Vancouver Canucks - 2014 - what if Jim Benning never happened?

[CanuckJohnny]

From Russia with love, meet the Canucks' leading scorer




February 11th, 2017 -
In the midst of a rough season for Vancouver there are a few silver linings and perhaps the brightest of them is 26 year old Nikita Filatov. Drafted by the Blue Jackets 6th overall in 2008, the skilled youngster never managed to stick at the NHL level, whether it was attitude or usage or confidence or details he just couldn't make a decisive impact and wasn't really a bottom six type of player. Eventually he was moved to Ottawa and when that experiment failed he went back to his home country and thrived in the familiarity. Especially the past couple years he put up tremendous numbers in Russia and got the attention of NHL scouts and teams willing to offer him a second chance in the best league in the world.

With perhaps greater maturity and confidence, Nikita made the decision to cross the Pacific again and prove his worth on the biggest stage. Trevor Linden courted him, and whether it was the Pavel Bure connection or just the best shot at a top six opportunity, he chose Vancouver and signed for three years.

Filatov has not disappointed and looks to be the most savvy signing yet for Linden and his management team. Filatov's goal last night against the team that drafted him in a 4-1 victory was not only sweet, it was his 21st of the season. He leads Vancouver in goals and also in points with 39 and has established himself as a fixture on the top line, carrying them offensively even when Daniel and Henrik went down to injury. The future is bright for Filatov who seems to have established himself as a top six NHLer this time around. And maybe things aren't so dark in Vancouver either.

[CanuckJohnny]

Canucks pull trigger on Bonino trade, acquire future first from Kings




February 25th, 2017 -
Trevor Linden is getting to work early a week ahead of the trade deadline. With only a year left on his contract and no extension in place, Nick Bonino was rumoured to be available after seeing himself surpassed by Bo Horvat on the Canucks depth chart down the middle. The Kings finally bit, moving next year's first and a second this year along with prospect defenseman Jacob Middleton for a package of picks and Bonino. Reports are that Vancouver will retain 50% of Bonino's salary the remainder of the season.

The Trade: LAK acquires C Nick Bonino (28yo, 61gp, 5-12-17, -1) [50% retained], 2017 VAN 3rd, 2017 VAN 4th, 2018 VAN 2nd, 2018 VAN 3rd; VAN acquires prospect D Jacob Middleton (21yo, AHL 56gp, 8-8-16, +3), 2017 LAK 2nd, 2018 LAK 1st.

Bonino was part of the return for disgruntled center Ryan Kesler at the end of the 2014 season. Vancouver had hoped to see him step into a second line role but at 28 he's looking more like a very solid 3C. His two season prior to this he had 38 and 39 points but this year his icetime and also his production has trailed off a bit. However, his reputation as a hard working, defensively reliable pivot who can chip in made him a valuable piece for the Kings. He was a key penalty killer for a Vancouver unit that is surprisingly top five in the league and is tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals with two. The Kings value his style of play and he will fit right in down the middle in a lineup that has Kopitar, Kruger and Boyle at center already. Bonino should play a key 3C role for a team that is looking to go deep in the playoffs this year. The Kings give up their first next year and second this year but do gain more mid round picks in the next couple drafts, getting a third and a fourth this year and a second and third next year, hoping that quantity rather than quality will pay off for them.

At 21, there are questions over whether Middleton will be able to develop enough offense into his game to play NHL minutes in anything more than a depth role. As a defender of his size he will need to add more physicality to his game as well, but his defensive IQ and willingness to sacrifice his body blocking shots will always give him a chance to earn a role in the big leagues someday. He was seen as more of a throw in to make the roster numbers work, but he is definitely in the mould of defensively responsible blueliners with size that Linden and co tend to target for AHL depth and NHL prospects. He will have to earn his icetime on a deep Utica blueline as the Canucks continue to accumulate minor league defensemen.

Vancouver gets back into the first round in next year's draft and adds a second second rounder this year. They thin out their number of draft selections even more in the process however and after the second round is complete they won't have another pick this year, barring further wheeling and dealing anyways. Trevor Linden is betting big on quality over quantity with draft selections and it may take a few years to see if his strategy will pay off. If it does, he may not be around to see it as Vancouver fans and ownership are already getting restless with the listless franchise.

[CanuckJohnny]

Pre-Deadline Roundup




The landscape in the West is becoming more settled but there are definitely playoff spots still up for grabs. The Sharks and Kings look pretty set to be the top two teams in the Pacific but the Ducks and Flames are in a dead heat for third. Whoever slips in that race should have the inside track for a wild card, while the rest of the Pacific is solidly out of the running at this point.

The Predators have locked down the top spot in the Central with Dallas and Minnesota currently sitting in 2nd and 3rd place. The race for the final wild card is tight, with the Avalanche, Blues and Blackhawks all within three points, while the Jets are close to being out of it at ten points back.

The Bruins have continued their dominating season and look to be a cinch for the President's Trophy with 51 wins already and only seven regulation losses for 107 total points through 63 games. The Lightning are comfortably in second in the Atlantic while Detroit and Montreal are competing for that third spot. With the lacklustre field in the Metro it looks like the final wild card will come down to whoever can win fifth place in the Atlantic and right now the Connor McDavid-led Buffalo Sabres have the edge. The Senators and Panthers are only three points back of them and the Leafs aren't out of it yet either. A real logjam that should make for an exciting final month and a half of the season.

The New York Rangers are pretty solidly entrenched atop the Metro and the Capitals look to have a playoff spot mostly in the bag. The Penguins hold onto that final spot but the Islanders look to give them a good run for it. After that the Metro descends into mediocrity or worse, as the Blue Jackets, Flyers, Hurricanes and Devils might as well already be booking tee times.

