May 11th 2009 – although most wont remember the actual date, many Canucks fans will know what happened on this fateful day. This was when the Vancouver Canucks’ juggernaut hit a brick wall with a crushing loss to the Chicago Blackhawks that ending their playoff run.
Since then, GM Mike Gillis has address many of the issues that where blamed for their untimely exit from the playoffs. Firstly, he added two good puck moving defensemen by signing Christian Ehrhoff and Mathieu Schneider. Each of the players can help to fill the gaps on the power play that were so apparent last season. The Canucks now have nine NHL caliber defensemen. Gillis has also restocked the somewhat empty prospects cupboard with the likes of Anton Rodin, Jordan Schroeder and Eric Walsky to name a few. Not only that, he has resigned pivotal players such as Roberto Luongo and the Sedin twins and signed players like Andrew Raycroft and Brad Luckowich.
The latest version of the Canucks will look quite different. I believe they will play with more offensive flare and have more depth across the whole team. Now is certainly a great and exciting time to be a Canucks fan! As I write, the Canucks recently played their first preseason game against the New York Islanders which resulted in a 2 – 1 win for the Canucks. Both goals were scored by Sergei Shirokov, another prospect who has the talent to be a great player for this team.
The Canucks have the potential to go even further into the playoffs this season, with all the great players we know and love, a few new faces and captain Roberto. So lets forget May 11th 2009 and gain solace from the fact that the new season is less than a month away. It’s almost time to step on board the Vancouver Canucks’ roller coaster for what will be a wonderfully bumpy ride. Are you ready? I know I am!
This article is a guest article from Hockey World Blog reader James C. Edgington.
