Can the Canucks Finally Reach the Cup?
The Vancouver Canucks have made a number of moves this offseason, after once again losing to the Chicago Blackhawks, this time in the Conference Semi-finals last season. Canucks General Manager (GM) Mike Gillis is hoping that he has done enough to get Vancouver back to the Cup Final for the first time since they lost to the New York Rangers in 1994.
Forwards
The Canuck’s forward core is one of the best in the league, and last season they proved their worth. The Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, were lights-out all season scoring 85 and 112 points respectively. The organization can expect even more from the twins if Daniel is able to play a full season next year, as in 2009-10 he was limited to 63 games.
In addition, they found a sniper in Mikael Samuelsson and a possible captain in Ryan Kesler. Moreover, Gillis went out and got defensive specialist Manny Malhotra, signing him to a three-year contract. Up and down the line-up, the Canucks forwards can play with the best in the league. Last year, they averaged the second most goals-per-game, behind only the run-and-gun Washington Capitals.
Defence
The biggest question for the Canucks heading into the offseason was the defensive-core. Gillis wasted no time addressing it, locking up coveted free agent Dan Hamhuis and trading for Keith Ballard. The addition of Hamhuis and Ballard should add more credibility to a core that already contains youngsters Alexander Edler and Christian Ehrhoff.
The Canucks should be able to defend against the best of them in the Western Conference playoffs.
Goaltending
Although Roberto Luongo struggled last season, you can never doubt his skill as a goaltender, as he is capable of amazing things.
There is talk that the Canucks will take the captaincy away from him in order to lighten the load. As a goaltender, there is already enough pressure on his shoulders, and with the additional weight of team captain many believe it was too much for him.
How do they stack up?
As a regular season squad, the Canucks have never had a difficult time competing and this year should be no different. They have a very competitive line-up, with a number of scorers, the defensemean, and an all-star goaltender. Clearly, the Canucks will be a tough team to play against.
The Canucks won the Pacific Division last year and should win it again this year. The Colorado Avalanche are the only team in the division that may have gotten better. The Calgary Flames have gotten worse, while the Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild do not present much of a threat to the stacked Canucks.
In terms of the Western Conference, they should be the favourite, especially now with the deterioration of the Chicago Blackhawks line-up and the San Jose Sharks lack of goal-tendering.
The Canucks should be in the hunt for the Western Conference title, while challenging for the Presidents trophy.
In addition, if the team is able to keep up their scoring pace, the Sedin twins could once again challenge for the scoring title.
The Canucks can win as many regular season accolades as they like, but the real test will be the playoffs. The depth at defence and the likelihood of them finishing in a home ice advantage position should give them the upper hand in the opening rounds. However, the same questions that have plagued this team year in and year out still remain the same for the 2010-11 campaign. Do they have enough scoring depth, and can the Sedin twins do it in the post-season?
The Canucks success will ultimately rely on their second line, and whether or not they can contribute in the 2011 playoffs.
Tags: