23 on Monday. The Canucks start the year with five 'young' players on the big-league roster – none of whom were in the opening night line-up one year ago (Horvat was hurt). That's more than a step in the right direction. I don't, however, like the chances of all five lasting with the big club all season.

I really like what I saw from Hutton in preseason. It was my first chance to watch him with my own eyes and although it was preseason and he wasn't facing a true NHL line-up on the other side, his composure with the puck, his ability to lead the rush and his on-ice vision clearly caught the attention of the coaching staff and management. There are still many questions about the 22-year-old's ability to perform on a nightly basis against the best players in the world, but Hutton brings an X-factor to the back end that has been lacking for far too long. While I like Hutton, I don't like the Canucks defence as a whole. Exploited as a group by the Flames in the first round last spring, the Canucks really haven't done much in the way of an overhaul or an upgrade to the blue line. Hutton has come out of nowhere to grab a spot, but five of the six defencemen who were abused by the Flames in the opening round of the playoffs remain on the roster. And the addition of Matt Bartkowski, who skates well but seems to lack any puck sense in the offence side of centre, will hardly throw fear into the opposition. This remains a defence without a true number one and with way too many question marks among the depth guys.

I like Adam Cracknell's story of perseverance. A true NHL journeyman, Cracknell was without a contract late into the summer. Now he's got a spot on the Canucks big-league roster. He came to camp, put his head down and did what was asked of him. Scoring the only goal of the Hockeyville game in Victoria in the Canucks' 1-0 preseason opener seemed to put him on the radar of fans and the media. He built on that, turned in a solid, although unspectacular exhibition campaign, but showed versatility as a centre and a winger who used his size and could kill penalties. I don't like Cracknell's chances of sticking around the entire season at the big-league level, but he has shown to be a serviceable fourth-line guy with NHL playoff experience (in St. Louis) and regardless how things unfold for him, he's already done more than most people expected of him when he signed with the Canucks on August 26.

I like the idea of watching Bo Horvat continue to develop. He represents the future of the Vancouver Canucks and it's been a while since hockey fans in this city have seen a rookie emerge the way Horvat did in the second half last season. He looks like he didn't take a summer break, picking up at the same level in camp as he left off last spring. I like the thought of Horvat getting more involved in the Canucks' special teams. And with a year of seasoning under his belt and the benefit of a look at all the league has to offer, Horvat provides the most-realistic – and maybe even the only -- possibility of increased offence among all full-time players from last season. I don't like the fact that there is a harsh truth in that last sentence. At some point, time is going to catch up to the Canucks' aging core group of forwards and the team has to hope that there is enough left in the tank of those key players to bridge the gap until the youngsters can step into scoring roles. I fear this could be the year that father time starts to shadow some of those veteran Canuck forwards.

I like the preseason Jacob Markstrom had. He looked calm between the pipes and gives off a vibe that he's picked up where he left off with Utica's run to the American Hockey League championship last spring. He still has plenty to prove against NHL shooters, but he should take loads of confidence from his preseason performances (three goals against on 79 shots). Ultimately, his 1.01 GAA and .962 save percentage from exhibition action are meaningless, but his job was to stop the pucks that came his way in the preseason and Markstrom did what was asked of him. That said, overall, I don't like the Canucks goaltending as much as I did at this time last year. Markstrom remains unproven and Ryan Miller is now a 35-year-old goalie coming off a serious knee injury. There are questions about both – and rightly so. Miller got better as the preseason rolled along, but it remains to be seen if at this stage of his career he can withstand the demands of a true number one netminder and can he deliver elite-level goaltending behind a defence with issues.

I like the fact that Willie Desjardins seems to be recovering as scheduled from hip surgery. The timing of the operation just days before training camp was hardly ideal and it can't have been easy to keep the coach away from his job. Desjardins looks like his old self these days albeit with a slight limp, but it shouldn't be long now until he can join his team on the ice for practices. I don't like his chances of being able to roll four lines the way he did on most nights last season when Desjardins' team was at its best. With young players still earning the coach's trust and a fourth line that may not be able to deliver 10-12 minutes a night (with Brandon Prust and Derek Dorsett there are bound to be many nights where one or both spend good chunks of time in the penalty box), Desjardins will likely find himself taken out of a coaching rhythm on a lot of nights and being forced to improvise with his line combinations and player deployment.

I like Daniel Sedin to lead the Canucks with 23 goals this season. I don't like Radim Vrbata's chances of finishing the season with the team, so I won't pick him to top the list. And I don't like his chances of cracking 30 as he did last season.

I like the Canucks to finish with 43 wins. I don't like their chances of making the playoffs with 92 points.

I like the fact that it's just about time for the puck to drop. I don't like the fact time will crawl all day Wednesday, seemingly taking an eternity for the opening face-off to arrive.