The Canucks: Asleep Behind The Wheel

FOR the past three years, the Vancouver Canucks have been one of hockey’s fastest rising teams, going from cellar dwellers to Stanley Cup contenders in the process. Built patiently by General Manager Brian Burke, the Canucks have become a formidable opponent in the National Hockey League and should be formidable for many more years to come. However, of all the successes that Burke has achieved over the years, there is one area that his patient style has failed in, and that is the world of free agents. Where other teams have dived right in and fixed their teams instantly- or at least thought so- the Canucks sat back patiently, watching all of their targets get snapped up by more aggressive clubs. Fortunately for them, none of those free agents has ever been theirs- until now.Going into the free agent season, Scott Lachance, Andrew Cassels and Jason Strudwick all needed new contracts or else they’d walk as free agents. Given the fact all three were signed/drafted by the club, there was almost no reason why Vancouver wouldn’t be able to keep all three. However, due to their dilly-dallying, Lachance is already gone- taking $3.5 million over three years from the Columbus Blue Jackets ($500,000 more than the Canucks’ offer)- with Cassels and Strudwick about to be signed at any moment. Amidst all this, Canuck fans are seething with anger and some have even started to call for Burke’s head, wondering why Burke is just sitting there waiting for the players to come to him. Through his waiting, Burke is about to lose his biggest free agent acquisition to date- Cassels- and may subsequently see his club take a minor tumble next season since the replacements- if one can call Jeff Farkas that- are not exactly very adequate.

Through all this, one cannot shake the unmistakable perception that, even though the Canucks have a plan for winning the Stanley Cup, the Canucks cannot seem able to work it out properly. It’s like the Canucks are travelling down a straight road, driving along knowing that they’ll reach the destination they crave, but at the same time are asleep behind the wheel, completely oblivious to whatever obstacles that may stand in their path. For the most part, those obstacles have been rather minor, but now the obstacles have the potential to knock the Canucks badly off course, costing the Canucks some- or even all- of the work they’ve accomplished over the past few years. It is deeply troubling yet the Canucks seem unable to realize exactly what is unfolding right before their eyes.

It is undisputed that Cassels will be a major part of any success that Vancouver incurs. He’s one of the NHL’s best passers and, though he’s been bumped from the first line by Brendan Morrison, his talents haven’t taken a beating and his important role hasn’t decreased at all. The loss of Lachance may not seem big, but the defenceman was reborn in Vancouver, becoming a dependable and solid defender in the process, providing a nice bridge in the Canucks’ depth charts. As for Strudwick, all the defenceman can do well is fight, though he does have (rare) flashes of brilliance. Yet Burke is just sitting there, waiting for other clubs to take them, almost willing to let some of his best players just walk. Maybe he does know what he’s doing- everyone was just about to ask for his head after the Pavel Bure trade yet the club benefited more from the deal than the Florida Panthers, who received Bure. This year was also arguably the Canucks’ best since 1994, so there may be method to all this madness.

However, just look at what the Canucks have left on their roster, sans Cassels, Lachance and Strudwick. They have a clear No. 1 line (Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi and Morrison), a solid checking unit (Matt Cooke, Jarkko Ruutu and Trevor Linden), one of the NHL’s best goalie tandems (Dan Cloutier and Peter Skudra), two excellent defenders (Mattias Ohlund and Ed Jovanovski), a barely satisfactory second line (Henrik and Daniel Sedin and one of Artem Chubarov or Peter Schaefer) with minor leaguers filling up the rest. That is not a rosy picture by any standards and though it’s head over heels better than many other clubs in the NHL, that simply won’t do in the ultra competitive Western Conference, where the Stanley Cup is really decided. Until the Canucks realize that in winning there has to be a sense of urgency, they’ll always fall flat just before their goal gets in sight. Sleeping behind the wheel has always been dangerous, and one can only hope the Canucks realize this before it is too late.

