Vancouver Canucks Hockey Blog

Sidney Crosby and the Penguins Come to Town

2007-12-07T15:39:00.000-08:00

Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will be in Vancouver on Saturday night! In other news, with some free time becoming available I hope to be able to re-launch this blog soon.

Kesler for 2nd Round Pick and $1m of cap room... do you make the deal?

2006-09-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

That's the decision Dave Nonis is now faced with after Bobby Clarke signed Ryan Kesler to a $1.9m offer sheet.

First, I have to say that this is a pretty good move by Clarke. He's getting a former 1st round pick, who can contribute in the NHL right now, in exchange for a (late) 2nd round draft pick and whatever "cost" you want to attach to Kesler's overpayment. I'd make that deal every time.

On the Canucks end of things... this sucks. Ryan Kesler was not a two million dollar player last season and he most likely won't be this season. The Canucks are already uncomfortably close to the salary cap, add on an extra million dollars to Kesler's contract and Nonis will be sticking himself in the same position he was in last season... no cap room and no depth on the blueline.

But is the alternative any better?

Should the Canucks walk away from Kesler they would be losing their top forward prospect and a player who was expected to play a significant role on this year's squad.

In the short term Vancouver could deal with losing Kesler for this season. Marc Chouinard is set to take over the 3rd line centre role and their are several candidates to fill the 4th line (including Rick Rypien, who is having a strong rookie camp). With Kesler's previously expected $800-900k off the books they would also have more cap room to either use later in the season or to go after one of the remaining free agents. Considering the remaining crop of FA's, they would likely wait and save cap room.

A 2nd round draft pick and the added cap flexibility is certainly worth considering, but how would this affect the organization in the long term?

Looking at the organizational prospect depth... well I wouldn't really use the word "depth". At the forward position there is not much there after Kesler. Giving up Kesler for another Mason Raymond(2nd rd. 2005) type forward prospect would not be a very shrewd move. Kesler has the potential to be a top 6 forward and at worst will be a very good 3rd line centre. Can you really walk away from a prospect like that?

Some of you will remember the last time a another team tried to poach a former first round pick away from the Canucks. Once upon a time the Toronto Maple Leafs made a similar move to snag a young Mattias Ohlund. At the time their offer was considered a significant overpayment, just as the Kesler offer is today. Obviously the Canucks matched the offer and things turned out pretty well.

There is more to consider in the new salary cap era, but for Dave Nonis this isn't a salary cap issue. There is room for Kesler's salary and as such Nonis cannot give up this asset. Over the next 5+ years, Kesler will be far more valuable than the million dollars of 2006/2007 cap space while the draft pick may never materialize into anything of value.

Kesler has been pegged by this organization to be a critical member of any future success. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but just as Pat Quinn did with Ohlund, Nonis will do with Kesler.

With that out of the way I'd like to announce that I'm trying to get things back up and running for the new season. It has been a tremendously busy offseason, arguably the most interesting in Vancouver history. Since I did not have the proper amount of time to devote to this place, I decided to refrain from commenting on the off-season moves until I could do so properly. As the season approaches I hope to get caught up on the off-season stuff as I update the rest of the site and keep up with the news out of camp and pre-season... looking forward to the new season and a new era in Canuckland.

The Crawford Firing

2006-04-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

When this disastrous season ended I wasn't sure how I felt about the coaching situation. I could have gone either way. On one hand I hated the idea of letting the players off the hook by firing the coach. On the other hand missing the playoffs was unacceptable and heads should roll.

After the initial disappointment of missing the playoffs had subsided I came to the conclusion that it was probably best to fire Crawford and go in a new direction. Contrary to the popular reasoning of players tuning out Crow, there is another reason why Crawford should take the fall. Over the years this team has had many issues ranging from goaltending problems to powerplay problems, but Crawford's biggest failure as coach was his inability to improve the defensive coverage in the defensive zone. This team has always had difficulty in their own end and the abysmal defensive play down the stretch was the last straw for Crawford.

Sure it doesn't help when your two best players are absolutely atrocious defensively, but it wasn't just Bertuzzi and Naslund who contributed to the poor defensive play. This team continually missed assignments downlow, failed to win battles on the half boards, and took far too many penalties because they were flailing around in their own end. This has been a problem for as long as Crawford has been here and it has now cost him his job.

There are of course other reasons for Crawford's firing. The aforementioned "tuning out" and "shelf life" at the top of the list. But when you get right down to it this move was necessary in order for Nonis to put his stamp on the team. This team had peaked and the impact of the Bertuzzi incident was the final blow to what was once the most promising team Canuck fans have ever had.

Nonis did not want to fire Crawford, but he knew it was necessary in order for this team to move on. Firing Crawford was the first step, now he needs a coach in place before the free agent season begins...

Some Candidates:

The first coach to enter my mind was the recently fired Andy Murray. Before the Kings job, Murray was actually a candidate to join the Canucks as an assistant. Murray is probably on Nonis' list, but he's too similar to Crawford. This team probably needs more of a player's coach and not a demanding technical coach like Murray.

Predictably Pat Quinn's name has come up, but I don't believe he will be a candidate. While a lot of the Orca Bay brass has changed it's still the same ownership group that was involved in Quinn's less than amicable departure. Does Quinn want to return to Vancouver? Will he return under the same ownership? Does he even want to coach?

Current Moose head coach Alain Vigneault is likely a top candidate. Vigneault has experience, credibility and also fits the mold of a more player friendly coach. I would be surprised if Vigneault isn't in Nonis top 3 candidates.

Former Hurricane coach Paul Maurice is also a very interesting candidate. Maurice took the Canes to the finals and is known for solid defense. If Maurice isn't slated to take over the job in Toronto, Nonis will take a long look at him.

Brent Sutter... ain't gonna happen.

Dave Lewis... I don't really have a good read on Lewis. He coached a very good team in Detroit and was bounced early in the playoffs. By all accounts he's a good coach and will be strongly considered.

Mark Habscheid current coach of the Canadian National team will probably find himself with an NHL job soon. It could be in Vancouver.

Associate coach Mike Johnston is also a candidate, but I believe Nonis is looking for new blood and promoting assistant coaches rarely pays off. If he goes with Johnston he may as well have saved a million bucks and kept Crawford.

Ted Nolan... loads of baggage, hasn't coached in the NHL in for a decade... don't count on it. He might find his way back to the NHL, but it will likely be with a young team and a veteran, secure GM.

Ken Hitchcock... may be on the way out should Philly be bounced (although that would seem odd after Clarke's rant about the Quinn firing). Hitchcock is a great coach and would do wonders for the Canucks defensive play.

Some other names include Kevin Constantine, Don Hay, Stan Smyl, Mike Kitchen, Kevin Dineen, Barry Smith, Jack Bauer and I'm sure a half dozen others who will be fired.

Non-Canuck Deadline Trades

2006-03-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

With the trade deadline approaching, and the first significant deal announced, I'll be using this space for my thoughts on deals that don't involve the Canucks...

Roloson to Edmonton for 1st Rd. Pick & Cond. 3rd

The Edmonton Oilers have finally found a goaltender and the price was high. A first round pick and a conditional 3rd(should he re-sign with Edm) is a lot for a pending free agent. Roloson has not had a good season, but Canuck fans should be well aware of how good he can be. He was at the top of my wishlist, but the price was too high for Vancouver, especially without the need to acquire a #1. While the Oilers paid a significant price, I think it's a good trade for them. They absolutely needed a goaltender and they managed to get one without giving up anything off their roster. Roloson gives them a chance to compete in the playoffs.

While there is one less team in the market, the bar has been set at a 1st round pick. Don't expect Nonis to deal his first round pick on a rental, that means no Curtis Joseph.

Trade Rumours

2006-03-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

As the deadline approaches more and more trade rumours emerge on a daily basis. The Canucks (with their obvious needs on defense and in goal) are involved in many rumours, some far fetched, some reasonable...

Sheldon Souray

During the Canucks / Flames game on Tuesday night it was mentioned that Vancouver has been scouting the Montreal Canadiens. With Vancouver's troubles on defense the obvious name to come up was Sheldon Souray.