Team Stat Leaders:
GF/gm - Boston, San Jose (3.44), Tampa Bay (3.21), Nashville (3.13), Washington (3.10)
GA/gm - Tampa Bay (1.98), Boston (2.10), San Jose (2.11), Anaheim (2.17), NY Rangers (2.33)
PP - Washington (26.3%), Tampa Bay (22.8%), Los Angeles (21.8%), Nashville (21.3%), San Jose (21.1%)
PK - Tampa Bay (90.2%), San Jose (86.3%), Philadelphia (85.4%), Boston (84.9%), Vancouver, Edmonton, NY Rangers (84.4%)

Goalie Leaders (min 20gp):
GAA - Vasilevskiy (TBL) 1.90, Mazanec (NSH), Task (BOS) 2.00, Andersen (ANA) 2.14, Talbot (DAL) 2.16
Sv Pct - Lehner (OTT), Andersen (ANA), Vasilevskiy (TBL) .934, Dubnyk (CGY) .930, Bernier (TOR), Rask (BOS) .927
GSAA - Vasilevskiy (TBL) 26.39, Lehner (OTT) 26.36, Dubnyk (CGY) 25.51, Andersen (ANA) 25.19, Bernier (TOR) 20.56
SO - Bernier (TOR), Bishop (STL), Dubnyk (CGY), Kuemper (MIN) 7, Andersen (ANA), Howard (DET), Mazanec (NSH), Quick (LAK), Varlamov (COL) 6

Rookie Leaders:
Points - D. Strome (CGY) 12-22-34, Panarin (WSH) 8-26-34, Marner (CAR) 18-13-32, Point (NYR) 11-10-21, Matthews (FLA) 8-13-21

Other Stat Leaders:
Takeaways - McDonagh (NYR) 49, Giordano (CGY), Silfverberg (ANA), Stone (OTT) 48, C. Tanev (VAN) 47
Hits - Borowiecki (SJS) 301, Manning (PHI) 283, Landeskog (COL) 224, Wilson (WSH) 210, Deslauriers (BUF) 200
Blocked Shots - C. Tanev (VAN) 254, C. Murphy (ARI) 221, E. Karlsson (OTT) 200, Alzneer (WSH), Brodie (CGY) 198
PIM - Borowiecki (SJS) 209, Wilson (WSH) 154, Manning (PHI) 142, Backes (STL), Deslauriers (BUF) 117
FO% - Kopitar (LAK) 60.5, Tavares (NYI) 60.1, J. Staal (CAR) 58.9, R. O'Reilly (COL) 58.0, Hanzal (ARI) 57.7
+/- - Krug (BOS), Nieto (SJS) +35, Bergeron (BOS), Eriksson (BOS) +34, Saad (SJS), Vlasic (SJS) +33

Injuries:
F Patrick Kane (CHI) OUT indefinitely (hip)
D Justin Schultz (EDM) OUT 2-3 weeks (ankle)
D Oscar Klefbom (EDM) OUT indefinitely (arm)
F Mikko Koivu (MIN) OUT 1-2 weeks (knee)
F David Desharnais (MTL) OUT 2-3 weeks (upper body)
F Anton Rodin (MTL) OUT 1-2 months (knee)
F Kevin Hayes (NYR) OUT 1-2 weeks (foot)
F Mika Zibanejad (OTT) OUT 2-3 weeks (hand)
D Shayne Gostisbehere (PHI) OUT 2-3 months (arm)
F Boyd Gordon (PHI) OUT 1-2 months (eye)
D Kris Letang (PIT) OUT 2-3 months (hip)
D Anton Stralman (TBL) OUT 2-3 months (knee)
D Dion Phaneuf (TOR) OUT 1-2 months (spleen)
F Justin Williams (VAN) OUT 3-4 months (elbow)

[CanuckJohnny]

Trade Deadline Day




March 1st, 2017

TRADE: ANA acquires LW Chris Higgins (59gp, 9-8-17, -22), rights to prospect G Alexandar Georgiev (21yo, RUS 36gp, 3.21gaa, .893sv%, 21w), 2019 VAN 5th, 2019 VAN 6th; VAN acquires prospect C Trent Frederic (19yo, AHL 58gp, 7-15-22, +6). ANALYSIS: Anaheim gets us started with a deal to acquire veteran forward Chris Higgins. Higgins waives his no trade clause to join the Ducks in their playoff hopes. The Ducks take on Higgins' full contract which has another year left on it, and for that they get the rights to Russian goalie Alexandar Georgiev, a former fourth round selection who has seen steady improvement over in Russia and is expected to eventually challenge for an NHL job when he comes to North America. Vancouver manages to move off a difficult contract with a NTC, gives up a promising young goalie but does acquire a big young center in Frederic, who uses his 6-2 frame well to create havoc for goalies and establish a net front presence. He hasn't seen much offensive success in limited AHL icetime but at 19 he is a project with potential at least for Vancouver's farm system.

TRADE: TBL acquires D Nick Holden (60gp, 7-13-20, -6); CAR acquires prospect D Artyom Zub (21yo, AHL 57gp, 4-18-22, -1), 2017 TBL 3rd. ANALYSIS: The Lightning bolster their blueline with a legitimate NHL middle pairing defenseman to slot in behind Hedman on the depth chart. They had two 23 year olds, Koekkoek and Nesterov, playing more minutes than a team with Cup aspirations would like. The cost is relatively inexpensive as they give up Zub, who could one day become a solid defensive NHL defenseman and a third. The Hurricanes move on from an expiring contract and recoup assets for the future as they continue to rebuild.