-Daniel Grasso


35 Responses to The Canucks: Asleep Behind The Wheel

  1. nucks2001 says:

    Yeah Cassels is good and all but he was injured during the Canucks turn around run of the season.. he is a good player but the Canucks were just as good with out him.. You seem to forgot guys like Letowski, Hlavac etc.. the Sedins are not the second line..

  2. titans says:

    A couple is on vacation through the Amazon rain forest, when the guy looks down and spots a snake.

    “That’s a rare striped python!” He exclaims. “I must take it home and add it to my collection.”

    So he duly scoops it up and places it in his backpack. Another hour into the journey, he cries out in excitement again.

    “Look a rare albino skunk! That should go into my collection too.”

    The skunk joins the snake in the bag. At the airport, the couple is discussing how to smuggle the two creatures out of the country. The guy takes the snake and ties it around his waist declaring,

    “We’ll say it’s a snakeskin belt.”

    “What about the skunk?” asks his wife.

    “That can go in your shorts.”

    “Your crazy!” she cries. “What about the smell?”

    The guy thinks for a minute and replies, “We’ll have to risk it, if it dies, it dies.”

  3. aaron says:

    Cloutier and Skudra one of the best goaltending tandems in the NHL…that had better be sarcastic.

    BTW, Linden works fine as a second line center. They’ve got plenty of depth at forward. Lachance is a bad loss, though.

  4. burky says:

    I dont care if Burke doesn’t sign anyone or not, he knows what hes doing and thats clearing room for the canucks prospects like druken and kariya

  5. titans says:

    Why wouldn’t the Canucks get Dafoe? Cloutier and Skudra are not “one of the NHL’s best goalie tandems” In fact why can’t Dafoe get a job, am I missing something?

  6. Chandlerisback says:

    I didn’t read much of your article. My attention span is low these days.

    But I think Burke is agreat GM.

    He gets his team in the playoffs on $30M yet Sather keeps failing at A billion lol.

    Such Lachance was a loss, and Cassels was good. But you have to understand a few things.

    Yes, they maybe could have improved by signing someone. But the team has outstanding chemistry. We all know about the free agency-signing players-chemistry problem.

    Not to mention, Burke has a lot of good prospects coming along. Linden was brought in to replace Cassels after this season. Burke doesn’t spend a dollar un;less it’s worth it.

    Defense looks great. Sopel is going to be a good one in a few years. Ohlund and Jovanovski are great as well.

    Foreward unit looks strong. Word around is Naslund could be dealt but it’s too early to tell. Linden should be captain again, he is their leader no doubt.

    Kariya, (not Paul, his brother Steve) and Druken will get some ice time this year.

    Hlavac will be in all season and he should play good with Linden on his line.

    The Sedin’s showed good play in the playoffs. These twins are starting to deliver and will only get better.

    The Canucks don’t need free agency. When Burke came in he stated they were going to be financially respsonsible and build the team from the inside out. Not free agency.

    He isn’t asleep either. He knows who is out there.

    What he’s going to sign Holik for $9Million? Grab Amonte for $6million? Nab Kasparaitis for $3.5million? C’mon gimmie a break.

    They are still rebuilding in terms. Morrison is still young but damn he’s getting good. letowski also showed a sign on talent after bad times in Phoenix.

    So I feel the Canucks are probably the smartest team out there. No, they aren’t the best obviously, but is there a more patient GM and a more responsible one out there? remember, Burke told the world a little while ago free agency is to make up for GM’s faults and goof ups. They get the cheque book out to fix all their problems.

    Sure, they wont win the cup or anything. But they don’t have to rely on 2004 to bail themselves out. They have a budget and stick to it. He doesn’t give into pressure or feedback. He runs the team and every year they have improved. If that’s a bad gm i dont know a good one.

    Burke is a good Gm. The Nucks aint sleeping, they are simply saying “No thanks”.

    Thats MY two cents.

  7. Chandlerisback says:

    His agent screwed it up for Dafoe.