My first thought was "no thanks, Souray has struggled, costs a lot and the asking price will be high." But then I took a closer look...

He really isn't that expensive, only $2.1m this year and reportedly $2.24m next year. If Nonis anticipates losing Jovanovski as a free agent, Souray (and his contract) would be a nice fit as a top 4 defenseman. That would leave roughly another $2m to add another defenseman. Nonis would essentially be replacing Jovo and his $4m+ with two top 4 defensmen.
While he has struggled this could be do to a) his off ice troubles and b) losing his defense partner (Brisebois). Getting him out of Montreal and with a right handed defenseman like Salo or Baumgartner, could help him get his game back. Souray has the tools, maybe he just needs a better situation.

Of course, now we come to the asking price. Montreal is likely going to want a substantial asset in return, especially while they are hanging on to the final playoff slot. That means any trade will have to make them a better team right now. On the Canucks end you're left with few options that would interest Montreal, and no available defensemen to throw in as a replacement for Souray. Basically it would come down to Bertuzzi for Souray and something else. I don't really see how Montreal can get better by making this deal without a defenseman coming their way.

Overall, Souray is an intriguing player, but I don't think there is much of a match, unless things change as a result of another trade.

Ryan Kesler and Kiril Koltsov for Mike Ricci, Denis Gauthier and Sean O'Donnell

First thought: "hmmm a centre and two defensemen, that would be a big help." Second thought: "Ryan Kesler... don't really want to move him, but you gotta give to get." Third thought: "this is not THE Mike Ricci, this is the 34 year old veteran contract Mike Ricci, still a good player though. Denis Gauthier, would help but can he stay healthy? Sean O'Donnell, 34 with one of those veteran contracts, healthy scratch earlier this year... still he looks to have played better and would certainly help." Conclusion: I'd love to have all three of those guys, but not at the expense of Ryan Kesler.

Eric Weinrich

Weinrich's name has been out there for a while and a deal was almost assumed to be a sure thing once the Olympic roster freeze was over. It didn't happen despite Vancouver's desperate need and St Louis' lack of need for Weinrich. That tells me the asking price is higher than the 4th round pick Nonis would like to trade. Do you really want to trade a third round pick for a free agent to be who is really no more than a #5 defenseman? I don't, if you're going to start dealing picks out of the top 3 rounds I'd much rather trade good picks (like the extra second rounder) for a better player than Weinrich... like the next guy on the list...

Willie Mitchell and Dwayne Roloson

Let's start with Mitchell. Out of all the potentially available players he is the one I want the most. Quite frankly he's exactly what Vancouver needs on the blueline. I don't know what the price is, but considering he would be relatively easy to re-sign I'd be willing to part with quite a bit, I'd even start with Matt Cooke. As for Roloson, I brought his name up earlier in the year and I think he'd be a near perfect fit with Alex Auld. However there are likely many teams interested in Roloson and the price is likely fairly high, and with Alex Auld's strong play a starting goaltender is not a priority.

Roberto Luongo

This one has been around forever, but with Jovanovski out I don't see it happening. Florida is going to want more than Todd Bertuzzi.

Brendan Witt

On the wishlist of many Canuck fans for the past few years, Witt would be nice, but as with past years I don't think it's going to happen. Too many teams interested in a stay at home physical defenseman. I'd love for Nonis to prove me wrong, but my guess is the price will be too steep for Vancouver.

J.S. Giguere

The connection with Burke and his new acquisition of Jani Hurme makes Giguere an obvious target. However, with Auld's strong play and Giguere's big contract and questionable play, I'm not sure the Canucks would want to meet Burke's price.

This is the first trade deadline under the new CBA, and as such no one really knows what the market is going to be like. Nearly every playoff team needs help on the blueline and most need help in goal. Most of the potential sellers are still within sight of that final playoff spot. Combine those two factors and what you have is a market that is likely to favour the seller. We'll know more once that first free agent to be gets traded. Until then we're left with rumours and no way of knowing what's really going on.

Back in the Saddle

2006-02-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

It's been almost two months since my last post, but it's looking like I can resume posting on a regular basis. So now that the Olympic break is over it's time for the stretch drive.

The Olympics were terribly disappointing to not only Canadian hockey fans, but especially fans in Vancouver and Ottawa. The Sens have lost their number one goalie while things couldn't have gone much worse for the Canucks. The loss of Sami Salo and Mattias Ohlund leaves Vancouver with a laughably thin blueline. Expect several Moose players on the roster tomorrow and don't be surprised to see a trade.

That's all I've got for now, I have several things to update and I hope to have a post of more substance either later today or sometime tomorrow...

Holiday Blues

2006-01-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

Well it hasn't been a very happy holiday for the Vancouver Canucks. Since playing three of their best games of the season against Ottawa, New York and Philadelphia, the Canucks are 1-5-3. The stretch includes a six game homestand which netted a grand total of 5 points. They have since followed up the poor holiday homestand with two consecutive losses in Minnesota and St Louis. The Canucks currently sit 7th in the conference and have fallen five points behind the division leading Calgary Flames.

So WTF is going on?

There are several areas of major concern...

The first is the goaltending situation. Since the end of Dan Cloutier's season was officially announced on December 13th, Vancouver is 2-4-3 and 7-7-4 since Cloutier went down in Anaheim. While goaltending is certainly not the only problem, it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed ASAP. Management was hoping to go with Alex Auld as long as possible, but that is no longer an option. Auld and Ouellete isn't getting it done. It's time for Nonis to either get a respectable backup, a "1A type" or a legit number one. This duo cannot continue with this team currently playing in front of them.

Speaking of the team in front of them, the defensive coverage has been absolutely terrible. While the spotlight has always been on the goaltending, or lack thereof, defensive coverage has been the true achilles heal of this team over the last few years. The Canucks give up way too many quality scoring chances and during this slump scoring chances against have become an epidemic. The lack of depth on the blueline has taken it's toll on the top 4 guys. Sami Salo, Mattias Ohlund and Bryan Allen are all struggling in their own end, while Steve McCarthy has shown that he is not a reliable NHL defenseman. Going into the season there were a lot of red-flags where the blueline was concerned and you're now seeing why. The defense needs to be addressed.

While the defense core is not playing well, a lot of the blame needs to be placed on the forwards. There are 5 guys on the ice who need to be responsible in their own zone. On too many shifts there are only 3 or 4 guys getting it done. The forwards need to put a lot more effort into backchecking, but more importantly they have to work harder along the boards and they need to support the defense when breaking out of the zone. Until the forwards start playing better defense, the lack of depth on the blueline and in net, will continue to be exposed.

Goaltending and defensive play are two of the obvious areas of concern, but there is one more area that is probably the most concerning of all - intangibles.

This team is lacking in heart, work-ethic, grit, chemistry and leadership. They simply don't have "IT" and it's painfully evident when they play teams like the Calgary Flames. It starts with the top guy, Markus Naslund. While Naslund had his best month as a Canuck in November (working hard, hitting, backchecking and putting up huge numbers) he has gone back to being the pouty, depressing captain of old. Leadership starts with the captain and Markus Naslund is not a very good captain and has never been one. Scoring goals is not leading by example. Leading by example entails working hard on every shift, not lamenting in post game comments that the team isn't working hard enough. Leading by example means backchecking all the time, not once a week. Leading by example means taking the body when it's there and not turning away. Markus Naslund does not lead by example often enough and since he is not a "rah-rah" guy, he does not make a great captain. Markus Naslund is a great hockey player, probably the best this franchise has seen, but he is not a leader. This leaves a huge leadership void that is not being filled by anyone else. Todd Bertuzzi, sure he can carry a team on his back when he want's too, but when he doesn't his lack of effort spreads through the team like a plague, as it did last night in St Louis. Trevor Linden? Great player 10 years ago, but those days are gone, and since he can no longer lead on the ice he doesn't have the respect required to take charge in the dressing room. Who's next? Ed Jovanovski, Mattias Ohlund, Brendan Morrison? Then after that you have nothing, Matt Cooke? Sure he's a sparkplug, but he doesn't have the respect of his teammates, they've long tired of having to clean up his messes and that was in full evidence last night when no one came to his aid during a couple scrums. This lack of leadership results in a heartless team with no work-ethic.