TRADE: ANA acquires D James Wisniewski (18gp, 2-3-5, -9), 2018 CBJ 2nd; CBJ acquires prospect F Nathan Walker (23yo, AHL 58gp, 24-24-48, +6), 2017 ANA 1st, 2018 ANA 4th. ANALYSIS: The Ducks have an incredibly solid top five blueliners, all of them legitimate top four NHLers and all but Erik Johnson at 25 years old or younger. But their sixth defenseman was Clayton Stoner and they are clearly serious about contending this year. Wisniewski gives them possibly the deepest blueline in the West. He missed much of the year with a broken leg but is back healthy and looking to get back to the form that saw him hit 18 goals and 50 points last season. The Blue Jackets were looking to move the 33 year old Wisniewski as his contract expires this summer and they get a taker in Anaheim who will send them an extra first this year. To make it work they had to move their second next year but they also get a young minor league winger in Walker who has been very productive at the minor league level and might make the NHL next with a good camp.

TRADE: DET acquires D Paul Martin (62gp, 5-24-29, -9), rights to prospect C Ross Colton (20yo, NCAA 31gp, 18-19-37, -6), rights to prospect RW Conor Garland (20yo, QMJHL 47gp, 27-33-60, +1), 2017 LAK 2nd, 2019 VAN 2nd; VAN acquires LW Tyler Bertuzzi (22yo, 20gp, 0-0-0, -5). ANALYSIS: Detroit moves to fill a gaping need in their blueline on the left side. They have no real offensive puck moving defensemen and besides his veteran savvy and two way responsibility Paul Martin also is 29th in NHL defensemen with 29 points and should add some offensive punch to their back end. Martin is a rental and the player Vancouver required in return was Tyler Bertuzzi, a physical and feisty winger with offensive ability but who has been invisible with the Red Wings in 20 games this year. To make the difference in perceived value the Canucks moved a lot of assets in the form of two promising forward prospects (Garland is tearing up the QMJHL and Colton has shown he is offensively capable at the NCAA level) and two second round picks, including the one they recently acquired from Los Angeles in the Bonino trade. Vancouver gets the best piece long term if Bertuzzi lives up to his potential and grows into a gritty first line winger but they give up a lot of assets including their shiniest deadline piece in Martin.

TRADE: CHI acquires RW Radim Vrbata (52gp, 19-19-38, +3); FLA acquires RW Antoine Vermette (29gp, 3-7-10, -4), 2017 CHI 5th, 2018 CHI 1st, 2019 CHI 3rd. ANALYSIS: Chicago needs to replace the injured Patrick Kane and Stan Bowman is desperate to get back in the playoffs and stay relevant. His job may be in doubt after a few questionable moves have seen the once proud Blackhawks fall to this point of scrapping to get into the final playoff spot. Vrbata is an option because his contract is immediately off the books this summer. As an added bonus, the Panthers take on Vermette's contract for next year to give the Hawks a little more flexibility with their cap. In exchange the Blackhawks pay dearly with draft picks, giving up next year's first and a future third as well. That's the price of getting out of Vermette's contract and also adding one of the few legitimate top six scoring threats available this deadline. A tidy piece of work for the Panthers who are still competing for a playoff spot but are aware that they are still in the final stages of a rebuild and value the draft picks and also the expanded opportunities and icetime for their young star Auston Matthews.

TRADE: DAL acquires D Kris Russell (62gp, 5-8-13, -20); VAN acquires prospect F Evgeny Svechnikov (20yo, AHL 58gp, 15-28-44, +2). ANALYSIS: The Canucks were looking to move Russell, whose contract expires this summer, and found a taker in Dallas. The Stars will appreciate Russell's defensive chops, his skating ability and willingness to sacrifice his body for his team as they hope to go on a playoff run. The Canucks get younger with Svechnikov and may be in a position to give the gifted Russian winger an opportunity for NHL minutes down the stretch.

TRADE: NYI acquires LW Brandon Dubinsky (61gp, 11-16-27, +2); CBJ acquires prospect D Vladislav Gavrikov (21yo, AHL 58gp, 2-15-17, +6), 2017 NYI 2nd, 2018 NYI 2nd. ANALYSIS: The Islanders want to push hard for the playoffs and then make some noise when they get in there and this is an aggressive move by Snow to try to get there. The Jackets move their captain, a gritty two way leader, who was on an expiring contract and probably wasn't going to be re-signed as they continue to have a rebuilding outlook. "Duby" is producing at about a forty point pace and the Isles were looking for a left winger who can put some points up while still playing their defensively responsible, slightly rough style. There aren't a lot of middle six wingers available so the price was steep, giving up two seconds and a potential NHL defenseman in Gavrikov.

TRADE: MTL acquires F Alex Burrows (29gp, 1-5-6, -1) [50% retained], 2019 VAN 4th; VAN acquires prospect D Dalton Thrower (23yo, AHL 57gp, 6-17-23, +4). ANALYSIS: Trevor Linden does Alex Burrows a solid, moving him to his hometown team for a playoff run. The Canucks had no intention of re-signing Burrows and retain on his contract as well as throwing a future fourth Montreal's way as a sweetener. They get back a minor league defenseman with little upside in the physical Thrower, mostly thrown in to make the contracts work. The Canadiens will hope that Alex's playoff experience will come in handy for them. Linden can sleep well knowing he did good by Alex Burrows.

No more deals come in late, this turned out to be a fairly quiet deadline.

[CanuckJohnny]

Free Falling Canucks get chippy in practice




March 16th, 2017 -
Things are pretty bleak in Vancouver these days. They've lost *checks notes* fifteen times in a row. In seven games since the trade deadline they have scored exactly two goals. It's understandable if tensions are high and frustration rules the day. The rumours of Brendan Gaunce's scrap with Nikita Filatov in practice are true. Captain Henrik Sedin addressed the situation with media. "We've had some good conversations with both parties and hopefully things die down between them. They're competitive, fiery guys and we appreciate that. Things have obviously been difficult lately, pucks aren't going our way and we haven't been good enough. Hopefully we can prepare well and turn things around and end the year on a more positive note."

