Monthly Archives: April 2012

April 28, 2012

If You Were Mike Gillis What Would You Do?

By nalstradamus

We’ve all played arm chair GM at one point or another. It’s fun to debate with friends and co-workers on trades and free agents. The majority of the time the ‘fantasy’ trades and pick ups never come close to fruition. In Vancouver the ‘expert’ opinions have been flying in since the Canucks were bounced from post-season play. The trade banter has ramped up even more in recent days with the rumours that Roberto Luongo has told Mike Gillis he would like to be traded. There’s also a rumoured list of wanted destinations Luongo has given to Gillis. Whether or not these rumours are true we all know Gillis can’t keep both of his goalies and it is Luongo that is likely the odd man out.

By Lu...Vancouver didn't deserve you.

Let’s start with the goalie situation. If this decision was controlled by the fans of Vancouver there would be no doubt which goalie would be let go. In a perfect world I would prefer to see Cory Schneider moved, not because I think he’s an inferior talent, but because the return on Schneider would be monstrous. However, given what went down in the final 3 games of the playoffs the writing appears to be on the wall and Luongo will likely be the man to go. At first I felt the Canucks were not going to get much more than a bag of pucks for the franchises’ all time best goaltender. However, with more and more teams rumoured to be in the mix I feel Luongo will bring something substantial back to the Canucks after all. When there are more teams in the mix that means more competition and higher prices. Tampa Bay has been rumoured to be one of these teams interested in Luongo. The Lightning do have some useful parts that the Canucks could use. If you were Gillis and were offered Ryan Malone and a non first round draft pick would you take it? Or how about a constant underachieving Lecavalier? Or an ageing Martin St. Louis? The latter two possibilities I don’t really see happening, but you never know. Gillis will be patient and likely will not bite unless he gets a top 6 forward or a top 4 d-man.

Would you trade Luongo for Ryan Malone? Could happen

How about the rest of the Vancouver core: Sedins, Kesler, Burrows, Booth, Edler, Hamhuis, Bieksa, Hansen, Kassian? Who is untouchable in your opinion? Can anyone honestly be untouchable? I mean, if Wayne Gretzky can be traded anyone can be traded. Just look at Philadelphia, would you ever have fathomed they would of traded away their captain Mike Richards and an all-star centre Jeff Carter? Which Canucks would I say are untouchable? I would go with the Sedins, Edler, Hamhuis, Hansen and Kassian. I don’t need to defend why I’d keep the Sedins…I think it’s obvious. Hamhuis is the most dependable Canucks defender in my opinion (yeah yeah forget the last play of the playoffs). He can skate, is an excellent passer and exceptional positionally. Edler struggled this season, but he has all the skills to be a #1 defender. He has size, skating ability, a booming shot and excellent passing ability. Hansen is a terror in the bottom 6 group of forwards. He has a non-stop motor, tremendous speed, tenacious checker and strong on the PK. Kassian is only 21 years old and has loads of potential: a huge man that can skate and with good hands. I left off some crowd favourites, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect these players. They are all great players, but in my opinion a core piece or two should be moved to shake up the line up and change the personality of this team.

Would you trade any of these 3? (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

What do I mean by changing the personality/mentality of the team? In my opinion the Canucks have too many yappers and not enough punchers. By punchers I’m not saying the Canucks need to pick up 5 Gino Odjick’s. I’m saying the Canucks need some serious grit…guys who will stick up for others and if pushed will shove back not dive 8 feet backwards clutching their face like they’ve been shot. The yappers do have a place on rosters, but you don’t need 4 or 5 Lapierre’s do be effective. How many times this season did you see one of the Canucks’ stars get owned and all the response we saw was some creepy stare downs, finger pointing, empty taunts and slashes to the back of the legs? If I was an opposing team those above antics would not deter me from taking liberties on the stars of the team…it actually would likely encourage me to do more damage. The constant yapping, diving and complaining has to also have some effects on the referees as well. It always seems that the Canucks have the short end of the stick when it comes to power plays. If you were a ref could you honestly say that the constant yapping and complaining wouldn’t get to you? It must to some degree.

As we near the NHL draft and the July 1 free agent window we will see the fireworks ignite. Until then keep up the arguments…err…I mean friendly debates. I mean what else are we Canucks fans going to do this Summer?

