2014-15 Season Preview

Brady Stark Team Member

he 2013-14 season was certainly an

interesting one for the Vancouver Canucks. The team didn’t make the playoffs, but they were sure entertaining. Their new coach, John Tortorella, only lasted one season (probably because trying to fistfight other teams’ coaches is generally frowned upon, and failing to make the playoffs just isn’t enough for most Canucks’ fans).

On the ice, the Roberto Luongo saga finally came to an end as he was shipped back to Florida after a few seasons of unhappiness. Rumours that Ryan Kesler was wanted proved to be true as the versatile center was shipped off to Anaheim before the draft. The only thing the Canucks ended up

winning last season was a high draft pick.

Forwards: At first glance, the Canucks appear to have less firepower than last season. Losing Ryan Kesler is a big blow. One of the players received in the Kesler trade, center Nick Bonino, actually had

6 more points than Kesler over the last season. David Booth’s departure was no big loss, but the loss of Mike Santorelli could be a problem. The addition of Radim Vrbata will be helpful as he has scored 60 points in multiple seasons. If Alex Burrows can get back into form, it will greatly

help his usual linemates, the Sedins. With the potential ascension of prospects like Bo Horvat and Hunter Shinkaruk along with the Canucks’ other additions, they should score more goals this year.

Defense: There’s not a whole lot different on the Canucks’ backend. Jason Garrison

was shipped out after a mediocre defensive season that was masked by good offensive numbers. Newcomer Luca Sbisa can fill Garrison’s defensive duties, but probably won't reach the same kind of point totals. Rookie Frank Corrado could develop into

a solid top-4 defender. As he has been for the last couple of years, new Prince George Cougars part owner Dan Hamhuis is the most consistent d-man on the blueline.

Goaltending: The Canucks decided in the off-season to replace two-time Olympic gold medal winner Roberto Luongo with free agent Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller. Luongo and Miller have posted similar numbers in recent years, but Miller was playing for years on a bottom feeding Buffalo team. Another positive is that unlike Luongo, Miller wants to be here, which counts for a lot. Eddie Lack suffered under John Tortorella, being

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thrown to the wolves after Luongo’s departure. Jacob Markstrom, who was received in the Luongo trade is surplus to requirements and will be traded or waived.

Many of the Canucks’ moves this offseason appear to be sidegrades rather than upgrades. New GM Jim Benning helped build a perennial contender as the assistant GM in Boston, new coach Willie Desjardins has had success at lower level leagues, and new president Trevor Linden is someone who Canucks’ fans can be sure will put the needs of the team first. If this new management team can motivate old players to get back to playing their best hockey and motivate new players to live up to their potential, then they might be contending again

in a couple years. This year though, I predict the Canucks making it no higher than a seventh or eighth playoff seed.