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.

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.

Canucks trade Darcy Hordichuk to Florida

As promised, Mike Gillis tried - and was successful in finding Darcy Hordichuk a place to play in the NHL. On Wednesday, the Canucks announced they traded the veteran winger to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Andrew Peters.

Peters, a legit NHL enforcer, had already cleared waivers in Florida, so he can be assigned to the minors without clearing waivers again. This means he has already been assigned to Manitoba, and will not be on the Canucks opening night roster.

The addition of Peters gives Vancouver a legit heavyweight enforcer who can be recalled from Manitoba without having to go on re-entry waivers. Peters is on a 2-way contract in which his NHL salary is the league minimum $500,000. Because he already cleared waivers this year, he can be sent up and down at will, without going back on waivers. This allows the Canucks to call him up if they feel the need to dress an enforcer for a game, and can send him down againt right after.

Canucks put Shane O'Brien and Darcy Hordichuk on waivers

With the Canucks preseason officially over, GM Mike Gillis began his quest of forming his team's opening night roster; a roster which likely won't include both Shane O'Brien and Darcy Hordichuk. The two veterans were placed on waivers early Saturday morning, meaning all other 29 teams will have a chance to claim either player within 48 hours.

If they get claimed, the team that claims them will take on their contract outright, and if they don't get claimed, they will get assigned to Vancouver's AHL affiliate in Manitoba. If they go unclaimed and get sent to Manitoba, the Canucks will have to pay them their full salary, but their salary will not go towards Vancouver's salary cap.

O'Brien, I would imagine, has a good chance of getting claimed as many NHL teams are looking for depth on defense. He has the tools to be an effective NHL defenseman, but his off-ice antics (apparently he enjoys his booze), and his questionable attitude (has publically called out his coach and GM), along with his very average preseason play have made him the odd man out in Vancouver.

His inevitable departure means the Canucks will keep both Andrew Alberts and Aaron Rome as the team's 6th and 7th defenseman heading into the regular season.

Hordichuk will likely go unclaimed, unless there's a team out there looking for a below-average enforcer with zero puck skills. He will most likely get assigned to Manitoba, or loaned to Europe or another league.

The Canucks still have a number of roster decisions to make, including whether to keep Cody Hodgson on the roster or send him to Manitoba to get some seasoning.

Brendan Morrison and Peter Schaefer are both on tryouts, and a decision will have to be made whether to sign them or let them walk as free agents.

Also, Jeff Tambellini, Victor Oreskovich, Guillaume Desbiens, Alexander Bolduc and Joel Perrault are all still in the mix fighting for one or two spots on the 4th line. Expect Vancouver to announce their decisions in the coming days.

The Canucks don't start their regular season until next Saturday (Oct.9th), but will likely name their opening night roster sooner than later.

Stay tuned to Canuck City for all the latest news and roster decisions.

Roberto Luongo Steps Down As Canucks Captain

The Vancouver Canucks announced on Monday that Roberto Luongo has relinquished his captaincy, and the team will be looking for his replacement for the upcoming season. There was much speculation about this issue, and the announcement comes as little surprise to anyone in Vancouver as the rumours have been flying for a couple of months already.

Early speculation has Henrik Sedin, the NHL's leading scorer and MVP last season, as the most likely replacement, but Mike Gillis has stated that the team will not rush into any decisions. Ryan Kesler is another option, but many people feel he is not quite ready to accept a responsibility of that magnitude. Heading into the season without a captain is also a possibility for the Canucks, but Gillis did mention that he expects to make a final decision before the start of the regular season.

“Roberto has been an excellent captain for our team the past two seasons,” Gillis said in a statement. “We respect and support his decision to relinquish the captaincy and are confident that he will continue to help lead our team through his tremendous character and work ethic both on and off of the ice.”

The Canucks goalie was an anomaly, as a captain being a goaltender hasn't been done in the modern era.

Rumour has it that the responsibility of dealing with the media pre and post game was a bit too much to handle for Luongo, and a goalie being the spokesman for the team often made it sound like he was throwing his teammates under the bus.

According to Gillis and Luongo, it was the former captain's decision to step down, as opposed to management asking him to, which has been rumoured around town.

"I am honoured to have served as captain of the Vancouver Canucks for the past two seasons," Luongo said. "Being captain in a Canadian city for a team with such passionate fans is a privilege and an experience I will always take pride in. I will continue to be a leader on this team and support my teammates the same way I always have while focusing on our ultimate goal."

