Why Brandon Dubinsky Makes Sense in Vancouver
Jeff Angus
March 20 2013 10:30AM
I am not Brandon Dubinsky’s agent. However, I am going to pretend I am for the next 1000 words (give or take). Grantland writer Bill Barnwell recently wrote his NFL free agent previews this way – he would attempt to pitch or ‘sell’ the player to prospective GMs.
Breaking Down Mason Raymond's Clapper
Jeff Angus
March 16 2013 01:11PM
Mason Raymond has arguably been the most consistent and most effective Vancouver forward in 2013. His struggles last season are now firmly in the rearview mirror. Raymond is playing with a lot of confidence right now, and Thursday night's goal against the Predators was a great example of that.
I wrote on Raymond's resurgence over at Canucks.com last week (and you can read that here). Essentially, the point I was trying to make was that Raymond needed a year to fully recover from a broken back, and that he has quietly developed into a very effective two-way winger.
Trade Deadline 2013: Finding a Center
Jeff Angus
March 14 2013 10:58AM
The Vancouver Canucks need another center. You know this, I know this, and Mike Gillis knows this.
The club can’t/won’t enter the postseason with Andrew Ebbett or Jordan Schroeder as a top nine center. Assuming Ryan Kesler returns from his broken foot a few weeks before the playoffs start (and that appears to be the likely outcome), who do the Canucks target to center the third line?
Max Lapierre could move up to play there, but he is probably best suited for the fourth line (or at least sharing the ultra-tough line assignments that Alain Vigneault typically gives to his top checking line center).
With all of that being said, who are some centers around the league that the Canucks could realistically target at the trade deadline?
Matt Calvert the Magician: The OT Goal in Columbus
Jeff Angus
March 09 2013 01:28PM
The Canucks are struggling to score goals right now, and they were on the wrong end of a 2-1 overtime loss in Columbus on Thursday evening. Young winger Matt Calvert picked up the puck in his own zone and made a few Canucks look foolish on his way to scoring the overtime winner.
How could the Canucks have played the goal differently to prevent it? Who was at fault? Read on for more.
Gambling on Booth Hasn't Paid off for the Canucks
Jeff Angus
March 07 2013 02:33PM
David Booth has no trouble beating defenders. Beating goalies on the other hand...
(Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)
David Booth’s tenure with the Canucks has been largely forgettable to date. He has sustained a few injuries, gone through a revolving door of linemates, and suffered from a lack of offensive production.
His underlying numbers (advanced stats) have been pretty good, for the most part, but they have yet to translate into any sustained tangible success (he has a single assist in seven games in 2013). Will Booth break out soon or is he just a shooting% outlier with below average skills for a top-six forward? Is he trade bait? What will the Canucks do with him this summer as they look to cut some salary to fit under the reduced cap?
There are a lot of questions surrounding Booth right now, and not a lot of answers. We'll get into it further after the jump.