Okay enough with the leadership, let's look at the grit and heart of this team. Well it's hard to look at something that isn't there. There is no grit on the top scoring lines, which you can get by with because of the offense they provide, but you cannot get by without grit on your 3rd and 4th lines. These two lines consist of Matt Cooke, Ryan Kesler, Richard Park, Jarkko Ruutu, Trevor Linden and the callup of the week. There are a couple guys in there, most noticeably Cooke and Ruutu, who provide nice grit and a consistent physical presence, but overall the 3rd and 4th lines are missing "something". Down the middle you have Kesler and Linden. While Kesler certainly hasn't been a liability, he simply has not been good enough on a night to night basis. And while Linden is an asset, he is somewhat wasted playing center as he no longer has the wheels to be responsible defensively while also throwing hits on the boards. It's one or the other and for Linden to be a consistent physical presence he needs to be on the wing IMO. So with no grit and physical play down the middle you are left with Jarkko Ruutu and Matt Cooke providing all of your grit. That's not good enough for the playoffs, especially against a team like Calgary.

Finally I come to team chemistry. This group of players has grown stale. Remember the West Coast Express? Arguably the best line in hockey over the past several seasons, the chemistry is gone. Brendan Morrison is a better player when he isn't playing with Bertuzzi and Naslund and not being the only forward on the ice playing defense. Naslund and Bertuzzi are usually busy playing catch and trying one too many fancy passes. The third and fourth lines have shown no chemistry all year long. Currently the team is playing like they are waiting for something to happen, rarely do they show up and work hard for sixty minutes, they don't stick up for one another on the ice and few players are willing to pay the price on the ice.

So now that my post-holiday rant is over lets get to addressing these issues.

First let's put things in perspective. There are low points in every season and the Canucks are currently at a low point. It's not time to push the panic button, just for the sake of doing "something." What Dave Nonis does now will affect this franchise for the next several seasons. So with that out of the way let's get to it...

Goaltending

There are a couple options for Nonis, none of which are very appetizing. The easiest thing to do is find an experienced backup who can play 40% of the games. There are plenty of goalies out there who can fill this role and shouldn't cost much. The second option is to go with a "1A" type to essentially compete for the #1 job. This would however, cost you more, but should still be within reason. Another option is to callup Wade Flaherty. There are two downsides to this, there is a high probability that Flaherty will get picked up on waivers, so the Canucks would be on the hook for half his salary and more importantly, the Manitoba Moose would be without their number one goalie.

Whichever route Nonis chooses, he must choose soon. The team has no confidence in their goaltending and the situation must be rectified.

Defensive Coverage

It's very difficult to address an area which covers the entire team, but there are a few critical improvements which are required. The first is one(preferably two) more defenseman to take the place of Steve McCarthy. The second is to improve the 3rd/4th lines, ideally by adding another centerman. Outside of those two areas, there isn't much you can do with the current core of players.

Leadership/Grit/Work-ethic/Heart/Chemistry

The first way to address this is by adding someone who has been "there". Whether the addition is on the blueline or centre ice, the Canucks need at least one veteran who has experience in the playoffs and knows how to approach the game on a nightly basis. The second way to address this is to make a move with one of your core players. Whether it's Morrison for Doug Weight, or Jovanovski off to Florida, or Bertuzzi off somewhere, a change in the core may be necessary. Something needs to be done, because the current group doesn't have "it".

So to summarize...

A Goaltender - Any legit NHL goaltender will do at this point.
A Defenseman - A veteran who can play strong in his own end and add some much needed leadership.
A Centre - Preferably a veteran who can take the load off of Kesler and Linden, and someone who can bring something that gets the 3rd and 4th lines going.

Now those are 3 things that need to be done, the question is how far do you go with each one. Do you go all the way on the goaltender front at the expense of one of your blue chip prospects, or do you look for a bandaid to get you through to the trade deadline? Do you deal Jovanovski to free up salary room for a couple other defenseman, or do you try and catch lightning in a bottle with someone else's spare part? Do you bring in free agent to be Doug Weight at the expense of moving a younger Morrison, or do you try and find a cheaper Mike Sillinger type? None of these are easy choices and they all have varying degrees of impact, but one thing is for sure, something needs to be done because this current group is coasting on a trip down the Western Conference standings.

It's time for Dave Nonis to make his mark.

Bertuzzi and Jovanovski Heading to Turin

2005-12-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

The Olympic Men's Hockey Team roster has been announced and both Todd Bertuzzi and Ed Jovanovski have made the team.

More to come...

Canucks - Flyers Start Time Delayed

2005-12-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

According to Dan Murphy the start time of tonight's game is being pushed back by half an hour due to a snow storm in Philadelphia. Catch the game on Sportsnet, and the replay at 7:30(assuming the delay doesn't change their plans.)

Thoughts on the Cloutier Injury

2005-12-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterdays news was a definite blow to the franchise and of course Dan Cloutier's career. The potentially season ending injury leaves Vancouver in a serious dilemma and may mark the end of Cloutier's tenure in Vancouver.

This season was supposed to be the one in which Vancouver was to make another run at the Stanley Cup with a core of players who have been together for many years. Dave Nonis had two options in the off-season: 1) Stick with the core that has been one of the best teams in the NHL. 2) Use the opportunity of an unprecedented free agent crop to move in another direction. Nonis could have gambled and took the team in a new direction, but when Markus Naslund re-signed, he made the decision to stick with the core group. With Naslund in the fold there was little salary cap room. New deals for Matt Cooke, Brendan Morrison and Dan Cloutier along with the signings of Anson Carter and Richard Park, put Vancouver near the $39m. By going in this direction Nonis knew that the team that took the ice in September would very likely be the same team going into March. That all changed yesterday.

With the remaining portion of Dan Cloutier's $2.45m off the books, Vancouver now has roughly $2.5 in cap space.

Where to go from here?

There are many options for Dave Nonis. Currently, Alex Auld is playing well enough for the team to win. The Canucks are saying all the right things, they don't have to make an immmediate move. However, don't buy into this too far. Vancouver will need to get another goaltender sooner rather than later. While Alex Auld has been solid, the more he plays the more his shortcomings will be exposed. Teams have already picked up on some of those weaknesses, most noticeably his poor rebound control. As Auld plays more, and teams develop scouting reports, things are going to be more difficult. Like a rookie baseball player going through the league for the second time, there his a huge difference between being successful playing 1-2 times a week and playing every game. That's what separates the good goaltenders from the average ones. I'm not saying Auld can't be the guy, but the odds of him taking the reigns and leading this team through the playoffs aren't great.

Of course, while he has been forced to play every game, Auld has for the most part gotten the job done. His teammates feel comfortable playing in front of him, Crawford has confidence in him(unlike Skudra and Hedberg) and Vancouver's December schedule does not contain any back to back games. These factors give Vancouver some leeway, but not much. The combination of Alex Auld and Maxime Ouellet is not going to cut it for long. So, Dave Nonis has a few options to consider...

There is a guy by the name of Wade Flaherty playing in Manitoba. Now that the cap situation isn't as dire, Vancouver can afford the scenario of paying half of Flaherty's salary should he be claimed on waivers by another team. Still, Flaherty only has 120 career games in the NHL and fewer then 30 this decade. He has played very well for the Manitoba Moose, but the AHL is a lot different than the NHL. Wade Flaherty would be a band-aid solution at best.
Flaherty or another similar veteran opens up option number 2, waiting until closer to the deadline before acquiring a legitimate NHL starter for the playoff run. The longer they wait, the more cap room they save.
They make a move now for one of the current veterans who have recently fallen out of favor with their current clubs. This group includes the likes of Jocelyn Thibault and Patrick Lalime. Expensive guys who have not played well, but have had success in the past.
Another option is to go for the big stopper. With the cap room guys like Olaf Kolzig are now a possibility. The cap room now gives Nonis the option of trading for guys like Luongo, Kolzig, Biron and others. This of course is going to cost some significant assets. Also, Cloutier is still under contract for next season, so that is an important fact to keep in mind. You can't have two veteran number 1's in a salary cap world.
Lightning in a bottle. Every now and then a guy like Mikka Kiprusoff comes out of nowhere, is there a younger backup out there who could catch fire and become a dominating goaltender who can take you to the finals?
Finally, there is another less obvious option. Spend the money elsewhere. There's no rule stating that Vancouver must spend the free cap space on a goaltender. The free cap space gives Nonis the option of upgrading the much maligned blueline. Upgrading on Steve McCarthy would be a big help to the team. Nonis can add some extra parts and another cheaper goalie rather than blowing it all on one goalie.

