Nicklas Jensen’s days with the Vancouver Canucks are numbered this NHL preseason.
But he’s making the best of them.
Jensen scored the winning goal and added an assist as the Canucks beat a Calgary Flames split squad 4-3 at Rogers Arena on Tuesday night.
“It was pretty neat,” said Jensen of his first goal at the NHL level. “I don’t even know what to say. It was, of course, what I was hoping for.”
The Canucks chose Jensen, an 18-year-old native of Herning, Denmark, with the 29th overall pick in the 2011 NHL entry draft. He is trying to do what few Canuck first-round draft choices have done – stick with the club in their first pro season.
But unlike many first-rounders who have passed through Rogers Arena and the Pacific Coliseum before him, he is realistic about his chances of staying with a club that went to the seventh game of the 2010-11 Stanley Cup finals.
“I don’t think about it too much,” said Jensen. “Obviously, it would never be bad to stay here. That’s, of course what I’m here for – just try to stay here. But I’m not going to get disappointed if I get sent home. Realistically, that’s probably what’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of time how long I can stay here for. I’m just going to work as hard as I can to stay here as long as possible.”
In the meantime, Jensen is giving family and friends back home in Denmark something to cheer about. His dad something to cheer about. His father, Dan Jensen, played three seasons of major junior hockey in the OHL with Peterborough and Guelph and also represented Canada 10 times before he moved to Denmark, fell in love and stayed.
“He’s probably really happy back home as well, and there’s probably a message or two on the phone right now,” said Jensen. “
Canucks coach Alain Vigneault liked what he saw, too. Jensen’s entire line, which included Jordan Schroeder, Vancouver’s top pick a year ago, and Steven Pinizzotto all produced points while combining on two goals.
Schroeder recorded a goal and an assist. Pinizzotto, 27, who until now has been a career minor-leaguer but has the grit that the Canucks are looking for, contributed two helpers.
“I thought that line got better as the game went on,” said Vigneault. “You can really see a young man there (Jensen) that’s got real good size, really enjoys the game, and I think there’s a tremendous amount of potential there – and it’s real fun to see.”
Jensen helped Schroeder get noticed, too, after the 21-year-old Prior Lake, Minn., native had a poor training camp in 2010.
“I hadn’t noticed Schroeder that much in last year’s camp, but today I was not just impressed with how he played with the puck, but I thought without the puck he was really dependable,” said Vigneault. “So I like that part, because if you’re ever going to play at this level, you’ve gotta be able to play at both ends of the rink.”
Jensen assisted on Schroeder’s goal early in the third period. During a two-on-one, the dashing Dane fed a perfect pass that Schroeder wired home to create a 3-3 tie. Then, five minutes and 45 seconds later, Jensen skated out of the corner with the puck and beat goaltender Leland Irving with a shot that went in off his arm.
“I just took my time with the puck, circled around and I just saw an empty corner,” said Jensen. “Luckily for me, it went in.”
Jensen is expected to play one or two more exhibition games before the Canucks return him to Oshawa of the OHL. He is also expected to represent Denmark at the world junior championships at Christmas.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
How times have changed for Owen Nolan
Notes and quotes from the Vancouver Canucks training camp on Sunday …
Nolan undergoes role reversal at Canucks camp
How times have changed for Owen Nolan.
In 1990, he was selected first overall in the NHL draft and received the red-carpet treatment the way Edmonton No. 1 picks Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have the past two years. But at the age of 39, Nolan now finds himself without a contract as he tries out for the Canucks.
He used to be able to count on big minutes in a top-line role. But after spending a season in Switzerland, his role, along with his contract status is uncertain.
“My goal right now is just to make the team, and once I do, we’ll discuss what role the coach wants me to have,” says Nolan. “I have a lot of experience under my belt and can handle a lot of different situations, whether it’s kill penalties, play power plays. Whatever they need me to do, I’m more than willing to do.”
If Nolan can play the way he has in the past, before injuries and age took their toll, he will likely make an impact with the Canucks. As the Stanley Cup finals showed, Vancouver needs more grit, especially on the third and fourth lines, where Nolan is most likely to play.
“Especially not playing (in the NHL) last year, I have no excuses for bumps and bruises,” says Nolan. “I feel fit. I feel ready to get at it.”
Nolan, who last played in the NHL two seasons ago with Minnesota, says he has to rely more on his intelligence now than his physical skills.
“Everyone knows you lose a step the older you get, but I think at some point you learn to read the game a lot better,” says Nolan. “You see those situations a lot more and you know how to react to them.”
Canucks captain Henrik Sedin says Nolan has reacted well to the rigors of training camp. Now, it’s just a question of seeing what he can do in exhibition play, which begins Tuesday in a pair of split-squad games against Calgary at home and away.
Nolan is among a handful of veterans who are trying out. Goaltender Manny Legace, enforcer Todd Fedoruk and journeyman Steve Begin are the others.