    No one is in a market for a goalie that can afford one.

    Dafoe’s agent wants 6 million. Rip eh?

    Dafoe will have a job finding a bidder.

    I expect Boston to take him back but for a lot less.

  8. Chandlerisback says:

    I totally agree.

    Hes smart with his money. And got a good farm club to match.

  9. thuresong says:

    Steve Karyia will not become an NHL regular. He is beyond small, he is tiny. I think it’s like 5’7″, 160 lbs. He cannot fight through traffic, and just gets bounced off of the puck. He does not have a Fleury like attitude of doing what it takes to physically handle larger players on defence.

    He has has some skills, but they aren’t enough to get him a full time NHL job. He is a career journeyman, at best.

  10. ManillaKilla says:

    Earlier you said the Leafs didn’t need to get a goalie because they were covered with Corey Schwab in net. Now you call Cloutier and Skudra, “one of the NHL’s best goalie tandems.” What is next? Corry Cross a future Hall of Famer?

  11. Chandlerisback says:

    Thats what they said about Theo Fleury.

    Size don’t always matter.

    Skill is everything.

    Most big players dont make it I agree, but its still possible.

    The Nucks will give him a shot.

  12. Chandlerisback says:

    Lol I agree.

    Cory Cross wins the vezina!

  13. big_booty says:

    You can do better.

  14. big_booty says:

    I really wish people would stop singing the praises of Andrew Cassels. Face facts, people. The guy is a serviceable second liner, but that’s it. Some of you out there make it seem that he could be a team’s savior. He’s not that kind of player.

    Cassels is really “one of the NHL’s best passers?” I honestly hadn’t noticed. But the last time I checked, he only had 39 assists last season. Adam Oates he’s not.

    Cassels made $3.2 million last year, and refuses to talk about a contract with Brian Burke because he doesn’t want to take a pay cut. Instead, he wants a similar package to the one given Robert Lang. If eleven goals isn’t worth $3.2 million, then it sure as hell ain’t worth $5 million. If he continues to have that attitude, he’ll still be looking for work come December.

    What would possess you to call Dan Cloutier and Peter Skudra “one of the NHL’s best goalie tandems?” Did I miss something here? I doubt it. I wouldn’t take these two over most of the other duos in the league. Cloutier is OK, but on another team he would be a backup. Skudra, if he were in another organization (except Boston) would be in the minors.

    You over-value your guys way too much, DG.

    Other things about the ‘Nucks:

    Hlavac – not going to be effective without Nedved and Dvorak. The Flyers found that out the hard way. Scored 16 of the quietest goals last season.

    The Sedins – the experiment isn’t really working out. Maybe they should be split up or shipped out. They were supposed to be the wonder twins of the NHL. I don’t hear their names that often, and when I do its in some rumor.

    Steve Kariya – what? C’mon, he can’t play like his brother. He’s more capitalizing on his surname. It’s like Louise Mandrell riding Barbara’s coattails. (so I just got back from Tennessee, and I’m a little rusty)

    LaChance – followed the money, along with Luke Richardson. Does he think he has a better shot at the post-season now that he wears the Blue Jacket? Not that big of a loss as some make it out to be.

  15. Jonathane says:

    “So I feel the Canucks are probably the smartest team out there. No, they aren’t the best obviously, but is there a more patient GM and a more responsible one out there? remember, Burke told the world a little while ago free agency is to make up for GM’s faults and goof ups. They get the cheque book out to fix all their problems.”

    I think we went over this in a previous article, but here we go again anyways:

    Burke is not the smartest GM out there. His great speech about the check book fixing GM’s problems is just a smoke screen for his failings as a GM.

    To be sucessful, a GM needs to draft well, trade well and be able to attract free agents.

    To begin with a team needs some players they can build around. These are usually drafted players. Along the way a GM should be able to pick up some more talent with a couple of good trades. As a GM not every trade you make will go as expected and there will probably be a couple that you ended up on the short end of the stick. Likewise you will have a couple where you really made out.

