Trade Deadline And What The Canucks Should Do

     With the NHL's annual trade deadline mere days away (Tuesday, March 1st at noon), Canucks fans across the nation are hoping for one thing; to actually make some trades this time around. Last year's edition featured a Canucks team sitting at the bottom of the league's standings, with no chance at making the playoffs, and a few expiring contracts that were expected to be dealt in exchange for some young prospects or draft picks. As we all know, it never happened. Vancouver decided to hang onto both Dan Hamhuis and Radim Vrbata, and let them walk for nothing at season's end.

     Now, depending on which rumours you believe, either ownership kiboshed a Hamhuis deal to Dallas because of an ongoing feud with Dallas' ownership, or General Manager Jim Benning waited too long to pull the trigger, which ultimately led to Dallas accepting a similar deal with a different team, the Calgary Flames, in which Calgary acquired a 1st round pick, a decent prospect (Brett Pollock), and defenceman Jyrki Jokipakka.

     Hamhuis eventually signed with Dallas in the offseason and Vrbata with the Arizona Coyotes.

     Whichever rumour is accurate has yet to be determined, but either way, the Canucks failed miserably. And they would be foolish to repeat last year's mistakes all over again.

     Being nine points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference should be proof enough that the Canucks are out of the playoff hunt, and Benning mentioned on TSN1040 Saturday morning that he has approached all players with no-movement clauses about their possible options, so it would seem that Benning and the Canucks are on the right path to acquiring some assets by Tuesday.

     Which players may be on the move?

Alex Burrows

     Burrows is on the final year of his contract which pays him 4.5M this season. With his declining play, and expensive contract, moving Burrows isn't as easy as it maybe once was. However, the Canucks would be smart, and probably be forced to pay a portion of his remaining salary to the team who acquires him. They may also have to take on an expiring contract in return.

     If the Canucks are able to get a 2nd round pick for Burrows it would be a great haul, but a more realistic expectation may be a 3rd or 4th round pick, or a mid-level prospect.

Possible Suitors:

Montreal Canadiens
Minnesota Wild
L.A Kings
N.Y Rangers

Jannik Hansen

     Hansen has proven himself to be a very valuable player. He has one more year remaining on his contract at a very reasonable 2.5M a season, so he wouldn't just be a rental for a playoff run and teams should be lining up for their chance at acquiring him.

     With this year's draft expected to be a fairly weak one, acquiring a 1st round pick for Hansen is fully possible. Hopefully Vancouver's asking price is even higher than that and they can squeeze a 1st and a prospect from someone in return.

Possible Suitors:

Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Pittsburgh Penguins
L.A Kings
Anaheim Ducks
San Jose Sharks
Calgary Flames
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets
Edmonton Oilers

Ryan Miller

     Miller is also on the last year of his current contract, so he would likely just be a rental for a playoff team looking for a veteran backup to help their team get into the postseason. At 6M, the Canucks may have to pay some of his remaining money, but in doing so should be able to get at least a 2nd round pick, maybe more.

     There's also been some chatter that Miller and the Canucks may be talking about a contract extension, but for a team looking to retool and get younger, and with their other goalie Jacob Markstrom signed for 3 more years and top-prospect Thatcher Demko waiting in the wings, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Hopefully Vancouver can turn Miller into something that will help their future come Tuesday.

Possible Suitors:

Anaheim Ducks
L.A Kings
San Jose Sharks


A Defenceman

     With the emergence of youngsters Troy Stetcher and Nikita Tryamkin, the Canucks actually have a dearth of NHL-calibre defencemen for the first time in awhile. Also, top prospect Olli Juolevi may be ready as soon as next year, so Vancouver is actually quite set on dmen. Trading one of Alex Edler, Erik Gudbranson, Luca Sbisa or Ben Hutton could result in a nice return, and hopefully an exciting forward prospect or some picks coming the Canucks way.

The Sedins

     Now this is a long shot, and I totally don't expect it to happen, especially since they would have to be a package deal and most teams would have a tough time fitting both of them in, but the Canucks would be smart to at least throw the idea around. Firstly, both Sedins have seen a massive decline in production and play this season, and at 36 years old, it doesn't bode well for a bounce-back season next year, their last under their current contract that pays them 7M each a season. Teams probably aren't knocking on the door to acquire those contracts. If the Canucks could retain the maximum amount of their salary possible (50%) for this season and next, it's conceivable that a team may try to attain the Sedins as 2nd or 3rd liners in hopes of winning a cup.