“It’s a tough spot to be in, but they’re coming in, they’re working hard,” says Sedin. “They’ve been around so they know what it takes. I’m sure they want to prove, when the game starts, what they can do.”
“I think different guys can bring different things, but the one thing they can all bring is experience. “They’ve been around and they’ve played this game for a long time, so I think that’s their nature.”
It’s often said that when you try out for one team, you’re actually trying out for 29 other teams that scout you in the preseason. But Nolan does not pay heed to such comments.
“I just want to be part of a winner,” says Nolan. “I’m not expecting to come in here and play 20 minutes. I know that my job is to come in here and chip in any way I can when I’m on the ice.”
Undrafted Archibald fills into pro frame
Add Darren Archibald to the list of players that Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis has granted a second chance to make a first impression.
In Archibald’s case, it’s a third chance. Unlike the aforementioned Nolan, the 21-year-old rookie was never drafted and had unsuccessful tryouts with Columbus and Detroit in the past two training camps. But Gillis saw something in Archibald and signed him last December while he was completing his last season of junior eligibility with Niagara and Barrie of the OHL.
“I think it has a lot to do with what team you go to and how much availability there is for a contract,” says Archibald, who was one of Vancouver’s better players at the recently concluded Young Stars tournament in Penticton, B.C. “It’s such a numbers game and sometimes it just doesn’t work with certain teams. Certain teams already have their style of player and, fortunately, for me, Vancouver was looking for their big guys to get in the hard-nosed areas.”
So why wasn’t Archibald drafted? At six-foot-three and 209 pounds bears the classic build of a power forward.
“Everybody’s kind of labelled me as a late bloomer,” says Archibald. “Within the last couple of years, I guess, I’ve just really started to fill out into my frame. I was always tall, but I was never really thick. In the last couple of years, I’ve started to put on a balance and started to feel more comfortable with my body.”
Soon, he will try to get comfortable in the Chicago Wolves lineup. But he will be one to watch as the Canucks look for more grit and toughness to avoid being bounced around in the playoffs.
Tanev sporting new Chinese-friendly number
Don’t be surprised if second-year Vancouver defenceman Chris Tanev becomes a favourite of the club’s large Chinese fan base.
Tanev will sport No. 8 on his jersey this season instead of his former No. 18. According to Chinese numerology and folklore, the No. 8 is considered the number that brings the most good fortune.
“Really?” says Tanev.
He was unaware of the benefit of his new number. But perhaps Gillis knew something he didn’t.
“I didn’t ask for it to be changed,” says Tanev. “That’s the number I wore in college. Mr. Gillis told the trainers to change it from 18 to eight, and I’m happy with that. That’s what I wore growing up. I prefer that.”
Perhaps the No. 8 will help Tanev, who was also undrafted before being spotted while playing for little-known Rochester Institute of Technology two seasons ago, put more bulk on his slim frame. Unlike Archibald, Tanev does not fit the hockey prototype. Sporting shorts and a tee-shirt, he looks like he would fit in well with the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer club.
He has bulked up a bit, gaining about 10 pounds.
“I’m still working on my strength,” says Tanev. “I’m still working on my shot. Things are coming. They’re a lot better than last year.”
Veteran Keith Ballard figures the extra weight will help Tanev, who is extremely strong when it comes to getting the puck out of his zone, but not strength-wise. Ballard believes the added pounds will help him win some one-on-one battles in the corner and elsewhere.
“He’s not an overly physical player, so he’s not going to use that strength to be running guys every night,” says Ballard.
Eddie doesn’t lack foresight
Eddie Lack, who appears destined to be Vancouver’s top goaltender on the farm this season, is watching and learning from incumbents Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider in training camp.
“I watched them in practice and I learned a lot,” says Lack. “I just know, if I continue to develop, my time will come.”
He recognizes that Luongo still has a decade to go on his long-term contract and Schneider is here until his inevitable trade. Possibly this season. Why else would the Canucks bring in Legace for a look-see? So Lack, a native of Norrtalje, Sweden, is staying patient and following the example of the goaltender who did in the Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals – Tim Thomas – en route to being selected as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
“I’m just 23 years old and I’m a goalie,” says Lack. “Just look at Tim Thomas. I think he played four or five games in the NHL before he turned 30. So (I’m go to) just be patient and play my game and have fun out there.”
“I’m just trying to take care of my business,” says Lack. “It’s not something that I can control or anything. I have to play good to eventually get a shot up here, and that’s what my plan is.”
“I’m just 23 years old and I’m a goalie,” says Lack. “Just look at Tim Thomas. I think he played four or five games in the NHL before he turned 30. So (I’m go to) just be patient and play my game and have fun out there.”
Sedins like short off-season
The Sedin twins aren’t getting older, they’re getting fitter.
Despite a longer season in 2010-11, the Sedins scored better in some aspects of physical testing at camp. Henrik won’t say exactly which ones, but he admitted the gruelling VO2 exam, which measure oxygen intake during a high-intensity stationary bike ride, was one of them.