 

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April 23, 2012

Canucks Post Mortem

By nalstradamus

It feels like a bad dream for Canucks fans today. A day after their beloved team was kicked to the curb in 5 short games by the 8th seeded LA Kings. There was so much hope and energy in the city before the playoffs began. It was going to be a story of redemption… of vindication. The Canucks were supposed to be hungrier than ever to get back to the finals and claim the cup they were 60 minutes away from hoisting last year. Bars and restaurants were stocking up their liquor supplies getting ready for a long playoff run. Well all those hopes and dreams were quickly dashed. The Kings deserved to win the series. They were the better team in all facets of the game. The series was really over after game 2 when the Canucks dropped the opening 2 games on home ice. Winning 4 out of the last 5 games was going to be a struggle for any team let alone a team that struggled to score.

The warning signs of possible future failure were all around in the last 20 or so games of the season. The signs were just masked by a 2nd straight President’s Trophy. I admit I overlooked the struggles down the stretch because the team was still winning games 1-0, 2-1, etc. The thought was, the offence will come around in the playoffs. Well it never came. Many of the secondary scorers on the team including the likes of Kesler, Booth, Higgins and Raymond all struggled to score down the stretch and this continued into the playoffs. The injury to Daniel Sedin hurt the team badly, but good…great teams can overcome big injuries and still succeed. The much talked about goalie hullaballoo was not a factor for the Canucks in this series. Luongo and Schneider both stood on their head.

Naturally the question is what next? 2 straight President Trophy winning teams has equaled no Stanley Cup. Obviously something isn’t working. The one thing we all know is one of Luongo or Schneider will be traded. Luongo is the leading candidate to be traded as it appears the team, coaches and fans are fully behind Schneider. The benching of Luongo in games 3, 4 and 5 all but seal the exodus of the franchise leader in almost every goalie category. It won’t be easy to trade Luongo, he holds all the power with his no trade clause. His contract is also difficult to move and other teams know this and will provide a much smaller return than what the all-star goalie is worth. Trading Schneider would net a much larger return, but I don’t see Luongo coming back after what he went through in the playoffs and what he went through from the fans and media this year. Another team is going to get a steal of a deal in acquiring Luongo and I expect to see him flourish wherever he goes. I’ve been a big Luongo supporter throughout his stay here and I appreciate all that he gave for this city. It’s not often you get a yearly Vezina calibre, gold medal winning, all-star goalie suiting up for your team night in and night out. The city was spoiled and instead of cheering for the guy they shat on his face.

How about the coaches? The radio waves were jammed today with callers demanding for the firing of the coaching staff. For me personally, I feel AV and his staff should be given another chance to get this team back into contention next year. All AV has done during his time here in Vancouver is win. However, I won’t argue with those who feel the opposite way because there are valid points on why the staff should be fired. If AV does get fired, can you imagine what the next coach would think…2 straight President’s Trophies, a Stanley Cup final appearance, countless division titles…damn I better be amazing. Whatever the choice is, it should be made and announced immediately. If there is to be a new coach, the new coach should be given as much time as possible to prepare for the upcoming season. There is a Mike Gillis press conference scheduled for 10 am tomorrow so I’m sure the answer will be known soon.

How about the back end? Alex Edler’s struggles were spotlighted nightly by broadcasters. Earlier in the season there was talk about him being in the Norris Trophy discussion, but down the stretch his game started to falter and he was not able to fully recover his game in the playoffs. I still feel he will be a solid defender, but he’s not ready to be the #1 guy yet. Other than Edler the only sure things are Bieksa and Hamhuis. The bottom 3 defenders may look a lot different next year. Sami Salo continued his solid play this season, but he has likely played his last game with the Canucks due to his age. That leaves the likes of Ballard, Tanev, Alberts, Rome and Gragnani…yeah…obviously some defensive help will be needed, especially a defender who can be the PP QB.

Up front I already mentioned the lack of secondary scoring. The Canucks went from a high octane offensive juggernaut into an offensively challenged team that lacked any scoring creativity. Ryan Kesler was the most disappointing of all the Canucks forwards. His magical season of a year ago was nowhere to be found this year. Granted he was coming off major surgery and the longer offseason can only help him get stronger and faster. However, expecting him to reach 41 goals again is a stretch. 25-30 goals is more realistic and in the current NHL 25-30 goals is still an upper echelon type season. Kesler needs some help on the 2nd line. Specifically someone who can pass the puck. He and David Booth are not passers, but rather guys who like to have the puck and drive to the net. The chemistry of putting the two Michigan boys together never materialized. The bottom 6 forwards has some nice parts in Hansen, Malholtra and Higgins. Zack Kassian will be given ample opportunity to solidify his spot on one of the checking lines. He’s still young at 21 years of age and it’s much too early to call him a flop.  Max Lapierre played well for the Canucks this year, but the Canucks have enough yappers and not enough punchers…he may be the odd man out along with Sammy Pahlsson. As for young upcoming prospects, Jensen and Schroeder will likely push for roster spots next year and I feel of the two Jensen has the better shot.