     Keep in mind, however, Daniel and Henrik have full autonomy to veto a trade, and have mentioned in the past that they don't have any plans of leaving Vancouver. But as a player and as a competitor, wouldn't you want a chance to win a Stanley Cup before your career is over? That won't happen in a Canuck uniform unless they plan on playing until they are at least 42.

     In summary, the Canucks know they butchered last year's trade deadline and must make amends this season for a fanbase that is increasingly becoming frustrated with the team's performance and management's inability to commit to a rebuild. With assets available, player's consent confirmed and another lottery pick in the cards, Benning and the Canucks seem poised to make at least one deal, and hopefully even more. A move or two at the deadline will go a long ways in helping rebuild what has become a laughable franchise, and regaining the trust and enthusiasm of fans who are desperate for some optimism.

Report: Dan Hamhuis Out For "Months"; Huge Loss For Canucks

Although nothing has been made official by the team yet, rumour has it Dam Hamhuis will be out for a significant amount of time. The word 'months' has been thrown out there by more than one source, and by the looks of the play he was injured on, and Hamhuis' reaction and inability to put any pressure on his one leg whatsoever, I think it's fair to speculate that he won't be back anytime soon. Also, the team has called up Frankie Corrado from the farm club in Utica. There has been some mixed reports though, as evidenced by the two links below.

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2014/11/21/canucks-recall-frank-corrado-to-blue-line-as-dan-hamhuis-goes-down/#__federated=1

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Carol-Schram/Vancouver-Canucks-Hamhuis-Injury-Significant-Open-Practice-Prospects/194/64209

Now, let me clarify that I don't typically use HockeyBuzz as a source as I think their site and sources are generally terrible (Eklund is one of the biggest jokes in hockey media), but I do know Dhiren personally, and I don't think he's the type to throw out nonsense reporting.

So what does this mean to the Canucks?

It's a HUGE blow. Hamhuis is as steady as any dman in the NHL. Sure, he's not flashy, he doesn't rack up many points (just 6 assists all season), and he's -5 on the year, but he racks up big minutes and is the most defensively responsibly defenseman that Vancouver has.

The Canucks lack depth at the position and although Corrado is a promising, young, solid defenseman, he won't be able to fill Hamhuis' role. In fact, and the problem is, Vancouver doesn't have anyone who can.

Alex Edler has been great this year, as has Chris Tanev, and their roles won't change except that they will probably be relied upon to take on more minutes. Kevin Bieksa has been a disaster all season long and his inability to tie up opposing forwards in front of the net and his questionable decision making has been exploited almost nightly. His ice time will likely increase and more Bieksa equals more goals against.

The pairing of Luca Sbisa and Yannick Weber have been poor all season as well. Although they both bring some offensive upside to the lineup, their defensive play as a pair has been average at best, and mostly well below average. Ryan Stanton hasn't gotten his game together after missing much of the season with injury, and has looked lost on many occasions throughout the year.

As a fan, this injury scares the heck out of me. If Hamhuis is in fact out for a couple months, I worry that Vancouver's overall defensive game will struggle more than it already has, and unless Ryan Miller returns to his early season form, I think that means they start losing more and more games.

GM Jim Benning must be feeling the pressure to add a top 4 Dman to the lineup if Hmahuis ends up missing significant time, but those kind of players don't grow on trees, and not many teams have the depth to be able to deal a good defenseman this early in the season. If he can find a suitable player whose team is willing to unload, what will the price be? Many teams are dealing with key injuries to defensemen and I'm sure the reason there hasn't been many deals to replace these players is because opposing GMs aren't willing to let them go, at least not for a severe overpayment.

In the meantime, Frankie Corrado will get his chance to prove he's an NHL caliber defenseman and the rest of the backend will have to step up in Hamhuis' absence. Willie Desjardins has gotten the most out of this team thus far, and this will be a big test for him and his team to see if they can overcome a major injury and continue to overachieve.

I for one am not too confident, but let's hope that I'm wrong.

Follow me on twitter at @CanuckCityBlog

Miller Shines, Canucks Beat Sharks 3-2

There seems to be a familiar trend developing for the Canucks; starting the game poorly then coming back to win the game.

