Well well well...look who decided to stop being a Bettman-face and play some hockey...
If you're like me then you probably started out an expert on the lockout, then about by day 60, your patience and understanding slowly melted away along with the rinks. Come January, and then all of the sudden the NHL and NHLPA got around to finally figuring out the revolving door and getting a deal done.
Damn you recessive hair loss gene!
Which brings us to the upcoming January 19th season opener against the Anaheim Ducks. We waited 113 days, missed over half the season, and LADIES AND GENTLEMEN....Ryan Getzlaf's hairline! All we can hope for is that the game - every game for that matter - goes into overtime and 10 rounds of a shootout. I mean, we have 44 games to make up for, so they damn well better be 6 hours long.
Hands up if you are doing a hockey pool this year...Now hands up if you are doing a hockey pool and can remember who is is on what team...didn't think so. Here is a quick refresher for what's happened for the Canucks.
1. Lock out officially announced.
2. Lock out officially ended
3. Roberto Luongo trade rumors begin.
Other than that though, the Canucks have gotten a little tougher on defense by signing Jim Vandermeer and gotten a little 3rd round-ier in signing Cam Barker. Barker is looking to rebound off of a slowly declining career after being traded to the Wild.
Forwards stay pretty well the same, minus Kesler for the first bit of the season. Honestly though, that's never really been a problem for the most part. The Sedin's will continue to score, Raymond will continue to fall on his ass, and Higgins will KEEP HIS DAMN JERSEY DOWN!
There isn't really much to say. We can complain about the lockout, we can say the fans are going to lockout the league, but we won't. We are all going to go watch the game on Saturday against Anaheim...and we're going to love it.
With Chris Tanev being called up to replace Sami Salo, he's being paired with Edler (for now). That either means that Coach AV has a ton of faith in this kid, or he is putting him with Edler so he can cover for Tanev IF he screws up. From what we saw last year - especially in the playoffs - I think it's got more to do with the first one.
In the past, Tanev was paired with Ballard, and that's usually when Ballard played his best hockey. Tanev is more of a calm, stay at home defencemen, which helps when you have Ballard run-and-gunning up the ice. Now that Tanev is with Edler though, what's that mean for Ballard? I think it's pretty apparent that Ballard and Alain Vigneault don't really get along, for whatever reason. Now, instead of pairing the one player with Ballard that really boosts each persons skill set, he kind of leaves Ballard in the dust.
I think Ballard will be traded before the dead line, depending on how Tanev looks. If Tanev plays decent, not even outstanding, but as long as he doesn't give the puck away and makes simple and smart plays, then I think Ballard will be gone sooner rather than later. That's a lot of cap space to have only play 14-15 minutes per game. I think Ballard is a great defencemen and will put up some impressive numbers, but not on Vancouver. Wrong coach, wrong style of play. A good fit for him might even be Chicago (as much as that hurts to say) but then we'd have to play him and I don't think that would be wise.
Tanev will play just fine, which is great for the future because he will essentially take Salo's spot when he retires. If Ballard does end up getting traded, who should we get in return? A replacement D-man, or a forward? Or do we just put him on waivers and just shed the salary? Now it's your turn to talk, let me know what you think.
My congratulations to Cory Schneider, getting his 3rd straight win and putting up numbers that would make Tim Thomas' stat line look pitiful in comparison. Schneider is making it pretty well impossible to get a puck past him, yet the Canucks need to bench him. Here's why.
Schneider's salary this season: $900,000(restricted free agent next season)
Luongo's salary this season: $6,716,000(he's here for a while)
This season's goalie situation is looking quite similar to Boston's a couple years ago, when Tuuka Rask took the number 1 spot away from Thomas, but then Timmy T earned back his rightful spot and put up record breaking numbers. Is that what the Canucks are hoping for this year? I don't think so. I don't think they're willing to have Luongo sit on the bench the majority of the season. As good as Schneider is playing, he is the back up and should be, as long as we have Luongo on the same roster. Roberto is the type of goalie that you can put into a situation cold, and expect him to perform. He needs to play, and play lots. Remember him in the middle of last season? Remember that run of 17-1-2 the Canucks went on exactly 365 days ago? That wasn't out of no where, that was a giant snowball effect. Luongo got some momentum behind him and basically bulldozed his way into super human territory. That's the Luongo we need right now.
Here's some situations:
1. We keep Luongo and Schneider, play them 50/50 and then hope for some trade offers on Schneider by the trade deadline (maybe a first round pick or a top-6 forward).
2. We keep them both again, but play Luongo about 60-70% like a regular number 1 goalie would play. Still hope for some attractive trade offers for Schneider.
3. Schneider stays as number 1 for this season and hope he can get us deep into the playoffs. Luongo will have to earn his spot back. Hopefully re-sign Schneider at the end of the season.
4. This is the most unrealistic scenario: We play the hell out of Schneider, snubbing Luongo of any credit and playing time. Try to force him to waive his no-trade clause so we can trade him, keeping Schneider as our new number 1.
I don't see any way that the Canucks are going to be able to keep both goaltenders starting next season. The longest I see us keeping Schneider is after the playoffs. Then Vancouver could go the Kyle Turris route, and re-sign him then trade him after showcasing his skill. There is no way that Schneider is going to want to be a back up for much longer. You don't think he isn't loving this opportunity he's getting right now? This minor Luongo injury is probably the best thing that's happened to his career. Now that he's had a taste for it, he's going to want to be a number 1 goalie. You don't go to an all you can eat rib buffet, just to have a single mouthwatering hickory rib and then sit there and watch everyone else eat...