In the end, I feel there will be a much different looking roster heading into next season. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a shocking deal involving some of the core a la what Philly did with the jettison of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. It all starts tomorrow with Mike Gillis’ press conference. This summer should be full of action not only for the Canucks, but for other veteran laden superpowers that were ousted early: Detroit, San Jose, Pittsburgh and Chicago. October 2012 can’t come soon enough.

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April 14, 2012

Never Surrender

By nalstradamus

How many of you Canucks fans have taken down your car flags, sold your jerseys on EBay or maybe bought a Mike Richards jersey? I bet quite a few. Just walking around downtown this afternoon I heard constant whines and moans and “expert” opinions. One hockey genius outside the Blue Water Cafe opined…”If Schneider was in net for the 1st two games we probably would have won.” Are you F#$%king serious? So Schneider would have scored on the power play, created traffic in front of Quick and made a friggin’ breakout pass out of the defensive zone? Seriously, if you are in the same line of thinking as this douche bag…suck it…hard. For the real Canucks fans out there this blog post is for you. I hope you feel pumped and inspired after reading this as I am writing this. Let’s do this.

Don't give up yet

Like most of Canucks nation I was pissed, disappointed, frustrated, you name the negative emotion and I felt it. In a pit of rage I posted on Facebook threads standing up for Lu and trying to inspire those who have jumped the wagon to stay on a little longer. I realize it was just too soon to try and convince people, the wound was too fresh. After a good sleep and some sunshine I am refreshed and ready to inspire. I said before the series this was going to be a tough series for the Canucks and I felt it was a series that was destined to go the distance. My feelings have not changed one bit. I still believe the Canucks will take this series the distance and win. I will keep believing this outcome until I see the handshakes take place. So you may be saying to yourself is this just blind faith? Just a delusional fan spewing verbal diarrhea? Hell no, just listen to me.

What’s Not Broke

1) The Goaltending: The Canucks have the best goalie tandem in the NHL. Luongo has stood on his head the 1st two games, making big save after big save to keep his team in it. Those two first games could have easily been blow outs if it wasn’t for Lu. If Vigneault decides to play the Schneider card early… as in the next game, I’ll be disappointed as a Lu supporter, but I won’t be scared. Schneider is #1a and will provide solid goaltending just like Lu did. Whoever is in net will keep us in the game at all times.

2) The Physicality: I like what I saw from Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows, Max LaPierre and David Booth. Those 4 were throwing huge hits all over the ice. The Canucks outhit the Kings last game by a large margin (45-32). If the boys keep up this physical play it will wear down an underwhelming LA d-corps and lead to more turnovers.

3) Henrik Sedin, Jannik Hansen, the entire 3rd line: Yes, Henrik is without his brother, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been trying or looking dangerous on the ice. He has shown leadership on the ice as well as the cameras have captured him on numerous occasions speaking to his teammates and urging them to play better. Jannik Hansen has been the Canucks best player thus far. He has been hitting, skating and creating chances every time he’s on the ice. The rest of his 3rd line teammates have also been doing there jobs, keeping the game simple and taking care of their defensive responsibilities.

What Needs Some Work

1) The power play: the failures of the Canucks power play have been the difference in this series so far. One of the biggest problems has been the entry into the Kings zone. The Kings have taken away the Canucks’ favourite neutral zone drop pass play and without it the Canucks look indecisive. The dump and chase method does not look like a good option as Quick has been very good at stopping and handling the dump in chances. The other big problem with the power play is the lack of net presence. The Canucks thus far have made Quick’s life easy with the majority of the shots coming from a distance with no traffic in front. When the Canucks power play was near the top of the league it was because they had a net presence and had the big shots in Salo and Edler bombing from the point through the traffic in front.

2) The breakout pass: the Canucks D is one of the better passing defence corps in the league. In the first 2 games there have been uncharacteristic give aways and poor passes through the neutral zone. The poor passing has caused the forwards to not enter the Kings zone with speed to stretch out the old legs of the likes of Willie Mitchell and Rob Scuderi.

3) Mason Raymond: I’ve said it several times…he needs to sit…PERIOD. The constant falling down is not helping at all.

Basically what I’m trying to say is that the Canucks are not that far off from putting it all together. The fixes are not huge. A better first pass out of the defensive zone, traffic in front of the net. Really when you sit and think about it with just those 2 fixes alone we should see the Canucks start to tilt the ice in their favour again. I tend to agree with Puck Daddy – Greg Wyshynski where he prefers the Canucks chances of a series comeback over the Penguins 0-2 situation (click here for article).