Expect Luongo to bounce back from a poor season (by his standards) with the pressure of being captain off his shoulders. Luongo was well-known for his game day preperation and often quirky superstitions which, before being named captain, included not talking to the media on game days.

Canucks sign Raffi Torres

General Manager Mike Gillis and the Vancouver Canucks have reportedly bolstered their bottom six forward unit late Tuesday night by signing gritty forward Raffi Torres to a one year deal worth one million dollars.

Torres, known to many Canuck fans because of his lengthy stint with the Edmonton Oilers a couple years ago (a stint which saw him light up the Canucks repeatedly), split time with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres last year, scoring 19 goals and adding 17 assists for 36 points.

He is known as a gritty winger who plays a physical game, something the Canucks have been looking to add since getting ousted by a more mature, physical Chicago team in last year's 2nd round of the playoffs.

Source

Meet Victor Oreskovich

Known to most as the "throw-in" player in the deal with Florida that also brought Keith Ballard to Vancouver (for Grabner, Bernier and a 1st rounder), Victor Oreskovich isn't a household name just yet. But once Canuck fans see him play, I'd expect they will recognize him quickly. A hulking winger (6'3, 220 lbs), Oreskovich hits everything in sight. His forecheck quickly became his forte, and was the main reason why he made the Panthers as a free agent camp attendee after taking almost two years away from the game.

Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2004 NHL entry draft by the Colorado Avalanche after a successful two year junior career in Kitchener, the Whitby, Ontario native quit the game after a couple of poor seasons and a number of injuries resulted in him losing passion for the game. He switched his attention to school and his Finance Degree at Notre Dame.

Then one day, it hit him.

"One day I was looking at some number equations and hockey popped into my mind," Oreskovich said. "It's funny, but I was supposed to be looking at my future in finance and all I could think of was hockey. I started to miss the game. It started to eat away at me. I never gave the pros a chance. I didn't want to look back and regret it the rest of my life. That fire started burning again."

One phone call to his former Junior coach, and now Head Coach in Florida - Pete DeBoer - and he had his second chance. He made the most of it by earning a spot on the Panthers, playing 50 games and earning 6 points on the team`s 4th line.

He plans on making the most of his new opportunity in Vancouver where there`s a number of bottom 6 positions up for grabs.

Here`s a look at what the Canucks can expect from the gritty, hard-working 24 year old.

Canucks resume preseason at home against the Sharks; Hodgson centering top line

The Canucks look to improve to 6-0 tonight at GM place as they host the San Jose Sharks. However, the big story isn't if they can stay undefeated, but rather that top prospect Cody Hodgson will be centering Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler on Vancouver's top line. The Canucks lineup is extremely thin of veterans tonight (see lineup below), meaning they will rely heavily on that first line to produce. Clearly, coach Alain Vigneault is putting Hodgson in a position to succeed, and is looking to see what he can bring to the table in a starring role.

As per the Vancouver Sun

Burrows - Hodgson - Kesler

Hordichuk - Scatchard - Hansen

Raymond - Bolduc - Pope

Glass - Bliznak - Bernier

Funk - Edler

Oberg - Lukowich

Sauve - Bieksa

Luongo (Full game)

Raycroft?

Ferriero-Thornton-Setoguchi

Marleau-Pavelski-Clowe

McLaren-Malhotra-Ortmeyer

Shelley-Nichol-Staubitz

Murray-Demers

Joslin-Blake

Huskins-Callahan

Nabokov

Greiss

The Sharks on the otherhand are expected to ice a strong lineup, although Danny Heatley will NOT be in the lineup for the San Jose. Evgeni Nabokov and Tomas Greiss are expected to share the duties in net. Puck drops at 7pm. Check back in following the game for a complete review and analysis of the matchup.

Our take: Everyone is expecting big things from Hodgson tonight, and the pressure is definitely on him to succeed. With the thin lineup the Canucks are icing tonight, it's pretty evident remaining undefeated is not overly important to them. Many players in Vancouver's lineup are on the bubble and this may be the last chance for many of them to make an impression. Cuts are expected on Friday, a day after the Canucks host the Ducks.