[CanuckJohnny]

Finally a Win for basement dwelling Canucks




March 25th, 2017 -
On the brink of a historic twenty game losing streak the Canucks finally broke through against Minnesota and, after dropping nineteen straight, came away with the 4-1 victory. What a relief. Derrick Pouliot opened the scoring in the second with his tenth of the year but Erik Haula equalized and after forty minutes it was all tied at one. The third saw Brendan Gaunce net the go ahead goal less than a minute in. Vancouver held strong and with three minutes to go Bo Horvat added an insurance marker. Brandon Tanev scored into the empty net to seal it and Canucks Nation breathed a collective sigh of relief.

In other Canucks news, newcomer Tyler Bertuzzi put pen to paper on a lucrative eight year extension worth a reported $3.41M per year. It's a big gamble for Trevor Linden, who's already on the hot seat after the team's freefall to the bottom of the standings this year, but if Bertuzzi becomes a top six winger they will have him locked up for a while at a reasonable number.

[CanuckJohnny]

All they want to do is go out on a win - bottom feeding Canucks end season with victory at least




April 9th, 2017 -
In what some insiders are saying may be the last game for GM Trevor Linden or Head Coach Dan Bylsma the visiting Canucks were outplayed (as usual this year) but pulled out an overtime win in exciting fashion at least.

Tyler Bertuzzi opened the scoring early in the first with a shorthanded marker, his fourth goal with Vancouver since coming over at the deadline. Oilers star Leon Draisatl answered back midway through the period with his 27th of the season but the tie was short lived as Jared McCann scored his 12th since being called up just before Christmas to give the Canucks the lead.

Bertuzzi was ejected early in the second for an illegal hit to the head but the Canucks killed off the ensuing five minute powerplay and Markstrom held the fort all period despite facing 21 shots in the frame while his team only mustered three the other way.

In the third the brick wall that was second period Markstrom started to crack as Philip Larsen snuck one past him just forty five seconds in. Midway through the period Leon Draisatl gave Edmonton the lead with his second of the game. Evgeny Svechnikov evened it up on the powerplay after Bolland took an unsportsmanlike conduct seconds after getting out of the box for a cross check. In spite of being outshot 46-16 in regulation the Canucks were going to overtime.

In overtime it was all Canucks for three straight minutes. Hank and Danny dominated the puck but only got one sharp angle shot on net. Horvat and Svechnikov both got shots on the rush coming down the middle of the ice but they were turned aside. Svechnikov would come off the bench for Henrik after another puck controlling shift for the Sedins and took the pass from Daniel right between the circles and made no mistake, going bar down on Anders Lindback for the win. After his two goal performance tonight Svechnikov has five goals and four assists through twenty games withthe Canucks this year and is looking like a savvy deadline pickup by Linden. At only twenty years of age he still has plenty of room to improve.

[CanuckJohnny]

Canucks Year in Review




After a truly messy season it remains to be seen if it is current GM Trevor Linden left picking up the pieces or if the ever impatient ownership in Vancouver will make a change and bring in a new management team. It was a dark season in the twilight of the magnificent careers of Daniel and Henrik Sedin, with both of them struggling to produce numbers to their usual standards and also both missing significant time to injury. Even with the offseason additions of Pouliot and Martin the blueline looked shaky and the forwards still lacked game breaking firepower. Markstrom was streaky, sometimes looking like the show stealing Vezina candidate he was last seasons and at times looking so pedestrian that backup Thomas Greiss was a better option. Either way, the "retool" moved forward as Linden moved out more veteran pieces to restock the cupboards for the future, offloading Lapierre, Higgins, Burrows, Bonino, Martin and Russell to bring back draft picks, prospects and promising young players like Tyler Bertuzzi.

There were bright points going forward still. Derrick Pouliot, after struggling early, found a bit of a groove offensively and finished with ten goals and thirty two points. He led the league in giveaways and will have to work on that and his consistency for next season but he has the potential to still develop into a first pairing powerplay quarterback who pushes fifty points a season. Chris Tanev continued to cement his reputation as one of the premier defensive defenseman in the league, leading the NHL in takeaways and blocked shots.

Nikita Filatov led the team in almost every offensive category and looks to be a bargain for two more years at only a $915,000 cap hit. A slew of young players saw more icetime and made an impact. Brandon Tanev looked comfortable in a third line checking role and played a physical and responsible game. Josh Anderson scored eleven goals in his first (almost) full NHL season. Virtanen struggled but stuck in the NHL all season coming straight from junior. Cole Cassels centered the third line much of the year in his first season in the NHL and finished seventh in rookie scoring in spite of being given a defensive role all year. Jared McCann stepped into the lineup when injuries struck in December and never looked back, taking on a top six role and making sure it was never an option for the coaching staff to remove him or diminish his role. He struggled defensively but made a big impact on the powerplay, where he scored the majority of his goals. Stefan Noesen played in a bottom six role all year and performed well enough to keep his place in the lineup most of the year. Deadline acquisitions Tyler Bertuzzi (four goals and four assists in nineteen games) and Evgeny Svechnikov (five goals and four assists in twenty games) both showed promise and with another offseason of conditioning and development they could bring some of the needed offensive punch into the lineup next year. Bo Horvat took a great step forward as well, moving up to a top six role and setting career highs in goals (18), assists (20) and points (38) not to mention being second on the team in scoring and leading all centers in faceoff percentage.

It will be an interesting offseason for sure, we will have to wait and see if Trevor Linden will get to use the top draft pick he "earned" or if a new regime will take over, but at least some of the pieces are going to be there to build a youthful roster that has some promise for the coming years. If Kirill Kaprizov can come over from Russia that would also instantly boost the Canucks forward lineup and if they sign young blueliner Charlie McAvoy out of college their defense will certainly take a step forward. At goal they have a developing star in Demko, whether they sign him now or let him play out his senior year. There is nowhere to go but up for the beleaguered franchise, although whether they can ascend quickly enough to give the twins one more playoff run is doubtful.