It's not how coach Willie Desjardins would ideally want it to be, especially in the first three minutes, but the end result was positive and that's why this Canucks squad seems to be different than the teams of the past few years.

Vancouver was lucky to be tied after the first period, a period that was easily their worst of the season. Ryan Miller was calm, cool and collected and kept his boys in it long enough for Radim Vrbata to score his 6th goal (first in 5 games) with only 8 seconds remaining to knot it up. 

The Canucks came out for the second looking sluggish, and Logan Couture scored a beauty through-the-legs tip-in on the power play to once again give San Jose the lead. Two minutes later though, Alex Edler scored his own power play marker with an absolute bomb from the point to tie the game at two. And before the end of the frame, who else but Nick Bonino scored a beauty - his third goal in two games and seventh of the season - to give the Canucks a 3-2 lead.

It was all Miller from that point on as he made save after save to salvage the win. It wasn't without a scare though, as Joe Thornton beat Miller a millisecond after the final horn blew, needing an official review to finally be determined too late and ensuring the Canucks the win. Miller ended with 34 saves en route to his league-leading 10th win, to go along with only one loss.

Vancouver hasn't fared well in the state of California the past couple years, so to get a win in San Jose was big. The Canucks travel to L.A to face the Kings on Saturday before ending their trip Sunday versus Ryan Kesler and the Ducks. Expect back-up Eddie Lack to get one of those games.

Check out the full highlights and stats of the game here.

* Alex Burrows returned to the lineup after serving his three game suspension. He finished with an assist and reclaimed his spot on the second line. Bo Horvat was originally expected to sit out, but Zack Kassian's knee was bothering him after taking a questionable hit/knee Tuesday in Colorado so he ended up sitting out after taking the warmups. 

* Horvat played solidly again in a 4th line role. He played 7:18 of ice-time and had one remarkable shift where he back-checked hard, laid a hit on the Sharks forward, stole the puck from him and then made a sweet saucer pass to a teammate who exited the zone. It was a sign of what the 19 year kid brings as his defensive game and physical strength is well beyond his years. He may never score 30 goals, but he will definitely prevent a bunch of them.

* The Canucks now have the second most points in the whole league! That's right, the Canucks are the second best team in hockey right now behind only the Anaheim Ducks, their opponent Sunday night. Check the full NHL standings here.

* Nick Bonino is tied for 6th in the NHL in goals with seven. He has 12 points in all. Ryan Kesler, whom Bonino was traded for, has 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points. No one is missing Kesler right now, except for maybe some lonely girls at The Roxy. 

Follow me on twitter @CanuckCityBlog

Despite Poor Start, Canucks Redeem Themselves in Colorado; Win 5-2

You wouldn't have been able to predict it by the way the first period went, but the Canucks may have played their best hockey of the season in the second half of the game in Denver Tuesday night en route to a 5-2 win over the Avalanche. It was only 11 days ago that the Avs thumped Vancouver 7-3 in the very same rink, and it looked to be much of the same early on this time around.

John Mitchell scored only 1:15 into the game on Colorado's first shot of the contest, and the Canucks found themselves down 2-0 after one period. Vancouver started to take it to the Avalanche about half way through the second period and were finally rewarded after Henrik Sedin banged home a rebound with only 4 seconds remaining in the frame. The late goal obviously gave the Canucks some hope and some energy heading into the third as they poured it on from the opening draw of the final period.

Derek Dorsett tipped home his 2nd goal of the season to tie the game 2-2 just over two minutes in before Nick Bonino scored two beauties (5th and 6th of the season - Kesler has 3 by the way) in a five minute span to give the Canucks the lead and some insurance. Shawn Matthias scored his first of the year on a sharp wrister four minutes later to seal the win for Vancouver.

It was a nice way to start the 4 game road trip in which the Canucks will visit California to play the Sharks, Kings and Ducks starting Thursday in San Jose. The visit to the Sunshine State hasn't been a welcome one for Vancouver in the past few years, so hopefully they can build some momentum of the big win in Colorado.

Tuesday night's win was also the highly anticipated debut for 2013 1st round pick Bo Horvat (acquired for Corey Schneider). Horvat saw limited minutes in a 4th line role, but played well and looked comfortable, confident and poised in what was obviously a nerve-racking experience. He finished +1 with a shot in 8:52 of ice time and was also 6 for 9 in the faceoff circle, an area the Canucks have struggled at all year.