This team is built for a Stanley Cup run this season. The window of opportunity is small, can you gamble on Alex Auld?

Currently Nonis is doing the smart thing, he doesn't have to make a move right now, he can wait for the right deal. As long as Auld continues to play well Nonis can be patient and more importantly, not look desperate.

This is Nonis' first real test as General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks. What he does will likely define this season and potentially his tenure in Vancouver.

Personally if I was in charge there is one guy I would be going after, Dwayne Roloson. The Wild are slipping out of the playoff race and one of their goalies will not be returning next season. Acquiring Roloson would give Vancouver an excellent goalie who is cheap, meaning they would have money to shore up the blueline and add some depth up front. That's what I would like to see.

Cloutier Out for the Year?

2005-12-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

Dan Cloutier will have surgery on his ACL and could be out for 4 months, potentially ending his season.

More to come...

Cooke Returns vs Rangers

2005-12-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

A few quick notes on tonights game...

Vancouver Canucks forward Matt Cooke will be back in the lineup tonight against the New York Rangers. Cooke has missed 17 games since breaking his jaw in practice. He'll be wearing a full shield.
Also new to the lineup tonight will be goaltender Maxime Ouellet who will be backing up Alex Auld.
Markus Naslund missed another practice yesterday, resting his injured groin, but he will be in the lineup tonight. I hope the Canucks are being careful with this one, Markus might be trying to play through something he shouldn't.
The Rangers are 10-2-2 at home, which includes five straight victories, they have only lost 4 games since the beginning of November.
This is another one of those games in which the Canucks shouldn't have a problem "getting up" for. Back to back solid efforts would be a refreshing sign.
Should be interesting to see how Bertuzzi plays after his little interview and coming off one of his best efforts of the season.

TV: RSN 4:00, also you can catch the replay at 7:30

The Measuring Stick?

2005-12-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

So, the best team in the NHL is in town tonight and the Canucks are finally back in action after a long layoff. Tonight's game is probably the most anticipated of the season and has been hyped ad nauseum by the Vancouver media.

Since their six game winning streak in late October, the Canucks have had a long run of inconsistency and, at times, mediocrity. Vancouver is 9-8-1 since that winning streak. One game above .500 over six weeks is simply not good enough for this hockey club.

There are several contributing factors to the inconsistency, but there is one recurring theme and that is a lack of work ethic. I hate to harp on this fact, but it's unavoidable. The Vancouver Canucks do not work hard enough.

Tonight they'll have to bring their work boots or it will be a very long night. The Ottawa Senators have been dominant, routinely embarrassing teams. They are a powerhouse and Vancouver will have to be at the top of their game, somewhere they have rarely been this season.

This is a big test for Vancouver. They need to play a 60 minute game and they need some goaltending out of Alex Auld. Tonight we find out how they measure up against the league's best.

Vancouver has been nearly perfect on home ice at 12-1, while the Senators are 9-2 on the road.
Markus Naslund and Henrik Sedin have both been nursing groin injuries, however both will be in the lineup tonight.
Unfortunately for the Senators they will be without Wade Redden who is still out with a knee injury, and of course they begin life without Martin Havlat who is out for the remainder of the season.
Rob McVicar will be backing up Alex Auld. McVicar is being re-called from Victoria
No other players will be re-called, so that means both Wade Brookbank and Lee Goren will be in the lineup.

TV: SNET 7:00

Notes from Nuckland (and Mooseland)

Time to catch up on a few things...

Jason King is on the road to recovery from his concussion problems. He is now participating in full contact practices and could join the Moose soon.
The Canucks have one less option from the farm as Josh Green is out for 6 weeks after injuring tendons in his hand. Tough break for Green and the Canucks as he was playing rather well, especially considering the amount of travel he's had to endure.
Rob McVicar was assigned to the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL, rather than the Manitoba Moose. This is a move to reduce the travel for McVicar while Cloutier is out. Victoria is not an affiliate of Vancouver, but there is strong speculation that Vancouver will change their ECHL affiliation (currently with Columbia) next season.
Newcomer Maxime Ouellet is 2-0 with a 2.61 GAA and .907 SvPct in 3 games with the Moose.
Jozef Balej had a good showing in his one game callup and now has 12 goals and 9 assists in 27 games for the Moose.
Sven Butenschon has been great for the Moose with 7 goals and 11 assists and a +10 rating in 24 games.
Tomas Mojzis has 8 points in 10 games since returning from his broken jaw.
Nathan Smith may be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
According to Crawford, Matt Cooke could be ready to go next week.

Canucks Acquire G Maxime Ouellet

2005-12-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks have acquired goaltender Maxime Ouellet from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 5th round pick(2006).

Ouellet was drafted 22nd overall by the Flyers in 1999 and was involved in the Adam Oates deadline deal back in 2002. Ouellet has obviously not lived up to his potential, as demonstrated by the 5th rounder going the other way.

Here's the Canucks Press Release

One interesting note is that the draft pick heading the other way is likely the one included in the Fedor Fedorov trade. Fedorov for Ouellet and Balej doesn't sound too bad. I'll have more thoughts later.

Game Report: Vancouver 5 Colorado 2

2005-12-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks got the monkey off their back. After losing four straight to the Avalanche, including a couple ugly first period blowouts, the Canucks got their act together and responded.

It didn't look good early as Joe Sakic scored quickly while the Avalanche also generated several early chances off the rush. But unlike past first periods, Vancouver responded right away and in the span of 90 seconds they had the lead. There was a small bump in the road when Colorado tied the game at 2, but Brendan Morrison's breakaway goal would give the Canucks the lead for good as they went on to a 5-2 victory.

Game Notes

It's amazing what happens when you work hard. The Canucks were winning the battles for pucks and generating penalties. They would end up with 8 power plays and 44 shots on goal.
I've often criticized Ed Jovanovski this season, but I thought he had one of his stronger games of the year. Jovo had the legs going and played very well defensively.
Speaking of legs going, Daniel Sedin was buzzing around all night long. While he didn't get a point, he managed 3 shots on goal and generated several scoring chances.
Todd Bertuzzi came to play, skating well and finishing with an assist and 6 shots on goal. So which Bertuzzi shows up in Edmonton? If I was a betting man (who am I kidding, I am), I wouldn't put my money on the one from last night, but I'd like to see Bertuzzi prove me wrong.
Anson Carter took a high stick in the third and while he looked like he would be all right I don't believe he returned to the game.
Brendan Morrison scored the game winner and added 5 shots on goal... Vancouver needs to see more of that from Mo.
I thought Trevor Linden had a very good game, he seems to have more jump in his step since he scored that shootout goal.
Steve McCarthy was the only Canuck not to register a shot on goal, yes that means Wade Brookbank had a shot on goal in his 3:48 of ice time.
Rob Blake was great. He got off to a slow start this season, but if that game is any indication he is still a lock for the Olympic team.
Finally, wasn't it great to see Mick McGeough again! If I was bored I would tally up the number of Canuck games he has officiated(I would guess at least a dozen), but I'm not, so I won't.

Vancouver is now 16-8-2, 3 points ahead of Calgary for the division lead. They head into Edmonton(who they have a 5 point lead on) tonight. Edmonton is coming off a loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday. Catch the game on Sportsnet at 6:00 pm.

Finally for today, the November report card is in the works, hopefully it does not take me as long as the October Report Card.

