Vancouver Canucks 2010 Preview & Predictions

Vancouver Canucks 2010 Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds

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VANCOUVER CANUCKS

2009-10 record: 49-28-5
Shootout Record: 4-4
Division Finish: 1st, Northwest
Conference Finish: 3rd, Western
Goals For: 272
Goals Against: 222

Vancouver Canucks 2010 Preview

Henrick Sedin joked that the worst part of being named Hart Trophy winner was being forced to deliver a rushed acceptance speech for live television purposes.

But it was a long season of great memories for the first Canuck ever to be named the League’s MVP, as well as the Art Ross winner as top scorer. He wants the rest of Vancouver’s players to expand upon his feats in 2010-11.

Three of the past four playoff marches for the Canucks have been halted at the conference semifinal stage, last season by Chicago.

General manager Mike Gillis’s search for the last parts to the puzzle goes on, with Keith Ballard and Dan Hamhuis added to the defense as the summer shopping session began.

Gillis kept in mind the team had to finish without the presence of physical defenseman Willie Mitchell (concussion) and a lesser impact than expected from Pavol Demitra, held to just two goals in 11 postseason games.

The Canucks looked like they’d be the strongest contender among the surviving Canadian teams when they won the last two series’ games in convincing fashion to eliminate Los Angeles and then bombed the Blackhawks 5-1 to open the semis. But some holes in the lineup became apparent from there.

Luongo celebrated Olympic gold with Team Canada in his home rink; however, despite another 40-win year he was not the force he had been in previous regular seasons and looked rough a couple of nights in the playoffs.

Injuries also affected players such as Alex Burrows, who could miss the start of training camp after shoulder surgery. Daniel Sedin was held to 63 games after breaking his foot.

But into the breach came Henrik with an amazing 83 assists and 112 points, 30 more than he had ever managed in more than a decade in the League. He finished with 14 more helpers than the next closest player, Joe Thornton. Five of his career-high 29 goals were game-winners.

With a plus-35 rating, Henrik Sedin has been a plus-116 since 2003-04 and in the black every year except his rookie season.

He beat two pretty good competitors in past Hart winners Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. But for Sedin, this concluded a personal challenge to make it in a League that wasn’t always kind to him and his brother when they were drafted by Vancouver in 1999.

Daniel’s inclusion on the left wing of the second All-Star team made them the first brother act to do it since Phil and Tony Esposito more than 30 years earlier, with Boston and Chicago.

Canucks also popped up throughout major trophy voting at the end of the regular season, Kesler just missing the Selke by a couple of first place votes to Pavel Datsyuk, with Burrows coming 13th. Both Sedins were in the top 11 for Lady Byng Trophy votes, while Luongo tied for 10th for the Vezina and coach Alain Vigneault was ninth for the Jack Adams Trophy.

2010 Vancouver Canucks Offense:

Vancouver will likely once again battle Chicago for most regular-season goals in the conference (it was 272-271 in the Canucks’ favor last year), with Vigneault having coaxed more goals out of them in ’09-10 than in the team’s previous 14 seasons. Remarkably, Henrik Sedin’s 19:41 of ice a night was the least of any of the League’s top 10 scorers, save Patrick Kane’s 19:11 and he broke his own club mark for most assists. Eleven of his goals came with Daniel hurt. Vancouver had an impressive six forwards reach 25 goals or more and 10 get into double figures for shooting percentage. Mikael Samuelsson notched 30 goals in the regular season and eight in playoffs as part of a club-best 15 postseason points. Kesler joined the Sedins and Samuelsson in getting at least 10 playoff points. Daniel had two winning goals to make it lOin all on the year. Joining the show are free agents Jeff Tambellini and Manny Malhotra.

2010 Vancouver Canucks Defense:

The Canucks expected to lose Mitchell but gain two quality defenders in home-province boy Hamhuis and the hard-nosed Ballard. Naturally, the blueline fattens its average on the coattails of the attack. Christian Ehrhoff was the only Canuck defender to break Washington’s monopoly atop the League’s plus-minus rankings with a plus-36. That compared to a minus-12 the year before in San Jose. His 44 points overall were two more than Alex Edler. Sami Salo missed some time but had 28 points, but as mentioned, the glaring hole was Willie Mitchell for physical purposes in the Canucks’ zone. Ballard joined the team as the expense of giving a first-rounder to the Florida Panthers. The Canucks already have some nasty people to contend with in front such as Kevin Bieksa, Andrew Alberts, Shane O’Brien and now Hamhuis.

2010 Vancouver Canucks Goaltending:

Goals-against have gone up slightly the past four years despite Luongo’s arrival, but he still supplies 35 to 40 wins a year (47 in his debut campaign of ’06-07). He had four shutouts last year, tying his lowest career mark back when he struggled behind a green defense in Florida. Overcoming his disappointment at missing another chance to advance to the Conference Final, the 31-year-old should get his 300th regular-season win in the spring to set the stage for mid-April. Cory Schneider received a one-way deal in the summer, making him the favorite to be Luongo’s understudy.

Vancouver Canucks 2010 Special Teams

Kesler had 12 power-play goals to almost beat his four-year total as a Vancouver regular. With eight each from Mason Raymond and Daniel Sedin, the Canucks were just outside the top five in the League, an eyelash away from 21 %. But for the second year in a row, the Canucks seemed mired in the middle of the short-handed class, sitting in a group just south of 15th. The dogged Burrows accounted for five of the team’s nine short-handed goals, tying the Hawks’ Marian Hossa for the League lead.

Vancouver Canucks 2010 Season Predictions

For one, the Canucks won’t have to endure a 14-game road trip this year or in the near future now that the Olympics have come through town. Never mind they were 8-5-1 during that difficult mid-season stretch. Their major swings through the Eastern time zone will almost be done with by early January, though they do face 11 road games after March 3.

We predict that the Vancouver Canucks will finish 1st in the NHL Northwest.

Vancouver Canucks Betting

Vancouver Canucks Stanley Cup Odds: +600
Vancouver Canucks Western Conference Odds: +350

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