Ryan Miller was solid in net despite letting in the opening shot, as he earned his league-leading 9th win. He's also in the midst of a personal five game win streak. Miller made 20 saves.

Kevin Bieksa returned to the lineup sans visor which was a big question heading into the game since he left last game after a puck hit him in the eye. Tom Sestito is out indefinitely with a lower body injury.

Alex Burrows will have completed his suspension on Thursday and will undoubtedly return to the lineup which begs the question, who do you take out? Each line played well tonight and there wasn't one player who stood out as struggling. Stay tuned.

Watch game highlights and check full game stats here.

Canucks Beat Caps 4-2, Improve to 5-3

The Vancouver Canucks are quickly becoming quite the Jekyll and Hyde hockey team as they returned home to hand the Washington Capitals a 4-2 beating only days after looking like a bottom-feeder against the much younger and quicker Colorado Avalanche on Friday night in Denver. 

After a scoreless first period that saw Caps goalie Justin Peters stand on his head and make some marvellous saves on the fresher-looking, harder working team, Washington got on the board early in the second frame when Marcus Johansson wired a wrist-shot passed Ryan Miller to put the Caps up 1-0. A defensive miscue by the pairing of Luca Sbisa and Yannick Weber allowed Johansson to get open in the slot and bury a shot passed the helpless Vancouver goalie.

The Canucks kept up the pressure after that opening tally though, as they scored 3 goals in a 1:47 span late in the second period to take a commanding 3-1 lead before giving up another Washington goal before the end of the frame.

Vancouver held on to the 3-2 lead for much of the third before Radim Vrbata potted an empty-netter on the power play with just over a minute left in the game to seal the win and get the Canucks off to a good start on their 3 game home stand. Henrik Sedin, Nick Bonino and Luca Sbisa scored the other goals for Vancouver while Liam O'Brien scored his first career NHL goal on the Capitals second marker.

Watch game highlights and check the full stats here.

Unlike last weekend when Steven Stamkos lit them up, Alex Ovechkin was surprisingly quiet as Vancouver held last year's goal scoring champ to only 2 shots and limited his opportunities. It was a rare off-night for the Eastern Conference superstar that Canucks fans only get to see once a year.

 

The Canucks are back at it Tuesday when they host the only winless team left in the NHL; the Carolina Hurricanes.

Follow Canuck City on twitter @CanuckCityBlog for live game updates, analysis and observations.

Canucks Get Off to Awful Start, Lose 6-3 to Dallas

Summary:

Despite firing 46 shots on net, it was a night to forget for most members of the Canucks as the Dallas Stars trounced Vancouver 6-3 Tuesday night in Texas. 

Trailing 3-0 after one frame, Dallas scored twice just over a minute into the second period to make it 5-0, forcing the Canucks to pull starter Ryan Miller from the game. It wasn't really his fault though, as the first goal bounced in off of a back-checking Alex Burrows into his own net, another one awkwardly ricocheting off Miller's stick, then blocker and in the net and lastly another strange bounce off of a Canuck defender, then off Erik Cole passed Miller.

It couldn't be classified as "just one of those nights" though, as the overall effort and game plan wasn't there off the bat. Vancouver didn't show any gumption (to steal Darren Pang's vocabulary), any desire or any fight until it was too late. 

Sure, they could take some consolation in coming back to make it close(ish), but really, there's no excuse to the poor start. I was hoping to at least see some fight - literally - and at least see someone who seemed pissed to be getting clocked, but I don't remember even a big hit or a pick-me-up shift from anyone.

The Sedin line was good once again, but they continue to try to be too flashy and make too many cute passes as opposed to shooting the damn puck. At one point in the 2nd period, Henrik came down on a 2 on 1 with his brother and everyone this side of Arkansas knew he was passing it to his bro, including the Stars defenceman who batted the pass away and ended any chance at scoring.

The 2nd line, or really in the Canucks case their first 3rd line, was downright awful and were on the ice for all 3 of Dallas' first period goals. Nick Bonino, Alex Burrows and Chris Higgins all finished the night -3. 

Kevin Bieksa was -4 and played his usual careless defence. Chris Tanev was not his typical self as he struggled defensively all night as well.

