Despite Lofty Expectations, Canucks Face Elimination; Down 3-0 To Kings

It wasn't suppose to be this way.

The Presidents' Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks were expected to roll through the eighth ranked Los Angeles Kings with relative ease en route to another Stanley Cup Final appearance.

Alex Edler, arguably the Canucks' best defenseman, wasn't expected to be the worst player on the ice through the first three games. He has been. By a Kilometer.

Dustin Brown, the Kings' young American captain, wasn't expected to be the best forward in the series. He has been. By a mile.

Roberto Luongo wasn't expected to play amazingly well. He had been. That was until he was benched in favour of Vancouver's uber-competent backup goalie Cory Schneider. Did anyone expect that considering how well Luongo was playing?

The Canucks were not expected to lose all three of the series' opening games. They have.

The only thing that has gone as expected is the play of L.A's Vezina Trophy Candidate Jonathan Quick, however, I'm not sure anyone expected that he would play quite THIS well.

But things don't always go as expected.

The Kings have taken a 3-0 stranglehold in the Western Conference Quaterfinal and will now have an opportunity to sweep the Canucks on home ice Wednesday night. Who expected that?

Now, the series is not over - the fourth win is apparently the hardest to achieve in a series - but the Canucks are all but done. The thought of Jonathan Quick losing four straight games right now is unimaginable. Sadly, so is the thought of Vancouver playing a full 60 minutes of desperate hockey and having the discipline to stay out of the penalty box. Also unimaginable is the Canucks inability to right their struggling powerplay. My beer league team, the Bowen Island Cruisers, may have a better chance of scoring on the powerplay than Vancouver right now. We are in division six and most of us haven't played more than minor hockey - yes, it's that bad.

Expectations are one thing, but delivering on expectation is another. Let's look at some of the other factors leading to the Canucks seemingly insurmountable series deficit.

Vancouver coasted through most of the regular season, often seeming bored after playing so deep into the playoffs last season. They were rarely on top of their game, and despite winning eight of their last nine regular season contests, they were playing some of their poorest hockey heading into the post season. Los Angeles, on the other hand, have been playing for their playoff lives for the last half of the season, which has essentially been playoff hockey. The level of desperation and commitment they've played with lately is far superior to that of the Canucks, and that has shown early in this series.

I personally expected the Canucks to lose in game one. I suspected that the Kings would continue to play at the level they had played in the final weeks of the regular season, and it would catch the Canucks off-guard. But I expected Vancouver to use it as a wake up call and be prepared for game two.

But, as you know, things don't always go as expected.

The Canucks never turned it up a notch and they got caught up in the antics and the after-the-whistle bullcrap that makes them the most hated team in the NHL. They've lacked leadership, maturity and confidence. I didn't expect that.

Sure, the injury to Daniel Sedin is a huge loss. But it shouldn't be the difference between a first round loss and a first round win.

Who would step up in Daniel's absence? How would a former coach of the year manage his lineup to maximize their abilities? These are questions I expected to be able to answer after the first three games of the series.

Well, things don't always go as expected and I don't have those answers. No one does because they haven't happened.

Vancouver now has the unenviable task of coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series. It's happened only three times in NHL history, so it's extrememly unlikely.

No one expects the Canucks to come back and win this series.

But you know what they say about expectations.....

Kings Capitalize On Canucks Lack Of Discipline, Take 1-0 Series Lead

The Vancouver Canucks and the Los Angeles Kings took two completely different paths en route to their first round Stanley Cup Playoff matchup.

One team had been playing for their playoff lives for the last month of the regular season while the other had been coasting through the regular season with ease, just waiting to finally play a meaningful game.

On Wednesday night, it was pretty obvious which team was which as the Vancouver Canucks were still in cruise control and were completely dominated by a much better, more intense and more prepared Kings team by a score of 4-2. (Watch highlights here)

The Canucks opened the scoring just 4:17 into the game when Alex Burrows wired home a wristshot passed Jonathan Quick, who was slowly recovering from a bump by Ryan Kesler. Quick appeared to embellish the bump a bit and was a little out of position by the time Burrows ripped it by him.

