Another Contender In Vancouver
The Vancouver Canucks had a very short summer, but it would have been a painful, frustrating one just the same. After an 82-game President Trophy winning season and 25 postseason games, the Canucks had come up short. They had lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs to a Boston team they had learned to hate, and they faced the prospect of going through it all again before they would get another shot.
They could be forgiven then for their 9-9-1 start with several lacklustre performances and frustrating inconsistency. The Bruins grabbed the headlines for their 3-7-0 start, and amazing transformation, but the Canucks hangover was not much less notable, and their play since has been more consistent and more impressive if anything. Of course, nobody connected with this Vancouver organisation will mind this team avoiding any shred of limelight that it can.
A stretch between Nov 20 and Dec 10, where the Canucks won nine out of 10 got their season kick started and they haven’t looked back. Their record since their 9-9-1 start is 27-6-5.
The continued outstanding feature about this Canucks’ line-up is its depth and balance. They were notable last season for having quality and depth at every position, and the same is true this season, only they should have even more chemistry this time around. Even with the Sedins in notable slumps, this team has been racking up the wins at an impressive pace, they are a league best 8-0-3 in their last 11 games. Their recent run has thrust them into the President’s Trophy race once again. They are one point behind the Rangers, though New York has two games in hand, and they are two points behind Detroit, but Vancouver has the game in hand.
Of course, winning the President’s Trophy isn’t this team’s priority. In fact, they will probably be grateful that the regular season is nearing its close. Can this team win that won extra game this time around? They definitely are one of the real contenders once again. The Sedins remain a formidable force, and they will have something to prove in the postseason once again this time around. David Booth has undoubtedly strengthened the team’s second line playing alongside Ryan Kesler. Offensive consistency remains a problem for Mason Raymond, but he looks a better all-round player than one year ago. Cody Hodgson has emerged as an excellent third line pivot, which gives the Canucks a threesome to match the Bruins, while Jannik Hansen and Chris Higgins have both established themselves in this line-up.
The blue-line remains one of the league’s best. Dan Hamhuis’ injury was clearly an important factor in the Cup finals, but he and Kevin Bieksa could both eclipse career highs offensively this season, while remaining a dominant shutdown pair. Depth certainly isn’t a problem either. Alexander Edler has stayed healthy and has 39 points already this season, three points off his career high. Aaron Rome, Sami Salo, Keith Ballard and Andrew Alberts round out the group.
Of course question marks remain over Roberto Luongo. As usual, he had a poor start and has been pretty much dominant since. Will inconsistency plague him ‘as usual’ in the playoffs this time around? Will Cory Schneider’s excellent play all season long have any effect either? This Canucks organisation has a very good problem with Schneider’s development. They probably have one more short-term contract before they will have to make a choice between two very good goaltenders. Hopefully, that quality and depth will benefit them this time around.
This is undoubtedly a team with the talent and depth to make amends and win the Cup in 2012. The problem is that a lot of uncontrollable factors decide playoff fates, injuries being one of them. A returning core is usually a positive, though returning to win a Cup one year after being defeated isn’t an easy thing to achieve mentally either. GM Mike Gillis has a little cap wiggle room, and he may elect to add another veteran forward to this group, though he probably made his ‘big move’ when he acquired Booth in November.
Whatever happens, the Canucks are once again a contender, and they could still win the President’s Trophy for a second straight year. Not that that’s the trophy that they are aiming for…
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