Eddie Lack came in and played solidly, allowing only 1 goal on 15 shots, while Miller let in 5 goals on 13 shots in just over 20 minutes action. Miller's GAA rose to 3.20 and his save % dropped to 88.4.

View the game highlights and full stats here.

Conclusion:

Vancouver is simply a very average hockey team in my opinion. Their 3-0 start to the season is skewed based on their opponents; the lowly Oilers twice and the Flames. With back to back losses to quality teams in the Tampa Bay Lightning and now the Dallas Stars, are we seeing how we match up to the rest of the league? Or is this simply a team having some early season struggles as it tries to gel and get used to a new coach, new system and new teammates? I suppose only time will tell, but I for one am not optimistic about a team with only one scoring line, two 3rd lines and a 4th line. Toss in a defence corps that is prone to breakdowns, malfunctions and costly turnovers and an aging goalie who is past the prime of his career and you have the blueprint for a long, long season. 

Vancouver will look to right the ship with back to back games starting Thursday night in St. Louis against the Blues before heading to Colorado to face the Avalanche Friday.

 

 

Canucks Beat Flames 4-2, On Pace For An 82-0 Season!

The Vancouver Canucks were victorious on opening night for the first time in 6 years after their 4-2 win in Calgary Wednesday night against the Flames.

Alex Burrows opened the scoring 11:55 into the opening frame by tipping in a Dan Hamhuis point shot on the power play to give Vancouver the 1-0 lead in what was an otherwise pretty uneventful period.

The second period was more offensive though, as early on Paul Byron beat Ryan Miller with a wrister through the five-hole on a two on one to tie the game at a goal apiece. Just over a minute later, Zack Kassian banged home an errant shot by Brad Richardson to regain the lead for the Canucks. Radim Vrbata scored his 1st as a Canuck by knocking a puck out of mid air passed the Flames new netminder Jonas Hiller. The goal was initially waved off as the referee thought Vrbata made contact with the puck above the crossbar, but after a lengthy review the play was deemed legal giving Vancouver a 3-1 advantage. The two goal lead was short-lived however, as Jiri Hudler scored after an Alex Edler turnover resulted in the chance in the slot.

In the 3rd, the Canucks were able to hold off some Calgary pressure before Henrik Sedin showed amazing strength, determination and tenacity by fighting off a couple Flames defenders and one-handing the puck into the empty-net while falling to make it 4-2 and guaranteeing the win for his team. Vancouver resumes their season Saturday at home against the Edmonton Oilers.

Forwards: 

Despite being only one game, the Sedins showed that they're ready for a comeback season after a rough year under former coach John Tortorella. Teamed with Vrbata, they spent the majority of their time in the offensive zone, generated a number of chances and the line combined for 2 goals and 4 points. Henrik's aforementioned empty-net goal was an incredible individual effort, and he proved as the captain that he's ready to lead his team by example.

The line of Richardson, Vey and Kassian was pretty effective all game. Richardson finished with 2 assists Vey with a helper and Kassian with a goal. Alex Burrows looked like the Burrows of a couple seasons ago as he was getting under his opponents skin and playing physical all game. He also scored the opening goal of the contest. He went through a 40 game goal-less streak last season so it must have been a relief to get on the board early in the year.

The 4th line of Dorsett, Matthias and Hansen were terrible all night. In limited ice time they were on the ice for both Flames goals and Hansen had a pretty ugly turnover early in the first that got him benched for a few shifts. If that line continues to struggle, look for Tom Sestito and Bo Horvat (currently injured) to get some looks.

Defence: 

Alex Edler led Vancouver in ice time despite having a rough game. He had a bad turnover that led to Calgary's second goal and made a few bad reads throughout the game and finished -2. Luca Sbisa was surprisingly efficient after a poor preseason and the rest of the defense corps were neither good or bad.

Goalie:

Ryan Miller had a solid debut making 23 saves and keeping the Canucks ahead and steering aside 9 Calgary shots in the 3rd period. He probably should have made the save on Byron's goal in the 2nd that beat him between the legs, but he did enough to preserve the victory in his first game for Vancouver.

Overall:

The Canucks did enough to win against a mediocre opponent and will have to play a better, more consistent sixty minute game in order to be successful throughout the year.

Canuck City's 3 stars:
1. Henrik Sedin
2. Alex Burrows
3. Brad Richardson

Watch the full game highlights here.

Check out the full stats and box score here.