The goal came after Roberto Luongo made a number of gorgeous stops to start the first period and keep the reeling Kings off the board.

Then midway through the frame, a parade began -not the parade Canucks fans have been planning for a few months already - but a parade to the penalty box. With Kesler already in the sin bin for a questionable unsportmanlike conduct call (he sprayed Quick with snow, something that usually goes uncalled about 2-3 times a game), Chris Higgins inadvertantly shot the puck over the glass and into the stands for a delay of game penalty resulting in a Kings 5-3 powerplay. Just 10 seconds into the two-man advantage, Mike Richards caught Luongo cheating towards the far-side of the crease and slid a hard low shot passed the Canucks goalie to tie the game at one.

Then just a minute later, with Higgins still in the box, Alex Edler swatted a puck out of mid-air and into the crowd for yet another delay of game call, and consequently another Los Angeles 5-3 powerplay. Luckily Vancouver were able to kill that one off. Despite another penalty by Sami Salo late in the period, the Canucks were able to keep the game tied heading into the second stanza.

It was more of the same in the second period as Vancouver was shorthanded for almost half of the whole period. Byron Bitz took a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for hitting from behind when he caught Kings forward Kyle Clifford in the numbers. Clifford left the game and didn't return with an obvious head injury.

Former Canuck and B.C bred Willie Mitchell launched a slapshot from the point that saw its way passed a screened Luongo and into the back of the net. Then, with only 8 seconds remaining in the frame, Alex Edler's wristshot from the point deflected off of an L.A player's stick and beat a fooled Quick to tie the game at two heading into the final frame.

In the 3rd, the Canucks were unable to generate any offense on their two powerplays and were generally outplayed by the Kings who were able to get the go-ahead-goal with under four minutes left in the game when Alex Edler's turnover allowed Dustin Penner to bang home a shot that took a generous bounce off of Jeff Carter's skate and right to a wide-open Penner at the side of the net. Dustin Brown potted an empty-netter with 18 seconds left to seal the win for L.A.

My take: An all-around poor effort by Vancouver save for Roberto Luongo who made 35 stops and kept the Canucks in it throughout the game.

Hopefully an eye-opening game as Vancouver has to realize now that they need to step up their effort now that the playoffs have begun.

The Canucks 4th line of Byron Bitz, Manny Malhotra and Zack Kassian were awful all night. They iced the puck on every shift they played, allowing the Kings to get a favourable matchup when they were on the ice. Then of course Bitz's bone-headed hit from behind resulted in a 5 minute L.A powerplay that ended with another Kings powrplay goal. Expect Bitz to be suspended for at least one game.

Vancouver's powerplay continued to look stale as they hardly generated any chances and had a tough time even gaining the zone.

Despite his two assists, Ryan Kesler needs to get his game together. He was too busy diving around the ice and getting caught up in antics which resulted in him focussing
more on other things than trying to score.

Alex Edler had a shockingly poor game. His play in the defensive zone was horrendous, and as mentioned, his ugly turnover late in the third period resulted directly to the Kings game-winning goal.

Aaron Rome reminds me of defensemen that I play mens league with....everytime he gets the puck he freaks out and shoots it off the boards and out.

It's certainly not time to panic just yet, but Vancouver didn't give their fans much to be happy about. They will undoubtedly have to play more disciplined in order to win a game, and they will need to right their struggling powerplay. Goal scoring has been an issue of late, and will likely continue to be as they've struggled to score since the trade deadline.

Look for a much better effort on Friday as last night's game was a reality check.

Prediction for Friday's game: Canucks 2 - Kings 1.

Stars' Stars Shine While Canucks' Don't; Dallas Wins 5-2

Watch Highlights here

As the Sedin twins continue to struggle, so does their team as the Vancouver Canucks lost in regulation for a second straight game on Tuesday night - their first back-to-back regulation losses since November - this time to the Dallas Stars by a score of 5-2.

