The Changes Needed - Merged

[C.Schneider]

To me, it's becoming blatantly evident the Canucks need a change in the off-season.

Some will come naturally, some will need magical tweaks by Gillis.

First off, this is not a rant because of the 2 game losing streak; rather, it is something that I have been scrutinizing for awhile, and despite the up and downs of the success these candidates showed throughout our magical regular season and the journey for the coveted Cup, you simply don't build a winning franchise with these pieces.

1. Alain Vigneault - AV, AV, AV... Jack Adams winner, and once again, nominee. Does he deserve this? Simply put, if stats meant everything, then sure, why not.

But whoever can look beyond the stats on paper can tell you in a heartbeat this guy is nowhere close to his fellow nominees. He has simply been out coached throughout his career, and especially in the playoffs, only to have the team bail him out for this year's cup run (knock on wood).

He can't coach, he can't motivate his players, he makes horrible decisions, and he certainly can't hide his favoritism. Be informed that blowout games, especially in the playoff, is largely responsible by the coach, and A.V. has contributed a good share of his bonehead decisions to completely destroy our willingness to fight and compete.

2. Roberto Luongo - ... Oh Luongo, where art thou? Where is the prowess, the speed, the agility we saw during your Panthers tenure? Ah nevermind that, where is the ability to stop the puck? Sarcasm aside, Luongo is a good goalie, but he definitely isn't the cornerstone of this franchise, no longer. Although he seemed brilliant in some games, you don't bring a goalie of his price to be brilliant for 'some' games.

Roberto Luongo had the least impact in contributing to the success of the Canucks this year. It is almost safe to assume he was the beneficiary of a strong defensive corp with the best offense in the league. That being said, Luongo had all the opportunity to prove himself in the playoff, but he has been out dueled by every single of his competitor - Crawford, Rinne, Niemi, and now Thomas. Which goalie hasn't been better than Luongo in the playoff? Is it really far-fetched to say Cory Schneider, given the opportunity, would perform no less than Crawford or Niemi?

Cory Schneider is ready, and he will come at half Luongo's price. Luongo needs to go, and Gillis needs to perform some magic to be able to ship Luongo off, even if we win the Stanley Cup this year. Luongo is more dependent to the team than the team is to him, and it makes sense to invest his excess salary cap to strengthen our top 9 forwards, or retain Juice.

3. Mason Raymond - It isn't crucial to deport him the first chance we get, but trade him when he has some left over value, if the trade is there.

I'll admit he brings more than speed to the game; he is defensively aware, he creates room for his linesmate, he brings puck bunnies to the rink, and he makes a fine candidate for Italia's national soccer team. A bigger, prettier, younger, two-way version of our beloved Brandon Reid, although I don't think Brandon, at half Mason's size, flopped as much as he did. But simply put, he just does not belong on our 2nd line.

Gillis did a remarkable job bringing Higgins (hopefully re-signs) to our team, and I truly believe Kesler and Higgins will only get better as their chemistry builds up. That 2nd line is in dire need of a 3rd member, and unfortunately, Raymond is not. So the question really is, do we utilize Mason on the third line? According to a nameless yahoo columnist, the Canucks depend on Raymond to deliver punishing checks... well, I think I'll just leave Torres, Bite my fingers, and Hansen to do just that. If Torres isn't re-signing here, I'd rather we get another two-way grinder that we can actually depend to deliver the physical game, in the mold of a la Bergenheim or Asham.

Our 4th line? Raymond has too much skills and potential to be rotting away beside Glass or Bolduc. Simply put, Raymond has no room in this roster.

4. Christian Erhoff - The Hoff. The way he is playing right now, I almost wish it was actually David on the ice so I can at least enjoy some form of entertainment.

Sure, Hoff doesn't seem to be himself after the injury, and to be fair, NO ONE on the blue line seems to know what to do anymore without Dan (oh Hamhuis... ). But his costly mistakes in our zone, his complete lack of confidence on the PP, the total crumbling through pressure he has on full display... he simply isn't an A caliber defensemen for a playoff atmopshere, and especially not for the money he will be commanding next season.