[CanuckJohnny]

NHL Season Wrap Up




The Sharks and Kings competed right down to the wire for the crown in the Pacific and in the end it was the Sharks by a point. Ryan Miller's goaltending and Brent Burns roving play from the blueline led them to the first seed in the west. Their prize is a first round matchup with the Minnesota Wild, who barely eked into the playoffs, edging the Blackhawks out by two points (how about that, the Blackhawks missing the playoffs, Stan Bowman is really feeling the heat these days). The Ducks come into their series with LA on a three game losing streak and missing Cam Fowler, a key cog in their blueline, but they have a strong goaltending tandem, with Freddy Andersen likely taking the post-season crease but Gibson at the ready if he falters. The Canucks finish just a nose ahead of Arizona and so do not finish last in the league, but Trevor Linden is reportedly on the hotseat after a greatly disappointing season.

The Nashville Predators, led by a surprising season by Marek Mazanec, sit perched atop the Central and awaiting the Avalanche in the playoffs. Their offense is driven by Roman Josi from the back end and by Filip Forsberg up front. The Avs will be counting on continued physical play from captain Gabe Landeskog and veteran leadership from veteran Jarome Iginla to turn the tide. The Blues look to have the advantage over the Stars in their matchup on account of better goaltending and defense. Dallas added Kris Russell at the deadline from Vancouver and he has added some depth for them, contributing six points in twelve games while maintaining an even goal differential. They are also hoping to have Goligoski back soon. Oft-injured youngster Mikko Rantanen is hitting his stride, scoring fourteen goals in fifty one games this season, and he could be a wild card for scoring depth on a team that already has Nichushkin, Wheeler and Benn on the wings. St. Louis has a deep blueline but Alex Pietrangelo will still be sorely missed. They will count on veterans Jay Bouwmeester and Ian Cole to step up and play more minutes in his absence. If their defence falters they have Ben Bishop to bail them out, he led the league in shutouts with ten this year.

Boston cruised to a President's Trophy this year, leading the league in goals for and second in goals against. Their 61 wins and 129 points puts the NHL on notice that they are poised to defend their title. The Buffalo Sabres, who squeaked into the postseason on a tiebreaker over Florida, look to be steamrolled by them except for their X-factor, budding superstar and generational talent Connor McDavid. In his sophomore season McDavid finished second in NHL scoring with 93 points. If he continues to develop this may be the last season in a long time that doesn't end with him atop the league scoring race. The Lightning and Canadiens should be an interesting matchup. Tampa is considered by many to be the second best team in the league and perhaps if they weren't in Boston's division their record would look even rosier. They finished just behind the Bruins, second in goals for and third in goals against and also boast the league's best penalty kill and second best powerplay. Never count Montreal out as long as Carey Price patrols the crease though, they are fifth in the NHL in goals against and also have the fourth best powerplay. They will be dearly missing heart and soul winger Brendan Gallagher who is hurt for at least this series if not longer.

The Rangers will face Detroit in their first round series, not the most favourable of matchups. The Red Wings have experience and youth and Jimmy Howard is a playoff veteran between the pipes. Pavel Datsyuk is a two way force as always while the speedy and dynamic Dylan Larkin has established himself as an offensive force to be reckoned with at the tender age of twenty. Larkin led the league in goals and powerplay goals. The Rangers are fighting off controversy with "The King", Henrik Lundqvist, reportedly very disgruntled with being second fiddle to twenty two year old Mackenzie Skapski. Skapski has 43 wins and five shutouts to his credit but if he struggles at all with the added pressure expect Lundqvist to swoop and retake his crease. The Capitals-Penguins rivalry should make for a good first round series, although the Caps are heavy favourites at this point. The Penguins are not their formidable selves without the presence of star defenseman Kris Letang who has missed almost the whole season with a devastating hip injury. If by some miracle he makes it back it won't be until later in these playoffs. The Capitals lead their division in goal differential and with 25 year old "rookie" Artemi Panarin along with superstar Alex Ovechkin they look locked and loaded and ready to roll through whoever stands in their way. They may actually be the strongest team besides Boston and Tampa in the East and it'll be interesting to see if anyone other than the two powerhouses can stop them. The Devils finished last in the East and also had the fewest goals for of any team in the league, they will hope to score big in the draft lottery and reload for next year.

Team Stat Leaders:
GF/gm - Boston (3.45), Tampa Bay (3.38), San Jose (3.37), Nashville, Washington (3.12)
GA/gm - San Jose (2.15), Boston (2.17), Tampa Bay (2.20), Anaheim (2.21), Montreal (2.26)
PP - Washington (24.7%), Tampa Bay (22.2%), Nashville (21.1%), Montreal (20.5%), Los Angeles (20.2%)
PK - Tampa Bay (88.0%), San Jose (87.1%), Philadelphia (86.4%), Washington (86.1%), Nashville (85.2%)

Goalie Leaders (min 25gp):
GAA - Rask (BOS) 2.05, Price (MTL) 2.11, Mazanec (NSH), Vasilevskiy (TBL) 2.12, Lehner (OTT), Andersen (ANA) 2.13
Sv Pct - Lehner (OTT) .936, Andersen (ANA) .932, Crawford (PHI) .927, Dubnyk (CGY), Holtby (WSH), Bishop (STL) .926
GSAA - Lehner (OTT) 37.50, Andersen (ANA) 29.95, Dubnyk (CGY) 23.11, Holtby (WSH) 18.37, Forsberg (CBJ) 17.89
SO - Bishop (STL) 10, Price (MTL), Quick (LAK) 9, Bernier (TOR), Dubnyk (CGY), Kuemper (MIN), Luongo (FLA), Varlamov (COL) 8

