Nuckin it up in Vancouver

[yave1964]

My take on the 2013-14 Vancouver Canucks

Wow what a mess. This team that for a decade or close to it has been considered relevant and a short list contender for the Stanley cup is in big, big trouble.

The Sedins are enough to always keep a team in playoff contention, Edler is an underrated blue liner, but they are in bad shape.

Gillis took over a team with promise and has ruined it. The Luongo farce is still going on as he is threatening to old his breath until the trade him to the Panthers. Cory Schneider is gone for a draft pick instead, shocking everyone in the province.

Top six forwards Derek Roy and Mason Raymond are history, allowed to walk and being replaced with nobody. David Booth and Ryan Kesler are shells of their former selves due to injury. Kassian may not be an out and out bust but he is close, he sure is no Cody Hodgson. Even Chris Tanev is talking about goingto Europe rather than take the Canuck contract offer. The Sedins are another year older and the window s closing. Fast.

And on top of that the division realignment hurts the Canucks more than any other team except the Capitals. Instead of the Canucks and a bunch of weak sisters they now are in a division with the Kings, Ducks, Sharks, Oilers and Coyotes, missing the playoffs is a very, very real possibility.

This is not the underachieving Sharks who always seem to find a way to squander a shot at the cup, this is a team that is looking at the two brightest stars in franchise history as unrestricted free agents at the end of the season and the very real possibility that they may leave if the team does not figure out a way to give them something to play with. The organizational depth is wretched, real prospects are few and far between, another long season of will he or wont he he said she said with Luongo could occur, and then the additional distraction of the Sedin contract situation coming up.

These guys are not Calgary bad, the twins and Edler and Garrison, as well as Hanson and Burrows can all play, if Kesler and Booth find a miracle at Lourdes and Bobby Lu takes his thumb out of his mouth and quits acting like a baby, yeah, they might be a fourth seed in the division and an easy first round out but that is about it. There is hardly anything to recognize from this once proud organization that resembles a team that was up three games to two in the cup finals just a few years ago. But a team that once again was an easy first round knockout that lost two top six forwards and a capable goalie and replaced them with essentially nothing is not set up to be a real contender.

Out of the playoffs, losing the final spot to the Oilers. Stick a fork in Gillis. Done.

[goalnut3133]

Wow what a mess.

Yup, that about sums it up!! They are definitely going to be more irritating to watch this season than usual. I almost stopped watching them part way through last season. I actually didn't mind at all losing Raymond, he was pretty useless, opposing team just had to look at him & he'd be falling down. He was like a 3rd Sedin Sister. Only weaker.

Check out the avatar...I'm seriously thinking of packing up the U-Haul & moving to Columbus....

(Thanks for a good & entertaining write-up though...just sorry you had to waste good valuable time on my team...blech)

[It's a Canadian Game]

I think Vancouver would benefit most by having a terrible season. To me it seems that they keep having great regular seasons and then when it comes to the playoffs they choke. They play much weaker teams in their division (Colorado, Calgary and Edmonton) so they rack up the points and seem to be prospering. So, I think the management seems to feel the team is stronger than they actually are. So, I feel if they were to have a weak season it would open management's eyes and help them to realize that changes need to be made. So, essentially fail in order to succeed later.

[yave1964]

I think Vancouver would benefit most by having a terrible season. To me it seems that they keep having great regular seasons and then when it comes to the playoffs they choke. They play much weaker teams in their division (Colorado, Calgary and Edmonton) so they rack up the points and seem to be prospering. So, I think the management seems to feel the team is stronger than they actually are. So, I feel if they were to have a weak season it would open management's eyes and help them to realize that changes need to be made. So, essentially fail in order to succeed later.

My personal opinion is Vancouver is on he same path as the Flames of the past decade.... a mediocre team that is capable of bumbling, stumbling into the occasional playoff appearance but more often than not just short. Everything hinges on the Sedin's of course, I think they will stay but this team is in big trouble.

[It's a Canadian Game]

Yea to me the Sedins compliment the team perfectly, they play great against weaker teams and when there is no pressure, but when it means the most they don't come to play. To me they are now what the Sharks used to be. Which is why I think until the team has a big collapse in the regular season the organization is going to be blinded (not seeing what they actually have in front of them). They are a solid team, but they are further away from being a cup contender than people think.