I'll be fair and say Hoff was truly our best offensive defensemen for the past regular seasons, and I'm glad he will be getting his deserved paycheck starting next season with a team like the Leafs, who absolutely does not know the meaning of playoff, or could not care less, but he has no place in the Canucks nation where no less is acceptable than a Stanley Cup. We need a fighter and a competitor, a guy more suited for a two way game. If not, someone who is a solid stay at home. I mean look.... we have one of the deepest defensive depth in the league, but we're so full of offensive defensemen that our Hamhuis replacement is Aaron Rome.

Erhoff does not fit here no longer.

5. Sami Salo - Mr. Glass, and no, not Tanner. His body is so easily breakable, you can bet your ass no one is going to ever buy a furniture made out of Finland.

Jokes aside, you have to admire the guy for playing through so many injuries; he has balls (well I sure hope he still does). Although you can't help but think... when is this guy going to take the message his body is preaching to him, and just retire.

Salo has been one of our best defensemen for years; he is solid in our zone, he has a rocket of a shot, and he seldom puts his big body to use. But we simply can't have a defensemen who shows up for a dozen games per season, while making 3 million and above. Furthermore, it is painful to watch how much Salo has slowed down in the Boston series due to the physical game both teams are playing.

Hopefully, Gillis will just let Salo walk, if Salo decides to return next season for another dozen games.

6. Mikael Samuelsson - Last but not the least, Mr. the only Stanley Cup ring owner in a Canucks uniform.

Mikael Samuelsson... actually I won't waste my time with this guy. Just ship him out, he isn't even playing anyways. Worthless.

[Guest AriGold]

To me Raymond is a 3rd liner who gets put on the 2nd line. His speed confuses people into thinking hes a much better player. If we can combine Kyle Wellwood and Mason Raymonds traits you would have one hell of a hockey player. Speed, Moves, Shot... Just saying haha..

[freebass]

That was so bad I wouldn't even know where to start....

To say Lou has had the least impact on our success this year is just cutting way to short and how was he out played by the previous goalies in these playoffs? we are in the cup finals aren't we? he shut the door in game 7 against the hawks didn't he? It's not like Thomas as been playing this stellar all playoff either.

the Hoff, he's our top point producing and goal scoring D-man with a +19...nuff said.

YA Salo's does get hurt But when he's here he's pretty solid and I don't think he's slowed down so much against Boston as much as he's trying to slow things down a bit when they are getting out of hand.

Mikael Samuelsson.. well I kinda do agree on this one except Rome has a ring to.

[C.Schneider]

That was so bad I wouldn't even know where to start....

Translation - You have some of my favorite players on there, but I can't back them up. You just wait until one of them scores a goal, and I'll use that one instance to validate my opinion.

[VanIsleNuckFan]

To me, it's becoming blatantly evident the Canucks need a change in the off-season.

Some will come naturally, some will need magical tweaks by Gillis.

First off, this is not a rant because of the 2 game losing streak; rather, it is something that I have been scrutinizing for awhile, and despite the up and downs of the success these candidates showed throughout our magical regular season and the journey for the coveted Cup, you simply don't build a winning franchise with these pieces.

1. Alain Vigneault - AV, AV, AV... Jack Adams winner, and once again, nominee. Does he deserve this? Simply put, if stats meant everything, then sure, why not.

But whoever can look beyond the stats on paper can tell you in a heartbeat this guy is nowhere close to his fellow nominees. He has simply been out coached throughout his career, and especially in the playoffs, only to have the team bail him out for this year's cup run (knock on wood).

He can't coach, he can't motivate his players, he makes horrible decisions, and he certainly can't hide his favoritism. Be informed that blowout games, especially in the playoff, is largely responsible by the coach, and A.V. has contributed a good share of his bonehead decisions to completely destroy our willingness to fight and compete.

2. Roberto Luongo - ... Oh Luongo, where art thou? Where is the prowess, the speed, the agility we saw during your Panthers tenure? Ah nevermind that, where is the ability to stop the puck? Sarcasm aside, Luongo is a good goalie, but he definitely isn't the cornerstone of this franchise, no longer. Although he seemed brilliant in some games, you don't bring a goalie of his price to be brilliant for 'some' games.

