canuckledraggin Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=777037&navid=nhl:topheads TERREBONNE, Quebec -- Alexandre Burrows watched from his suburban Montreal home as hisVancouver Canucks underwent a bit of a makeover this offseason, and he never questioned it. Now, with training camp about a month away, Burrows said he sees no reason Vancouver can't remain competitive in a tough Western Conference while in the midst of what Canucks president Trevor Lindenhas called a transition period. "I put my confidence in our management group of [general manager] Jim Benning and Trevor Linden," Burrows said Tuesday at a charity golf tournament hosted by Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien. "They're obviously intelligent people with a plan, and last season was the first year of their plan." Burrows' measured reaction is in stark contrast to that of the Canucks fan base, which has concerns over some of the moves Vancouver has made this summer. The trade of goaltender Eddie Lack to the Carolina Hurricanes for two third-round draft picks was perhaps the least popular decision made by the Canucks among their fans. Benning admitted in a gathering of season-ticket holders this summer that there was interest from other teams to acquireRyan Miller, but he chose instead to trade Lack. "With the goalie controversy we had with Luongo and Schneider, they didn't want to have a similar controversy with Miller and Lack," Burrows said. "They signed Ryan Miller for three years, but Lack had a strong finish to the season when Miller was out with a knee injury. They traded Lack away and there were some fans who wanted a better return on the trade, but was it possible? They're not on the phone like the GM." Burrows also welcomed the arrival of center Brandon Sutter, acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins for center Nick Bonino and defenseman Adam Clendening and then signed to a five-year contract extension with an average value of $4.375 million, according to war-on-ice.com. "I considered Brandon Sutter to be an excellent player with the Penguins, I really thought he was great against the [New York] Rangers in the playoffs," Burrows said. "He has the potential to become a cornerstone of our team, like Trevor Linden said." The one Canucks move from this summer that Burrows found harder to swallow was the trade of defenseman Kevin Bieksa to the Anaheim Ducks for a second-round pick at the 2016 NHL Draft. "The departure of Kevin Bieksa, for me, was obviously a little disappointing because we've played on the same team for 11 or 12 years," Burrows said. "He's a warrior. But the team wanted to get younger and provide an opportunity to our defensemen playing in the American [Hockey] League to get a spot on the team, so they traded Kevin to Anaheim. "It's a transition period for a new management team, and we have confidence in them. As players, we'll just make sure we're ready for training camp." Burrows laughs off the idea that Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin, who each turns 35 on Sept. 26, are in decline. Burrows said the Sedin twins finish first and second in Canucks fitness tests every year at training camp, and he expects to see nothing different next month. But most importantly, Burrows said he does not feel age will have any impact on their ability to be effective. "The thing with them is they're so smart they're able to slow the game down to their own pace," he said. "They're so smart reading plays offensively. Both of them won an Art Ross Trophy, both of them had 100 points seasons without having an [Alex] Ovechkin shot or Patrick Kane's stickhandling or blazing speed. They just do it with their smarts, and that doesn't really change if you get older." Burrows said he expects the Canucks to compete for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He said the competitive Western Conference remains wide open and the Canucks will be one of the teams fighting at the end. "Who's going to win the Cup next year? Who's really in contention in the West?" Burrows asked. "There's so many good teams. Are the Stars going to get in and make a push? Are the Kings going to get in and make a push? Are the Blackhawks going to win again? There's so much parity. We have a lot of good pieces in Vancouver. The [sedin] twins are going to be good, [Radim] Vrbata's going to have another good year, I'm going to have a good year, we have a lot of good young guys coming up. "So I see it as another year where we have to have guys that will push the right way. We'll have good team chemistry, have 20 guys on the same page that will have the same goal. If we do that, we're as good as anybody else." ----- This about sums it all for me and I see the team having a chance to finish inside the bubble again this season. We really do have too many good players to tank, so I am going to enjoy another thrill ride this year. It's always good to get a perspective from inside the locker room, and although he is obviously going to support the team and say positive things, he is describing the team the way I see it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaudette Celly Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Burrows droppin' truth -- the reality that the Canucks will again be a competitive team. Of course he didn't like the second of the three amigos leaving, but Burrows can see the plan taking shape, just as many of us can. There will be no tank, no decimation of the roster to create a wallowing mess. Sedins can play productively for many more years yet as long as they stay healthy. The new generation is already arriving, as 13/14 was the "bottom-out" year. 101 points is a pretty decent platform to start from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 No reason for them to not be optimistic. Sure we lost alot of pieces and there's still alot of questions to be answered, but that's all part of the excitement of a new season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAZY_4_NAZZY Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Trevor Linden was on TSN 1040 a few days ago and said that the Canucks expect to be competitive again. Raising the new generation of talent and prospects in a winning environment so that they learn what it takes to win. Most of the moves this summer hasn't been popular but nevertheless Im excited for this new season. New stories to be written, new legacies to pursue, and renewed optimism in the group we have. The hockey season cannot come faster can it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thLineGrinder Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 he is describing the team the way I see it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crackers Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Everything Burrows said is true. Something I've noticed after reading HFboards a bit is that the biggest critics of Benning and this offseason for the Canucks are the outsiders looking in. People who are overvaluing players like Bieksa and Kassian. Not realizing that injecting youth into the lineup requires having more outgoing players than incoming players. (that seems to be a common argument for why benning sucks "we lost more players than we gained") We really aren't a worse team on paper than we were 365 days ago. People just like to sound like they know what they are talking about by criticizing the professionals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimberWolf Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 