Playoff Failure Puts Canucks Under Microscope
Every team in the NHL is envious of the Vancouver Canucks’ five consecutive division titles, they’ve been the West’s most consistent club over the last few years in the regular season at least. However this franchise and city are still without a Stanley Cup, and it seems like they haven’t recovered from their tough finals loss to Boston in 2011. For the second straight year though the Canucks have been cast aside in the first round of the playoffs, this time humiliatingly swept by the San Jose Sharks. Another crushing disappointment has raised plenty of questions for coaches and players alike, it’ll be interesting to see if they make any major changes to the current core this offseason.
Head coach Alain Vigneault is the man first up for review, I feel they may take a look at a coaching change before making more drastic decisions on their roster. Watching his team surrender their playoff status so meekly must have hurt, from the outside it looked like he was short of ideas on how to turn the tide. He possesses the record for all time wins as Canucks coach, though if they feel a new direction is necessary it’s the easier option to put a new guy behind the bench.
Next we have the six man skater group that has been the main identity of this hockey club since the retirement of Markus Naslund. Henrik and Daniel Sedin have again come in to criticism for their postseason performance after neither registered a goal against San Jose. It’s over top but not without basis, in the sense that they’ve never managed to elevate their game like other “superstars” might. Alex Burrows has provided balance to that top line for a few years now and is an important component although I think they overpaid him with a recent four year extension. Ryan Kesler must also rediscover his best, though he can only do that if he stays injury free. For me Kesler was the driving force behind that run to the finals and is their most valuable asset moving forward. Kevin Bieksa and Alex Edler are the blueline stalwarts, by his own standards the latter had a poor season on the back of signing a large six year extension. As the Sedins have a year left on their identical contracts you have to believe it’ll be vital in defining what happens beyond, that would be the logical time to take a look making major alterations to their playing staff.
With the salary cap shrinking ahead of next season the Canucks will be right up against it with only 17 players signed, it seems logical for General Manager Mike Gillis will use the two compliance buyouts afforded to him by the new CBA. There’s a couple of options as to who to cut, Keith Ballard would seem to be the most obvious option after being scratched for all four playoff games. David Booth is another candidate with his history of injuries, like Ballard his contract runs for another two years at $4m plus. It would also be a last resort for Roberto Luongo should they be unable to find a trade partner for him.
Luongo’s predicament as a backup to Cory Schneider dominated the headlines surrounding the club all season. It’s inconceivable that the three time Vezina nominee will still be a Canuck come October, especially after how the trade deadline non event played out. It must be said that Luongo conducted himself with the utmost class throughout and would be an excellent pickup for many NHL teams. It just seemed to me that despite being an Olympic Gold medallist he began to be seen as the embodiment of Vancouver’s playoff failures and now there’s too much baggage there. Schneider was the correct long term choice to be fair and they also have Eddie Lack who can come in and be backup next year.
Decisions will also have to be made on upcoming free agents. Deadline acquisition Derek Roy appears unlikely to be re-upped after making a disappointing lack of impact, a prime example of a “rental” deal not working out. Manny Malhotra looks like being a UFA too, Gillis decided that it was too dangerous for him to play with the amount of sight he has lost in his left eye. Max Lapierre, Mason Raymond and Andrew Alberts should all be resigned.
They’ll likely be a playoff team next season no matter what happens this coming summer. I think time is up for Vigneault and he’s highly unlikely to be Head Coach come opening night. The fanbase’s fervent passion will often come across as impatience, I’d say they have a right to expect results when the franchise spends as much as it does. There’s one more year for this current crop to prove themselves.
