I look at the good, the bad, and the interesting from the Canucks’ 3-2 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks from Tuesday, March 5 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
The game between these two evenly-matched opponents started off a tad slowly but certainly picked up as the game entered the second-half of the second period and beyond.
In the video, I touch on the Sedins, Jannik Hansen, the Canucks’ compete level, Alex Edler, our power-play, Keith Ballard’s return (and injury), and overtime shots on goal.
Doesn’t it feel like we were just here? After a full day of NFL playoffs, we’re right back into hockey mode. Let’s just hope tonight’s game goes a little better than last night’s. I mean, it can’t get any worse, right?
Dear Boys in Blue, it’s not really Octobuary. I hope it’s not a lot to ask that you have it a little more together tonight. #tgatt
Hello hockey fans. I’m still having a little trouble believing it, but we’re back baby. It’s been a long 8 months, but the contracts are signed, the ice is prepped, and we’re ready to go.
Tequila game prep. This will be great, or horrible. It’s all up to the boys in blue. #Canucks#TGATT
The collective Canucks fan base can breathe a sigh of relief, Alex Edler doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere.
Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images
Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis abruptly announced (over Twitter!) that the Canucks have locked up the defenseman to a six-year contract extension, worth $30-million. That means the silky blueliner will be making $5-million per season.
It also means that he becomes Vancouver’s highest-paid defenceman, but perhaps that was to be expected. With all due respect to his teammates Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis, and Jason Garrison (we’ve omitted Keith Ballard’s name for obvious purposes), Edler still has immense upside compared to them.
Even though the Swede put up a career-high 11 goals and 49 points last season — the healthiest season of his career, we should mention — some believe he could’ve put up even more. There’s one, two, or three 50+ point seasons in Edler yet, and the Canucks are banking on him rising to that level within the next six seasons.
You’d be nuts to not believe the Canucks regard Edler highly. Here’s a quote from assistant coach Rick Bowness back in 2010, before Edler had even cracked the 40-point barrier:
Nick Lidstrom was 31 [when he won his first Norris Trophy]. That’s seven years from now for Alex. You figure where Alex is and where he’s going to be seven years from now. That’s why you have to look at the big picture.
Pretty lofty expectations to set for Edler, sure; hard to compare one player to his arguably the second greatest defenseman of all-time. But that’s just how much the Canucks value their now highest-paid defenceman.
But as much as you’d like to praise Edler’s newest contract and his high potential, the contract doesn’t come out with at least some trepidation. He missed 31 games in 2011 after back surgery and last summer had back surgery again to fix a bulging disc. Edler says now that he feels as healthy as he’s felt in a very long time, but also that he might never feel 100 percent ever again.
That has to raise at least some concern.
Assuming though, that the Canucks medical and training staff can keep Edler happy and healthy, and the coaching staff don’t over-exert him over the course of long regular seasons, the back issue should be a non-concern.
And while six years — as with any long-term contract — can create some cap-related concerns, the Canucks can at least take solace that there are several defencemen across the league that make even more money than he will. Take for example, the following list of less-than-Edler blueliners:
Jay Bouwmeester, 29 years old, five years @ $6.68-million per season
Tyler Myers, 22 years old, seven years @ $5.5-million per season
Matt Carle, 28 years old, six years @ $5.5-million per season
Dennis Wideman, 29 years old, 5 years @ $5.25-million per season
There could be far worse options than Alex Edler at $5-million for the next six years.
And taking a look at the potential free agent defencemen crop for next summer:
Kimmo Timonen
Lubomir Visnovsky
Sergei Gonchar
Ron Hainsey
Mark Streit
It’s easy to suggest Edler would’ve been the best defencemen available of the bunch. There very likely would’ve been a team that wouldn’t flinch at throwing him a contract with a longer term and for even more money.
The Canucks did well to lock up Edler. And for the next six seasons, you can look forward to some more of this:
I’m not going to rant. I’m not going to rage. I would probably cry but I don’t want to short-circuit my keyboard so I won’t even do that. Instead I’ll keep this brief. And then I will eat chocolate.
Where We Went Right
Ryan Kesler was incredible on the penalty kill. He may not have scored goals but in this game his shot blocking and clearing was equally if not more important. If it wasn’t for Kesler and Cory Schneider the score would have been 8-1 for the Kings by the end of the third.
And that leads me to the second thing we did right – we had the right goalie in net. Schneider was calm and collected despite slashes by Mike Richards and bodies flailing in his crease. He never fell down and stayed down and he never lost his stick – both traits Luongo is famous for. Cory did every thing you could ask of a goalie and more. He earned his spot as our number one netminder and I will be shocked and horrified if that’s not exactly what he is next season.