Rookie Leaders:
Points - Panarin (WSH) 10-33-43, Marner (CAR) 23-18-41, D. Strome (CGY) 13-27-40, Matthews (FLA) 14-23-37, Point (NYR) 13-15-28

Other Stat Leaders:
Takeaways - C. Tanev (VAN) 62, Giordano (CGY) 61, Brodin (MIN), Keith (CHI) 58, SLavin (CAR), Stone (OTT) 57
Hits - Manning (PHI) 407, Borowiecki (SJS) 396, Landeskog (COL) 304, Wilson (WSH) 284, Deslauriers (BUF) 260
Blocked Shots - C. Tanev (VAN) 329, C. Murphy (ARI) 281, E. Karlsson (OTT) 280, Brodin (MIN) 260, Alzner (WSH) 257
PIM - Borowiecki (SJS) 267, Wilson (WSH) 223, Manning (PHI) 215, Deslauriers (BUF) 167, Latta (WSH) 147
FO% - Kopitar (LAK), Tavares (NYI) 60.0, J. Staal (CAR), R. O'Reilly (COL) 58.3, Datsyuk (DET) 57.5
+/- - Carle (TBL) +45, Bergeron (BOS), Eriksson (BOS) +44, Palat (TBL), Pavelski (SJS) +41

Key Injuries:
D Cam Fowler (ANA) OUT 2-3 months (back)
D Torey Krug (BOS) DTD (neck)
F David Pastrnak (BOS) OUT 1-2 months (hand)
D Jeff Petry (BUF) OUT 2-3 weeks (shoulder)
F Mikhail Grigorenko (BUF) OUT 2-3 weeks (shoulder)
D Ryan Suter (MIN) OUT 2-3 months (ankle)
F Anton Rodin (MTL) OUT 2-3 weeks (upper body)
F Brendan Gallagher (MTL) OUT 1-2 months (upper body)
D Ryan McDonagh (NYR) OUT 2-3 weeks (upper body)
F Patric Honqvist (PIT) OUT 3-4 months (calf)
D Kris Letang (PIT) OUT 1-2 months (hip)
D Mark Streit (SJS) OUT 1-2 months (knee)
D Alex Pietrangelo (STL) OUT 1-2 months (ankle)
D Anton Stralman (TBL) OUT 1-2 months (knee)

[CanuckJohnny]

2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs Recap




Round 1:

San Jose sweeps Minnesota

The Sharks cruised to an easy round one win past the overmatched Wild. Ryan Miller only allowed four goals through four games and Hertl, Pavelski and Burns all had four points as the Sharks move on.

Kings handle Ducks in six games

After winning the first two at home LA proceeded to go to Anaheim and score only one goal in two losses to go back home with the series tied. Consecutive 4-1 victories moved them on to round two after a hard fought series. Drew Doughty went down with a wrist injury in game one and did not return in the series but is expected to be back for the second round matchup against San Jose. Kopitar and Toffoli both had six points to lead the Kings. Rakell had six points for the Ducks.

Colorado upsets Predators 4-2

The Avs stole two on the road to start the series and were able to clinch at home after a six game battle. Offensively they were led by Nathan MacKinnon (8 points in six games) and also, surprisingly, by veteran Jarome Iginla who after putting up 30 points in the regular season had four goals and seven points in six games in the first round series. Filip Forsberg did his best to carry his team to victory, with three goals and seven points in six games but it just wasn't enough. Pekka Rinne was given the crease for the series in a much criticized move and Mazanec never played a game.

St. Louis rolls over Dallas in five games

Ben Bishop dominated for St. Louis, dropping only one game in the series and posting a .936 save percentage and a GSAA of 17.32 in only five games. Alex Steen led them in scoring with five points in the series. Klingberg had three goals from the blueline for the Stars, tied with Benn for the team lead, but there was too little from the rest of the supporting cast and Cam Talbot was outmatched, allowing fourteen goals in five games.

Boston dominant in first round sweep over Buffalo

Connor McDavid scored the only three Sabres goals of the series as Rask led Boston to the sweep with a .970 save percentage. Marchand had three goals and six points to lead the Bruins in first round scoring.

Despite Price's efforts, Lightning take out Habs in clean sweep

Carey never allowed more than three goals in a game but he was outgunned by the Lightning and outgoaltended by Vasilevskiy, who surrendered only five all series. Nikita Kucherov showed up to play, scoring four goals and seven points in the four game series. Max Pacioretty, Montreal's leading scorer in the regular season, was held to one goal and was -3 in even strength goal differential as Tampa Bay's forward group was just deeper and better. Doubtless Brendan Gallagher was deeply missed.

Rangers move past Red Wings in only five games

Bruce Cassidy made the call to go with veteran Lundqvist in net to start the series and it paid off. Lundqvist only once allowed more than two goals in a game (the only game they lost, 5-1). There was plenty of offence from the blueline, with Tony DeAngelo leading them in scoring with six points and Kyle Quincey also chipping in four assists. Rookie Brayden Point scored two goals and added an assist to tie him for fourth in team scoring through one series. Detroit had five goals from Dylan Larkin but couldn't back that effort up with enough depth scoring or quality goaltending to compete.

In hard fought series Penguins knock off Capitals in upset that goes the distance

It took seven games. They were down 2-1 then they were up 3-2 then they were facing down a win or go home seventh game but at the end of the roller coaster Sidney Crosby's Penguins came up clutch and move past their rivals into round two. Malkin had two goals in game seven to lift his club to victory. Despite Ovechkin's three goals and ten total points and Tom Wilson's five goals in seven games the Capitals simply couldn't play enough defense and Holtby simply couldn't stop enough pucks to earn their way to the second round. A disappointing result for a team with aspirations of going much deeper. Crosby leads the playoffs in scoring after one round, with four goals and twelve points. David Perron is glad he chose Pittsburgh to ply his trade and he contributed five goals and nine points to the series himself. The Perron-Crosby-Oshie line was a plus seven in even strength goal differential in the series.