The Thornton Trade

2005-12-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

While waiting for the Canuck game I was half asleep listening to the Leaf/Lightning game when I hear a breaking "major" news update... Joe Thornton traded to the San Jose Sharks for Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau.

First thought: "That's like Morrison, Allen and Ruutu." Second thought: "WTF is Boston thinking."

The Boston Bruins traded their best player, the face of the franchise and one of the best young talents in the NHL without getting an impact player or top prospect back in return. Quite frankly this is a terrible trade.

First, while Marco Sturm and Brad Stuart are pretty good players they aren't the type of players you build your team around. Sturm's upside is essentially a second line forward. Brad Stuart has, in the opinion of many, plateaued and it does not appear that he will live up to the potential that saw him drafted 3rd overall in 1998. Stuart will likely remain a 2nd pairing guy on any type of contending team.
Short term this deal gives Boston some much needed depth, especially on the blueline, but it does not help long term.
The Bruins have just pissed away their biggest asset. They had one of the most desirable young centre's in the NHL and they failed to maximize their return.
This move is an act of desperation by an incompetent ownership group and a GM solely interested in saving his own skin. This notoriously cheap organization failed to get an adequate return on their biggest asset, but hey, they save a few bucks.
If the Bruins were so intent on getting rid of Thornton they should have been smart about it. They could have dealt Thornton in the summer for assets and used the saved money to acquire one of the numerous quality free agents available.
Finally the fact that they did not shop Thornton only adds to the ridiculousness of the trade.

There is simply no way to defend this move.

Could the Canucks have got Thornton?

I'm sure a lot Canuck fans thought, "hey we could have matched that deal!" Vancouver certainly could have matched the talent quite easily, but that talent comes with large dollars attached.

Any deal for Thornton would require the equivalent of Thornton's $6.6m going back to Boston, something which Boston would not be interested in. But for arguments sake let's see who could have gone the other way:

Jovanovski($3.99m) & Morrison ($3.2m) - This would certainly be an upgrade up front, but that would be offset with a gaping hole on the already weak backend. This simply would not make the Canucks better.
Bertuzzi($5.27) & another $1.4m of salary - You could send Matt Cooke or Sami Salo to make up the salary difference, but either way it is unlikely that Boston would be interested in Bertuzzi's contract.
Morrison($3.2m) & Allen ($941k) & Cooke ($1.5) & more salary - This is probably the closest match to the San Jose deal, but even if you are willing to move those players and Boston wants them, you are still over the cap with Thornton by about a million dollars.

I could demonstrate other combinations, but it would be redundent. Simply put, any move for Thornton would require us moving the equivalent of Thornton's salary and one of our top defensemen. Since Boston is not likely to be interested in salary and the Canucks cannot afford to lose one of their top 4 defenseman(and would have no cap room for a replacement) there isn't a deal to be done.

Thornton would look great in a Canuck jersey, but in the salary cap world Vancouver was not a viable trading partner.

Time to Show Up

2005-11-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

I was off enjoying Grey Cup festivities, so fortunately I was not subjected to yet another blowout loss to the Colorado Avalanche. The Canucks have now lost two in a row and not surprisingly, call-in shows and message boards are full of people bitching about the state of affairs in Canuck land. If you had just awoke from a coma and looked at the standings you'd wonder what the fuss was about. 15-8-2, leading the division and people are complaining? This is the same franchise that has finished at .500 or above in only 11 of 34 seasons?

It seems strange complaining about a 15-8-3 team, doesn't it?

Let's face it, there is nothing wrong with the record of this hockey club, but something is not right in Canuck land.

They have continually been out-played in the first period, one of their best players shows up once a week, they have been abysmal on the road and yet nearly perfect at home, and most perplexing of all, they have repeatedly come out flat against their biggest rival.

Tonight they are playing the Avalanche for the sixth time this season. Vancouver has lossed each of the last four meetings while being out-scored 21-10. How many times will they need to be embarrassed before they show up to play? Will tonight be the night?

Vancouver is 5-5 in their last ten games and have seen their division lead dissappear. If they don't get their act together they could easily find themselves in 4th place behind the Avalanche, Flames and Oilers. Clearly the players have taken notice of their precarious position, yesterday they called a players only meeting. Pehaps it was long overdue.

Of course, while there is plenty to be concerned with, the sky isn't falling. The team is still 7 games over .500 despite not finding consistency in their game. They have been nearly unbeatable on home ice. Their special teams have steadily improved since a slow start. They've even managed to "win ugly," something which they have been unable to do in years past.

So then what's wrong with this Canucks team?

While there are many things which need improvement it all comes down to one simple concept. Hard work.

It really is that simple. On their bad nights this team is still good enough to beat most teams based on talent alone. They can beat teams in 5 minutes while most opponents need to play 60 just to be in it. They can coast for the rest of this season and still finish in the middle of the conference.

However that is not going to cut it if they hope to have any playoff success. Teams like Calgary and Minnesota will out work them and it will be another early exit for this core of players.

Speaking of the core, this is it for them. Rightly or wrongly Dave Nonis has given this core another opportunity. There is no cap-room to make significant changes without weakening another area of the team. The coaching staff isn't going to take the fall for the players' lack of effort. What you see is what you get and the sooner the players realize this the better.

The success of this team is squarely on their shoulders and it is completely up to them to show up and play like they mean it.

Tonight is a critical juncture in this season. Another slow start and weak effort would be very disturbing.

It's time to show up.

Gameday: Sharks at Canucks

2005-11-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

The San Jose Sharks haven't won a game in almost three weeks and they come into Vancouver to face a team who is 9-1-0 on home ice. To make matters worse for San Jose they are playing their second game in two nights... doesn't look good on paper, but you've still gotta play 'em.

Team Notes

San Jose Sharks (8-8-4)

Special Teams: PP 13.6% (25th) PK 81.3% (20th) PPopp/TS (139/102 +37)

San Jose's season has been a tremendous disappointment thus far and it does not look like it's going to get better any time soon.
They have lossed seven straight and have not scored more than 3 goals in their last 10 games.
The one bright spot for San Jose, Nolan Shaeffer, is expected to get the start in goal.
The Sharks power play has been dreadful this season and is obviously a huge contributing factor to their disappointing 8-8-4 record.
San Jose is playing back to back road games... they will really have to work hard tonight in order to avoid taking lazy penalties. As of 11:30 am the Sharks have not yet arrived at GM Place(due to fog at airport)... it could be a tough night.

Vancouver Canucks (14-6-2)

Special Teams: PP 17.5% (19th) PK 81% (22nd) PPopp/TS (154/132 +22)

Dan Cloutier is out with a sprained knee so Alex Auld will start. Rob McVicar has been recalled to back up Auld. According to Crawford, Cloutier felt the injury in his last game against Anaheim (where he was getting run repeatedly). He did practice yesterday, but he is now being instructed to rest and he will not be accompanying the team on the road trip. Crawford did say that if he was a forward he would likely play, so take that for what it's worth.
Sven Butenschon has also been recalled from Manitoba. The Canucks have essentially been playing with 5 defenseman, Butenschon will help relieve some of the workload. That means Nathan Smith will not get a chance to build on his solid game.
While Vancouver's power play is still ranked in the bottom third of the league, they have steadily improved over the course of the season... in fact they've added a full percentage point since the last week.
Led by Ryan Kesler, the Canucks got a great game out of their third line against Chicago, a good game from their 3rd in 4th lines will put a lot of pressure on a tired San Jose team.
The achilles heal of Vancouver has been their slow starts and inconsistent effort. There will be no excuse for losing this game. A good effort will make things extremely difficult on the Sharks.

Game Notes

Vancouver defeated San Jose 3-1 last Wednesday in San Jose.
Obviously Vancouver is the heavy favorite in this one. The Canucks are on a bit of a roll, while San Jose is mired in a slump. But we all know slumps eventually end and if the Canucks take the Sharks lightly San Jose could easily manage an upset.
So how will the officials call this one? Will we get another crapfest like Anaheim or a "whistles in the pocket" game like Chicago? I'm guessing somewhere in the middle.
Discipline and special teams will likely decide this one. The Canucks did a great job of staying out of the box against Chicago, while San Jose will likely be tired and could get into penalty trouble. Discipline has been one of San Jose's strong points this season and they will need to draw on that in order to avoid Vancouver's dangerous power play.

