The Great, Good and Bad of the Mike Gillis Era
angus_j
November 18 2011 04:28PM
Not many people knew a whole lot about Mike Gillis when the Canucks hired him in the summer of 2008. The firing of Dave Nonis came as a bit of a shock, and the fan base wasn’t given a whole lot of time to digest the move before Gillis came in as the replacement. In a little over three years, Gillis has managed to turn Vancouver into one of the most desirable destinations for players to play in the league. He has leveraged his experiences as an agent – he treats players fair, and he has been rewarded with some favourable hometown discounts (most notably from the Sedins, Kesler, and Burrows).
Cody Hodgson and Failing Successfully
angus_j
November 18 2011 09:08AM
We shouldn’t be surprised to see Cody Hodgson perform well above expectations this season. Like a few current and former great players in Vancouver, he has battled adversity early in his career after being a highly-touted prospect. Does failure lead to success? Does early career adversity help players in the long run? Yes seems like the logical answer judging by several recent examples.
Early Season Hardware
angus_j
November 13 2011 10:25AM
The Canucks have been predictably inconsistent through quarter mark of the 2011-12 regular season. A short summer combined with some key injuries have contributed towards the turbulent start. While it is premature to get a clear picture of how the rest of the season will progress, it is never too early to hand out some awards, especially those of the made up variety.
Countdown to Launch: The Russian Rocket's Top 10 Canucks Moments.
angus_j
November 09 2011 01:01PM
The 20th anniversary of Pavel Bure’s first game as a Canuck was this past Saturday. Trevor Linden may be the greatest Canuck of all time, but Pavel was the best. At his peak, he made you want to catch every second of Canucks games (sure would be nice to have him on the team nowadays for those Minnesota divisional games…). Throughout his career, he was the fastest and most powerful skater in the league. He had Sidney Crosby’s strength and Marian Gaborik’s acceleration (and then some), combined with Alex Ovechkin’s hunger for scoring goals.
Waiting for Shea
angus_j
November 09 2011 08:57AM
Do the Canucks have a legitimate shot at landing Shea Weber? Jeff Angus takes a closer look!
How many franchise defensemen are there in the league right now? I count five (Zdeno Chara, Nick Lidstrom, Duncan Keith, Shea Weber, and Chris Pronger). There are a few more right on the cusp, like Drew Doughty, Keith Yandle, and Kris Letang. Each of the 30 NHL clubs carries anywhere from six to eight defensemen, meaning there are approximately 200-220 defensemen in the NHL at any given time. Less than three percent of the total defensemen are by my definition "franchise material" at this moment in time. How I would define these players in the top talent bracket:
- Able to contribute offensively at even strength and on the power play
- Steady defensively, consistently playing tough minutes in different situations
- Often make those around them much more successful
- Physicality is a plus, but not a requirement
In recent years, teams have been rewarded for paying a premium to land one of the above franchise defensemen. Boston paid handsomely for free agent Zdeno Chara back in 2007, and they were Stanley Cup champs four years later. Edmonton, Anaheim, and Philadelphia all went to the Cup Final soon after acquiring Pronger. Keith was the best player on Chicago during their Cup winning season. Lidstrom’s track record speaks for itself. Weber has been a rock on every team he has played on – Kelowna, internationally for Canada, and now in Nashville.
