Pre-Season Depth Chart Rankings (Version 3)

As expected the Vancouver Canucks have made some roster cuts after their weekend games. The following players are on their way to the Manitoba Moose: Nolan Baumgartner, Mario Bliznak, Kevin Connauton, Evan Oberg, Prab Rai, Jordan Schroeder, Chris Tanev, Aaron Volpatti, and Sean Zimmerman. The most notable name on the list is Schroeder who was likely destined for the Moose no matter what he did.

Here is the third edition of the pre-season depth chart rankings...

Forwards

"Safe Group"

Daniel Sedin; Henrik Sedin; Ryan Kesler; Mason Raymond; Mikael Samuelsson; Manny Malhotra; Raffi Torres; Jannik Hansen;

"Should Make It"

• 9 Brendan Morrison (10) - Has had a very strong pre-season, the Canucks will do their best to fit him in under the cap. If not he'll have a job somewhere.
• 10 Tanner Glass (13) - Has the confidence of the coaching staff as evidenced by his pk time.
• 11 Cody Hodgson (9) - Has the skills with the puck, skating and strength are still questionable. Cap hit also working against him.
• 12 Rick Rypien (11) - Likely to stick with the team whether he is healthy by opening night or not
• 13 Darcy Hordichuk (14) - Willing to take on anyone, has a good chance of being the 13th forward.

"Outside Looking In"

• 14 Victor Oreskovich (12) - Decent game in Edm on a very bad night. Has to keep going to the dirty areas.
• 15 Jeff Tambellini (16) - Wasn't great, but also wasn't bad with the Sedins. He'll still get a good look.
• 16 Peter Schaefer (17) - Has looked pretty good but it's hard to see a fit contract wise with the Canucks, but should catch on somewhere.
• 17 Joel Perrault (15) - Hasn't been bad but hasn't done anything to take the 4th line centre job. Still has a chance though.
• 18 Alexandre Bolduc (21) - Was a little better on the weekend, but still not outplaying his competition.
• 19 Guillaume Desbiens (19) - Unlikely to make it, but should get another chance after surviving monday cuts.
• 20 Sergei Shirokov (20)- "Getting extra work" with the conditioning coach - not a good sign for Sergei.
• Aaron Volpatti
• Jordan Schroeder

Defencemen

"Safe Group"

Christian Ehrhoff; Keith Ballard; Alexander Edler; Dan Hamhuis; Kevin Bieksa;

"On The Bubble"

• 6 Andrew Alberts (8) - Had a good game against Anaheim.
• 7 Aaron Rome (6) - Not a great night in Edm.
• 8 Shane O'Brien (7) - See above.

"The Depth Guys"

• Lee Sweatt - Not good in Edm, no one was, but has had a good camp
• Nolan Baumgartner
• Evan Oberg
• Christopher Tanev
• Kevin Connauton
• Sean Zimmerman

Goalies

1. Roberto Luongo - Looked great against Anaheim, tweaked groin will leave him out until Friday.
2. Cory Schneider - Soldiered through a terrible performance by the team in front of him in Edm.
3. Eddie Lack - Should get one more start before heading to Winnipeg to battle for the starting Moose job.
4. Tyler Weiman - Moose bound soon.

Injured

• F Alexandre Burrows
• D Sami Salo
• D Yann Sauve

There are a few main stories going on. The first is Morrison, who is now a lock to make the team... that is if they can work out a contract.

The second is Hodgson who has his work cut out for him. Skillwise he is ready for the NHL, but his strength and skating aren't quite there yet. He's not ready to play centre ice in the NHL, but he is capable of playing the wing and the powerplay. Hogdson's $1.6m cap hit is also working against him. Having Hodgson in Manitoba playing 18-20 minutes a night and also saving salary cap room is an attractive scenario for the Canucks. Still, with Burrows out, there is quality ice time available, so with three games remaining he has a chance to play his way into a spot.

Finally, there's a good battle on the 4th line with Darcy Hordichuk showing that he can be effective as a fighter.