This year’s version of the Vancouver Canucks again looks poised to make the long run to the Stanley Cup Finals. And when one looks at how similar the 2011-12 version of the Canucks is to last year’s team that lost in Game 7 of the Finals to the Boston Bruins, it only makes sense that the Canucks are considered favourites in the NHL’s Western Conference.
Notable departures from last year’s team include Christian Ehrhoff, Raffi Torres, and Mikael Samuelsson. Ehrhoff was the recipient of a 10-year, $40 million contract from the Buffalo Sabres, a deal that is typical of the practice of overpaying for players that have been to the Stanley Cup. Although the Canucks were right not to match the money the Sabres threw at Ehrhoff, losing Ehrhoff was still a considerable blow to the Canucks' blue line. He was the Canucks' most polished and consistent defenseman last season At times this season, particularly in the earlier part of the year, his steady play was clearly missed.
Torres, like Ehrhoff, benefited from last year’s run to the Cup in the form of a 2-year, $3.5 million deal with the Phoenix Coyotes ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Jordan Watson
Vancouver Canucks 2011-2012: Stanley Cup Favourites Once Again
January 28th, 2012 by Jordan Watson Leave a reply »
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