March 3, 2008

 

 

 

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Pains NHL trade deadline has
come and gone and once again the
Vancouver Canucks have let a number
of their fellow Western Conference
teams pass them by.

The Colorado Avalanche signed
Peter Forsberg and obtained Adam Foote
to go along with the return of injured
forwards Joe Sakic, Paul Statsny, and
Ryan Smyth.

The San Jose Sharks have
dealt for offensive defenseman Brian
Campbell to give themselves the type of
player they need in order to be classified
as one of the league’s elite.

The Detroit Red Wings, already
far and away the NHL’s best and most
talented team, picked up solid all-around
blueliner Brad Stuart from the Boston
Bruins. While the Detroit blueline is
ravaged by injuries at present, once they

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,. Canucks miss the trade boat

By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor

finally get healthy they will be even more
formidable.

Dallas got a steal in trading for
Brad Richards from Tampa Bay, which
adds an entirely new dimension to their
offense. He made that very clear in his
first game with the Stars, picking up four
points in his debut against the Chicago
Blackhawks.

The Ducks made their big
additions a few weeks ago, bringing

Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne’

back into the fold. They were still active
at the deadline though, trading for a
backup goalie and talented defenseman
Marc-Andre Bergeron.

So with all of this activity among
the Western Conference contenders, why
didn’t the Canucks make any moves?
Even if a flashy star wasn’t acquired,
there were plenty of secondary scorers
available. Why didn’t they make a pitch
for Mark Recchi in Atlanta, who had
25 points in his first 32 games with the
Thrashers? Despite his age (40) he has
proven to be a capable scoring threat.

Vancouver, as unfortunate as it

is, is a one-line team right now. People
wonder why the Sedins weren’t effective
in the playoffs last year, and, well, it’s
because all the Ducks had to do was shut
down the top unit and hope to squeeze
one past Luongo, and the game was in
the bag.

Without a second-line capable
of scoring on a regular basis, Vancouver
isn’t going to advance very far in the
post season—especially with all of
these other teams loading up on new
talent.

Vancouver fans have waited
38 years for a Stanley Cup to come to
town, and with a goalie of Luongo’s
calibre and players with the skill of
the Sedins and Markus Naslund,
you kind of have to wonder, “When
will we go for it?”

  
 
 
 
   
 
  
 
  
 
   

 

 

 

Bieksa’‘s return good news for Vancouver

By Garth McLennan

Tre Vancouver Canucks-Nashville
Predators game had a bit of irony about
it for returning Canucks’ defenseman
Kevin Bieksa.

It was against the Predators

 

almost four months ago on November
1 that Bieksa suffered his devastating
calf injury that caused him to miss 47
games. Since then, Bieksa, 26, has gone
through the long road of rehabilitation
to return to the NHL, spending long

 

hours on the bike
with Vancouver trai.
Takahashi.

Bieksa’s injury occurred after
his leg was accidentally skated on
by Vernon Fiddler. His horrendous
injury sapped all power from his
leg and has since required untold
amounts of willpower for Bieksa
to return from what some had
initially called a

woger

injury.

created a big hole
on the back end for
the Canucks. Last
season, Bieksa was
named the Canucks’
best blueliner after
a breakout year
that included 12
goals, 30 assists, 42 points and
134 penalty minutes. Luckily for
Vancouver, Alex Edler emerged as
one of the game’s brightest young
defenseman this year and has
helped solidify a shaky campaign
for the Vancouver defense.

Bieksa was assigned to the
Manitoba Moose of the AHL
for a conditioning stint and to
ease himself back into action.
Under league rules, Bieksa could have
remained in Manitoba for up two weeks
for his conditioning stint, but he only
played one game with the Moose before
being recalled by the Canucks.

career-threatening “After a couple
Bieksa’s absence Qf contests, it is
safe to say he

will be back to
his old self.”

.n his lone game witn the
Canucks’ top affiliate against the Chicago
Blackhawk’s number one farm team, the
Chicago Wolves, Bieksa saw 25 minutes
of action and garnered an assist. He also
took a hooking minor on his first shift.

After just one game with the
Manitoba Moose and three practices with
the big club, Bieksa made a comeback
against Nashville. Coach Alain
Vigneault limited his time
against the Predators, and
Bieksa played just 15:48
of the game, which isn’t
anywhere near the amount
he is capable of playing.

He did display his

trademark feistiness,
however, hammering
agitator Jordan Tootoo

twice,. taking a roughing

minor, and _ clearing
several Predators out of the Vancouver
crease.

While it may take a few games
for Bieksa to fully return to form and
acclimate himself back to the NHL, the
Canucks are without a doubt better with
him in the lineup, and after a couple of
contests, it is safe to say he will be back
to his old self. The boost of that having
a player of Bieksa’s calibre is difficult to
dispute. No other Vancouver defenseman
can match Bieksa’s tenacity, combination
of defensive and offensive capability,
fighting ability, and leadership—both on
and off the ice.

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