Vancouver Canucks – 2014-15 Season Preview
Sep 26, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward
Daniel Sedin
(22) skates with the puck against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
2013-14 RECAP
It was certainly a tough year for fans of the Vancouver Canucks. The John Tortorella experiment failed miserably, and they had to watch former coach Alain Vigneault advance to the Stanley Cup Final. The Canucks finished 8 points back of the playoffs in 5th place in the Pacific Division.
Apr 23, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie
Ryan Miller
(39) covers the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
CHANGES
IN – Radim Vrbata, Nick Bonino, Derek Dorsett, Luca Sbisa, Ryan Miller
OUT- Ryan Kesler, David Booth, Mike Santorelli, Jordan Schroeder, Jason Garrison,
Kesler is the biggest departure, finally getting out of Vancouver after a couple of years of rumors. Miller is the key acquisition and will be looking to prove he is still among the elite netminders in the league.
Apr 13, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Henrik Sedin (33) defends against Calgary Flames forward Matt Stajan (18) during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
3 BIG QUESTIONS
1. Miller Time? – The Canucks went from having one of the best tandems in the league to facing a season with one of the worst until Miller signed on. Miller didn’t have success in St. Louis and will be ready to show he can still backstop a team to the playoffs.
2. Are The Sedins Still Stars? – With 50 and 47 points respectively, Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin had their worst offensive outputs since the 2004-05 lockout. Was it a product of playing under Tortorella, or have they hit the wall?
3. Window closed? – The Canucks enjoyed years of success based primarily on skill, but also due to the fact they were in a relatively weak division. With the flip to the Pacific, they have to track down San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim among others to get back to the playoffs.
Apr 1, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler (23) skates against the New York Rangers during the third period at Rogers Arena. The New York Rangers won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
PREDICTION
The Canucks seem to be a team on the verge of a rebuild. They had to move their best all-around player in Kesler, one of their top offensive blueliners in Garrison and really didn’t get much immediate return. If Alex Burrows doesn’t have a monster bounce-back year, the Canucks will have trouble icing a real first line, let along make up any ground in the playoff race.
5th PACIFIC DIVISION