Canucks stagnant on deadline day

 

 

Andrew Alberts

 

  

Garth McLennan

sports editor

 

 

h, NHL trade deadline
day. Every year it’s a time
of great anticipation for

Canucks fans and every year, come
the noon deadline, Canucks fans are
left with a feeling of disappointment.
Unfortunately, 2010 was no different.

Despite Vancouver GM Mike
Gillis’ bold proclamations when he
arrived in Vancouver that he was
intent on building a team that would
contend for the Stanley Cup, and
not be built to just make the second
round of the playoffs, the Canucks
failed to upgrade themselves in any
serviceable way... again.

With the exception of the
acquisition of depth defenseman
Andrew Alberts from Carolina and a
pair of minor league deals that won’t
impact the Canucks at all, Gillis once
again stood pat, with basically the
same club that was blown out of the
water by the Chicago Blackhawks in

would you really put money on the
Canucks over any of those teams?
Sure, Vancouver might be able to
skate with them, but can you honestly
tell me that the Canucks are better
than them?

Yes, we did get Alberts, but,
with all due respect, he can hardly be
called an upgrade. It is expected that
he’ll slot in behind Shane O’Brien
and will battle with Aaron Rome for
a roster spot. That isn’t exactly filling
in for Willie Mitchell, who might not
make it back at all this season.

What’s doubly frustrating is that
the Canucks have a solid prospect
that they have no use for in Cory
Schneider. Are you telling me that
he’s not great trade bait? With
Roberto Luongo locked up here
until Kingdom Come, what’s the
point in holding on to Schneider?
He’s played in the minors for years
now and his development can’t go

“What’s doubly frustrating is that the Canucks have a solid
prospect that they have no use for in Cory Schneider. Are you
telling me that he’s not great trade bait?”

the post-season last year.

Now, to be fair to Gillis, his team
is leading the Northwest Division
and Pavol Demitra is showing real
signs of being a scoring threat again
after his remarkable performance for
Slovakia at the Olympics. Plus, not
many other teams, outside of New
Jersey lifting Ilya Kovalchuk from
Atlanta, got significantly better at the
deadline. Phoenix, Los Angeles and
Washington are the only clubs that
noticeably added to their line-ups.

But still, can anyone really call
the Vancouver Canucks a serious
threat to win the Cup this year?

In a seven-game series with the
Blackhawks, the San Jose Sharks or
the L.A. Kings, not even to mention
some of the powerhouses out east,

any further there. Plain and simple,
he has nothing left accomplish. So
why keep him? He isn’t going to
supplement Luongo as the big club’s
Starter, and he’s likely to fetch a more
than decent return, so why not trade
him? It’s a good question, but every
year the trade deadline comes and
goes and every year Schneider is still
Canucks property.

As time goes on, faith in
Gillis has to be wavering. With the
exception of his excellent deal for
Christian Ehrhoff, all he’s really done
is lock up Brian Burke and Dave
Nonis’ players (getting Alex Burrows
under contract for just $2 million
per year was a great move though).
That’s hardly putting his stamp on
the team.