Five Step Plan to return to the Cup!

[etsen3]

Good suggestions. I agree with most of it. I like the Hartnell idea. I still think Ballard should be given more of a chance but there may not be room with his 4.2 million salary. If we do send him somewhere else I would rather trade so we can get a good player in return.

[Lockhart]

People seem to forget that Ballard has TRADE value, to be honest I think things can work out with Ballard and I would be confident in him starting the season next year. He has the skill and all the tools to be a good player he just needs to change his game a little bit, although I would prefer to him replaced by a bigger, meaner shutdown D man.

[MrsCanuck]

Hartnell with Kesler would be a match made in heaven. That second line would make me drool.

[magoomba]

Hockey is the only professional sport where the rules change in the playoffs (compared to regular season).

The Canucks are very successful with their current roster (skill & finess, relying on the power play) in the regular season.

Unfortunately, all the little hooks and trips don't get called in the playoffs. Ditto with all the rough housing after the whistle.

I would like to see the Canucks acquire a power forward capable of playing on the 2nd line (or even the 1st line).

Someone the team needs to be more durable. Yes, they got through the first 3 rounds, but they had significantly more

injuries to key personnel when compared to the Bruins coming into the Finals.

They need to get into the Finals healthy. I'm not sure if this group is built to last 3 rounds and remain healthy.

I'd love to see a change in goaltending, but I think we're stuck with Luongo for the foreseeable future.

Since that component won't change, we can only hope that the player (Luongo) changes.

His ego should not be trumping AV's decision making.

[gradin123]

I am a huge lifelong Canucks fan and therefore I am willing to give Gillis, free of charge, the blueprint that gives the Canucks the best shot at coming back to the Cup next year. If he uses it and it works all I want is 2 Tickets to all the Cup Finals games next year.

Here is the five step plan.

1. Re-Sign Bieksa because he seems willing to re-sign at a reasonable price and he has great chemistry with Hamhuis.

2. Try to re-sign Ehrhoff but also be prepared to let him go. He is a good offensive DMan but I also think he was the beneficiary of inflated numbers because of his massive amount of PP time with the Sedins and Kesler. Don't pay $5.0 Million per for him because he is not worth it. But if he does go you need to replace him with another free agent because you can't expect a guy like Tanev or an aging Salo to effectively replace Ehrhoff's offense. If Anton Babchuk could be had for less money than Ehrhoff I think he would be a good fit. Babchuk could easily slide into Ehrhoff's role and he might be had for $1.5 million cheaper per year. I like Babchuk at $3.5 per better than Ehrhoff at $5.0 per.

3. Trade/Buyout or Send Ballard to the minors. The Canucks can not have him start the season on the roster with AV as the coach. Even if there is a different coach Ballard isn't worth $4.2 Million a year anyways. He now is coming off two subpar seasons in a row because his last year in Florida was a disappointment too. The Canucks simply cannot going into next season with his $4.2 Million cap hit on the books.

Sending him to the minors may be the best of the options. If someone claims him on waivers so be it. If he clears waivers then the Canucks can see if he plays well down there and if someone gets hurt perhaps they can recall him.

4. Sign Someone to play with Kesler. He needs real help. The Canucks need a gritty guy to play with Kesler who can actually score. Won't be easy to get but they need to find a guy and the money saved on Ballard could be used here. Might I suggest Scott Hartnell via trade?

It seems the Flyers are looking to shed some cap space to make room to sign Bryzgalov so they might be willing to trade a guy like Scott Hartnell as a pure salary dump. Btw, his cap hit is actually the same as Ballards. $4.2 Million. He would provide some of the grit the Canucks lack while still providing the ability to score goals.

5. Keep Schneider and make it a real open competition between him and Luongo for the starting job. If Schneider wins then be prepared to sign him at the end of the year to a new contract and do something drastic with Lou. It is not the Canucks job, as Gillis seems to have suggested today, to make Luongo a championship goalie. It is his job to prove he is one.