Roberto Luongo had the least impact in contributing to the success of the Canucks this year. It is almost safe to assume he was the beneficiary of a strong defensive corp with the best offense in the league. That being said, Luongo had all the opportunity to prove himself in the playoff, but he has been out dueled by every single of his competitor - Crawford, Rinne, Niemi, and now Thomas. Which goalie hasn't been better than Luongo in the playoff? Is it really far-fetched to say Cory Schneider, given the opportunity, would perform no less than Crawford or Niemi?

Cory Schneider is ready, and he will come at half Luongo's price. Luongo needs to go, and Gillis needs to perform some magic to be able to ship Luongo off, even if we win the Stanley Cup this year. Luongo is more dependent to the team than the team is to him, and it makes sense to invest his excess salary cap to strengthen our top 9 forwards, or retain Juice.

3. Mason Raymond - It isn't crucial to deport him the first chance we get, but trade him when he has some left over value, if the trade is there.

I'll admit he brings more than speed to the game; he is defensively aware, he creates room for his linesmate, he brings puck bunnies to the rink, and he makes a fine candidate for Italia's national soccer team. A bigger, prettier, younger, two-way version of our beloved Brandon Reid, although I don't think Brandon, at half Mason's size, flopped as much as he did. But simply put, he just does not belong on our 2nd line.

Gillis did a remarkable job bringing Higgins (hopefully re-signs) to our team, and I truly believe Kesler and Higgins will only get better as their chemistry builds up. That 2nd line is in dire need of a 3rd member, and unfortunately, Raymond is not. So the question really is, do we utilize Mason on the third line? According to a nameless yahoo columnist, the Canucks depend on Raymond to deliver punishing checks... well, I think I'll just leave Torres, Bite my fingers, and Hansen to do just that. If Torres isn't re-signing here, I'd rather we get another two-way grinder that we can actually depend to deliver the physical game, in the mold of a la Bergenheim or Asham.

Our 4th line? Raymond has too much skills and potential to be rotting away beside Glass or Bolduc. Simply put, Raymond has no room in this roster.

4. Christian Erhoff - The Hoff. The way he is playing right now, I almost wish it was actually David on the ice so I can at least enjoy some form of entertainment.

Sure, Hoff doesn't seem to be himself after the injury, and to be fair, NO ONE on the blue line seems to know what to do anymore without Dan (oh Hamhuis... ). But his costly mistakes in our zone, his complete lack of confidence on the PP, the total crumbling through pressure he has on full display... he simply isn't an A caliber defensemen for a playoff atmopshere, and especially not for the money he will be commanding next season.

I'll be fair and say Hoff was truly our best offensive defensemen for the past regular seasons, and I'm glad he will be getting his deserved paycheck starting next season with a team like the Leafs, who absolutely does not know the meaning of playoff, or could not care less, but he has no place in the Canucks nation where no less is acceptable than a Stanley Cup. We need a fighter and a competitor, a guy more suited for a two way game. If not, someone who is a solid stay at home. I mean look.... we have one of the deepest defensive depth in the league, but we're so full of offensive defensemen that our Hamhuis replacement is Aaron Rome.

Erhoff does not fit here no longer.

5. Sami Salo - Mr. Glass, and no, not Tanner. His body is so easily breakable, you can bet your ass no one is going to ever buy a furniture made out of Finland.

Jokes aside, you have to admire the guy for playing through so many injuries; he has balls (well I sure hope he still does). Although you can't help but think... when is this guy going to take the message his body is preaching to him, and just retire.

Salo has been one of our best defensemen for years; he is solid in our zone, he has a rocket of a shot, and he seldom puts his big body to use. But we simply can't have a defensemen who shows up for a dozen games per season, while making 3 million and above. Furthermore, it is painful to watch how much Salo has slowed down in the Boston series due to the physical game both teams are playing.

Hopefully, Gillis will just let Salo walk, if Salo decides to return next season for another dozen games.