Unlike Vancouver, Dallas' top players led the way as J-Lo's ex Marc Anthony's twin Mike Ribeiro had 2 goals and 1 assist while Loui Eriksson finished with 1+1 and Michael Ryder had 2 assists. Rookie goaltender Richard Bachman made 29 saves for the win. Victoria's Jamie Benn was buzzing all night for the Stars and finished with a goal on five shots. Stephane Robidas hit the empty net to seal the deal for the reeling Stars who now lead the Pacific Division by two points over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Chris Higgins and Alex Edler scored for the Canucks who continue to get very little output from Daniel and Henrik Sedin; both are mired in a slump (at least by their standards). Henrik has been held pointless in six straight games and 10 of his last 13.

Questions arose when the Canucks traded their skilled third line center, Cody Hodgson, to the Sabres at the trade deadline. What if the top six forwards struggle to score? Who will step in if someone in the top six gets hurt?

With both of Vancouver's top centers struggling right now (both Kesler and Henrik Sedin have only one goal each in their last 13 games), the team needs some consistent secondary scoring, and the only player who was doing that in the past was the aforementioned - and newly departed - Hodgson.

Sami Pahlsson, a defensive specialist who was brought in to replace Hodgson, is to offense as what I am to a full head of hair. And his defensive and faceoff skills haven't been overly spectacular thus far either.

Zack Kassian has proven that we should expect very little consistency from him after being the best skater on the ice Saturday night against Buffalo, where he finished with a goal, an assist, three shots and seven hits, he followed that up with a statline of zero's across the board - all after being promoted to the second line.

Roberto Luongo stopped 24 saves in the loss which dropped Vancouver to second place in the Western Conference standings behind the surprising St. Louis Blues.

The Canucks continue their homestand Thursday night as they host the Winnipeg Jets for the first time in 16 years.

Sabres Stuff Canucks 5-3; Kassian Outshines Hodgson

The Buffalo Sabres got off to an early 3-0 lead and were able to stave off a late Canucks attack to earn a 5-3 win Saturday night and put them within two points of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Overshadowing the Sabres' recent surge up the standings was the return of Cody Hodgson to Vancouver less than a week after being shipped off to Buffalo in a trade for Zack Kassian. Kassian, who finished with a goal, an assist, three shots and a game high seven hits in only 10:40 of icetime, was more noticeable than Hodgson in the game, and won the battle of the "tradees" on the night. He was also named the game's first star (although Ryan Miller easily should have been the first star).

Hodgson finished the night with three shots, was a plus one and finished with just under 17 minutes of icetime.

Ville Leino scored two goals in the first four minutes, and Brad Boyes scored only a minute and a half later to give Buffalo an early 3-0 lead and pull Roberto Luongo from the game.

David Booth responded for Vancouver late in the 2nd period to cut the deficit to two goals.

Early in the 3rd, former Canuck Christian Ehrhoff beat Corey Schneider from the point on a shot that deflected off of Aaron Rome's skate to once again give the Sabres a three goal lead. Shortly after, Booth potted his 2nd goal of the game to get Vancouver back within striking difference. Then with under three minutes remaining in the game, Kassian scored his first goal as a Canuck to make the score 4-3. Tyler Ennis scored an empty-netter with just over a minute left to seal the win for Buffalo who have now won three games in a row.

Vancouver outshot Buffalo 35-25 in the game, but shot themselves in the foot early by giving up the 3-0 lead to the Sabres. Daniel and Henrik Sedin were left off the scoresheet. Henrik has now been pointless in 9 of his last 12 games.

Vancouver resumes their season-high seven game homestand Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars.

Canucks Stifle Blues; Remain Atop NHL Standings

The Vancouver Canucks shutout the St. Louis Blues 2-0 Thursday night to earn their 90th point of the season and move three points ahead of St. Louis and Detroit for the Western Conference lead.

Alex Burrows scored his 23rd goal of the season early in the third period and Roberto Luongo made 29 saves to record his third shutout of the year.

Chris Higgins scored an empty-netter with 38 seconds left to seal the victory for the home team.

Vancouver's fourth line of Manny Malhotra, Maxime Lapierre and the newly acquired Zack Kassian were easily the Canucks most affective unit of the night. They generated a few scoring chances and Lapierre and Kassian were hitting everything in sight. Lapierre finished with an unbelievable 10 hits while Kassian finished with four hits and four shots. Kassian showed Vancouver fans what he brings to the table and likely made some people forget about the guy he was traded for - Cody Hodgson.