Where We Went Wrong
One goal is not going to win you a series when you are down 3 games to 1. Putting David Booth on a line with the twins is not going to get you goals. Putting Mason Raymond on the ice at all is not going to get you goals. For me, Alain Vigneault’s coaching decisions were almost as epically bad as Alex Edler was on defence. And they of course, are a reflection of what Mike Gillis has given him to work with. The trades this year have no been the glorious additions Max Lapierre and Chris Higgins were last year. Not even close.
I Don’t Blame Hamhuis
I honestly don’t. Hammy was about the only defenceman trying in Games 1 and 2. He made 1 mistake at a very inopportune time. If we’re going to crucify individual players here we need to nail Raymond and Booth and Edler. End of story. Their complete and utter uselessness, or in the case of Edler his plethora of mistakes, are what cost us the first two games. We wouldn’t have been in a hole if it wasn’t for those 3 more than anyone else. And Kesler diving instead of taking shots. And Duncan Keith elbowing Daniel to in regular season and taking him out of the first 3 games. There are so many more reasons we lost than simply Dan Hamhuis falling down. We need to take a good hard look at all of those reasons – on the bench and behind it – and make some changes before October.
It’s been an honour and a pleasure writing for the Canucks Hockey Blog. I hope I can do it next season while I cheer on our boys in Blue – no matter who those boys may be. (But it better not be Raymond).
Where to begin? I’m dazed and confused right now. I’m devastated. I’m lost as to exactly what I can say that will make any sense of this for any of you because it’s just ridiculous to think the Presidents Trophy winners are one game away from elimination. But here’s what small thoughts my brain could wrangle up on Game 3 of the Canucks-Kings series.
You want a controversy? I’ll give you a controversy!
When AV announced Cory Schneider was starting, heads exploded all over the internet. I don’t understand why Canucks fans think this our BIG controversy right now. We have 2 starter goalies. I’d venture to say Schneider’s performance tonight along with Lu’s in Games 1 and 2 prove that. Accept it and move on.
Tonight also proved what the real controversy is: our talented, trophy-heavy team can’t score goals. We have a Hart Trophy winner, a Selke Trophy winner, an Art Ross Trophy winner and several clutch scorers and we just got blanked. Other than Burr and Hansen, our goals this series have been scored by Edler and Pahlsson. 4 goals in 3 games. No Kesler or Henrik goals, obviously no Daniel ones. But other clutch players like Higgins and Lapierre aren’t netting anything either. And Booth and Raymond… don’t even get me started.
Canucks fans, get your knickers in a knot over THAT. The fact that Vigneault can pick between a redheaded American who stops 3-on-1s or an Italian-Canadian who stands on his head is a luxury not a controversy.
Did we trade one too many puzzle pieces?
I honestly do not believe missing Daniel Sedin is having this big an effect. That is because, in the past playoffs, the Sedins together have been quite easily controlled. Last year players like Kesler took the playoff lead. Burrows slayed the beast known as Chicago. Bieksa and his stanchion-rific goal got us through San Jose. Lapierre and Torres scored clutch goals against Boston. So although it would be easy to say Duncan Keith ruined our playoffs chances, it would be erroneous.
I do think though that management may have tinkered one too many times with the winning machine. Dumping Samuelsson, Hodgson and picking up Booth, Kassian, and Pahlsson might have seemed like good ideas but did it tilt the balance? This game alone Booth fanned on a pass, missed the net and lost the puck. Pahlsson took a dumb penalty and then, after shoving Dustin Brown into the corner, thought his work was done and left Brown to get up, take a pass and nail the back of the net. Kassian gave a puck right to a King and made no physical impact. We may have traded ourselves out of contention. That said if someone would offer us a bag of magic beans and a unicorn for Edler and Raymond right now I would take it. Even if the unicorn can’t skate it would be a step up.
Let’s hear it for Hammy
I want to make sure that, even if this is all over in two days, the valiant efforts of Dan Hamhuis do not go unrecognized. He was the best defensemen out there tonight. He hip checked like a king. He took shots. He pinched pucks. And for the second time in two games Hammy was our real back-up goalie, blocking shots like a boss. Hamhuis wants this. Let’s put him in net and make Luongo and Schneider Hank’s new wingers and see where that goes. After all, we only have everything to lose.
All we can do now, Canucks fans, is believe. Believe that our team paid special notice to how the Blackhawks marched their way thru us to a game 7 last year. Believe Ryan Kesler will find the back of the net. Believe Mason Raymond won’t fall down. Believe Booth will get his mojo back. Believe whatever alien life form has been occupying Edler’s body will get bored with being a blonde and give him back to us. Believe, Canucks fans. Believe.
I look at the good, the bad, and the interesting from the Canucks’ 3-2 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks from Tuesday, March 5 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