6. Mikael Samuelsson - Last but not the least, Mr. the only Stanley Cup ring owner in a Canucks uniform.

Mikael Samuelsson... actually I won't waste my time with this guy. Just ship him out, he isn't even playing anyways. Worthless.

Translation: I have given up on the team completely because of a little adversity, and I would only ever cheer for a sure thing. Oh ya, and I completely forgot that we have made it to the Stanley cup final, and that we actually have to play the games, which are contests between two teams, one of which has to win and one of which who has to lose, to win the cup. Im the guy who thinks that cups are won with an 82-0 regular season and a 16-0 postseason. I'm the guy that quits in NHL 11 with 30 seconds to go because I'm losing.

[smithers joe]

i'll let gillis and AV make those decisions....AV will be here for several years, i hope......luongo is one of the best goalies in the world.....and this team, gm, coaches and players got us to the scf's....why are you even discussing changes?....you make it sound like we've already lost and you've given up on them....this team will give everything they have to win the cup and so will boston.....every year there are winners and losers...if you've lost faith in your team, i'ld put you in the second category....be a fan and cheer for your team, win or lose.

[Eesh29]

To me, it's becoming blatantly evident the Canucks need a change in the off-season.

Some will come naturally, some will need magical tweaks by Gillis.

First off, this is not a rant because of the 2 game losing streak; rather, it is something that I have been scrutinizing for awhile, and despite the up and downs of the success these candidates showed throughout our magical regular season and the journey for the coveted Cup, you simply don't build a winning franchise with these pieces.

1. Alain Vigneault - AV, AV, AV... Jack Adams winner, and once again, nominee. Does he deserve this? Simply put, if stats meant everything, then sure, why not.

But whoever can look beyond the stats on paper can tell you in a heartbeat this guy is nowhere close to his fellow nominees. He has simply been out coached throughout his career, and especially in the playoffs, only to have the team bail him out for this year's cup run (knock on wood).

He can't coach, he can't motivate his players, he makes horrible decisions, and he certainly can't hide his favoritism. Be informed that blowout games, especially in the playoff, is largely responsible by the coach, and A.V. has contributed a good share of his bonehead decisions to completely destroy our willingness to fight and compete.

2. Roberto Luongo - ... Oh Luongo, where art thou? Where is the prowess, the speed, the agility we saw during your Panthers tenure? Ah nevermind that, where is the ability to stop the puck? Sarcasm aside, Luongo is a good goalie, but he definitely isn't the cornerstone of this franchise, no longer. Although he seemed brilliant in some games, you don't bring a goalie of his price to be brilliant for 'some' games.

Roberto Luongo had the least impact in contributing to the success of the Canucks this year. It is almost safe to assume he was the beneficiary of a strong defensive corp with the best offense in the league. That being said, Luongo had all the opportunity to prove himself in the playoff, but he has been out dueled by every single of his competitor - Crawford, Rinne, Niemi, and now Thomas. Which goalie hasn't been better than Luongo in the playoff? Is it really far-fetched to say Cory Schneider, given the opportunity, would perform no less than Crawford or Niemi?

Cory Schneider is ready, and he will come at half Luongo's price. Luongo needs to go, and Gillis needs to perform some magic to be able to ship Luongo off, even if we win the Stanley Cup this year. Luongo is more dependent to the team than the team is to him, and it makes sense to invest his excess salary cap to strengthen our top 9 forwards, or retain Juice.

3. Mason Raymond - It isn't crucial to deport him the first chance we get, but trade him when he has some left over value, if the trade is there.

I'll admit he brings more than speed to the game; he is defensively aware, he creates room for his linesmate, he brings puck bunnies to the rink, and he makes a fine candidate for Italia's national soccer team. A bigger, prettier, younger, two-way version of our beloved Brandon Reid, although I don't think Brandon, at half Mason's size, flopped as much as he did. But simply put, he just does not belong on our 2nd line.