    Now just by doing that, you can assemble a pretty good team. HOWEVER you cannot fill every weak spot on your team by drafting or trading.

    With drafting, if you can get two decent players out of a draft you are doing very-very good. MOst teams just hope for 1 player. So even if you draft to try and fill a weak spot, that may not be the player that develops or it may take that player to long to develope.

    With trading, most times it is a matter of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Sure you addressed one area, but now you seem to have to address another area and at the end of the day you are probably still right around where you were before you made those trades.

    Now comes free agency. This is what teams can use to fill those needs or holes in the roster. Free Agency is not costing you players, but rather some dollars.

    Now I am not saying that Burke should go around offering $9 million contracts to players, especially 2nd line players, however to sit back and say that Free Agency is only there because you screwed up as a GM is also wrong.

    What Burke needs to do is go out and tell everyone what the game plan is. We let Lachance and Cassels go because????? Is it because we believe we have better players who can take their position? (If these players are not better and you tells that they are, then you are the bad GM.) Or is the reason that our budget will not let us resign those players and we never really had a chance to resign them.

    Some fans will even accept this, IF the team then says that we think in X number of years that we will be competitive enough to compete for a Stanley Cup and when X arrives we will sign even better players than we let go this season. (Oh yea X had better be 3 years or less.)

    Now if teams are mid level players walk simply because they are coming up a few bucks short of contracts and for no other reason than it didn’t fit into our budget then sooner or later it is going to dawn on all of the fans, that yes when the GM says that he is running the team like a business, he means that as long as he can assemble a half-decent team and make it to the playoffs, to only get beat by better teams that the fans will keep shelling out the money so that the “business” can keep raking it in.

    So that is why I think Burke isn’t the Genius a lot of the people on this board make him out to be. He shoots his mouth off with these ridiculous statements to divert peoples attention.

  16. thuresong says:

    Theo Fleury is also a tiny ball of hate and is willing to throw himself at big guys and do what it takes to get through traffic.

    Steve Karyia hasn’t shown any ability to hold onto the puck when traffic gets dense, and on defence he is useless because he is easily overpowered.

  17. thebestteamiscanucks says:

    ur a ***** moron. Sedins will be great this season. why dont u go back to texas and shot at birds u redneck

  18. Bossy22 says:

    Thats what I thought to. Cloutier aint that bad, but Skudra???

  19. MantaRay says:

    Right on target as usual BB:

    I never understood the interest in Cassels who has done pretty much nothing in his career (-43??–a little one dimensional?)

    He should just accept a pay cut and stay.

    He was just lucky the Canucks gave him an opportunity to resuscitate his career after failing to win a spot with a weak Calgary team.

    Cloutier/Skudra??? Good season but not much to build off of.

    Sedins: I keep waiting for them to breakout and it hasn’t happened yet.

    I only disagree with Hlavac. I think he will have a great year next season and fits well in the Vancouver system…more so than Philly.

    You thought the Canes making the finals was something, wait till Richardson is named Conn Symth winner next season!