Speaking of Hodgson, ironically enough Vancouver's next game is Saturday against Hodgson's new team, the Buffalo Sabres. You can see that game at 7:00 pacific time on CBC's Hockey Night In Canada.

Canuck fans should expect low scoring games from here on out as the trade deadline deals have made them a less offensive team. With that said, they have only allowed one goal against in two games since Monday, so if they can continue to allow very few goals, no-one will care if they aren't scoring in abundance.

Marc-Andre Gragnani played in his Canuck's debut and finished with 15:38 of ice time. He had a couple of turnovers but made a few good passes while finishing even on the night.

Trade Deadline Aftermath; How Did The Canucks Fare?

New Faces:

Zack Kassian - A big, bruising, young power forward, Kassian adds an element that the Canucks have been seeking for awhile now. He will hit, fight and grind it up and he has enough offensive skill that he could slot into the top 6. Is he ready for that kind of a role yet? Nobody is really sure. Questions always arose if Vancouver would be tough enough to endure another deep playoff run but it looks like those questions may have been answered. They may have lost some offense but they certainly improved their size and toughness.

Marc-Andre Gragnani - A small-statured defenseman who isn't afraid to use his body, Gragnani led a woeful Buffalo team in plus/minus with a respectable +10 this season. He also has some offensive abilities. He led all AHL defenseman in scoring last season and has put up decent offensive numbers in his brief NHL career. At the end of the day, he is an upgrade as a 6th defenseman over Aaron Rome and Andrew Alberts so the Canucks improved their defensive depth.

Sami Pahlsson - An integral part of Anaheim's 2007 Stanley Cup Championship, Pahlsson is widely known for his defensive abilities. He is considered a shutdown centerman who can play against the opposing team's top line and is also very good in the faceoff dots. He has been buried in obscurity in Columbus the past few seasons and seemed to become stagnant playing in a non-hockey market. He has the ability to be a key component for a deep playoff run, but he won't contribute much offensively. He is also good friends with the Sedins so he will fit right in in the locker room.

Andrew Gordon - Nothing more than a depth move, the small winger will only see time with the Canucks if there are a number of injuries. He is a two-way forward who won't offer much as far as an impact with Vancouver.

The Departed:

Cody Hodgson - Canuck fans everywhere are sad to see him go. Hodgson was enjoying a great rookie season with 33 points, ranking him 5th in rookie scoring. He was an intrical part of Vancouver's offense because he was scoring from the 3rd line. The Canucks definitely lost some offense but he was considered expendable because of Vancouver's depth at center. Hodgson was likely the best player in the deal and Buffalo should be very excited about acquiring one of the best young players in the NHL.

Alexander Sulzer - Sulzer was nothing more than a depth defenseman for the Canucks, so his loss won't be a big deal. He will likely be the 7th defenseman for Buffalo and was likely thrown into the deal to even up roster spots for both teams.

Taylor Ellington - A throw-in in the Pahlsson deal, Ellington is considered a bust as a 2nd round pick in 2007 by the Canucks. He was unable to earn a spot with Vancouver's AHL team in Chicago this year and has been playing in the East Coast Hockey League. Ellington was under contract and team's can only have 50 players under contract at a time, so the Canucks needed to shed a spot in order to obtain Pahlsson. He will likely never play an NHL game.

Two 4th round picks - 4th round picks often never make the NHL, but sometimes a team will find a diamond in the rough. We won't know about the impact of these picks until probably about 3 years after the draft has taken place.

Overall Analysis - Time will tell if this deadline was a good one or a bad one for the Canucks. If they go far in the playoffs again this year and Kassian proves to be a valuable piece of the puzzle, then it would have to be considered a success. I think the winner of these deals will be determined a few years down the road when we find out what type of players Hodgson and Kassian become and what impact those 4th round picks make on the league. As it stands, Vancouver is as deep as any team in the league and stands poised to make another run at the Stanley Cup. It changes our style and dimensions but at the end of the day I think the Canucks may have slightly improved their team for this year. In five years, maybe not.

