Each spring 16 NHL teams play for Lord Stanley's Cup. At the end one team is left holding the cup while the other 15 teams can only think of what might have been.
This is about one of the 15 teams who wasn't so lucky.
Vancouver Canucks:
How They Finished: 54-19-9 117 points
1st in Northwest Division, 1st in Western Conference
What Went Wrong:
It wasn't so much one thing that went wrong for Vancouver but a chain reaction of things that did in the Canucks.
They lost Dan Hamhuis to injury after Game 1 & lost Aaron Rome to suspension after his vicious hit on Nathan Horton in Game 3:
The task of replacing them was left to Andrew Alberts, Keith Ballard, & Chris Tanev. All three struggled on the ice against the Bruins forwards.
The Canucks also had their problems up front as well.
The Sedin twins struggled against Zdeno Chara & Dennis Seidenberg. Daniel made an appearance on the scoresheet with a goal in Game 2 but was quiet the rest of the series.
That was better than his brother Henrik who didn't record his 1st shot on goal until Game 4 of the series. Henrik did finally score a goal in Game 6 but with the Bruins having a 5 goal lead the game was already in hand.
Ryan Kesler had the best effort of all the Canucks forwards in the series but he was battling through nagging injuries and was a shadow of himself compared to how he played in previous rounds.
And then there was Roberto Luongo.
Very Jekyll & Hyde throughout the 1st six games of the Finals he had a chance to cement his legacy by shutting down the Bruins in Game 7.
I'm not going to pin the loss on Luongo for the goals he gave up in Game 7. When your teammates don't score I can't blame the goaltender.
However it is up to the goalie to inspire confidence in his team & their fans. A couple big saves early on would have sent the message "I came to play."
Instead the Bruins scored the 1st goal out of nowhere and panic started to set in at Rogers Arena.
The Canucks had their best chance to get back into the game with a power play late in the 2nd period. Instead Boston would score a shorthanded goal, giving the Bruins a 3-0 & ending the Canucks chances of winning the Stanley Cup.
I've always believed that the team with the better goaltender in the finals wins the Stanley Cup. For as good as Luongo's credentials are Tim Thomas was simply better in the series. That's why the Bruins and not the Canucks are Stanley Cup Champions.
Where Do They Go From Here:
I've had some time to think about this the last couple days. Gut reaction says changes need to be made. However the Canucks do not need to blow this thing up.
They finished with the best record in the NHL and one win away from winning the cup. They play in the Northwest division which is the weakest division in the NHL. Barring injuries they should win the division and have a top three seed in the West.
There will be some turnover on the roster though as Vancouver has eight unrestricted free agents & about $13.7 million in projected cap space.
Their 1st priority should be to resign Kevin Bieksa. He was Vancouver's best defenseman in the playoffs finishing a +6 with 5 goals and 5 assists. He's going to get a nice payday from somebody if the Canucks don't resign him.
The other free agents on defense are Sami Salo, Christian Ehrhoff, & Andrew Alberts. Whether all three come back will depend on what happens with Bieksa.
Up front the only forwards that are free agents are Raffi Torres, Chris Higgins, Jeff Tambellini, & Tanner Glass. All four are role players and the Canucks have some talented forwards in the minor leagues. I could see one of the four coming back but I'll be surprised if all four return.
And then there is the goaltending situation.
We all know about Luongo and what he brings to the table but the Canucks have another nice goalie on their team in Cory Schneider. Schneider could start for at least 5-10 teams in the NHL.
Who does Vancouver go with?
Lucky for the Canucks it's not a decision they have to make next season. Luongo is locked in until 2022 making 5.33 million per season. Good luck trading that contract. Schneider becomes a restricted free agent next season.
It's a problem that will need to be addressed at some point but right now the Canucks have some time to figure out what to do.
Vancouver had their best season in team history. They accomplished a lot of great things that in time the fans can look back on and appreciate.
However it ended the same way it has for the previous 40 seasons.
Without a Stanley Cup.
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