Canucks and Leafs non-trade…

The Vancouver Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs not agreeing to trade Roberto Luongo for Nazem Kadri and James Reimer has worked out very well for both teams.

There is an expression in the hockey world they use for that occurrence: ”Sometimes the best trades are the ones that aren’t done.”

Roberto Luongo has played 8 games, won 4, and lost 3 in overtime. This means every time Luongo starts a game the Canucks register at least 1 point. His goal against is 1.63 with an excellent save percentage of.934. He is presently third in the NHL for goal against average.

The Canucks are leading their division due in large part to Luongo’s performance.

After 17 games Nazem Kadri leads the Leafs in points and is second in assists. He has also played well defensively. He is tied for fourth on the Leafs in terms of plus – minus with a plus 5.

James Reimer has won 6 games, with a 2.31 goal against average and a .929 save percentage.

The Leafs are presently in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. If the season ended today they would be in a playoff spot.

I don’t expect the Canucks to trade Luongo this year.

The Leafs on the other hand need to make a move to make the playoffs. Only 2 points separate the fifth to tenth spot in the Eastern Conference. They have another 10 games to evaluate where they are positioned at the halfway point of the season.

Do you see the Leafs hanging on to their playoff spot?

Enjoy your day!

The Vancouver Canucks season will be …

The most important move is the one that they shouldn’t make. Don’t trade Roberto Luongo because during this shortened season his abilities will be needed to make a run at the Stanley Cup.

Ryan Kesler’s injury is a blow to the offense and team toughness. The Sedin twins will be their usual star players. Maxim Lapierre and Alexandre Burrows will have to spend less time trash-talking and more time scoring goals for the Canucks to have a successful season.

The defensive core has good depth but no star players. They are steady and solid nothing spectacular.

How goaltenders Cory Schneider and Roberto Loungo co-exist will either make or break this team.

The Canucks will make the playoffs. It is a matter of whether they can win the Stanley Cup.

Do you believe the Canucks will be a threat to win the Stanley Cup?

Enjoy your day!

The Canadian NHL teams…

The Vancouver Canucks, the Ottawa Senators, and even the Edmonton Oilers will make the playoffs for the Canadian teams.

The Edmonton Oilers’ players have played well during the lockout. Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Nick Schultz were in the top 5 scorers in the American League. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins led the World Junior tournament in scoring and Devan Dubnyk played in the Spengler Cup representing Canada.

Ales Hemsky is the key to their playoff run.

They are in a great position to get off to good start. Having players who are in game shape so quickly is key to making this short season a great one.

Last years number1 pick overall selected by the Oilers’ Nail Yakupov is a puck hog. I would rather they traded the pick to get multiple pieces which could have helped the team immediately.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired Brian Burke. Dave Nonis has been a general manger before with the Canucks. It will be interesting to see how that will affect the possibility of getting Roberto Loungo. The Leafs roster is a mess.

They are too dependent on 1 line to have success.

The Montreal Canadiens’ season will be a non-playoff season. P.K. Subban signing is a major priority. They can’t wait until summer to dump some bad contracts in order to improve the Canadiens’ future.

The Ottawa Senators are in good shape. The return of Daniel Alfredsson was great news for them. They had 7 players score more than 14 goals last year. Balance scoring must continue for success. They will make the playoff.

The Calgary Flames should start the season with Jarome Iginla, Maikka Kiprusoff, and play many of their top prospects. They have multiple top junior players who are ready to play now.

The Vancouver Canucks should only trade Roberto Loungo for the right package. In a shorted season I would keep him in case Cory Schneider has a bad start. Ryan Kesler‘s injury is a big loss. This may force the Canucks to trade Loungo in order to replace Kesler’s scoring.

The Winnipeg Jets’ season will hinge on the development of Evander Kane. They have 3 players who scored more than 24 goals last year. It will be another non-playoff year for the Jets. They will score some goals.

Which Canadian teams you think will make the playoffs?

Enjoy your day!