TV: SNET 7:00

Game Report: Vancouver 3 - Chicago 1

2005-11-23T11:54:00.000-08:00

"We had to work for this win." Markus Naslund.

It's been said many times this season that the Canucks have not had a full 60 minute effort. They may have finally put that to rest. Led by a strong first shift from the number one line, Vancouver put forth a very good effort against a Chicago team that came out strong in the first period.

While Chicago took the lead late in the first period, the Canucks matched their work ethic and gave you a sense that they would eventually prevail. Led by Markus Naslund and Ryan Kesler, Vancouver would take the lead in the second and finished well for their 14th victory of the season.

Game Notes

All the talk after the game was concentrated on the great game by Ryan Kesler. After struggling in recent weeks, Kesler came up with what was probably the best game of his NHL career. Hopefully he can build on his confidence and provide Vancouver with a strong 3rd line presence, something which has been lacking in recent weeks.
If Markus Naslund can play like that on a regular basis I would be a very happy camper. That's the kind of effort you need out of your captain. Naslund helped set the tone in the first shift and he maintained his intensity for the entire game. I was especially impressed with his defensive play and effort.
Unfortunately I was less than impressed with Bertuzzi. While he started strong he faded as the game went on. There was one play that was indicative of everything that is wrong with Bertuzzi. A Chicago player was skating with the puck along the end boards while Bertuzzi trailed just behind. Instead of skating up beside the Chicago player and hammering him into the boards and taking the puck, Bertuzzi simply coasted behind him. It was just a small little play, but it really stood out to me.
The strong effort out of the gate also played a factor in Vancouver only taking one minor penalty. That is not a typo. Go figure, when you actually move your feet and aren't lazy you don't need to take hooking penalties.
Alex Auld rebounded well from his last start. Auld was sharp, stopping 32 shots. Also credit the defense for making it very difficult for Chicago to get shots from quality positions.
Speaking of the defense, Mattias Ohlund and Bryan Allen were excellent.
Nathan Smith looked pretty good in just his third NHL game. Smith got the call rather than Josh Green who was probably a little gassed from all his recent travels. It will be interesting to see if Smith can maintain his level of play once the adrenaline of a callup has worn off.
For the first time in a while the bottom two lines had solid contributions. Obviously a lot of that had to do with the amount of 5-on-5 play, but the Canucks need more of a presence from their grinders. For the most part this season our grinders have been outplayed by the opposition's.
Finally it was nice to see Henrik Sedin rewarded with a goal. The Sedin line has been the most consistent line all year long and even when they have been slumping on the scoresheet they have made solid contributions game in game out. Anson Carter was particularly good last night.

Next up are the Sharks on Thursday.

Game Report: Vancouver 3 - San Jose 1

2005-11-17T10:08:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 last night, in what was one of the more boring games of the season. And of course I payed $11 to see it.

The first period was very tight, but Richard Park managed to put the Canucks on the board with a nice shorthanded goal. The Sharks were the better team in the second and managed to tie the game after a poor play by Wade Brookbank and Todd Bertuzzi at the Shark blueline. But in the third, Vancouver was the better team and managed to draw some penalties from the usually disciplined Shark squad. The Canucks capitalized on the opportunities and that was the difference in the game.

Game Notes

The Canuck defense was very good, especially Mattias Ohlund, Sami Salo and Bryan Allen. They were punishing Shark forwards at every opportunity.
Vancouver's third and fourth lines really set the tone in the third with back-to-back strong forechecking shifts early in the period. Forechecking from the bottom two lines has been something that has been missing from the Canucks for most of the season.
One line that has consistently forechecked well is of course the Sedin line. They were at it again last night, controlling the play in the San Jose zone. Even when they are not scoring they are still controlling possesion, something that shouldn't be overlooked.
You could tell right away that Bertuzzi was not going to be a factor. His fancy drop passes and little deflection passes are usually a sign that he's going to take the night off. The attempted third period pass through several players was something he simply cannot do. There's no reason to attempt that pass, especially when you are protecting the lead in the third period. Bertuzzi needs to take that puck deep into the offensive zone instead of turning it over in the neutral zone. Boneheaded play.
Dan Cloutier had another very solid game. Sure he had some luck, but he was still very good when he had to be.
Nolan Baumgartner has really picked up his game this month and Crawford has taken notice. Baumgartner played nearly 18 minutes and even saw a little PK time. Obviously some of the ice-time has to do with Brookbank being in the lineup, but Baumgartner has earned the extra minutes.
Josh Green needs to stay up with the club. Despite his travel fiasco, he was once again one of the better Canuck forwards.
Special teams were the difference in this one, and as I mentioned yesterday, the Sharks would have to win that battle if they hoped to win the game. They didn't.

The Canucks are in LA tonight to face the Kings (7:30 SNET). I'll see if I can get a preview up later...

Gameday: Canucks at Sharks

2005-11-16T14:52:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks begin a three game California road trip tonight in San Jose. Vancouver is coming off an impressive 4-1 victory over the league leading Detroit Redwings, while the streaky Sharks are currently on a 3 game streak of the not so good variety.

Team Notes

Vancouver Canucks (11-5-3)

Special Teams: PK (81.3% 20th) PP (16.7% 19th) PPopp/TS (131/107 +24)

Vancouver is a perfect 7-0 outside of their own division, however they have lost their last 4 games on the road.
After reagravating his groin in practice yesterday, Steve McCarthy is not on the road trip. That means Josh Green is back up with the club and Wade Brookbank will dress as the 6th defenseman.
The big line is rolling for Vancouver with 14 points in their last 3 games, including a hat-trick performance by Todd Bertuzzi against Detroit.
Dan Cloutier will start in goal. Cloutier is coming off what was arguably his best game of the season.

San Jose Sharks (8-7-2)

Special Teams: PK (81.8% 18th) PP (13.2% 27th) PPopp/TS (113/88 +25)

San Jose has lost three in a row, scoring only six goals during that time. The Sharks have struggled with offence this season, scoring only 2.71 goals per game.
Evgeni Nabokov returned to the net against Dallas after missing 8 games. He is expected to start tonight.
Scott Hannan, who played on Canada's World Cup blueline, is struggling with only 3 points and a -12 rating.
LW Scott Thornton has missed the last 5 games, but could suit up tonight. Thornton has given Vancouver trouble in the past.
To help improve their struggling power-play, San Jose is experimenting with Patrick Marleau on the point. It worked for one goal against Dallas.

Game Notes

Both of these teams have struggled on special teams this season, however they are both good at generating more power play opportunities than shorthanded opportunities. In fact San Jose has only been shorthanded 88 times this season.
While San Jose is currently stuggling they've got the talent to turn it around in a hurry. Players like Marleau and Sturm are very dangerous and could break out at any time. Vancouver can't afford to turn the puck over in their own end or they'll soon find it in the back of their net.
One other thing these teams share in common is a lack of faceoff prowess. Both are sitting at 48%. This is likely a factor in the stuggling special teams.
With the poor special team rankings, five-on-five play could decide this one. Not exactly a good thing for San Jose who have a 0.72 5-on-5 goals for/against ratio, compared to Vancouver's 1.07.
Finally, both teams are perfect when leading after the first period, something tells me that will change tonight ;)

I would say that this game is Vancouver's to lose. Right now they have their offense on track while San Jose does not. San Jose will have to jump on Vancouver early and win the special teams battle if they hope to break their slump.

TV: PPV 7:30.

Weekend Wrap-up and a Few Thoughts

2005-11-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks played two games over the weekend losing 5-3 to the Avalanche on Friday and winning 4-1 against Detroit last night.

A few thoughts...

