Canucks look to put 2012 in rear view mirror

VANCOUVER – For the second straight season the Vancouver Canucks breezed through the regular season and claimed the President’s Trophy for having the NHL’s best record. As with most NHL seasons, having the league’s best record just doesn’t amount to much.   This time the Canucks lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings.
The Canucks were the league’s best team during the regular season because once again they were a balanced team with very few flaws.   Vancouver were ranked 5^th in offense, 4^th in defense and on the power play, 6^th on the penalty kill, and 3^rd in face-offs.
The Sedin twins were at the top of the leader boards as the Canucks leading scorers, but Henrik finished the season with only 14 goals, while brother Daniel led the team with 30. Only two other players, Alexandre Borrows and Ryan Kessler, had over 20 goals. Five other players had 10 or more.
On defense the Canucks were led offensively by Alexander Edler’s 49 points and defensively by Dan Hamhuis with a +29 plus/minus. Last season the Canucks did not have a defenseman as a negative in the plus/minus category. This year only Aaron Rome was a negative. That’s impressive. Still, Vancouver lacks a stud blue chip point man waiting in the wings. This is important because Vancouver has four defensemen who are UFA’s and one who is an RFA.
In net, we all know the Roberto Luongo story by now. He started the regular season as the team’s starting goalie but ended the playoffs as the backup to Cory Schneider and now Loungo is now on the trading block with rumors of him going to places like Toronto and Philadelphia. The Canucks can use him as trade bait to bring in some help on defense should some of the teams UFA’s walk this summer.
The Canucks have Eddie Lack as one of the team’s top prospects and will compete for the teams backup spot once Luongo is moved. He is 6’ 4” and is 24 years old. Joe Cannata was a four year grad of Merrimack College (Hockey East) and is tabbed to play at least one season in the AHL but if he impresses Canucks brass in camp that could change.
Most of the team’s top prospects are right wingers. The club should take the best forward in the draft and look for another goaltender.  
In our mock draft Vancouver will have plenty of quality players to choose from. On our board LW Tanner Pearson is available as is C Colton Sissons and RW Martin Frk. On defense     Slater Koekkoek is still there for the taking. If the Canucks want to go goaltender only Malcolm Subban has been taken, which means the Canucks could take the best European goaltender on the board, Andrei Vasilevski.
Vancouver could use any of the above candidates but once gets the feeling that they will make the following announcement come draft day.
A winger might be tempting to take, and as they say the draft is about the best player available but in this case an RW isn’t.   Mayfield and Edmundson have the ability but not this time around when the Canucks pick in our opinion.
“The Vancouver Canucks are proud to select, goaltender Andrei Vasilevski.”
To learn more about Andrei Vasilevski click here .
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com