Summer Time! Bits N' Pieces To Build On!

[SH_Vancouver]

Funny, Edler returning to the role of the stay at home guy?

Yzerman has tough decisions to make.  He has essentially a team that needs to be rebuilt, plus some assets that are so good you could be fooled that they are a contender. To truly make the team a contender, he would need to pillage in trades get lucky in the draft.  Yet if he dumps bad contracts they're uncompetitive for 2 years at least?

Like MG, he should make moves which improve step at a time. Lou makes them better than Purcell for at least 4 or 5 years, and they have other first rounders.  It's a good risk?

[5minutesinthebox]

What do i mean? well do we have a cup? NO!

Boston was just as beat up as we were! The difference was and it was obvious they WILLED them selves to win, Van rolled over and died!

As far as this year I don't even know what to call it, it was just painful!

You don't think that any of the other teams are banged up, come on man! The will to win is what drives those other teams, I am not sure any more what is driving this team because it sure isn't A WILL TO WIN!

[Spyderr]

lets the kids play while we still have the sedins to rely on. 3 more years and possibly no more sedins. The kids gotta start soon. get the cap room saved and get ryan suter

Sedin sedin burr

booth kes jensen

higgins lappy hansen

kassian malhotra torres ish guy

suter edler

hammy tanev

bieksa ballard

schneids

trade lu for a 1st

[Bodee]

There's absolutely no denying it. The Vancouver had a disappointing season. Just simply, disappointing. The team had themselves a relatively short summer after an astounding and heroic run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canucks didn't have 'IT'. This had nothing to do with a controversy or problems in the locker room, and I too believe it wasn't the cup run hangover either.

How do I start? To cram a lot into a simple explination, we were banged up and to an extent, not very conditioned. Ryan Kesler had offseason surgery all the way into July, where it was painfully obvious that he wanted to play ASAP, so he came back only 5 games into the 'reg' season. I do believe he was rushed. Dan Hamhuis needed an abdominal procedure done as well. I had also noticed, the two players Canucks fans had been bashing the most: Mason Raymond and Manny Malhotra, had both come back from absolutely horrific career threatening injuries. I read in an article from 'The Province', and Raymond told the media that hockey is 70% mental... Raymond's speed was there, had his quick release back, but a Raymond with no confidence, wouldn't drive to the net and be a dangerous scorer like he was 2 years ago. As for Manny, you couldn't exactly say the speed was there and the grittiness we ALL know he can bring, but his hand-eye was there, and his face-off % being top-5 in the regular season and TOP-3 in the playoffs proves it. I am totally against the fact that the reasons why these two were as disappointing as they were was because of Mason's vertebra injury and Manny's eye injury (to a small extent), I believe it's more coming off to very emotional seasons and learning new lessons that had all come so fast. It's also important to note that these two both missed training camp, so they both had to spend a large portion of the season playing catch-up. Emotion played a HUGE factor this season for some individuals more than others.

Okay, Kesler, Edler and Bieksa; three of some of our most important players had been injured down the stretch of this season and playing injured. They are our core guys! The ones Gillis locked up (hoping Edler soon) to be the guys that this team depends on in the next few years. We DON"T need a team overhaul. I do have to admit, and pretty well unrelated to their severe injuries, MayRay and Manny don't necessarily fit into these teams plans. Gillis said in his season-end press conference, he wants this team to become younger and stronger. But, however, we've seen these guys at their best, of course when they hadn't been injured. Heck, Raymond's not even in his prime yet. Frankly, I believe no of these guys are going anywhere during the draft or anywhere neat the beginning of the summer. I believe that a few months of rest, time to rehabilitate, time to spend with their families (Raymond not to long ago had a new child), and deal with their own personal lives will do these to particular individuals and the team as a WHOLE a lot of good. Have a good summer, be ready for training camp, and we'll see what happens from there. Fortunately, we are blessed, and I mean BLESSED to have one of the smartest GM's in the whole National Hockey League, and he thinks everything through thoroughly. Wait this off-season out, re-evaluate Mason Raymond and Manny Malhotra, then decide on their fates.

