Canucks - no taste for the jugular
April 4th, 2008 by thewordbirdAfter a pair of losses this week, eliminating Vancouver from playoff contention, the city and hockey-loving province is in shock.
The microcosm on the Lower Mainland will over-scrutinize the roster, coaching, management’s decisions, prospects, etc. The second-guessing of games and certain stretches of play in which the work ethic was in question, are most certainly fair game for criticism. The potential free agencies of Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison will have an immense effect on this team. I will leave my opinions on them, potential free agent acquisitions and the Canuck draft picks for during the playoffs and summer, stay tuned for them.
It comes down to the team as a whole not having the pure desire to win that cost them. Sure, injuries were severe, but not an excuse. And they should not be looking for them, as other clubs had adverse situations to deal with. The small triumphs at times hide the deficiencies. Some very solid, young talented kids and a few character players whose services that ought to be retained around the world-class grandeur of Roberto Luongo are easy to identify. It is not as damning as it looks, management will be charged with gleaning the best out of this roster. It is a mistake to dub this a ‘rebuild’.
The hurried and knee-jerk reactions of fans and would-be GMs, has started in earnest. Over-reactions that I have heard such as, “trade Luongo for some good pieces”, “package Bourdon, Ohlund and Raymond for …..” and other type scenarios are of course purely speculative (I personally hope stay that way). The Canucks would do well to realize that they have a couple young American forwards, a few tough Canadians and others worth building with to complement the Swedish contingent of the team. I believe that a really proficient face-off performer would be a hell of an acquisition to help the flow of offense to start with….
The Hockey Night in Canada match against the Calgary Flames this Saturday becomes nothing more than points the Flames might use to fend off the Predators, or to snare the Avs, who sit in 6th place in the Western Conference. It will be interesting to watch Canuck players’ reactions to last night’s loss to the Oilers. I will consider it to be sure.
Robin Keith Thompson
April 4, 2008
4 Responses to “Canucks - no taste for the jugular”
By The Iceman on Apr 4, 2008
While I have nothing against Vancouver, I cannot stand Luongo. Therefore I am happy that he will be golfing, or babysitting, or whatever else may come to mind this playoff season.
He cannot carry a team by himself, as he has admitted previously while in Florida.
The Canucks now probably realize that the West is a lot tougher than they expected and some roster moves will have to be made!
By Jason C on Apr 6, 2008
No goalie can carry a team by himself. Marty Brodeur is a huge benefactor from the Devils’ system and even if he played for this Vancouver squad they would still be nothing more than playoff contenders.
What’s your stance on the Sedins, Robin?
By thewordbird on Apr 14, 2008
Pardon the tardy response Jason and ‘Iceman’….
While the Sedins are very good talents, it poses quite a unique problem for the Canucks when it comes time to resign (or possibly move them). Could you get players/assets back that would be acceptable at worst, back? Probably not. So, my thinking would be that they are a good second-line pair that does well when placed against a 2nd defensive unit. Build ‘around’ them and relieve the pressure to be the ‘go-to’ guys. They are not game-breakers, but rather ‘fibre’.
By thewordbird on Apr 19, 2008
The Sedins have a fantastic cycle game that gets run out of the rink on most occasions if they are the top line. A regular top line would decrease the attention given to the twins and aid their production, which were at career-best levels this campaign.
I believe that it would be tough to justify a trade for the Sedins, as the value coming back would likely be insufficient. Could they be broken up in a trade? Would they allow that? Would it increase or decrease their production? Could you allow it to get to the last year of the contract and risk losing them outright?
These are questions where a smart manager would have to lean on ‘NO’, though explore the options and do all they can to assess the entire Canucks’ situation and see where they fit.
Sorry about the tardy response Jason. Great job covering the playoffs. Boy, that Flyers/Caps series is something to behold!
Iceman, I appreciate the post and whole-heartedly agree that the West is supreme and that roster moves will have to be made. Just not as much as most people tnink….