Canucks Thoughts as the 2011/12 Regular Season Commences
Sharks Brad Winchester on the ice after the one punch KO from Volpatti
Written by: Larry “The Nucks IceMan” Johnson
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Canucks once again are starting the season without a legitimate heavyweight enforcer. Now before you go ranting about last season and how the power play replaced the need for an enforcer, let me quote you from a former NHL tough guy.
Stu Grimson (729 NHL games, 2,113 PIM), who went by the nickname “Grim Reaper”, because of his fearless fighting on the ice, said this: “The role of enforcer is necessary. Without it the physical players on the other team are going to maybe take runs at your smaller players, take liberties with your more skilled players.” Now isn’t that what happened in the play-offs against the Sedins?
With the Canucks’ final cuts having been made yesterday, do you see anyone that is going to take on the oppositions’ enforcers? Please don’t preach to me about how Aaron Volpatti, who does the best that he can as a light-heavy, or Victor Oreskovich, is the answer.
Yes, it was an impressive one punch KO from Volpatti that decked Sharks Brad Winchester, but that’s a one-off. Expect a rematch next time the Canucks meet the Sharks and then we’ll see if Volpatti is the real deal.
Take a moment and look at what Edmonton did to rectify that problem, because they felt the opposition was taking liberties with the likes of their young rising stars. They added Ben Eager, Darcy Hordichuk, Andy Sutton along with current Oiler Theo Peckam, to address that need. If you think that these guys aren’t going to go after the Sedins, then you’re dreaming – because there’s no Canucks to stop them.
That’s just one team in the NW Division that has added muscle to their line-up, and there’s not a team in the NHL that didn’t watch how the Boston Bruins manhandled the Canucks in the Stanley Cup final – and win.
Canuck players that were auditioning for the role as fourth liners have been cut and sent to the Chicago Wolves. I like Mike Duco’s agitating way he plays the game, but at 5’10”, 194 lbs., unless he is a clone of the late departed best “pound for pound fighter in the NHL” – Rick Rypien, then he’s not the answer, nor is injured Steve Pinizzotto.
I believe both Duco and Pinizzotto, when he recovers, will be quickly back in Vancouver if Volpatti and Oreskovich do not produce some useful goal totals on the fourth line.
The 2011/12 version of the Canucks has taken a step backwards, only due to the injury of Ryan Kesler. With that said, this team starts out the same way it finished its last two Stanley Cup series – as a one line team – the Sedins.
Nothing has been proven in the pre-season as to whether Cody Hodgson or Andrew Ebbett can adequately fill in for Kesler. There is not one player amongst the top nine forwards that can replace Raffi Torres‘ physical game, nor is there anyone that can stand up for the Sedins, as was proven in the play-offs.
On defense, Kevin Bieksa is one of two tough, gritty type defensemen out of eight, with the other being Andrew Alberts. OK, I’ll include the injured Aaron Rome when he returns. Bieksa is not a player that you want sitting in the penalty box or breaking his hand on the opponent’s helmet while playing the role of enforcer.
None of the remaining present six D-men are of that nature either, so once again this team sets itself up for the abuse of the opposition NHL teams. The Canucks better hope that their power play stays atop the NHL, or else there will be a lot of call ups from the Wolves to fill in for the toll the physical play and liberties will take on this team.
Optimistically, I expect the Canucks to win the NW Division and be one of the top six teams in the NHL, notwithstanding injuries that could change the whole picture.
Footnotes: Unless there is some quick chemistry from the second line, I fully expect the Canucks to struggle coming out of the gate. The other problem is that Roberto Loungo is a notorious slow starter in the month of October – but I’ve put forward the resolution to that in my previous article.
Former enforcer Todd Fedoruk was given his outright release. I have to applaud him for giving it another shot, but from what I witnessed, I don’t think his heart was in it. Who can blame him with all the injuries he has suffered from playing that role.
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