Who's In: Ryan Shannon, W (ANA) Jim Sharrow (ATL), Brad Isbister, W (FA-NYR), Byron Ritchie, C (FA-CGY), Curtis Sanford, G, (FA-STL), Aaron Miller, D (UFA-LA)
Who's Out: Jason King, LW (ANA), Jesse Schultz, C, Jan Bulis, W, (RUSSIA), Rory Fitzpatrick, D (UFA-PHI), Lee Goren, W, Josh Green, LW, Tommi Santala, C, Bryan Smolinski, C (MTL) and Brent Sopel, D (DET).
What's Changed: After a breakthrough season, in which the Canucks transformed into a defensive-oriented team and made the playoffs, GM Dave Nonis retained almost the exact same roster over the summer, save for a few tweaks here and there. With many of the core players already under contract for another season, Nonis decided against blowing up the roster or making any drastic changes, opting to hope the Canucks would get better seasons from players such as Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison, who both fared poorly under coach Alain Vigneault's tight-checking system.
What was puzzling to most fans and analysts was the fact that Nonis did almost nothing to improve the Canucks' biggest weakness: a lack of goal scoring.
Apart from trading for the diminutive Ryan Shannon (from the Cup-winning Ducks), and signing minor league retreads such as "Buffet Brad" Isbister, Nonis seemed extremely reluctant to patch an enormous hole in the lineup. Only eight clubs had fewer goals last season, and the Canucks have scored only 12 goals in five preseason games.
Opting for a differing strategy, Nonis decided to play to the Canucks' strength and bolster up the defense corps and goaltending. If the Canucks are excellent at keeping the puck out and winning games because of that, Nonis must be thinking, why not ensure the Canucks do an even better job defensively this season? The signing of veterans Aaron Miller and Curtis Sanford, along with the try-out of Dan McGillis, will help give the Canucks the deepest and stingiest defense/goalie combos in the NHL.
Who's On The Hook: Naslund would likely have been dealt by now if not for his no-trade clause. With one year left on his current deal, Naslund needs to prove that he is still an elite player if he wants to come back to the Canucks and/or continue to make the big coin.
After seeing good buddy Todd Bertuzzi dealt to the Panthers, Naslund sulked his way into a disappointing 60 points in 82 games. Whether it was his mood, or some hidden injury, he wasn't firing the puck nearly as much as in the past. His 222 shots on goal was his lowest season total in about a decade. At 34 years of age, this is certainly a make-or-break year for Naslund's career.
Hometown boy Brendan Morrison, too, suffered through a poor season. 51 points, and a team worst -9 at $3.2 million per season isn't going to cut the mustard. If he wants to continue to play in his home town, then he'll need to start producing like a #1 or #2 center should.
Where They Will Finish: The Canucks, even with their offensive struggles, are well poised to battle the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild for the division crown. Given the Canucks superior goaltending and defense, the likely development of Ryan Kesler, and bounce-back of at least one of the Morrison-Naslund combo, the Canucks should be able to repeat as division champs, providing nothing disastrous happens.
You should, however, expect a slow start for the team. Not only have the Canucks sucked a lemon during the preseason (although that doesn't always mean much), the team is already experiencing a lot of injuries.
Kevin Bieksa - abdomen
Aaron Miller - abdomen
Ryan Kesler - groin
Willie Mitchell - groin
Trevor Linden - groin
Byron Ritchie - groin
Jannik Hansen - thumb
Sami Salo - wrist
Blogs to Watch: Canucks and Beyond, Canucks Corner and Canucks Hockey.
Gratuitous YouTube Embed: Last year's first round battle with the Dallas Stars was a goalie fight for the ages, with Luongo and Dallas goalie Marty Turco taking things to the limit:
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-26-2007 @ 2:06PM
alix said...
Dude, I mostly agree with your asessment, but Canucks had 4 goals against Calgary and 5 against Edmonton. So a little more than 5 goals in 5 pre season games. Good blog though!
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 2:10PM
Jes Golbez said...
You know, I found it a bit fishy that it was 5 goals in 5 games. I'll blame a (name withheld) website which had posted the wrong number.
*facepalm*
Even still, 12 goals in 5 games is one of the worst totals in the preseason. The past two games have been a nightmare.
Reply
9-26-2007 @ 2:39PM
Knotwurth Mentioning said...
As a Canucks' fan, I was slightly disappointed to see the Canucks steering away from offensive stars. That is, until I had the insight that Nonis is smarter than myself.
I think he must be bracing the team for a shocker of a move like the one that brought in Luongo. It's the only explanation of his recent behaviour, such as bringing in 7 solid defensemen plus Edler and Bourdon. His plan trade bait. Clearly.
If Nonis is genuinely just trying to add to their strengths, he's a fool. They are lacking size and scoring, and without them the team could be as watertight as a submarine and they still would sink, simply because they cannot get the one goal that they need to win. Even the Sedins, their top players, are only 80-90 point players, by me... Crosbies they are not. Thus, I figure he's getting ready to move the likes of Ohlund or Salo to see what the team can net in return.
And, as a fan, I can't wait. Last year he transformed the Canucks into a contender. This year, he could be bringing us to the conference finals if he continues to act daringly!
Reply
9-30-2007 @ 7:49PM
Darren said...
Nonis has a bounty of riches on defence, with two good rookies in Edler and Bourdon on the outside looking in. Bourdon may need another year in the minors (though, on a team with a thinner defence, he'd be playing this year).
I suspect and hope that Nonis is biding his time. He knows the team can compete most nights, even with the shoddy goal scoring. So he'll hold off until he can assess the severity of the scoring drought, and move an asset from the D when he sees fit.
Reply