Canucks difference maker this coming season

[Sedintwinpowersactivate]

So many what ifs. I think it comes down to hank and Danny.

[Bure to Mogilny]

People tend to just spout off random point numbers, while never putting them into context.

Exactly i dont think any one got that guys point

[komodo1970]

I'm picking Vey as my difference maker. He s young with big time talent. I think his skills have only begun to be tapped into.

He s going to get a lot more ice time with the nucks

[bassboy4]

I think the biggest difference-maker will be Desjardins.

Call me a starry-eyed optimist, but I don't have many doubts about most of the players listed:

- Under Desjardins I expect the Sedins to be 80-point producers with relative ease. I expect Vrbata to mesh well with them and achieve 25 goals/60 points with similar ease.
- I expect Edler to have his best season ever - there's nowhere to go but up, and he improved yearly during the days of PP and 5-on-5 dominance from 2009-2012.
- Bieksa and Hamhuis are not question marks. They'll be top-4 guys and will play well.
- I expect Miller to be solid in goal. I think Melanson will temper his aggression just enough to keep him solid positionally.
- I think Kassian will take another step forward. Whether he will breakout and become the Bertuzzi/Neely everyone wants him to be remains to be seen, but I don't expect him alone to make the difference this season. Ditto for all the young guys and depth players.
- Overall, our 3rd and 4th lines are a lot better on paper than in the past couple of seasons, and that will be a huge difference. I particularly like Dorsett and Vey - the fourth line was a revolving door for years, it would be nice to see some consistency and contribution from the bottom 3.

The biggest question for me on the player side is how effective Bonino will be right out of the gate as the #2 Centre. I think he will be a solid #2 in the near future for us, but how well will do this season will depend on whether he can do that right away or requires more time. In any case, he's our best option at #2 for now, everyone else being too young or not skilled enough offensively. So how well he fills the role in October/November will play a big role in determining our fate in the standings.

[bassboy4]

Also, I think San Jose is ceasing to worry about the regular season and trying to solve their playoff woes. We could easily slot into one of the top 3 spots in our division. San Jose is not in the same weight class as Anaheim and L.A anymore.