Canucks trade Cody Hodgson to Buffalo For Zack Kassian

The Vancouver Canucks have traded away their rookie of the year candidate Cody Hodgson, along with defenseman Alexander Sulzer to the Buffalo Sabres for young power forward Zack Kassian and defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani.

A shocking deal as Hodgson was coming into his own and was considered a key component of Vancouver's offense.

Kassian, a 1st round pick in 2009, is a huge, mean power forward with offensive skills. He will stick up for his teammates, hit everything in sight and chip in offensively.

The Canucks have said they wanted to get bigger and stronger all season, and with this deal they have certainly done so.

Hodgson was considered expendable by Vancouver because he is a centerman, and was stuck behind Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler on the depth chart meaning he would never crack the Canucks' top 6 forwards.

In Gragnani, Vancouver gets a solid defenseman who can chip in with some points here and there. He was a +10 on a poor Buffalo team and was actually their leader in plus/minus. He is an afterthought in this deal but is a definite upgrade on Aaron Rome and Andrew Alberts and will provide the Canucks with some valuable minutes.

My personal opinion: I was absolutely flabbergasted when I first heard of the deal. I love Cody Hodgson and think he is a great player and will only get better. I think he will be a top 20 scorer in the league in a few years.

Zack Kassian is a monster though and will become a fan favourite very soon. He is a big body who will punish other teams and he can score too.

There were always rumours of a rift between Hodgson and Alain Vigneault and maybe even team management. I'm beginning to think there is more to those stories than I know.

More to come in a bit as I digest the deals....

Sidenote: Vancouver also acquired Andrew Gordon from the Anaheim Ducks. He's a minor leaguer as of now who can provide some depth in case of injury. He had 5 points in 37 games for the Ducks this season.

Canucks acquire Sami Pahlsson from the Blue Jackets

You can't have enough depth heading into the playoffs. Especially at center.

That is obviously Mike Gillis' thoughts as the Canucks General Manager has acquired center Sami Pahlsson from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for two 4th round draft picks in this Summer's Entry Draft (we had the Islanders 4th round pick too).

Pahlsson won a cup in 2007 with Anaheim, so he knows what it takes to win in the playoffs. He is a defensive-minded center who is good on the faceoffs. He has virtually zero offensive ability - he has only 2 goals and 9 assists in 61 games this season - and will certainly be used in a defensive role.

The 34 year old Swede has a cap hit of 2.65 million and is an Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of this season, so you'd have to imagine that he's a rental and won't be resigned in the offseason. With that said, if he proves to be a valuable player, Gillis may opt to resign him just as they did with Max Lapierre and Chris Higgins whom were signed last summer after being acquired at last year's trade deadline.

Vancouver now has six natural centers on their roster with Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler, Cody Hodgson, Manny Malhotra, Maxime Lapierre and Sami Pahlsson.

Malhotra has been playing on the wing already, and now one would assume that one of the aforementioned centers will have to move to the wing too. Obviously Henrik and Kesler will stay as the #1 and #2 guys, so who will move to the wing?

Maybe Hodgson will play wing on the 2nd line with Booth and Kesler?

More to come later.

Failed icing call leads to Canucks shootout loss

With a 2-1 lead and just over a minute left in the game, Jannik Hansen made a great play by sending the puck all the way down the ice with perfect velocity; just enough so that there wouldn't be an icing call.

Not so fast.

Dallas defenseman Stephane Robidas decided to take an indirect route to the puck, and it apparently fooled the linesmen as Robidas' slow loop resulted in the puck crossing the goal line before he touched it. Usually an obvious attempt at creating an icing call would be waved off.

Not this afternoon.

Off the ensuing faceoff in the Canucks zone (which should have never been), Mike Ribeiro tipped an Alex Goligoski point shot passed Roberto Luongo to tie the game with 56 seconds left, and ultimately sending the game to overtime.

In OT, Loui Eriksson converted on a cross-crease pass from Trevor Daley to give the Stars a 3-2 win, and extend their winning streak to four games.

In fairness to the linesmen, they get about 99 percent of the calls right, but it's funny how those blown calls nearly always result in a game-changing play.