I'd love to see us keep Schneider and get rid of Luongo, I believe - and always have - that you can win a Stanley Cup with a good goalie and heavy firepower. My dream scenario would be to trade Luongo, re-sign Scneider for anywhere between $3-5M (remember, Niemi signed a new contract after winning the Stanley Cup that had a cap hit of $3.8M). Then use the extra money that we saved from Luongo's contract to get a top-6 forward. There would have to be a lot of things to go right (or terribly wrong) for that to happen, but it'd be interesting.
What's your dream scenario? Let me know what you think the Canucks should do or are going to do in the comment section. (I read them all and really appreciate it)
Most teams in the NHL have their rivalries. In some cases, it's because of proximity, like the Battle of Alberta with Calgary and Edmonton. Other cases involve years of historic battles like Boston and Montreal, or any of the original six teams, really. So how come fans get so amped up when the Canucks play the Blackhawks?
It's becoming 'can't miss hockey', because you know there is deep-rooted bad blood between these two teams. But why?
It all started back in 2008-09. Vancouver rolled over the Blues in the first round, winning the first four games. While the Flames took Chicago to 6 games before the Blackhawks finally put them away. Then it began. The date: April, 30th, 2009. It was a day like every other day, but what people didn't realize, was this was the day one of the most hatred-fueled rivalries was spawned.
The Blackhawks eliminated the Canucks from the playoffs in 6 games. The following year, almost like de-ja-vu, Chicago beat Vancouver in 6 games in the second round. The only thing that helped with the sting of the loss was that Chicago ended up winning the Stanley Cup that year, so nobody was better than the Blackhawks.
Just last season, the Canucks come off of a franchise year. Setting records in almost every statistical category imaginable. The goalies were tops in the league, special teams were pretty well unstoppable/impenetrable. Finished the season with a franchise record 54 wins and 117 points. Things were going well, to say the least. Meanwhile, Chicago barely scraped into the playoffs. The only reason they even made it in was because Dallas couldn't win when it mattered most. If Dallas won their final game, they would have been in, stealing the final playoff spot from Chicago. Regardless though, it worked out for the better.
Again, the Canucks were meeting Chicago in the playoffs. Only this time, Vancouver was expected to just flatten the Blackhawks. Boy, were we wrong. Canucks win the first three, Blackhawks win the next three (in very convincing fashion), then it all lead up to Burrows becoming the home-town hero with his phenominal overtime, game 7 goal. That series almost numbed everybody for the rest of the playoffs, because nothing, NOTHING, is more exciting than that playoff series. Everything that led up to it, the roller coaster of emotions, the controversial hits, the scrums after the whistle...literally, everything. That was the last time I remember hugging another man that wasn't my father. Just watch, if this doesn't give you chills, then you're dead inside.
Which leads us to now, Vancouver and Chicago. Kesler vs Toews. Kane vs cab drivers. After three meetings in the amplified playoff atmosphere, these teams have gotten to know one another quite well. Which brings me back to the original point, why is it the best rivalry in the league?
Not only do these two teams legitimately hate each other, but both of them are consistently great teams. They are both near the top of the conference, if not the league. They are both cup contenders, and will be for the next few years. With both teams locking up a lot of their players long term, it compounds the animosity when the same players are facing each other all the time.
Vancouver fans have the pleasure of making the signs with the exhausted looking Vince Vaughn, while Chicago fans can try to drown out a 747 jet in the "Madhouse". Either way, it's a great rivalry, but more importantly, it's even better hockey.
My prediction for tonight: Vancouver kicked Chicago's ass last game, but I can't see that happening two times in a row. I still think the Canucks will win, but Chicago will put up a fight. Schneider is in net for the Nucks, but there is no reason to believe that he is going to get shelled. Final score: Vancouver 4, Chicago 3.
Aaron Rome is continuing his surprising point streak, and in convincing fashion. He isn't just piling on assists, he's getting goals too. Before this season, Rome had 2 goals and 10 assists in 131 career NHL games. This season, in just 4 games since returning from injury, he has 3 goals and 2 assists. Rome has a better points per game average than Daniel Sedin right now, and finishes tied for 5th in the league in that category. Now, we can't expect him to keep up this pace, because remember, he IS a defenceman. Although, there isn't really any reason he can't keep up his goal scoring ways. All his goals so far have been very on purpose. They aren't just shots from the point that find their way in, they are goals you score from being aggressive and being in the right place at the right time. I guess this could be the reason why Vigneault played him over Ballard last year, but who knows.
As for the tilt against the Islanders, that was almost a perfect game. There weren't any brain lapses, just the odd break out or two by New York. Usually led by the first line, which is to be expected with the kind of talent and speed they have up front. Luongo was borderline unbeatable, which is hard to do in a game like this because of the extended stretches of not seeing any action. His best save would have to be the glove save off Grabner, after a quick little give and go, Lou robs him with the glove.
Aside from Rome taking over the water cooler talk, the Canucks played a solid, two-way game. They were responsible in their own end, didn't take any penalties, at all. There wasn't any terrible giveaways, although in the first period, there was a lot of back-and-forth in the neutral zone. Nobody seemed to be able to get anything done.
Hodgson had an excellent game, you noticed him for all the right reasons and not just because he scored. It was a promising game and a win that they deserved. Vancouver should have won that game, and they did. That's how it's going to have to be if they want to finish atop the standings again. They need to win all the games they should, and then most of the games they shouldn't. But if Rome wants to play like this all year, there shouldn't be any reason why the Canucks can't finish first again.