Gillis did a remarkable job bringing Higgins (hopefully re-signs) to our team, and I truly believe Kesler and Higgins will only get better as their chemistry builds up. That 2nd line is in dire need of a 3rd member, and unfortunately, Raymond is not. So the question really is, do we utilize Mason on the third line? According to a nameless yahoo columnist, the Canucks depend on Raymond to deliver punishing checks... well, I think I'll just leave Torres, Bite my fingers, and Hansen to do just that. If Torres isn't re-signing here, I'd rather we get another two-way grinder that we can actually depend to deliver the physical game, in the mold of a la Bergenheim or Asham.

Our 4th line? Raymond has too much skills and potential to be rotting away beside Glass or Bolduc. Simply put, Raymond has no room in this roster.

4. Christian Erhoff - The Hoff. The way he is playing right now, I almost wish it was actually David on the ice so I can at least enjoy some form of entertainment.

Sure, Hoff doesn't seem to be himself after the injury, and to be fair, NO ONE on the blue line seems to know what to do anymore without Dan (oh Hamhuis... ). But his costly mistakes in our zone, his complete lack of confidence on the PP, the total crumbling through pressure he has on full display... he simply isn't an A caliber defensemen for a playoff atmopshere, and especially not for the money he will be commanding next season.

I'll be fair and say Hoff was truly our best offensive defensemen for the past regular seasons, and I'm glad he will be getting his deserved paycheck starting next season with a team like the Leafs, who absolutely does not know the meaning of playoff, or could not care less, but he has no place in the Canucks nation where no less is acceptable than a Stanley Cup. We need a fighter and a competitor, a guy more suited for a two way game. If not, someone who is a solid stay at home. I mean look.... we have one of the deepest defensive depth in the league, but we're so full of offensive defensemen that our Hamhuis replacement is Aaron Rome.

Erhoff does not fit here no longer.

5. Sami Salo - Mr. Glass, and no, not Tanner. His body is so easily breakable, you can bet your ass no one is going to ever buy a furniture made out of Finland.

Jokes aside, you have to admire the guy for playing through so many injuries; he has balls (well I sure hope he still does). Although you can't help but think... when is this guy going to take the message his body is preaching to him, and just retire.

Salo has been one of our best defensemen for years; he is solid in our zone, he has a rocket of a shot, and he seldom puts his big body to use. But we simply can't have a defensemen who shows up for a dozen games per season, while making 3 million and above. Furthermore, it is painful to watch how much Salo has slowed down in the Boston series due to the physical game both teams are playing.

Hopefully, Gillis will just let Salo walk, if Salo decides to return next season for another dozen games.

6. Mikael Samuelsson - Last but not the least, Mr. the only Stanley Cup ring owner in a Canucks uniform.

Mikael Samuelsson... actually I won't waste my time with this guy. Just ship him out, he isn't even playing anyways. Worthless.

I TOTALLY agree. Except for ....

I believe that Rome also has a Cup ring with Anaheim .

I don't think we could trade Louongo... his contract is SO retarded that no other team would touch him.

[thehamburglar]

All were stupid points.

[Hockey_hookey]

I totally agree with the OP.

Obviously someone plays hockey, has watched the Canucks for a long time, and understands the formula for long term success.

Everyone loves that the Canucks are in the finals. Granted.

However, the boys need some help.

Mason Raymond - would have loved to have kept Grabner instead. Fast for sure, but Burrows developed a game to go with it, Raymond just doesn't seem to know what he wants to do with his chances off the rush. Appreciate the bunnies though.

Samuelson - so slow, even next the the Sedins. Played awesome last year with clutch goals utilizing a wicked wrist shot, but in the Hawks series, it was just off. Usually wide.

Salo - ga-ga-ga GONE. Thanks, its been fun, wish your rocket hit the net more, and loved the two 5 on 3 PP goals, but damn. Ps. Why are you not on the off wing sliding in for the upper hash marks one timer ALL DAY LONG? Worked before.

LU - definitely a GLARING weakness in net. How many $hitty goals can a goalie let in through one years playoffs. He's well over a dozen. Look at last night. Two for sure. He doesn't play big, he relies on reflexes, which seem to be shaky these days. Look at the confidence the Canucks had with Scheider in net last night. Some easy looking saves on difficult shots, and the Canucks are back to high flying chances. LU is the same goalie at Cloutier. Loads of talent, lots of upside, but a brutal amount of crappy, early in the game goals. Enough.