Vancouver earned a single point and now hold a two point lead over Detroit in the Conference Standings.

The Canucks, playing their sixth game in nine nights - including their fifth in a row on the road - understandably looked sluggish for most of the afternoon, but were able to stay in the game with great goaltending and a solid overall defensive game.

Vancouver won 2-1 in New Jersey on Friday night, then endured a long flight to Dallas for the afternoon affair today.

The Canucks finish off their six game roadtrip Tuesday night in Phoenix against the red hot Coyotes.

Other News: Keep in mind that the trade deadline is tomorrow (Monday) at noon and Vancouver is expected to make some deals.

GM Mike Gillis announced on Saturday that they have put defenseman Keith Ballard on Long Term Injury Reserve which means his contract comes off the books. This frees up over four million dollars in salary cap room for the Canucks which will allow them to make some additions by the deadline.

Stay informed of all of Vancouver's moves and my analysis of the additions tomorrow here at Canuck City!

Follow me on twitter. @mikekermode

Canucks Snap Detroit's Home Winning Streak With Shootout Win

Rarely does a game with so much hype live up to it's billing. This wasn't one of those games.

The Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings put on an amazing show Thursday night in a 4-3 Canucks shootout win in front of a packed house at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. It was so good in fact, that I forgot to PVR tonight's episode of Jersey Shore.

Not only did Vancouver pull within one point of the Wings for the Conference and NHL lead, but they also snapped Detroit's streak of 23 straight wins on home ice.

Alex Burrows scored the lone shootout goal in the win. In classic Burrows fashion, he faked to snap his stick over his leg as if to say " the streak is snapped."

This is exactly why Canucks fans love #14, and probably exactly why others hate him.

Daniel Sedin scored his 27th and 28th goals of the year, including the game-tying goal with only 16 seconds remaining. Cody Hodgson also scored for Vancouver.

Darren Helm, Kyle Quincey and Justin Abdelkader scored for Detroit who were without their all-star center Pavel Datsyuk.

The Canucks dominated the Wings in the first period and probably deserved a better fate at the intermission in which they were down 1-0. Darren Helm flubbed a shot from the slot that fooled Roberto Luongo blocker side to give the home team the lead.

Daniel Sedin scored his first of the game midway through the second period to tie the game up heading into the third stanza.

Kyle Quincey - acquired yesterday in a deal that sent Detroit's first round pick to Tampa Bay - scored six minutes into the third frame to give Detroit a 2-1 lead. Seven minutes later, good-looking Canucks rookie Cody Hodgson scored his 16th goal of the year to once again tie the game up.

The tie didn't last long, however, as Justin Abdelkader banged home a loose puck a mere 20 seconds later to give Detroit their third lead of the game.

The Wings looked to have the game under wraps and looked to extend their NHL record home winning streak to 24 until Daniel scored his second of the night with only 16 seconds left as Vancouver had the extra man with Luongo on the bench.

Overtimed proved nothing, except for that these teams are as evenly-matched as any two in the league.

Roberto Luongo was spectacular as usual, stopping 33 shots, along with stopping all three of Detroit's shootout attempts. Jimmy Howard was equally magnificent stopping 40 shots in regualtion and overtime.

Howard make a ludicrous save on David Booth with a minute left in regulation as Booth sped through and split the Detroit defense and came in on a breakaway. Booth, playing in his home state for the first time as a pro, deked forehand only to have Howard stick out his right pad and make the incredible stop.

With the two points, Vancouver now sits only one point back of Detroit in the NHL and Western Conference standings. Detroit earned a single point with the shootout loss.

Vancouver continues their hellish road trip tomorrow evening in New Jersey, then an afternoon affair with the Stars in Dallas on Sunday before finishing up with a date with the Coyotes in Phoenix on Tuesday.

Follow me on twitter! @mikekermode

Worth The Wait; Canuck City is back!

Okay folks, after a lengthy hiatus I have decided to fire up the ole' blog once again. Let's talk some Canucks!

As it stands, Vancouver is in position to once again make a deep playoff run. They have it all, starting with great goaltending.