Round Two:

In battle of two western heavyweights Los Angeles defeats San Jose in six games

After LA taking game one 4-1 on the road, every game was decided by one goal in a very evenly matched series. Tyler Toffoli had four goals and eight points and Jonathan Quick kept them in every game. Miller was good in net for San Jose but they failed to muster enough offence despite Saad and Burns both having a great series.

Blues roll to five game series win over Colorado

St. Louis eked out a couple of one goal wins in their first two home games before dropping the first game in Colorado. After that the offensive floodgates opened for them and they won 4-3 and then 5-2 to seal the series. After being quiet all playoffs Tarasenko had a three assist night in game four to help lead the Blues to a 3-1 series lead. Colorado's offense dried up for them against Ben Bishop. Nathan MacKinnon was held to one point in five games and Iginla was pointless after dominating in round one.

Boston defeats Tampa in seven

The Bruins dropped the first two games at home, 1-0 and 4-1, and it looked like they were on the ropes. The President's Trophy winners came storming back though, taking both games in Tampa Bay, 2-1 and 5-4. Game 5 back in Boston was an 8-3 blowout by the Lightning but in Game 6 the Bruins evened the series up on th road with a 1-0 shutout victory. Going to Boston for Game 7, neither team had won a home game the entire series. Boston set out to change that, getting early goals from unlikely candidates Patrick Maroon and Zach Redmond. Kucherov and Stamkos would have things evened up for Tampa by the third period, but Brad Marchand put the Bruins up halfway through the third with his eighth of the playoffs. With six minutes to go and Krejci in the box for tripping Victor Hedman would tie it up with a howitzer on the powerplay. Overtime was a tightly contested affair and lasted almost the entire 20 minutes but with two minutes to play in the first overtime it was big Zdeno Chara playing the hero with his first goal of the playoffs in the most critical of times. Boston wins a thriller and goes on to the conference finals. Torey Krug returned from injury for this series and put up six assists in seven games to tie Brad Marchand for the series lead in scoring for the Bruins. Hedman had two goals and eight assists in the seven game series as he tried to will his team to victory. Vasilevkiy ended his playoffs with very respectable numbers, a 1.81 GAA, a .934 save percentage and two shutouts.

Pittsburgh wins four straight to knock out Rangers in five

After losing 3-1 in Game 1 the Penguins went on an absolute roll, outscoring the Rangers 22-7 in the next four games to take the series. Bruce Cassidy stuck with King Henrik through almost all four losses before throwing Skapski in for the final five minutes of Game 5 once Lundqvist allowed seven. Is this the end for the iconic Lundqvist in New York? Crosby had four goals and six assists in five games as he now leads the playoffs in scoring with 22 points through two rounds. David Perron scored six goals in five games. There had been some hope that if the Pens miraculously pushed through to the Conference Finals maybe Letang would be close to returning but it seems he hasn't made much progress and it sounds like he is still a month away. However Pittsburgh has surprised everyone with how successful their postseason has been after a very mediocre regular season and without their number one defenseman. They will face their most difficult test in the upcoming Conference Finals against the defending champion Bruins.

Round Three:

Blues continue their unexpected run with five game series win over Kings

Still missing injured number one defenseman Pietrangelo the Blues went up against the second best regular season team in the West and carried on their tradition of five game series wins. Not many have been taking the Blues that seriously but attention will have to be paid now as they are en route to the Stanley Cup Finals. Bishop had one off game where he allowed six goals in a loss but otherwise he allowed only six goals in the other four wins. Tarasenko had three goals and five points in the series. Ekman-Larsson had a goal and six assists in five games as he stepped up offensively in a big way.

Bruins roll on past Penguins in five

Torey Krug had two goals and seven points in the five game series and Brad Marchand continued to carry the Bruins offensively with five goals and two assists as their dominance continues and leads them to a second straight Finals appearance. The Bruins defense came to play and held playoff leading scorer Sidney Crosby to four points in the five games while David Perron was held goalless after scoring eleven in his first twelve postseason games.

Round Four:

St. Louis claims Stanley Cup in six games over defending champion Boston

Without veteran Ian Cole (suspension) for Game 1 the Blues lost 3-0 in Boston but they rallied in Game 2 to win 3-2. With two straight home wins 3-1 and 4-0 they went to Boston for Game 5 with a chance to take the Cup home but the President's Trophy winners were not going down without a fight and won a hard-fought 2-1 overtime victory at home with Patrice Bergeron netting the winner. Game 6 in St. Louis saw the Blues gain a 3-0 lead through two periods with goals from Tarasenko, Reaves and Backes. The Bruins pushed hard in the third to avoid elimination and got goals from Marchand and the recently returned from injury Pastrnak but ultimately they fell short and Bishop held for the Blues as he consistently has all playoffs. St. Louis skated away with the Cup on home ice, their first Cup win as a franchise. [Editor's note - two years earlier than in real life and in a timeline without Ryan O'Reilly to boot]. Regular season shutout king Ben Bishop carried his success into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finishing with three shutouts, a .941 save percentage and a 1.89 goals against average with sixteen wins en route to the Stanley Cup. Captain David Backes was credited with the game winning goal in the Cup winning game. The Blues relied on team defense and stellar goaltending, their scoring leader after twenty one games was defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson with sixteen points. Tarasenko's six goals were the most on the team but the Blues had eleven players with three or more goals in their run. Veterans Bouwmeester and Cole were solid in increased blueline minutes, finishing with a team leading +12 and +11 respectively. Brad Marchand finished with a playoff leading fifteen goals but was limited to two goals and an assist in the critical series. Even missing Alex Pietrangelo on the blueline St. Louis comes through and their depth eventually overwhelmed the haughty Bruins.

