\ Canucks Corner my

By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

year. The Vancouver Canucks

are just one month away from the beginning of the 2010-2011 NHL regular season. Last year, the Canucks were solid, finishing first in the North West Division and third overall in the Western Conference with a record of 49-28-5. They were scratching their heads in the second round of the playoffs however when the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks blew past them in six games. This year though, the Canucks have reloaded and are looking for a fresh start and a deep playoff run.

Let’s take a look at where the Canucks stand to kick off the year.

Goaltending — Captain and goaltender Roberto Luongo is

iE one of the best times of the

coming off a rocky season compared to his previous years where he

has averaged a sterling .913 save percentage and a 2.57 GAA. However his numbers were still decent in terms of playing 68 games and having 40 wins under his belt in the regular season. Many critics say that giving him the captaincy has distracted him from focusing on his game, and perhaps as the team heads into training camp he will consider giving it up.

The real issue for Roberto is whether or not he can deliver when his team needs him the most, in the playoffs. Cory Schneider will be the back-up goalie, a position that he has been fighting for ever since he was drafted in ’04 out of Boston College. Schneider will be receiving more playing time this season than the back-up goaltenders in the Canucks

past, since Vigneault wants to reduce Luongo’s work load.

Offence — The forward line-up has a lot of fresh faces this year with new comers Raffi Torres, Manny Malholtra, Joel Perrault, and Jeff Tambellini joining the squad along with Cody Hodgson, who is expected to make the cut. After having disappointing seasons, Kyle Wellwood and Steve Bernier have said their good-byes which will open up roster spots. Superstar Henrik Sedin was unreal last year winning the Hart Memorial Trophy as the League’s MVP and winning the Art Ross Trophy as the player with the most points in the league at the end of the regular season. Henrik’s brother Daniel had a spectacular season as well coming off an injury earlier in the season and ripping it up for the remainder of the campaign.

The twins will be looked at again this year as the core for the Canucks scoring. Alex Burrows had a career- high 35 goals while Mason Raymond went as far as putting 25 goals in the basket. The forwards are looking strong heading into the season. Defence — The only big changes that the Canucks have done to the defence is getting rid of Willie Mitchell and adding Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard to the line-up. Hambhuis can play his two-way style and join the rush where as Ballard is a decent defensemen but is mostly known for his slash on his own goalie at the time last year in Florida, Tomas Vokoun. Last year the defence ran into many injuries and were often blamed for the Canucks struggles, with a new chemistry hopefully they will be stronger than ever.

21