Hope

Via: thescore.ca

Those of you who know me know that I am a proud, life-long Vancouver Canucks fan. Here at WAAP I try to provide insight from around the league without any particular bias. However, I can no longer sit idly by and watch what is happening to the Canucks without commenting on it. Though the Canucks clinched a playoff berth last night, and seem poised to win their 5th straight division title, they have been wildly inconsistent this season and seem to have fallen from their once dominant status in the NHL. The truth is that I'm growing more concerned by the day that this team is seriously flawed.

It starts, as with all teams, at the management and coaching levels. GM Mike Gillis has done some fantastic work since taking over the Canucks, turning them into a true top-level organization and a perennial contender. His work to lock up the core of this team has been phenomenal, with players such as Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows, Dan Hamhuis, Kevin Bieksa, Alex Edler and, most recently, Chris Higgins all taking less than market value to stay with the club. But he's made some horrible mistakes as well. Look no further than his handling of the current goaltending situation. When he signed Roberto Luongo to his now infamous 12 year contract, the assumption was made that backup and potential star Cory Schneider would be trade bait. Fast forward 3 years and Luongo is virtually untradeable, making $5.3 million to sit on the bench while Schneider leads the Canucks into the playoffs. How could he have not foreseen this? Added to that are some questionable trades by the GM, including giving up on top prospects Michael Grabner and Cody Hodgson, leaving a dearth of young talent in the organization. You could argue that these trades were made in an attempt to give depth and versatility to the roster, but it simply hasn't worked. The team still lack the thoughness, grit and scoring depth that is needed to be a real contender.

But Gillis shouldn't shoulder all the blame for the Canuck's inability to bring home a championship. Some of it has to fall onto the shoulders of coach Alain Vigneault. His constant line mixing and blatant favoritism has led to a roster in flux, and not always knowing what they should be doing. He's misused the formerly top-4 defenseman Keith Ballard to the point where he is often a healthy scratch. He pretty much ran Hodgson out of town by not playing him to his strengths, and even tried moving Selke winning center Kesler to the wing in an attempt to bring more scoring to the lineup. He mismanages and seems to have no idea how to develop his prospects, he isn't able to prepare his team for the shootout, and he even jokes that he decides his starting goalie by flipping a coin. If the Canucks fail again in this year's playoffs, Vigneault might be the first casualty.

As for this season, the players are doing all they can. The Sedins are still quality first line scorers, but their age and opponents seem to have caught up to them. Daniel currently sits 31st in league scoring; neither Sedin has finished the season that low for the last 6 years. Kesler is giving his all every night, but that style leads to injuries and he can't seem to stay in the lineup. Same with Higgins. Derek Roy has played well since coming over from Dallas, but he has no wingers to play with. Mason Raymond and Jannik Hansen are quality forecheckers with great speed, but can't be counted upon for consistent secondary scoring. The fourth line is tough but ineffective, rarely able to be counted on to play a shift in the third period. The blueline has been fantastic offensively, but makes too many mistakes in their own zone, forcing their goaltender to bail them out. In fact, Cory Schneider has been the only one on the roster who has been consistent all year. Time and time again the Canucks are leaving him out to dry, getting out-shot by their opponents, yet Schneider continues to win.

So, with the playoffs fast approaching, I'm concerned. Winning the division and getting home ice advantage means nothing once the second season starts. I believe that this team does still have what it takes to be a champion, but they need to turn it around and play the way they are all capable of. If however they repeat their awful first round performance against the Kings last year, some changes will have to come in Vancouver. The core will need to be altered, and perhaps significantly. Until they can actually prove themselves though, all I can do is hope.

Snap Shots:

• Case in point: the 2-1 shootout victory by Vancouver over Detroit last night. The Canucks gave up many prime scoring chances and were outshot 34-14, which is completely unacceptable if they want to make a real charge in the playoffs. Thankfully Schneider bailed them out (again) and they were able to pick up the two points.
• The Captials picked up a huge win last night in Montreal. Ovechkin netted 2 goals, becoming the first NHLer to get to 30. Combined with the OT loss by the Jets, it looks like Washington's playoff position is now much more secure.
• The Leafs won the battle of Ontario last night against the Senators 4-1, moving them just 2 points back of Boston and home ice advantage in the first round and 4 points behind Montreal for the division lead. The battle between these Northeast division foes has been great all year long and it looks like it'll come right down to the wire for playoff seeding.
• Thanks to all for reading, I promise I won't rant about the Canucks too often in the coming weeks. For your patience, here's your afternoon gif: Caps goalie Brayden Holtby doing what he can to defend his crease, no matter who is in the way.