In fairness he's not going to throw anyone under the bus. Silly to even ask him these questions like he's going to say "Yeah, the Lack trade sucked" Overall now that "Just making the playoffs" is a goal worth celebrating then it's likely we'll do just that. Or just miss them. We're not a contender in any way put predicting we may make the first round isn't a stretch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanGnome Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 This more or less mirrors my own opinion. People are critical of Benning because they have nothing else to complain about. Lack... Kassian... Bieksa... Clendenning... Bonino. None of those guys were going to be critical to the Canucks success this coming season. However when you look at what Sutter brings, Prust and Bartkowski... and the room freed up for guys like Markstrom, Sbisa, Horvat and maybe even Virtanen to play much bigger roles, it spells nothing but positivity. I've maintained it all off season long, I look forward to having the games actually being PLAYED so people can find something else to complain about, because it certainly won't be because of Bennings moves, and the perceived lack of return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilduce39 Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 If Burrows really hated the offseason I'd expect him to decline the interview. He was honest when he said he didn't like the Bieksa move, but rationalized it as a chance for youth. Seemed pretty honest and I agree with him. Should still be a competitive team this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coryberg Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 The trade of goaltender Eddie Lack to the Carolina Hurricanes for two third-round draft picks was perhaps the least popular decision made by the Canucks among their fans. We got two 3rds for lack? Yippee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckledraggin Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 Out: Matthias Richardson Bonino Kassian Bieksa Lack In: Baertschi Kenins Prust Bartkowski Markstrom and ? I love that management is leaving the ? going into the season. May the best man win. Baertschi Sedin Vrbata Sedin Sutter Burrows Higgins Horvat Hansen Prust Vey Dorsett Kenins Edler Tanev Hamhuis Weber Sbisa Bartkowski Corrado I think the ? goes to Virtanen based on the way Horvat was treated last year. I have no problem with him being the 23rd roster spot and sitting lots during the season. You can't convince me that eating, training and practicing with a pro team full-time is going to do anything but improve his game. JB proved to me last year that he is going to do anything to improve the timeline on the rebuilding process and graduating JV this year will shave 1 or maybe 2 years off of that. Gaunce Grenier Cassels Jones Shinkaruk are all ready to step into the show if needed and the fact that Kenins is waiver exempt might open another spot. That 22 spot that Kenins is holding is going to be a dogfight too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nave Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 The west will be very competitive next year, but it was very competitive last year and we made it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-AJ- Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Can we make the playoffs? Sure. It's just terribly unlikely. That said, they shouldn't be ruling it out. They should still be giving it their all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CALGARY! Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Good interview by Burrows, I like how he addressed the changes this summer and acknowledged some of the discontent of the fans, but put a positive spin on everything. In my opinion the Canucks have no reason not to be optimistic. The west really is wide open, in fact, aside from maybe Arizona, I would not be surprised by any of the other teams making the playoffs. There really is a great deal of parity across the west, and indeed the league. I can see at least 6 or 7 teams competing for the Presidents Trophy, and I can honestly see just about every western team in the hunt for a playoff spot, it really will come down to the wire this year, and I expect from 1-10/11 in the west there wont be a huge gap in points, everyone will be close. I can't see any reason the Canucks arent in the hunt for a spot, barring any major injuries to key players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Hmm, he seems to think we can make the playoffs, but honestly. Does he think we can make it to the second round? Because at this point, this is the bare minimum acceptable result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownUndaCanuck Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 We'll be a fringe playoff team fighting against LA for the 3rd position in the division, otherwise we'll be a fringe Wild Card team. May have regular season success depending on how the Sedins do, but this team is no better suited for the playoffs than they were last season so it'll be an undoubted 1st round exit once again unless Miller or Markstrom get RED hot during the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice orca Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Jeez so many people on this board wanted Burr to be traded his cap hit was way to high he is on the downswing blocking youth from playing. He says something positive and he is the darling of CDC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBatch Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 I read this article on NHL.com yesterday and was wondering if it would make it onto the forum (and am glad it did). Positive read from somebody on the team that knows the history and has been through it all. Loved that he describes the Sedins and one and two in fitness tests, and props them to the media as still having it (9th and 11th or something in scoring means it is still one of the better 1st lines in the league) and can continue in their sleep with their otherworldly smarts etc. Good article - thanks for posting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puckdontlie Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Watching Horvat grow last year was a lot of fun. Looking forward to watching Baertschi, Kenins, Corrado, and Markstrom grow. I think Sbisa and Vey will redeem themselves and if Virtanen makes the team that will be a fun ride. Sutter will be fun to watch and a one two punch at Centre with Horvat. If the canucks can get back to the playoffs with a younger roster than last year it will be a huge step forward. The encouraging part is that these steps forward only build up from here once McCann, Cassels, Boeser, Demko, etc are ready to join the team. One and done are the days of hoping a middling vet like Santorelli is a 2nd line Centre, putting all eggs in the futures basket of mediocre prospects like Jensen and Schroeder, refusing to waive NTCs and being stuck with crippling contracts like Booths and Ballards and trading a 4th round pick for blah players like Dalpe and expecting to be a cup contender. Those days with no future direction and no upside are over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Weasel Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 This article sounds so fake. Haha. Poor burr having to do damage control for trader Jim and president linden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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