Vancouver had yet another terrible first period on Friday, something that has to be a major concern. Fixing the problem isn't as easy as you might think. Obviously the Canucks should be "up" for facing the Avalanche and they themselves are prepared and excited to play. So why the poor start?
One thing which is contributing to the slow starts, and has become a big problem, is the poor faceoff numbers. When you are losing draws and thus losing possesion of the puck, it's easy for things to snowball and get out of hand like they did against Colorado. You can prepare and focus as much as you wan't, but if you are continually chasing the opposition you're going to get in trouble. Teams like the Avalanche will bury you if you keep giving them possesion. Faceoffs is the one area that absolutely must be improved and it starts with Brendan Morrison. While Henrik Sedin has improved from 49.4% in Oct. to 52.5% on the year, and Trevor Linden is up from 47% in Oct. to 50.3% overall, Brendan Morrison is still at 45.6%. Granted he was at 42.2% in October, so he is getting better, but it's not good enough, especially for the centreman who is taking the most draws on your team.
Ed Jovanovski had an absolutely terrible game against Colorado. He was truely awful. Three of the four goals directly resulted from poor plays by Jovanovski. At this stage in his career(and at his salary) there is no excuse for the types of mistakes he is making. These aren't mistakes caused by "high-risk" offensive play, they are terrible blunders which are not caused by taking offensive chances. Jovo simply needs to be better.
Josh Green got the call again from Manitoba and this did not surprise me. I thought he has been very good so far both in Manitoba and Vancouver. I've been impressed with his skating ability and hustle. I would not be surprised if he eventually unseats Lee Goren as the 12th forward.
Nathan Smith was also re-called briefly, which is good news for Vancouver. The former first round pick has so far proven to be one of Brian Burke's worst decisions. Smith was nearly out of the Canucks plans until a strong playoff run with Manitoba caught management's attention. Now, there's still a chance that Smith could develop into a 4th line checking centre. While not what you want from a first round pick, that's still better than a complete bust, which was what Smith was looking like not too long ago.
Todd Bertuzzi finally had his breakout game and looks to "be back". He's showing some much needed confidence with the puck and seems to be playing without that big weight on his shoulders. Still it's only a few games, so the jury is still out, but that hat-trick is certainly a welcome sign.
The officiating in the Detroit game was terrible. Not only was it inconsistent(see goaltender interference or lack therof) but several things were missed including an obvious high stick on Goren(who was the puck carrier no less) and a bizarre delayed call on Fischer who hit Kesler from behind. Throw in plenty of non-calls on hooking and some general weak calls (see Yzerman) and it was a terrible display of officiating.
Dan Cloutier returned from his concussion injury and looked extremely sharp against Detroit. Always a good sign.
Do the Canucks really miss Matt Cooke? Certainly their record hasn't been great since he went down, but I don't think his absence has been the reason. Is the difference between a Lee Goren, or Josh Green in the lineup, and Matt Cooke really worth $1 million? At the time I did not like the Cooke contract summing up my thoughts with "The bottom line is that the defense is weak and the forward group would be just fine without Cooke." I still maintain that the Canucks would be better off with Cooke's money placed on the blueline.
With Steve McCarthy still nursing a groin injury and Wade Brookbank being spotted on the blueline, the rest of the blueline is playing a lot of minutes. This is going to become a problem in the second half if the Canucks cannot find a way to balance out the minutes more. Sami Salo cannot continue playing 25 minutes a night or it will start to catch up with him. He tailed off some in the last half of last season, and will likely do the same if he continues playing this much. Vancouver needs more than 5:00 out of their sixth defenseman.
Speaking of the defense, that was a great pass by Baumgartner to send Bertuzzi in alone. His defensive play leaves a lot to be desired, but he certainly has the offensive skills.
Finally, there's some good news on the Canuck prospect front... Kirill Koltsov is having a good year in Russia, Jannik Hansen (9th Rd 2004) and Alexander Edler (3rd Rd 2004) are up at the top of the WHL rookie scoring race. There is also a good chance that the Canucks could have two goaltending prospects in the World Junior tournament, with Julien Ellis potentially making team Canada and Cory Schneider potentially starting for the Americans. For more on the Canucks prospect's in the CHL check out Hockey's Future.

Anyway that's all for today. The Canucks are in San Jose Wednesday (PPV), I'll try and get a preview together.

Gameday: Colorado At Vancouver

2005-11-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver Canucks are back at the friendly confines of GM Place where they look to maintain their unblemished 7-0-0 home record. In town are the red hot Colorado Avalanche. Colorado leads the season series 2-1.

Colorado Avalanche (8-4-2)

The Colorado Avalanche have been on a tear, finishing their 6 game homestand with a 5-0-1 record. The Avalanche are having no trouble scoring goals as they rank 3rd in the league with 4.3 goals scored per game. In addition to their offence, their special teams also rank up at the top of the league. The power-play is at 22.3%(t 4th) and the penalty kill is at 87.6% (4th).

Defenseman John-Michael Liles still leads the Avalanche with 16 points while Marek Svatos and Antti Laaksonen are tied for the team lead with 6 goals. Colorado has a well balanced attack with 9 players with between 10 and 16 points.

The Avalanche have often started strong, outscoring their opponents 22-10 in the first period leading to a 5-2-1 record when leading after one.

David Aebischer, who has won 6 straight games, will get the start in goal.

Vancouver Canucks (10-4-2)

The Canucks are coming off two straight losses in their back-to-back games in Calgary and have seen their division lead fall to just 4 points. While they have struggled on the road, they have been perfect at home. A win tonight would set a new franchise record.

On the road trip previous to Calgary, Vancouver was in Colorado where they lost 6-2 and 4-3 in OT. Vancouver will be looking for a better showing on home ice.

Vancouver has been bitten by the injury bug of late and tonight defenceman Steve McCarthy will be out of the lineup with a minor groin pull. Taking his place will be Sven Butenschon who was recalled from Manitoba. Butenschon has 6pts in 13 games for Manitoba, he is expected to be paired with Sami Salo.

Up front, there will be a new look on the third line as Lee Goren is expected to join former Moose linemate Ryan Kesler and the slumping Richard Park. Wade Brookbank will draw in on the 4th line with Jarkko Ruutu and Trevor Linden.

In goal, Alex Auld will get the start and Dan Cloutier will be backing up.

Vancouver will need to work hard on special teams which are not performing well. The power-play ranks 18th at 17.2% while the penalty kill is ranked 21st at 80%.

Keys to the Game

Special Teams and Discipline - Both teams need to stay out of penalty trouble as the special teams battle will likely decide the game.
Scoring First - Both teams sport great records when they score first, that's not likely to change tonight.
Playing a full 60 minutes - It's not over till it's over - as both teams have learned in their previous meetings.

With the Bertuzzi "stuff" out of the way, these two teams can finally have the focus back on hockey and the division race. It should be a good one.

October Report Card

2005-11-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

In the better late than never category, here is the Canucks report card for the month of October.

First a few notes on the grades....

A: The player is consistently playing at the top of his game and is doing more than expected/demanded.
B: The player is doing a good job at what they are expected to do.
C: The player is not doing what he should be doing and is under performing.
D: The player is significantly under performing.

Forwards

Stats: Games - G A Pts - Avg Ice Time(Even Strength/Short Handed/Power-play) PIM(Fights)

Bold indicates team leader.

