Hossa
Registered User
What a difference a month can make. Roughly a month ago, the Vancouver Canucks were dead last in the entire league, prompting calls for a firesale and the General Manager's head.
Fast-forward to the 35 game mark, and the club is all of a sudden on the cusp of a playoff spot. The club has been lighting up the scoresheet after having virtually no offence early in the year. Their 114 goals are third in the conference, only ten behind the league leading Bruins.
The first big move the club made was to acquire Mike Ribeiro and Scott Thornton from the San Jose Sharks. Ribeiro has fit in very nicely as a playmaking second line center for 19-goal man Mike Sillinger.
More offence is on the way though. After a couple weeks of rumours of about more big moves, the club officially announced today that it had acquired a premier defenceman to play alongside Tomas Kaberle. Coming to Vancouver from division rival Calgary is Dan Boyle, along with Richard Zednik and Brett Lebda. Exiting town is the underrated Francois Beauchemin, along with defensive specialist Jay Pandolfo and top blueline prospect Alexandre Picard.
While General Manager Sean Keogh was unavailable for comment on the deal, it is safe to say he is excited about the deal. Despite the fact the club is scoring goals at will, the powerplay is tied for second last in the league. Boyle should team up with Kaberle to provide a dynamite blueline combo for the powerplay.
Zednik as well should play an offensive role. It is expected he will be slotted onto the second line, with Rene Bourque moving down to the third line.
In other news, Scott Thornton was placed on waivers by the club following the completion of this deal. With Boyle's salary being added to the budget, Thornton's two million dollar contract was deemed expendable considering he only plays on the fourth line.
Fast-forward to the 35 game mark, and the club is all of a sudden on the cusp of a playoff spot. The club has been lighting up the scoresheet after having virtually no offence early in the year. Their 114 goals are third in the conference, only ten behind the league leading Bruins.
The first big move the club made was to acquire Mike Ribeiro and Scott Thornton from the San Jose Sharks. Ribeiro has fit in very nicely as a playmaking second line center for 19-goal man Mike Sillinger.
More offence is on the way though. After a couple weeks of rumours of about more big moves, the club officially announced today that it had acquired a premier defenceman to play alongside Tomas Kaberle. Coming to Vancouver from division rival Calgary is Dan Boyle, along with Richard Zednik and Brett Lebda. Exiting town is the underrated Francois Beauchemin, along with defensive specialist Jay Pandolfo and top blueline prospect Alexandre Picard.
While General Manager Sean Keogh was unavailable for comment on the deal, it is safe to say he is excited about the deal. Despite the fact the club is scoring goals at will, the powerplay is tied for second last in the league. Boyle should team up with Kaberle to provide a dynamite blueline combo for the powerplay.
Zednik as well should play an offensive role. It is expected he will be slotted onto the second line, with Rene Bourque moving down to the third line.
In other news, Scott Thornton was placed on waivers by the club following the completion of this deal. With Boyle's salary being added to the budget, Thornton's two million dollar contract was deemed expendable considering he only plays on the fourth line.