  20. Habfan1234 says:

    The Canucks are not cash-straped they have one of the richest owners in the NHL. I believe he sold his telecommunications company for 10 BILLION dollars. I live here in Vancouver and the only thing that John McCaw does is call Burke to ask how lowe he has made the salaries. He practically never attends any of the games and he does not care. At least one of my fav teams has an owner that cares and is hands on (he actually goes to the games and allowes the managment to do thier job) George Gillete Jr. Vancouver has the money to sign players like Kasperitis and Amonte but they just don’t want to make thier team better. How can the Canucks be outbid by a team like Columbus for the services of Scott Lachance. Burke gives the same old responses, “Anybody can play along Ed Jovanovski and look good.” and “Herold Druken can fill the void left by Andrew Cassels.” I am so happy to see Vancouver management making a big splash in the free agent market by signing, LOL, Nolan Baumgartner, Jaroslav Obsut, and Tyler Moss. At least the farm team would be good. In the West if a team stays pat then they are moving backwards and the Canucks took two steps backwards in not signing Lachance and Cassels. I am also getting sick and tired of Brian Burke’s antics. BullsI just wish both sides would make a deal akin to the one that was made by football. The Canucks are not cash-straped they have one of the richest owners in the NHL. I believe he sold his telecommunications company for 10 BILLION dollars. I live here in Vancouver and the only thing that John McCaw does is call Burke to ask how lowe he has made the salaries. He practically never attends any of the games and he does not care. At least one of my fav teams has an owner that cares and is hands on (he actually goes to the games and allowes the managment to do thier job) George Gillete Jr. Vancouver has the money to sign players like Kasperitis and Amonte but they just don’t want to make thier team better. How can the Canucks be outbid by a team like Columbus for the services of Scott Lachance. Burke gives the same old responses, “Anybody can play along Ed Jovanovski and look good.” and “Herold Druken can fill the void left by Andrew Cassels.” I am so happy to see Vancouver management making a big splash in the free agent market by signing, LOL, Nolan Baumgartner, Jaroslav Obsut, and Tyler Moss. At least the farm team would be good. In the West if a team stays pat then they are moving backwards and the Canucks took two steps backwards in not signing Lachance and Cassels. Its all a bunch of bulls*** that is coming out of his mouth, IE. the statements above. If you see your team on the cusp of becoming one of the top flight teams in the ultra-competitive Western Conference then you do everything in your power to make the team better not worse. Last season the Canucks had two dsecent lines but for the 2002-2003 season they will be a one line team. The Canucks will have the same start to next season as they did to this and fight for the last playoff spot.

    OH well…….

  21. Habfan1234 says:

    Sorry for the repitition on the comment I posted.

  22. aaron says:

    I’m sure his less than sterling playoff performance is part of it. When a team loses games where they outshoot the opposition 44-13 or whatever, there’s something wrong. Dafoe’s Sv% were

    .815, .879, .818, .929, .846, and .889. One game of the 6, his Sv% was above .900. That’s…pathetic.

  23. aaron says:

    No, he literally can’t afford these players. The Canucks are cash strapped, and their owners don’t care. Don’t blame Burke; he’s kinda in the position Milbury has been in for the past decade. He’s done a hell of a job with what he’s had to work with.

  24. aaron says:

    The Sedins have only played two seasons. Cut them some slack. Everyone sucks their sophomore year.

  25. mikster says:

    You know what….if the Nucks failed to sign the players they were looking forward to get, then oh too bad, go via trades. If Lamoriello did it, Atlanta did it, Bolts did it, Preds did it, and Phoenix did it….so can the Canucks.

    Hell with Cassells, he wants the money so blame him not Burke, not the team who will sign him or overpay him, who cares…the only ones to blame are Cassells and his agent.

    The Canucks have players with good trade value. If Hlavac can’t do squat with the team, trade him! Teams would want this guy now.

    Look at the Devils, they are basically a whole different team up front. Will it be a good team? I think so. I think they will change their style a bit though. However, their success depends on the new chemistry they have to find and hopefully Gomez and Friesen can play along together. If the second line fails, then they have a problem….but i doubt it.

    I like this Canucks team and there shouldn’t be any reasons to complain about it. They have an excellent coach, a solid goalie who won 30 games, good defensemen and solid players. If Burke keeps complaining about the other teams, then the other teams wouldn’t want to trade with him as much.

    Burke knew what he was doing, but now…he better stick to his plan of building a playoff team via trades.

    Micki Peroni

  26. Bossy22 says:

    Kariya has loads of talent and I like his style of game. He has been up and down down, and just can’t seem to hold a spot in the lineup. Maybe he will turn out to be another Daniel Briere. We only wish.

    He wont crack the lineup and you will see that he is just a minor league player

  27. Chandlerisback says:

    Exactly.

