RoyalDude wrote:All it took was getting rid of the slow as molasses and the undisciplined - Clowe, Murray and Handzus...well and some good drafting and allowing those draft picks to make the team.
Wilson is a genius GM, rebuilds while remaining competitive. If only Mikey could see the light
I agree and disagree with these comments.
I agree that San Jose has done a good job of rebranding themselves these past few years, but I also think that you're being unnecessarily harsh on Mike Gillis.
Back in 2011, Gillis brought in some crucial pieces such as Erhoff, Torres, and Lapierre, and we managed to get a solid cup run out of it. A large part of the reason why the Canucks haven't had many draft picks make the team, is because we've been an elite team since 08/09 and so our roster spots were pretty much solidified.
Outside of last season, the Canucks have enjoyed a remarkable amount of success with this core. Even during the 2011/2012 season when we underachieved, the truth of the matter is that we won another Presidents' trophy and then lost to a team that was sizzling hot.
Last season, Kesler was missing almost the entire year.
The Canucks kryptonite seems to be against teams that play a 1-3-1 in the neutral zone, but are extremely aggressive on the forecheck, and have great team speed. This is why we struggled against teams like Boston, LA, and San Jose. I'm guessing that St. Louis will give us similar troubles unless we change.
Anaheim gives us trouble with their aggressive forecheck, and Detroit's speed last year was tough for us to handle.
Outside of that though, the Canucks usually do a good job of getting the better of other teams. Lets see how we do this year before passing out quick judgements.
From what I see so far, we've only had 1 bad season out of the last 5 years, and our last 3 playoff losses came to teams that play a style that doesn't match up well at all with ours.
***Edit*** - If the Canucks are shopping for a top 6 winger and a solid 3rd line center, I'd consider looking to Buffalo. See if Thomas Vaneck and Steve Ott are available. We can offer them Higgins, Hansen, and Edler. Overall cap hits work out to be very similar.