Roberto Luongo has arguably been the best goalie in hockey since December. After a notoriously (and all too common) slow start, he has bounced back and has been a cement wall for the Canucks in the last few months. Familiar story right? He was on the same path last season and we all know how that ended. Cory Schneider has proven himself as an NHL goalie, and has provided Vancouver with impeccable goaltending when needed. When Bobby Lou needs a rest, or gets injured, Canuck fans know that their net will be in good hands, or umm pads.

The defense has been solid. Alex Edler has stepped up his offense in the absence of Christian Ehrhoff and currently sits third in scoring by a defenseman in the NHL. Kevin Bieksa and Dan Hamhuis have become one of the top shut-down units in the whole league, a far-cry from where Bieksa was just a few seasons ago (check the archives). Aside from missing a few weeks thanks to a Brad Marchand cheapshot, Sami Salo has generally been injury-free this year (knock on wood), and when he's healthy, he's as solid as they come. Keith Ballard has been better than last year, but still fails to get the respect due to his high salary. This is where the good news ends on the backend, however. Andrew Alberts has been decent, but isn't a guy I feel too confident about playing regular minutes in the playoffs. Aaron Rome, whom for some reason seems to be coach Alain Vigneault's favourite player, is just plain awful. He often seems lost in his own zone, he brings nothing to the table offensively, and in my opinion, he should be abolished to the AHL and only be used in case the Canucks face some serious injury troubles to their rearguards. Chris Tanev has played a handful of games and seems to be the best option as our sixth d-man. He quietly makes great outlet passes and rarely makes mistakes in his own zone. You can't ask for much more from your sixth man. Hopefully AV figures this out sooner than later.

Offensively, the Canucks are as deep as any team in the league. As usual, the Sedin twins are leading the way. They are both in top 10 in league scoring, and rarely is there a night that they don't hit the scoresheet. Alex Burrows, a mainstay on the twins' wing, is once again putting up points and has proven himself to be a top line winger. Mid-season acquisition David Booth is finally looking comfortable on the West Coast, pairing with countryman Ryan Kesler to give the Canucks some secondary scoring. The third and fourth lines can also provide some scoring, while most importantly playing solid defense, winning the majority of their faceoffs, forechecking hard and playing a physical style.

What do the Canucks need most as the trade deadline looms?

1. No question, this team needs another defenseman. A guy who can slot in on the bottom pairing and play some valuable minutes in the post-season. I'd like to see a defense-first type guy who can kill penalties and play a physical game.

Ideal Pickup: Mark Fistric

2. Depth up front. Last year Vancouver acquired Chris Higgins and Maxime Lapierre at the deadline. Both moves were considered small, under-the-radar type moves. However, both players proved very valuable in the long playoff run and both were rewarded with new deals and are still key members of this year's team. Another bottom six player like these guys would be an important move for the Canucks as depth is always important heading into the playoffs. A physical player who could drop the gloves and stick up for teammates when needed would be great.

Ideal Pickup: Travis Moen

Many fans/pundits expect the Canucks to play that Ace up their sleeve and trade backup goalie Cory Schneider at the deadline to acquire the spare parts the Canucks need to finally win a Cup. I don't think they should, and I don't think they will for two reasons.

Firstly, despite having another spectacular season, questions still remain if Roberto Luongo can be the goalie that brings the Stanley Cup to Vancouver. He laid a few eggs in some of the most important games last post-season and looked to be mentally fragile at times. Having a goalie like Schneider that can be used as a replacement if need be is a HUGE accessory to have, and if the Canucks trade him you can assure they won't get a goalie of Schneider's caliber in return.

Secondly, Vancouver simply won't get a fair return for 'Schneids' at the deadline as they should in the off-season. Schneider is a Restricted Free Agent. Any team can send him an offer sheet, and based on his play the past two seasons, Schneider would likely demand a decent contract. As an RFA, teams who offer him a contract would have to send some high draft picks to Vancouver in return. The Canucks will likely shop Schneider in the off-season and if they can't get a package to their liking, they will probably accept the picks in return. Those picks will be higher than any team will pay at the deadline this year.

The trade deadline is Monday. Stay tuned to Canuck City for all the latest deals and my thoughts on how the deals will work out for our team.