Vancouver Canucks – What Went Wrong – Part 2 – Goal and Defence

This is Part 2 in a short series examining what went wrong with the Vancouver Canucks and what needs to be done to ensure the possibility of a timely return to the Stanley Cup Final.

Goaltending

The Canucks are actually in very good shape. Yes, Roberto Luongo had a tough series and yes they have 11 more years left on his contract, but there is really not much wrong with either him or their overall situation. Cory Schneider is a more than capable backup. There are issues, but they are easy fixes.

First is coaching. Alain Vigneault must not look on Roberto as the second coming of Martin Brodeur. He has been played far to much and the Canucks really don’t need him to play this much. Play Schneider more, especially once a playoff spot is secured. Luongo will be the man in the playoffs and common sense says, get him ready and don’t go in with a tired goaltender. The stats don’t lie.

Defence

The defence. This is the real issue with this team. Let’s face it, the best they have, Kevin Bieksa, is only number 3 and maybe number 4 on Boston. I would place him behind Chara, Kaberle and maybe Seidenberg. The rest of them, maybe number 5 or 6 on any team. Erhoff is a complete waste, Edler, same. No team in recent history has won a cup without at least one superstar on defence. Heck, most teams that lose have one. Chicago won last year with a stellar cast on defence, Keith, Seabrook, Campbell and Byfuglien. Philadelphia lost with Pronger, Coburn and Timmonen.

The solution. Simple. Trade the twins for a second line centre and a number 1 defenceman. Lose all their “top” defencemen on the roster with the exception of Bieksa by either ditching the free agents or sweetening the pot with the Sedin’s. They are all disposable, interchangeable parts of a whole.

Summary to Date

After 2 posts we now have a team with a new coach, a rested goalie, and a complete makeover of the defence corps, a new second line centre and no more Sedin’s. Which will lead me to tomorrow’s post on Forwards

Related articles

• Vancouver Canucks – What Went Wrong – Part 1 – Coaching (joebeans2002.wordpress.com)
• Vancouver Canucks Left With Many Questions Follow Stanley Cup Finals Loss (sbnation.com)
• Vancouver Canucks: 6 Reasons Why They Are Not Stanley Cup Champions (bleacherreport.com)

Author: John

I enjoy travel, sports, music and anything else that jumps up at me for the moment, which is why I blog. There will be lots of travel posts, pictures and our videos as well as a smattering of sports and humor. I enjoy promoting Canada and am unabashedly a proud Albertan View all posts by John