[CanuckJohnny]

Canucks Year End Prospect Roundup




Forwards:

Alexei Goloshumov (RUS) 56gp, 20-24-44, +2 -- Goloshumov was a fourth round flyer for Vancouver and he has a ways to go but he has been steadily improving all year. His strength, hitting and aggressiveness have been notably better down the stretch, also he is winning more matchups defensively. His skating looks better, both his agility and acceleration and offensively he is making better reads and shooting from farther out more successfully.

Kirill Kaprizov (RUS) 56gp, 35-48-83, -4 -- Kaprizov absolutely lit it up in Russia at the young age of twenty. Vancouver will doubtless try to coax him over this offseason but he has so far remained resolute in commitment to his Russian team. His foot speed and first steps are getting better. His shot accuracy has improved and he has shown himself adept at screening and playing in front of the net. He also is demonstrating leadership qualities even at a young age and his checking is getting better every game.

Blake Lizotte (NCAA) 44gp, 14-21-35, -2 -- While Lizotte didn't see a big statistical jump in his sophomore year, he did improve a lot of the details in his game. He is making better reads on defense and finding more open ice on offense while also showing restraint and avoid undisciplined penalties.

Trent Frederic (AHL) 82gp, 12-20-32, +3 -- Numbers don't tell all the story for Frederic, who came over mid season from the Ducks organization and is only nineteen trying to ply his trade in the AHL. He showed good professionalism throughout his time in Utica and grew in his faceoff ability and showed he was making better offensive and defensive reads by the end of the year.

Danton Heinen (AHL) 82gp, 22-33-55, -4 -- Heinen has been growing his game by leaps and bounds while toiling in the minors this season. He has definitely gained endurance and shown better attention to detail with D zone positioning and stick checking. He has played with determination no matter the situation and his creativity on offense is blossoming.

Dominik Kahun (AHL) 81gp, 23-27-50, +5 -- Kahun has been much smarter in the offensive zone toward the end of the season, getting open and making good decisions with the puck. His defensive positioning and overall success in checking his opponent are also on the rise.

Ty Ronning (WHL) 66gp, 34-27-61, E -- Ronning has improved his agility and ability to get open and set a career high in goals in junior this year. He is also better than he was at working together with teammates and anticipating the play on defense.

Defensemen:

Rasmus Andersson (AHL) 82gp, 14-33-47, +6 -- Andersson acquitted himself well in his first pro season, spending all of it in Utica. He will try to push for a roster spot in training camp. His stick skills on defense have been looking better, he gets open in the offensive zone and he has shown good stamina while playing top pairing minutes most of the season.

Charlie McAvoy (NCAA) 44gp, 3-24-27, -2 -- It was a down year statistically for McAvoy, and while some had hoped he would build on a solid freshman season in college those who have been watching his games will tell you not to worry. McAvoy's game has developed and rounded out and he is very NHL ready right now. Recently he has grown in stick checking and puckhandling, developed his shot to be heavier and dangerous from farther out, demonstrated leadership and gotten even better and winning his matchups and shutting down the best players in college on a nightly basis.

Erik Cernak (OHL) 64gp, 2-31-33, -7 -- Erik has improved his offensive reads and finds open ice better as well as looking more agile on his skates. His positioning on defense is better than it has ever been and he is getting better at avoiding silly penalties and keeping his temper in check.

Vince Dunn (OHL) 67gp, 10-41-51, -8 -- Dunn has improved in defensive positioning and overall aggressiveness. His shooting accuracy took a big step late in the year and his balance on his skates is better.

Mikhail Sergachev (QMJHL) 68gp, 12-52-64, +3 -- Sergachev is the fastest rising defenseman in the Canucks system outside of McAvoy and at eighteen he is already their best prospect in junior. His game has grown by leaps and bounds in recent months, getting better offensively with much improved passing and shooting accuracy, getting better defensively with better checking, positioning, shot blocking and aggressiveness and also improving his skating, especially speed, acceleration and balance.

Goalies:

Thatcher Demko (NCAA) 41gp, 3.08gaa, .894sv%, 24w -- Demko has been improving his teamwork and communication with his defensemen and also his blocker side has looked almost unbeatable recently.

Casey DeSmith (AHL) 62gp, 2.24gaa, .926sv%, 41w -- DeSmith has taken over the starter's crease in Utica and shown great leadership and improved blocker skills.

Anthony Stolarz (AHL) 20gp, 1.81gaa, .940sv%, 14w -- Stolarz lost the starting gig to DeSmith but supported him well all year and was outstanding when he played. He played with determination every opportunity he had and has incredibly improved against low shots, working tirelessly with Ian Clark on his pad saves.

[CanuckJohnny]

Vancouver re-signs minor league prospects

June 5th, 2017 -
The Canucks had a flurry of signings to announce as they extended a lot of their minor league depth prospects to two way deals for two or three seasons. Players extended were:
F Danton Heinen
F Brendan Gaunce
D Dylan DeMelo
D Frankie Corrado
D Will Butcher
D Carson Soucy
D Jacob Middleton
G Casey DeSmith (one way deal for two years)
G Anthony Stolarz

The following players were not tendered an offer and will be allowed to walk to free agency:
F Alexandre Mallet
F Colin Blackwell
F Dane Fox
F Ludwig Blomstrand
D Dalton Thrower
D Ben Hutton
D Konrad Abeltshauser

[CanuckJohnny]

Editor's Note:

Over the upcoming offseason I will be importing this save to FHM 10 and I will start up a new thread in the FHM 10 Dynasty section and link it back to this. This will be the end of this thread but not the end of this dynasty. (Unless I get fired lol).