June 6, don't bother going unless you're a STH and start lining up hours before the sale.

The Canucks were built to take on teams like Detroit, Anaheim, Calgary, and San Jose. We simply got beaten by a more skilled team and there's nothing wrong with that. It's really too bad that we didn't play this way in games 4 and 5.

I think Gillis has no choice but to sign the Sedins, even if they come in at 6-6.5 million/year. They're consistent players and they did finally manage to elevate their game in the playoffs. They're not Ovechkin or Crosby types, but how often do these types of players come around? And despite what people say, I think Gillis should make a pitch to Sundin, say for 2-3 million/year. He's lost a step of course, but he's a character guy and he still has hands - something that Bernier will never have. It's really too bad we're stuck with Demitra for another year because I'd use that money for Sundin.

Guys whom I was surprised by were Raymond and Wellwood. Raymond seems to have another gear and hopefully, his play in the playoffs will give him some confidence. Wellwood's hands and hockey sense are too valuable to let go. Even in the playoffs, he was still able to make good passes and he knew how to go into the corners to make plays.

It's too bad that Burrows had nothing left in the second round. He'll probably take this as a lesson and increase his conditioning in the off-season.

I like O'Brien and I think Gillis should sign him for another couple of years. He's got an ego, but he at least has some fight in him. He sometimes showed flashes of brilliance by spinning way from players in the corners or making neat little passes to clear the zone. If the 'Gillis program' makes an investment in him, I think he could turn out to be a top-4 guy.

+1

Wellwood I'm not surprised. I already saw it in him wayyy before the city threw him under the bus at the beginning of the season. It's Mason Raymond that was the nice surprise for the team; and to think this guy still has a lot of room to grow.

If these guys learned anything from this year, I would expect to see Wellwood work on his conditioning and lose a few pounds. Or at the very least come to camp in decent playing shape.

If Raymond was smart, he would hit the gym to build some more strength. He's never going to be a power forward, but be able to handle himself like the twins would be nice. And of course work on his skating. Find out why he always falls down when he makes those sharp spinnerama type tight turns in the corners.

Unless SOB changes his game, I can't see him being a top 4 D-man. He needs to get away from some of the penalties and fights that he gets into. No way he can be a top 4 D man if half the game was spent in the box. When he is in the box, it forces a 5-6 D guy to play extra minutes.

It was quite evident that Burrows ran out of gas and was no longer doing what got him on the top line. That needs to be addressed, but I think playing him on the second line with a little less Penalty kill time might help.

But of course, the biggest thing that needs to be done is get the team to take less penalties. All these lazy hooks/holding calls really hurt, and these are the same penalties that killed us in games 4/5/and 6.

Sorry, what is a STH?

Season Ticket Holder

Finally catching up for the first time since before game 6...

LoL... you posted that when it was 1-1... pretty funny now after the ridiculous 7-5 final score that nobody could have ever predicted.

I agree... even though on the face of it, letting in 7 goals seems ridiculously bad (and it is), the thing is none of them were truly bad goals. I couldn't believe the number of times the Blackhawks picked top corner on him. Their accuracy was just retarded.

I agree totally. Raymond definitely has potential and I think this playoffs showed us a glimpse of what he has to offer. He also did fairly well at the beginning of this season. He definitely needs to work on his strength though as he's already a small guy to begin with. It's way too easy to knock him off the puck. As SumAznGuy mentioned, he'll also need to figure out why he's constantly falling. He's also becoming more of a team player now. Before, he'd "hog" the puck and try to take it end to end. He's utilizing the other players more now and it's paying off. I think the Canucks should try to lock him up for a few years on the cheap. He's definitely got potential.

O'Brien has to go. He's undisciplined and takes far too many penalties. Some may be good penalties, but most of them are bad. I like that he's physical and will stand up for his team mates, but he's gotta keep himself under control. Other than a bit of toughness in terms of his ability to fight, he doesn't have all that much to offer that any other free agent could offer. Plus when he called out the coaching staff earlier in the year, he dug himself into a hole with management. He seems like a fun guy though (when you see them after a win), and I'm sure he's well liked on the team, but honestly, he's more of a liability than an asset. If he could get a few in the net like Salo and Edler (and Ohlund to a lesser extent), I could see somewhat of a reason to keep him....unfortunately, he doesn't...