Todd Bertuzzi: C-: 12 - 2g 8a 10pts - 18:48 (11:51/0:09/6:48) 19m(1); It was a tough return to the NHL for Todd Bertuzzi. His 2 October goals translate to less than 14 over an 82 game schedule... not good enough for a player making Bertuzzi money. Despite nearly 7 minutes of pp ice time per game, Bertuzzi managed only 2 pp points. If it were not for the hot start of Markus Naslund, Bertuzzi's numbers would be even worse than they are. On most nights Bertuzzi was simply a non-factor.
Anson Carter: C+: 12 - 2g 2a 4pts - 13:58 (8:45/0:54/4:19) 11m(1); Carter got off to a hot start in the pre-season, unfortunately that did not carry over into the regular season. Four points simply isn't good enough for Anson Carter, especially with the amount of power play ice-time he's receiving. That said, his linemates have been successful and some credit must go to Carter. Carter seems to be opening up more room for the Sedins, giving them more options. With a little more hard work and some puck luck, Carter's numbers should improve.
Matt Cooke: B: 12 - 3g 2a 5pts - 13:41 (10:59/2:14/0:27) 14m; Matt Cooke got the big contract, one that raised more than a few eyebrows in Canuck land. Despite the new contract, Cooke's role has essentially remained the same. His ice time is not up and he is rarely seen on the power play. Cooke's production is adequate for his role and on most nights he was noticeable, leading the team with 33 hits. Overall it was a solid month, exactly what you expect from Matt Cooke.
Lee Goren: C+: 11 - 1g 0a 1pt - 7:31 (6:08/0:00/1:21) 21(3); Lee Goren made some noise in the pre-season and managed to make the team. He got off to a pretty good start, scoring a goal early in the year, but he hasn't found the net since. Overall Goren has done his job on the 4th line, throwing checks and generating the odd scoring chance. His skating and defensive game leave a lot to be desired, but his size, physical play and shot give the Canucks a different dynamic on the 4th line.
Ryan Kesler: B-: 12 - 2g 0a 2pts - 13:08 (10:22/2:23/0:23) 10m; With only two goals in October, a B- may seem a little generous. However, considering Kesler's age and experience he has done quite well in his first full NHL season. All you have to do is look at the responsibility Crawford gives Kesler. Kesler is getting a lot of penalty kill time and that will only increase as the season moves along. While his offensive game is not there yet, it should come around eventually. Another area needing improvement is his faceoff game. Kesler was 48.3% in October, that must be improved.
Trevor Linden: C: 12 - 1g 1a 2pts - 11:36 (8:08/3:09/0:18) 0m; The stat line for Trevor Linden is not pretty. Relegated to 4th line duty Linden has found the points tough to come by. Is Linden on his last legs? I don't think so. Linden can still skate and because of that he is still a very useful player. I expect Linden to get better as the season moves along.
Brendan Morrison: B-: 12 - 3g 7a 10pts - 20:06 (12:16/2:41/5:08) 6m; Inconsistency has been the knock on Morrison's game for most of his career and October was just that, inconsistent. He is capable of playing much better and I expect he will. One area where he must improve is on faceoffs. Morrison was terrible in the faceoff circle, winning only 42.2% of his draws.
Markus Naslund: A-: 12 - 7g 7a 14pts - 19:17(12:04/0:06/7:06) 4m; Although his linemates struggled, Markus Naslund did not. While he tailed off a bit in the last third of the month, his 7 goals and 14 points lead the team.
Richard Park: B: 12 - 3g 3a 6pts - 13:31 (10:18/2:29/0:43) 0m; Richard Park got off to a pretty good start with his new team. Six points in 12 games is a solid contribution from one of your third line players. Park has used his speed and deceptive wrist shot very effectively. He's looking like a very shrewd pickup for Dave Nonis.
Jarkko Ruutu: C+: 12 - 1g 1a 2pts - 9:22 (7:33/1:32/0:16) 8m; With so many penalties early in the season Ruutu found consistent ice-time difficult to come by. Ruutu was not bad and he was not good, he was simply "there". With Cooke out for a while Ruutu should have a much better November(which he has started well).
Henrik Sedin: A-: 12 - 4g 7a 11pts - 14:26 (9:47/0:11/4:27) 8m; Henrik Sedin is off to the best start of his NHL career. While the second line got off to a bit of a slow start, they heated up as the month progressed and they are now at the point where Crawford is being forced to find more ice time for the Sedins. Through October, Henrik is on pace for a 75 point season... needless to say, the Canucks would be thrilled with that.
Daniel Sedin: B+: 12 - 4g 5a 9pts - 14:00 (9:22/0:15/4:22) 10m; Daniel Sedin looks like a different player this year. He appears to have picked up a step in his skating (he is now noticeably faster than his brother) and his shot is also a lot harder. The improved physical skills seem to have led to improved confidence. Daniel Sedin is simply a more confident player. When they have possesion of the puck, the Sedin's now know that they have the ability to score.

Defense

Bryan Allen: A+: 10 - 1g 2a 3pts - 18:56 (15:12/3:28/0:15) 8m; Bryan Allen gets the highest grade of any Canuck in the month of October. He exceeded expectations and was simply a rock on defense. There were stretches last season where Allen showed he could be a top defensive defenseman... this season Allen has consistently been a top defender, especially on the penalty kill. If he continues to play this well you'll see his minutes creep over the 20 minute mark.
Nolan Baumgartner: C+: 12 - 1g 5a 6pts - 15:17 (9:41/0:22/5:13) 2m; What you see with Baumgartner is what you get. He has good puck skills and is very useful on the power play. On the defensive side of things, he is not big or strong on the puck and he often makes mistakes when under pressure. Baumgartner can get exposed in his own end, but when put in the right situation he is a solid contributor. If he can limit his defensive mistakes, his grade will improve.
Wade Brookbank: Incomplete: 3 - 0g 0a 0pts - 7:35 (6:28/0:51/0:05) 14m; Brookbank did not receive enough playing time to warrant a grade.
Ed Jovanovski: A-: 12 - 2g 8a 10pts - 25:21 (15:03/3:38/6:39) 10m; Ed Jovanovski is certainly making a bid to return to the Canadian Olympic team. Jovo had a great month, especially on the power-play. The only thing missing from Jovo's game is more physical play.
Steve McCarthy: C: 12 - 0g 1a pts - 13:39 (11:05/1:12/1:21) 8m; McCarthy had a terrible start in Vancouver. For the first few weeks McCarthy was pretty much brutal. He was not displaying any sort of offensive game and he was continually getting out muscled in the defensive zone. It was not pretty. However over the past few weeks McCarthy has gotten a lot better. He is starting to be more assertive and more physical in the defensive zone and he has cut down on the number of mistakes. If he can get his offensive game together, the Canucks blueline will be looking much better.
Mattias Ohlund: C+: 12 - 3g 1a 4pts - 23:16 (14:48/4:19/4:08) 26m; Mattias Ohlund missed the pre-season and it showed in his first month of the season. While he certainly was not bad by any stretch of the imagination, he was not Mattias Ohlund. At times Ohlund has looked a little tired, but as the season progresses I expect him to return to form.
Sami Salo: A: 12 - 3g 7a pts - 25:51 (15:13/4:33/6:04) 16m; Sami Salo was one of the more under appreciated Canucks last season. That is starting to change as more people are taking notice of his great play. Salo leads the team in minutes per game, has been a tremendous threat on the power-play and he leads the team in ice-time on the penalty kill. You can't ask for much more.

Goaltending

Alex Auld A: 3-0-1 2.25 GAA .914 SvPct; You can't ask for much more from your backup goaltender. Auld only saw four games, but he played well in all. The Canucks finally have a backup they can have some confidence in.
Dan Cloutier B-: 5-2-1 3.54 GAA .873 SvPct; As has been the case through most of his tenure with the Canucks the numbers aren't pretty, but you can't argue with the result. Cloutier's numbers are bloated by the blowout in Minnesota and the third period meltdown against Colorado, but for the most part Cloutier has been solid this season. Still Cloutier can be better and he needs to be.

Overall Team Grade: B+

Despite the great record in October, the Canucks have yet to bring their best game. For most of the month the Canucks controlled their fate. If they showed up to play, worked hard and were disciplined they would win. When they didn't show up... well it was ugly.

The Canucks can play better and yet you can't complain about the record. Life's pretty good in Canuck land.

Matt Cooke Out With Fractured Jaw

2005-11-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Vancouver Canucks forward Matt Cooke is out indefinately with a fractured jaw suffered in practice. Cooke will undergo surgery and will be placed on the injured reserve.

With injuries to Bryan Allen, Dan Cloutier and now Matt Cooke, the Canucks are a couple men short.

According to Sportsnet, Josh Green will be getting the call to replace Cooke. Green has 4 goals and 6 assists in 9 games for the Moose.

They will also require a goalie for tommorow's game. Rob McVicar seems to be the most likely candidate, unless the Canucks look outside the organization.

More details on the roster plans should be available tommorow.

Also, the October Report Card is in the works and should be available sometime this week.