Closed for the season
April 6th, 2008 by thewordbirdThe Canuck’s front office and outlets may keep their ‘cards facedown’ and debit machines online. Make no mistake though, the second-season for 14 teams will be signaled by the start of next season’s free agency and the entry draft.
Wise organizations use extensive scouting and give themselves options further down a franchise’s development. These should be working harder than ever to discern the league’s talent, not just of the Canuck fraternity.
At the onset, analyze your strengths and assets. Sound simple? Most clubs fail to tolerate key positional changes arising from unforeseeable circumstances. An outstanding general manager can of course pay great dividends. Hiring an inflexible dinosaur, fiscal buffoon or poor judge of character can leave a team scrambling when injuries or other intangibles surface.
Goaltending is of course very strong in Vancouver. Roberto Luongo is without question of world class talent.
I would argue that the team has a duty to build around him with the focus three years down the road. Luongo must surely take the organization’s viewpoint and realize that the Georgia Strait will ebb and flow for him. Curtis Sanford and Drew McIntyre are professional goaltenders and will pull down NHL paycheques. But Vancouver has options greater than most realize.
Cory Schneider has just completed a very tidy season for the Manitoba Moose of the AHL and will be a major factor in Canuck fortunes down the road. Julien Ellis guards the nets for the Victoria of the ECHL, and young Lukas Mensator has honed his craft in the Czech Extraliga.
I will get into greater specifics about each and every position as we advance through the playoffs, including the Sedins, and why the Canucks need Brendan Morrison……
April 6, 2008
Robin Keith Thompson