Being down 2-0 and going on the road is awful. However, it’s not the end of the world by any means. One only needs to go back one season and look at the Stanley Cup winning Bruins. They came back from an 0-2 deficit twice last playoffs including against the Canucks in the finals.

I hope that helped put things into perspective for you all. The Canucks are the better team and starting tomorrow they will show it.

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April 9, 2012

NHL Playoffs Round 1 Predictions

By nalstradamus

Before I get into my playoff picks I want to take a look back at my regular season predictions. Looks like I picked 13 out of the 16 playoff teams correctly…not sure if that’s anything to brag about, but I’ll take it. I whiffed completely on Florida, picking them to be eastern conference bottom dwellers. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who didn’t see a division title in the Panthers future.

Alright, now lets get to the fun stuff and start making some predictions.

Western Conference

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings

Prediction: Canucks in 7

Babble: In typical Canucks fashion they will give their fans plenty of heartache, anger, Lu bashing and bandwagon-abandoning opportunities in round 1. How healthy is Daniel Sedin? Can the Canucks power play start scoring again? Will Lu outplay Quick? This is a scary match up for the Canucks in my opinion. Quick is an elite goalie that could steal a series on his own. The Kings seem to always be involved in one goal games and that means bust out the pepto Canucks fans because those wings and brewskies will not settle well all series. I’m not even going to pretend that it’s not going to happen…you know Schneider will get a game or two in this series…but it will be Lu in net for game 7…RIDE OR DIE KIDS.

(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (7) San Jose Sharks

Prediction: Sharks in 7

Babble: I do not like how the Blues finished the season (4-3-3) while the Sharks got hot at the right time to close out the year (7-3). The Blues have the advantage between the pipes, that’s without a doubt. However, the Sharks have playoff veterans who will test the Blues youngsters all series. The Blues are young…they’ll be back.

(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks

Prediction: Blackhawks in 6

Babble: How does Phoenix do it every year? On offence they are lead by an almost 40 year old Ray Whitney and in net they have a 2-team castaway in Mike Smith. Whatever magic potion the coaching staff has got brewing in Phoenix it seems to be working. However, they are up against a dangerous, playoff hardened, all-world skilled Chicago team. The Blackhawks have deficiencies between the pipes, but they have extreme fire power up front and likely the best defensive pairing in Keith and Seabrook.

(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

Prediction: Red Wings in 7

Babble: The closest match-up of the 1st round in my opinion. I basically flipped a coin (in my head that is). The predators have the deepest roster they’ve ever had going into this year’s playoffs. If there was ever a year for them to go deep it would be this year…if they only played someone other than Detroit in the first round. The Red Wings are dangerous in all facets of the game and it seems like they put things into cruise control the last 1 to 2 months of the season. The Wings are deadly at home and if they can steal game 1 or 2 in Nashville it’s hova.

Eastern Conference

(1) New York Rangers vs. (8) Ottawa Senators

Prediction: Rangers in 5

Babble: What an amazing season by the Sens. Many picked them to be doormats this year, but they proved all the naysayers wrong. Erik Karlsson had a dream season and will be a lead candidate for the Norris. The Rangers are too deep, too physical for the Sens and they have some bum named Lundqvist between the pipes.

(2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals

Prediction: Capitals in 7

Babble: My pure hatred for the Bruins aside…the Capitals closed out the season playing extremely well. Ovie looks like he is engaged and ready to play again. I’m thinking one of the combatants in last year’s Stanley Cup final gets bounced in the first round and obviously I’m not picking the Canucks. I’m secretly going to buy an Ovie jersey and put candles around it and worship it nightly…

(3) Florida Panthers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils

Prediction: Devils in 6

Babble: Yes, I’m still not a believer in the Panthers. Show me something cats! I think Marty still has a deep playoff run in his ageing body. The Devils firepower up front will be too much for the young Panthers in my opinion.

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) Philadelphia Flyers

Prediction: 700 PIMS and the Penguins in 7

Babble: Yeah, these two teams want to kill each other. I fear for Sidney Crosby’s brain in this series. This will be a fun series to watch, there will be plenty of rough stuff and plenty of goals. A healthy and Crosby and Malkin is just too much…for any team…well for any team in the East that is :)

 

 

Corny as F*$K but the song below is for the Canucks Bandwagon…it’s time to bust out those extremely hawt…I mean inappropriate deep Canucks V-necks.

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Hockey

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