7/28/2019 Why the Vancouver Canucks aren't contenders

1/3

Not two years have passed since the Vancouver Canucks made the Stanley Cup finals, eventually

losing to the Boston Bruins in seven games. Since then theyve been searching for that elusive cup

victory, but have come up short in their pursuit. A first round elimination to eventual champions, the

Los Angeles Kings sparked a lot of talk from Vancouverites about the future of their hockey team.

Despite the back-to-back Presidents Trophies, something which means nothing since only threewinners have gone on to win Lord Stanleys mug, there was something missing from the Canucks. That

didnt stop pundits from labelling them as the second best team in the Western Conference and

predicting a deep playoff run from them. Fast forward to late March and theyre fa r from it. In fact,

theyre far from being a top team in the NHL for several different reasons.

The base of any franchise is coaching. Looking at some of the so-called big clubs, like the Chicago

Blackhawks and Boston Bruins, a major part of their teams success is down to who leads them behind

the bench. Chicago has Joel Quenville, someone who led them to a Stanley Cup in 2010 (beating

Vancouver on route to the final), and Boston has Claude Julien. Julien has been in charge since 2007,

leading the Bruins to the playoffs in each of the five years since he was appointed, one of which

culminated in captain Zdeno Chara hoisting the holy mug above his head in front of over 18,000 angry

Canucks fans.

Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault is simply overrated. He has no motivation skills and never

hesitates with line changes. When Canucks fans are asked who their second line is, they never have a

definitive answer because Vigneault is constantly flipping the lineup. One day Alex Burrows is skating

alongside the Sedins, the next game hes playing on the second trio. In a shortened season like this

one with a lot of back-to-backs, its necessary to rotate a little, but Vigneault does this in a full

campaign also. Its imperative for skaters to have chemistry on the ice. Thats what makes the Chicago

Blackhawks line of Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, and Jonathan Toews so strong. They have a strong

understanding with each other and with their respective skills, theyre arguably the most dangerous

line in hockey.

The opposite can be said about goaltending policies for Vigneault. Going back to the 2010-11 finals

(sorry, Canucks fans), one of the biggest stories coming out of the series was the play of Roberto

Luongo. He allowed 20 goals in seven games, including 14 in the three matchups in Boston, the

heaviest of those defeats was the 8-1 drubbing in Game 3. Luongo was in net for all eight tallies. He

stopped 30 of 38 shots, but anyone could see that the atmosphere and implications of the match got

into Luongos head. Pulling him after the fourth or fifth marker wouldve at least saved him some

embarrassment and, most importantly for goalies, wouldve kept his stats reasonably decent.

Vigneault instead opts to leave the helpless netminder (with, later found out, a bunch of injuredplayers, including two defenceman) on the ice and hangs him out to dry. Being a goalie is mainly

mental. If Luongo gets rattled and lets in four goals in a period, get him out and put in the backup.

Obviously it wasnt all coaching that ultimately lostVancouver their first cup, but its a big part of it.

Getting a grittier, ballsier leader could be what the Canucks need. Former Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy

Ruff has been linked recently as Vigneaults future is up in the air. Ruff is someone who would keep

7/28/2019 Why the Vancouver Canucks aren't contenders

2/3

lines together at all times, hed pull the goalie if hes having a bad day and save some of his dignity.

Even some of the lower seeds over the years have improved drastically thanks to a new voice. The

Toronto Maple Leafs havent participated in the playoffs since 2004, yet Randy Carlyle comes in and

appears to have the Leafs in a good spot. A calm, yet firm leader who reshaped the defence and

improved the already great goal scoring has got one of the NHLs laughing stocks for almost 10 years

in sixth place heading into the latter stages of 2012-13.

Another important aspect of a successful NHL team is the strength of the roster. If theres equality

between scoring, skill, and feistiness, then that team will most likely be one of the stronger sides in

the league.

When examining Bostons roster, they have a very deep, talented squad. Their defenceman add

unique skills necessary to succeed in the NHL. Chara, Dougie Hamilton, and Dennis Seidenberg have

good power, skill, and puck movement, while Andrew Ference, Torey Krug, and Aaron Johnson

provide the grit. Starting goaltender Tuukka Rask is another up and coming Finnish goalie thats in the

discussion of featuring for Finlands national team at the Socchi Olympics. Hes 15-4-3 in 23 starts this

season, posting a .928 save percentage and 1.90 goals against average. Hes fourth in wins, third in

save percentage, and second in goals against. The top blue line pairing of Chara and Hamilton has 27

points combined, as many as leading scorer Patrice Bergeron.

Speaking of forwards, the Bruins are deep up there as well. Milan Lucic can get goals, hits, and fights,

Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron provide more technique, and Brad Marchand is the rat that every

team has.

The Canucks only have four forwards that can contribute anything worthwhile. Henrik and Daniel

Sedin would be the first liners, but they need a winger who would hit and score, someone they dont

have. Zack Kassian had five markers and eight points, but they were mainly acquired by crashing thenet after some great passing by the twins and burying the loose puck. Hes now gone 11 games

without a point and 20 without a goal. Cody Hodgson wouldve made a very good top six guy, but hes

now second in points on the Sabres roster. General manager Mike Gillis lost that trade.

The remaining two out of the Canucks front men are Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler. After that, theres

David Booth, whos been a bust at $4.25 million a season. 32 points (three this season due to injury)

isnt good enough for someone on that kind of cash. The likes of Mason Raymond and Manny

Malhotra, both on $2.25 million and $2.75 million respectively will most likely test free agency in the

summer, leaving Vancouver with a bunch of underachieving, cheap forwards.

Defence is where things get messy. Nearly $24 million of the Canucks salary cap for 2012-13 goes

towards defenders. Kevin Bieksa is the top earner at $4.6 million, someone who could stay on the

team, but makes at least one costly mistake a game and picks up as many stupid penalties. Hes a

defenceman who should be making $1 million less, something like Alex Edler, another player who has

similar traits of Bieksa. Errors and leaving his teammates shorthanded are two things he does as much

as score. Jason Garrison has been a terrible addition at $4.6 million a year until 2018. Hes slow in

skating back into his defensive zone and has hit the net with his slap shots around five times this

7/28/2019 Why the Vancouver Canucks aren't contenders

3/3

campaign. Its another case of a B.C. boy having a decent season then being snapped up for far more

than hes worth. The sad part is that Vancouver cant move him because he has both a no move clause

and no trade clause. Only Bieksa, Edler, and Chris Tanev deserve to be wearing the orca jersey,

meaning the Aquilinis need to sign four more blue liners, including a first liner.

Trading a goaltender could lead to a couple of capable forwards and defenceman coming back inreturn. Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider have been the centre of attention since their playoff

elimination last April. Either one can do a job, but moving Luongo may be whats best. His postseason

record isnt anything to ride home about, and thats where Canucks fans expect their team to succeed.

Goaltending is a major foundation of a Stanley Cup win.

Playoff stats:

Besides 2007, his playoff stats demonstrate that he can get a franchise to spring hockey, but isnt upto the right standard once hes there. That can come down to the mental side of it. Luongo appears

nervous when playing from April to June, his poor rebound control and lack of pace in getting across

his crease are two examples of this. Cory Schneider is quicker, hes making $4 million a year ($1.33

less than Luongo), and is 27 while Luongo is 33.

Compare the Canucks with any other team whos won the Stanley Cup over the last five years and its

apparent that theyre far from a contender. They have a long way to go before achieving that status,

let alone actually winning the cup. Their time passed in June 2011, it may be quite a while before they

get another opportunity.