Canucks Army GDT #1 – Canucks @ Flames

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No real surprises here, as the Canucks lineup looks nearly identical to the one that played their last preseason game in Edmonton. The only differences are that a now healthy Brad Richardson draws in for the demoted Nicklas Jensen, and that Linden Vey and Shawn Matthias have swapped lines.

I also don’t see Jannik Hansen lasting long on the 4th line since he’s far better than a 4th liner and probably should be playing in the spot that Brad Richardson is currently occupying, but lines are fluid and he’ll likely be there before too long.

As far as injuries go, Kevin Bieksa is a game time decision, and should he be good to go, one would thing that he draws in for Yannick Weber, given that Luca Sbisa is management’s guy for now at least. Frank Corrado and Bo Horvat remain out of the Canucks lineup with injuries, and neither look like they’ll be ready to make their regular season debuts for at least a little while longer.

Tonight also marks the official debut for a bunch of Canucks, including Radim Vrbata, Nick Bonino, Linden Vey, Derek Dorsett, Luca Sbisa, and Ryan Miller, as well as the NHL head coaching debut of Willie Desjardins. Let’s hope it’s a memorable debut, and for all the right reasons, unlike the last Canuck to debut against the Calgary Flames.

Speaking of those Calgary Flames, despite being among the smallest and lightest teams in the NHL this year, they bring some significant truculence to their home opener, as Brandon Bollig, Brian McGrattan, and Deryk Engelland all will be in their lineup tonight. Former Canuck Mason Raymond will also be making his Flames regular season debut on a line with Corsi Hockey League all-star Mikael Backlund and VANCOUVER GIANTS LEGEND Lance Bouma.

Thanks to an illness, sophomore Sean Monahan is a game time decision for the Flames tonight, and dynamic rookie Sam Bennett will be out for a while thanks to a shoulder injury that may require surgery. Jonas Hiller will get his first regular season start for Calgary.

Anyways, it’s great to be back talking about meaningful NHL hockey again. Here’s to hoping to a fantastic season that exceeds our wildest hopes and dreams and ends in Stanley Cup glory for the Canucks. But short of that, here’s to hoping for a fun and enjoyable year, at the very least. Happy NHL hockey day, everyone!