Schneider for a 1/4 the price, younger, a ginger, and damn, damn good.

[Heretic]

Can we drop the "dynasty" discussions?

In today's NHL it is impossible to have a "Dynasty" - you know - a team that wins like 3 or 4 cups in a row. It's just not going to happen.

Anyone thinking the Canucks are or can be a "Dynasty" is delusional....

[Eesh29]

But in a hypothetical situation..... What team in their right mind would take Loungo????? His contract is HORRENDOUS!!!

[Chong69]

"First off, this is not a rant because of the 2 game losing streak"

Well the timing and tone of your post would argue that. If this wasn't a rant, you'd have much better arguements than the ones you used which are based on the current circumstances. This is by the way, the dumbest post I've seen on here today! Are you kidding me? We're in the Stanley Freaking Cup Finals! We sure as heck didn't get there on the back so those not on your list. They got here as a team!

Your point about AV? What are you talking about? He plays all 4 lines through the season and they all contribute. They topped all the stats a coach is expected to impact eg, PK, PP, etc... He can't motivate his team? Under his leadership, the team has the best 3rd period numbers! That's motivation! They have the best ever winning record in club history! How's that for motivation???

Luongo? He's a Vezina candidate! What more do you want? Should he go out and score goals too? Let me guess, you're one of those who also think he didn't deserve the gold medal at the Olympics right? He's had 2-4 truly bad games this playoffs but you could also argue that he had a very underperforming team in front of him in those games.

I'm not even going to dignify the rest of your post because it's so weak. I'm sick and tired of the crappy Canuck "fans" that are quick to point fingers and ready to trounce on the team.

We're 2 wins away from winning the cup and 28 teams in the league would be jealous of the position we're in and you're talking about dumping 20% of the team??? Give your head a shake!

All the other real Canuck fans, I think you'd agree with me on this: GO CANUCKS GO!

[NoMoreBettman]

This is a Salary Cap era.

We are already the best offensive team, the best defensive team, and one of the most physical teams in the league. The fact that MG managed to do this in a Salary Capped era is amazing.

Our only weakness is we can't play Goon Hockey, and unfortunately for the Canucks, the Bruins are the best in the league at it.

Just bad luck for the Canucks that officiating in this SCF has promoted Goon Hockey. Maybe next year it won't.

[Tony Romo]

This is why I think everytme we lose we hit the panic button.

People were saying all that crap that you're saying after we lost game 6 to chicago. Then all of you shut up for the nashville series and sj series.

[Raph]

I agree with all your assessments except Ehrhoff and Salo.

Ehrhoff has been a workhorse this season, he is simply burnt out. I'll put some blame on the coaching staff cuz they felt the need to play him 30 mins a game when we had the President's Trophy well in hand. I'm sure we would notice a drop in team offense if he is not with us next year. I'll say he definitely fits on this team, but I will also say at what price? If we can get him for $4.5M, I'm all for it.

I would also turn to Kevin Bieksa. Without Mitchell or Hamhuis to bail him out, he is looking like a lost puppy again. Bieksa often gets the benefit of playing with good linemates (Sedin line and Hamhuis) so I feel his stats are overinflated. I don't think he deserves to be a top pairing defenseman if he needs good stay at home to make him look good. I certainly wouldn't dish out the big bucks to re-sign him ($3M max)

Salo is old, but still an excellent player. If we can't re-sign Ehrhoff and/or Bieksa, he would still be a good short term solution at $2M a year. But I wouldn't want him on the team at the expense of Tanev's development (who I think should be a regular next season)

[Hotdawg]

But in a hypothetical situation..... What team in their right mind would take Loungo????? His contract is HORRENDOUS!!!

The Aquallinis can buy out his contract, and then he can easily be moved to another team, or just retire and do what he wants.

[Kesler's Silver Medal Face]

post this after the season is over and you won't come off as a complete bandwagoner OP.