    But some ppl can’t see the big picture with anything.

  28. Bossy22 says:

    Right they will. I guess thats why they didn’t even make the Swedish Olympic team. hahah

    There both soft players, that wont be more than third liners

  29. Bossy22 says:

    Right they will. I guess thats why they didn’t even make the Swedish Olympic team. hahah

    There both soft players, that wont be more than third liners

  30. MantaRay says:

    Everyone but Dan Blackburn according to Micki.

  31. DG says:

    Okay, so some of you think I’m crazy for picking Dan Cloutier and Peter Skudra as one of the National Hockey League’s best goaltending tandems…and that’s okay. You’re entitled to your own opinions. Anyway, the reason why I picked them as one of the best- note, not THE best- was because they won games, and both had the ability to save the Vancouver Canucks if need be. Niether are elite by any stretch of the imagination, but together they made a solid tandem. To me, what makes a goaltender great is whether or not they can put their team in a position to win games, which is exactly what Cloutier and Skudra did. Okay, so it looks bad that the Canucks ranked 17th in goals against…but the Canucks ranked first in goals so that didn’t matter much. Vancouver could afford to give up three goals since they could score four or five. Also, remember that Vancouver had pretty much only two excellent defenders- Mattias Ohlund and Ed Jovanovski- one decent one (Scott Lachance, now gone) and three minor-league level defenders filling the rest. Could the Canucks’ goaltending be better? Yes it could. However, the fact of the matter is both did their jobs in putting the Canucks in position to win and that’s the only thing that matters…wins. Curtis Joseph himself said he only looks at the win total because that’s what is most important during games. Also, considering the Canucks would have ranked AHEAD of the Detroit Red Wings if their post-Christmas hot streak stretched the entire season and it’s clear that there is more to the story than the stats. On that note, Cloutier had a career high for wins with 31, while Skudra went 10-8-2. Yes, they could be a lot better but the truth is that they won games when they had to, so, to me anyway, they were one of the best. Not the best, but one of them. The fact of the matter is that the Canucks would be just fine with both in net: they just need four more defenders.

    Anyway, that’s my side. You can believe me or not, it doesn’t matter to me.

    -DG

  32. big_booty says:

    So, Datsyuk will shit the bed next season, huh?

  33. big_booty says:

    Grow up, child.

    The Sedins are highly over-rated. It was a mistake to maneuver to get them both. I began to think that they were a bit spoiled. “We only want to play together on the same line on the same team.” Give me a break.

    The Sedins have been said to be on the verge of a breakout season. I’ve been hearing that for the past three years.

    They weren’t even in Salt Lake for the Olympics. What does that tell you? It tells me that there are better Swedish players out there than these two.

    By the way, little boy, I am from Philadelphia, not Texas. Has teacher not taught you any manners yet?

  34. big_booty says:

    I don’t really think that Hlavac will a difference maker in Vancouver, he’s just not that type of player. Don’t get me wrong, I like his talent, and when he is paired with the right people, he can be scary.

    But the fact is he only wants to be with the right people. He misses Dvorak and Nedved terribly. There were times in Philadelphia where he looked absolutely lost on the ice. I don’t know if it had anything to do with his third line status or his line mates, but something was wrong.

    Ruslan Fedotenko scored just as much as Hlavac, and it was on the third line, and I would consider Hlavac the more talented of the two. But Fedotenko worked at it, and didn’t care where or with who he played. That’s my problem with Hlavac.

  35. puckedinthehead says:

    The only way the Canucks will ever get better is when they are owned by someone who is passionate about hockey, not passionate about the bottom line. Clearly Mc Caw is a businessman who purchased the team with the intention of eventually moving it closer to the “head office” in Portland. This scenario will not happen in the near future, so he is now trying to dump the team. Don’t blast Brian Burke, he’s being used as a human shield by the owner, THE BILLIONAIRE, the guy who writes the cheques, John McCaw.

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