I've always said this: 'You can NEVER have enough pass first players.' There's proof to that. Look at the Penguins with Crosby and Malkin. They are two of the league's most elite of them all. They are wonderful hockey players with great sense, we know they can score, but their line-mates like the James Neals and the Pascal Dupuis' complete a signature top-6 line in hockey. They all have astounding hockey players who create scoring chances with pretty yet simple plays and finished of whether you snipe the puck like Steven Stamkos or go to the net like a vintage Ryan Smyth. Same goes with the Sedin line. The Sedins (both) are wonderful playmakers who can also finish and have Burrows to feed the puck to. As wonderful as these two are, Kesler and Booth look like misfits without their playmaker that the desperately need. Both of these players have scored at least 60+ points in their young careers, but they're both 'do it yourself' type of players. We've seen flashes of magic with the AMEX line with Higgins along their side, but let's face it, Higgins is a versatile player who gives it his all every shift making the players around him better, but, he gives our third line another dimension that makes it better than anybody's in the NHL, and he's not a true playmaker. This second line we have needs it!

Everybody underestimates Roberto Luongo's trade value. Yes, it's true, Schneider can get us something magical, but we can get great things out of trading Luongo. GREAT things. Look at the evidence: In 2007, the Oilers acquired Anaheim's 1st round pick that year, former top-10 pick Ladislav Smid, Joffery Lupul, and a conditional pick all for just Chris Pronger to be sent the other way to the Anaheim Ducks. In 2008, the Penguins landed Hossa for Colby Armstrong, Erik Chritensen, (at the time, before injury bug hit him) super-prospect Angelo Esposito, and the 'Pens' first rounder that year. I believe our best trading partner is with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Why not? Luongo's wife's from there. It's also where his family lives. Tampa Bay also has tremendous assets. They have some wonderful roster players, including a 10th overall pick, and I believe they wouldn't be to afraid to deal this pick because they got another first rounder out of the three-way Kyle Quincey trade and they have a few second and third rounders. I can see the Vancouver Canucks trading Roberto Luongo straight up for Teddy Purcell and their 10th overall draft pick this year. Teddy Purcell his a playmaking 6'2 201 pound right winger who ranked 37th in the NHL in points this year. He's a wonderful player for the Lightning with great vision and playmaking ability that the Booth-Kesler line desperately need. We'd be getting even better and even younger with a trade like this.

If, this is IF all goes well for Malhotra and Raymond this offseason and give Raymond a (FAIR) deal, I could see a healthy lineup looking like this:

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Alexandre Burrows

David Booth - Ryan Kesler - Teddy Purcell

Chris Higgins - Maxim Lapierre - Jannik Hansen

Mason Raymond (not 4th liner, but move up and down - Manny Malhotra - Zack Kassian

Possibly acquire more toughness and plan something else with MayRay? (Brandon Prust = droooooooooooooool).

We have lots of defensive depth, LOTS AND LOTS! Get younger though, and pick up that super prospect everybody in BC's raving about, yep, Justin Schultz (http://eliteprospect...hp?player=18241).

Dan Hamhuis - Kevin Bieksa

Alexandre Edler - Chris Tanev

Keith Ballard - Justin Schultz

Yes, Sami Salo may just happen to have enough left in the tank for one more season (hoping he does!).

This is all in my dreams, I have many scinerios for this team's becomming in the not too distant future, but this all seems like a likely route.

Gillis said he wants this team to become better, younger, and stronger. He also believes we have great defensive depth (agreed), so don't expect mant changes there, butchya' never know, SHEA WEBER shall still be a posibilty for the time being (wink wink nudge nudge).

There's absolutely nothing to worry or panic about. Despite the early exit, we have one of the most elite teams in the NHL. We as fans just have to be patient, and Mike Gillis and the rest of the crew will do whatever they can to make this team even better than before. We're still a win now team. There's just work that needs to be done first.

I need all of your thoughts! Thank You! Yes, it was a long read, but I had put a lot of thought into it.

Cheers.

GO CANUCKS GO!!!

[canuckelhead70]

winning more games then you lose, winning your division and making it into the play-offs is not a disappointing season for this fan.