It’s no secret that the 2013-14 Vancouver Canucks’ season was, in a word, awful. In two words? Shockingly awful. However, with what feels like the busiest off-season in team history quickly coming to an end, there are many reasons to be excited for the upcoming Canucks campaign:

1. Beloved former player Trevor Linden is now at the head of the franchise, entering his first full season as team president. Be honest though, you’ve always considered him president of the team ever since he retired. In Linden We Trust!

2. Willie Desjardins’s no-nonsense moustache behind the bench will make a distant memory of John Tortorella’s tantrums and attempts to storm the opponent’s dressing room. Willie was at the top of Vancouver’s list and they got him. I can’t wait to see why he was so coveted.

3. After leaning heavily on veterans the last few seasons, the Canucks’ youth movement is in full effect this season. Several young, hungry players will get a chance with the big club, and watching the birth of a potential franchise star like Bo Horvat or Niklas Jensen is a great reason to keep an eye on this team.

4. The Canucks have a former Vezina candidate in net again. The acquisition of Ryan Miller means that a solid hand will be in net and last year’s breakout star Eddie Lack will get more time to develop (and, most important, rest).

5. After a disastrous season last year, there is nowhere to go but up for defenceman Alex Edler.

6. Jim Benning built a winner in Boston. He’s already made strides to do that in Vancouver. After being up against the cap for the last several years, the Canucks have some money to play around with, even with the free-agent signings of Ryan Miller and Radim Vrbata. Speaking of which. …

7. The Sedins get a new dance partner in Vrbata, whom many consider one of the best valued free agents on the market. After a serious decline in last years point totals for Daniel and Henrik, having a weapon like Vrbata play with the twins should immediately make for more entertaining hockey.

8. We can now fully hate Ryan Kesler’s diving and whining.

9. This is the year Zack Kassian becomes the player we traded for. Right? RIGHT?!

10. No more John Tortorella. Your mileage may vary on whether this is a good thing, but I would trade his entertaining news conferences for entertaining hockey any day of the week.