[Puckpocket]

It's all so predictable - two losses and people trot out a bunch of names to discard. The biggest head-scratcher is asking for AV to be dumped. He has coached the most successful Canucks regular-season team, and this team is already the second-best playoff team in the franchise's history (the 94 Canucks won three games in the Cup final). You talk through your hat when you talk about AV not being able to motivate his players. Hey, if not motivating your players can win you the President's Trophy, take you to within two wins of the Cup, and set all sorts of franchise and league records, then I'm all for appointing a coach who absolutely destroys his players' confidence!

Let's get some perspective here. Before the playoffs began, it was the general feeling both in and out of the Canucks organization that if this year we made the Conference Finals, it would - and should - be considered a successful season. We have gone way beyond that target. If by the end of next week we don't win the Cup, the hurt will be really great. But there is no doubt this team has already taken a big step forward this year irrespective of what happens in the next week or so.

That of course does not give anybody a free pass. If the Canucks do fail to win the Cup, it is clear they are not equipped to handle a hard-hitting team, and Gillis will need to go out and add some serious muscle to the team. We're more than OK skill and speed wise. But we need smart muscle - some players who are able to goon it up without running afoul of the officials.

But if we win the Cup, then this team is complete - they bend, but don't break.

I think every playoff is a learning experience until you win one. Gillis has learnt well from the last two second-round exits and done the necessary things to take us further. If we still fall short, then hopefully he will have learnt what the team needs to finally close the deal.

[Canucks_2011]

Too predictable. Boring...

Have to admit I couldn't bother reading the whole rant (even with all the amazingly witty sarcasm) but based on what I read, its the same crap you have read in a million other posts and chose, for god knows what reason, to regurgitate in yet ANOTHER useless post...

[C.Schneider]

First off, it is an opinion and I don't expect everyone to agree with the post.

To be honest, even if we swept the Bruins and had won on Wednesday, I would still back my argument, although I'm sure I would be engulfed in flames of hatred with Fans who are overjoyed by the achievement and can't see anything wrong.

Most of you who made a rebuttal on Luongo clearly did not read the post.

I agree he is a good goalie, and he is a Vezina finalist. But the Luongo now is not the Luongo of the Panthers, nor the Luongo of 2006-2007. His Vezina nomination had more to do with a team effort than an individual effort, and it isn't hard to see Pekka Rinne and Tim Thomas clearly outshines Luongo on individual effort.

The problem with Luongo is he is on a downhill. He isn't the phenomenal stud of the 2007 playoffs who could carry his team single handed. He has his moment of brilliance, and he has his moments of mental breakdown. The inconsistency is painful, and so is his ridiculous contract.

The question is, if we could dump his contract, sign Cory for 1/3 of his price, and utilize the remainder of the salary space to strengthen our top 9 or blue line, would you?

For me, I would do it in a heartbeat. I am not saying Cory is the better goaltender, but I believe it makes much more sense for the team to solidify what our success this year was built upon, and that is our offense and defense, not Luongo.

As for A.V., no one will really know what kind of man he is behind the locker room, but if he doesn't have enough balls to pull his goalie after a terrible period, he isn't the right guy to take the helm on the bench.

Sure, the team enjoyed a President's success this season, but I credit Mike Gillis more than A.V. as Alain was dumped with so much talent and depth, and even then A.V. couldn't utilize it to the full potential.

As for motivation to win the Presidents, and the 3rd period success: Who am I and who are you to judge A.V. is / is not the sole reason behind it?

For me, I credit the team more as a whole and the leaders in the locker room to bring the boys together and build a great atmosphere. Furthermore, guys like Kesler and Burrows were tamed by Gillis, not A.V.

The only thing A.V. really brings into mind is a chewing gum.

And finally, I honestly don't understand those who can't distinguish between an opinion and a white flag. It isn't a panic nor a 'jump-off-the-bandwagon'. I still believe in my Canucks, and I have always cheered for them until the very last second.

But just because something showed success does not mean you plant your foot and be satisfied. That is the true definition of a loser.

If you're the best, make sure you thrive and improve to remain as the best. It is much harder to remain as 1st than to become 1st.