Wellwood is the dark horse. Everyone knows he's got the offensive talent. It's just finding a way to extract it out of him. I think the Canucks should take a gamble with him and see if he can perform.

you guys forgot that TB was shopping Malone and the 2nd overall pick

TB came out and denied obviously, it borderlines tampering

They were good goals by good players, but they were saveable goals. Lu didn't need to stop all of them; maybe just 3 less than he did. Or shut the door when we got the lead back 4-3 in the 3rd period.

I mean, I really find the pro-Luongo arguments so wierd that it's almost ridiculous. Back in his 1st/2nd season, people were clamoring that he didn't need the suffocating defense we employed because he's a goalie that thrived on shots. (Back then when we were an all-defense/no-offense team) and that more resources should be placed on offense.

Now that we have a decent offense - with relatively the same defensive core from those seasons, people are now clamoring that our defense is not defensive enough?

I mean, what is it gonna be? Seems like the argument for the sake of Luongo goes to any which way is the most convenient to escape criticism.

if lu doesnt want to extend his contract ...trade him for players

?

good players do have bad games indeed! but my point is that luongo has yet to prove himself as a great goalie like the guys mentioned above. he has failed to seperate himself from good goalies like nabokov, cujo, and all the guys that have posted good regular season records but haven't done much else after.

roy won a record 10 straight OT games in the 93 run. this is what i am talking about here when you seperate the great ones from the good ones. great players find a way to elevate their game and force their team into another level.

luongo is a good goalie. he's better than cloutier, better than weekes and whoever else we've used in the past but i am definitely questioning if he is great enough to take us beyond what he has already achieved with the canucks. if he is truly that great, as the media and the fans here want to portray him as, then he has to step up and fill the shoes.

Problem with our D now is they're getting old and aren't quick enough to play against offense like Chicago's.

Add some speed on the blueline, spend Mats money on Sedins, use the rest to add a proven top 6 forward and we're in good shape for 2009-2010.

Wellwood was once traded straight up for Spezza, back in junior I think. He definitely has potential when in game shape.

Edit:

See, it's just that easy! :p

Yeah but if we had some fresh guys, the excuse would be they're too young and wait 'til they mature.

There really shouldn't be any excuse. We had a good balance of vets and rooks. We had Salo/Mitchell/Ohlie to provide experience on D, and we had our fresh young core with Bieksa/Edler/SOB.

I think the Canucks have to get lucky and hope that one or two of their prospects makes the big club and steps up next season. With the exception of Brian Campbell, Marian Hossa, and possibly Mark Streit, big money free agent acquisitions haven't worked out this season. I don't understand why everyone has a love affair with Jay Bouwmeester. Sure he's a big guy that can move the puck, but he's never been on a winning team (juniors to the big leagues) and he choked down the stretch on a team that was in the playoff race well after the All-Star break.

Getting that elusive top-six forward isn't going to be easy either. Gaborik is glass and Cammalleri will command 6 million+ over 5 years. Maybe Nik Antropov can be signed to fill the Sundin role? Big guy, not overly physical, but he does have hands.

I'm not entirely convinced that CoHo will be the next best thing to sliced bread. I think he should stay on the Moose next year and allow his skating to catch up to his hands and hockey sense. He could tear it up in the bigs, or he could easily be the next Jason Krog (a playmaker who has been tearing it up in the AHL for years, but has never been more than a role player in the NHL.)

Then again, as Pittsburg, Washington, and Chicago have shown, the best way to build a team is to tank for a few seasons and draft superstars. But, no Canadian market team will tolerate a few seasons of mediocrity for a shot at glory - the pressure to win year after year is far too great.

.

couple of weeks ago we thought luongo was god and now hes not great

i mean honestly i think our defence relies on luongo way too much game after game ... if u look at the time chicago or any team who has spent on our own end you'll know why....

whenever we get the puck we cant even get it out of our zone and lu has to bail us out sometimes

luongo practices harder than anyone... d-d-d-daayaaam...it.. LEAVE BRITNEY...i mean LEAVE LUONGO Aloneee..

pens dominated in the 1st period..

Three injuries slowed Burrows down in conference semifinal series
http://communities.canada.com/thepro...al-series.aspx

Caps are done.....4-0 for Pens

5-0 pens

Agree no excuse, but none of those D are speedy enough. Miss Bourdon :(

They're not overly fast, but they're definitely not slow either. You want to see a lumbering defense, look at Calgary.

Aucoin, Pardy, Regehr, Sarich, Vandermeer....all slower than ANY of the Nucks top 5.

Bloody Pens make it into the Eastern Conf. finals again. Imagine another Wings vs. Pens cup final.

Sigh, I was hoping the Caps could at least reach the Conf finals.