Canucks win 6-2 in San Jose; Stay undefeated in preseason

Daniel and Henrik Sedin looked to be worth every penny of their new contract money in San Jose on Friday night, combining for 7 points as the Vancouver Canucks downed the San Jose Sharks 6-2. Playing alongside highly touted prospect Sergei Shirokov (2 assists), the Sedin's looked like men among boys against a young, prospect laden Sharks lineup. Henrik finished with 2 goals and 2 assists, while Daniel finished with 1 goal and 2 assists. Former Shark Christian Ehrhoff had a goal and an assist in his first game as a Canuck, while Willie Mitchell and Dave Scatchard provided the other tallies. Andrew Raycroft looked sharp in net for Vancouver, stopping 27 of 29 shots faced. The Canucks play their 3rd game in as many nights tonight, as they host the Edmonton Oilers at GM place. Cody Hodgson will make his season debut after finally recovering from his back injury.

Our take: It's very nice to see the twins and Shirokov have some chemistry. As of right now with the way Shirokov has played, it's hard to imagine he won't crack the opening day lineup, and if Friday night was any indication, it will probably be playing alongside the Sedins. Also, Andrew Raycroft played very well in net, which will make it a tough decision for management as to who will back up Roberto Luongo in net this year. Considering Raycroft makes almost half as what Corey Schneider makes, it's probably his job to lose at this point.

Canucks reduce roster to 49 players

The Vancouver Canucks made 7 cuts Wednesday morning. Forward Dan Gendur was assigned to the Manitoba Moose, while forwards Steven Anthony, Prab Rai and Kellen Tochkin, and goalie Morgan Clark were sent back to their respective Junior clubs. Meanwhile forward Dusty Collins and defenseman Nolan Toigo were given their outright release.

Our take: No surprises here. Hopefully the youngsters can make some strides in Juniors this year and come back next year looking stronger. Expect more cuts sometime this week as the Canucks are still carrying 49 players on their pre-season roster

Canucks 2-1 winners over the Islanders in Terrace

The trip to "Hockeyville" was a successful one for the Vancouver Canucks, as they topped the New York Islanders 2-1 on Monday night in Terrace. Both teams iced lineups with very few veterans, and it was one of the Canucks top prospects who stole the show. No, not Cody Hodgson - who was out of the lineup with a back injury - but rather Sergei Shirokov. Shirokov has been impressive thus far in training camp, and proved today that he can do it in a game as well. Vancouver's 6th round pick in the 2006 draft scored both of the Canucks goals, while Jon Sim scored for the Isles. Corey Schneider earned the win for the B.C boys by stopping every shot he faced in the 2nd half of the game, while Andrew Raycroft played well, but allowed one goal in the first half. Both goalies are fighting for the chance to backup starting goalie Roberto Luongo this year.

Terrace earned the label as "Hockeyville" by beating out numerous other small town Canadian cities in a nationwide promotion put on by the NHL.

Vancouver is back in action on Thursday in Anaheim.

Our take: It was a pretty sloppy game, which is to be expected for the first preseason game of the year. Shirokov looked great which is good news for Canuck fans, while both goalies also looked on top of their game. Other than Shirokov, no-one really displayed anything amazing. Expect some cuts soon.

Keith Carney retires

Keith Carney has decided not to attend the Canucks training camp as previously expected. He has decided to hang up the skates and retire.

Our take: Carney had a pretty solid NHL career but he realistically didn't have a chance of cracking the Canucks top 10 defenseman. I would imagine he realized this and decided he didn't want to play in the AHL, therefore called it quits.

Mark Parrish to attend training camp on a tryout basis

According to TSN, former Wild captain Mark Parrish will join the Canucks on a tryout basis for training camp starting this weekend at UBC. Parrish played in 44 games for the Dallas Stars last year before being bought out this off-season.

Our take: Mike Gillis promised he would bring in some unsigned veterans to camp this year, and he has definitely delivered on that promise. Dave Scatchard, Keith Carney and Ronald Petrovicky will join Parrish as veteran's on a tryout with the Canucks. Vancouver is already loaded up front so it's unrealistic that any of these guys will make their roster. It is however possible that Parrish, or any of the others could get signed to play for the Moose this year. Regardless, they should add a little more competition to training camp.

Alain Vigneault extended?

According to several sources, the Canucks are close to signing coach Alain Vigneault (and his staff) to a lengthy contract extension. The rumoured deal is expected to keep AV around until the 2012'13 season. GM Mike Gillis has said he expects the deal to be finalized before the start of the regular season on October 1st. (source)

Our take: It's almost hard to believe that just earlier this year (last season), fans and media were calling for his firing. It seems that AV is a good fit for Gillis' style and that the two are on the same page. Stay tuned for the official announcement.