“I feel better this year,” says Sedin. “You play longer and you stay in shape and ou don’t really get those weeks where you’re not doing anything. Nowadays, if you get three or four weeks off, it’s a long time to recover from.”
He endorses tennis star Roger Federer’s claim that 40 is the new 30. Obviously, 30, which is the twins’ age until Sept. 26, ain’t what it used to be, either.
“Guys would start to tail off before, but now I think you’re going to see more guys playing longer, because you work out differently in the summer time,” says Henrik. “You get back, you’re never really out of shape, you’re always trying to stay in shape, and that makes things easy.”
But the Sedins, who led the league in scoring the past two seasons, with Henrik prevailing in 2009-10 and Daniel earning top honours last season, made sure they didn’t take it easy in the gym between June and August.
“We had a really good summer,” says Henrik Sedin. “We really tried to push ourselves. Maybe, when you get up to this age, you try to be just where you are and you don’t really try to push yourself. In the summer, we pushed ourselves to try to get in better shape. We’re happy with the results.”
If the past two seasons are any indication, Canucks fans likely will be, too.
Ballard anxious to start season
Still on the feeling-comfortable theme, defenceman Ballard is feeling much better than he did a year ago, when he was recovering from hip surgery and getting to know his teammates following a trade from Florida.
Now, Ballard, who was a frequent healthy scratch in the playoffs and at other times last season, is anxious to start the preseason. He is glad that training camps not the drawn-out affairs that they used to be. Vancouver’s camp will comprise just three days on ice – and Ballard likes it that way.
“You don’t need to be beating up on your own teammates,” says Ballard. “So you want to get out there and compete against some of the other guys.”
Nolan undergoes role reversal at Canucks camp
How times have changed for Owen Nolan.
In 1990, he was selected first overall in the NHL draft and received the red-carpet treatment the way Edmonton No. 1 picks Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have the past two years. But at the age of 39, Nolan now finds himself without a contract as he tries out for the Canucks.
He used to be able to count on big minutes in a top-line role. But after spending a season in Switzerland, his role, along with his contract status is uncertain.
“My goal right now is just to make the team, and once I do, we’ll discuss what role the coach wants me to have,” says Nolan. “I have a lot of experience under my belt and can handle a lot of different situations, whether it’s kill penalties, play power plays. Whatever they need me to do, I’m more than willing to do.”
If Nolan can play the way he has in the past, before injuries and age took their toll, he will likely make an impact with the Canucks. As the Stanley Cup finals showed, Vancouver needs more grit, especially on the third and fourth lines, where Nolan is most likely to play.
“Especially not playing (in the NHL) last year, I have no excuses for bumps and bruises,” says Nolan. “I feel fit. I feel ready to get at it.”
Nolan, who last played in the NHL two seasons ago with Minnesota, says he has to rely more on his intelligence now than his physical skills.
“Everyone knows you lose a step the older you get, but I think at some point you learn to read the game a lot better,” says Nolan. “You see those situations a lot more and you know how to react to them.”
Canucks captain Henrik Sedin says Nolan has reacted well to the rigors of training camp. Now, it’s just a question of seeing what he can do in exhibition play, which begins Tuesday in a pair of split-squad games against Calgary at home and away.
Nolan is among a handful of veterans who are trying out. Goaltender Manny Legace, enforcer Todd Fedoruk and journeyman Steve Begin are the others.
“It’s a tough spot to be in, but they’re coming in, they’re working hard,” says Sedin. “They’ve been around so they know what it takes. I’m sure they want to prove, when the game starts, what they can do.”
“I think different guys can bring different things, but the one thing they can all bring is experience. “They’ve been around and they’ve played this game for a long time, so I think that’s their nature.”
It’s often said that when you try out for one team, you’re actually trying out for 29 other teams that scout you in the preseason. But Nolan does not pay heed to such comments.
“I just want to be part of a winner,” says Nolan. “I’m not expecting to come in here and play 20 minutes. I know that my job is to come in here and chip in any way I can when I’m on the ice.”
Undrafted Archibald fills into pro frame
Add Darren Archibald to the list of players that Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis has granted a second chance to make a first impression.
In Archibald’s case, it’s a third chance. Unlike the aforementioned Nolan, the 21-year-old rookie was never drafted and had unsuccessful tryouts with Columbus and Detroit in the past two training camps. But Gillis saw something in Archibald and signed him last December while he was completing his last season of junior eligibility with Niagara and Barrie of the OHL.
“I think it has a lot to do with what team you go to and how much availability there is for a contract,” says Archibald, who was one of Vancouver’s better players at the recently concluded Young Stars tournament in Penticton, B.C. “It’s such a numbers game and sometimes it just doesn’t work with certain teams. Certain teams already have their style of player and, fortunately, for me, Vancouver was looking for their big guys to get in the hard-nosed areas.”
So why wasn’t Archibald drafted? At six-foot-three and 209 pounds bears the classic build of a power forward.
“Everybody’s kind of labelled me as a late bloomer,” says Archibald. “Within the last couple of years, I guess, I’ve just really started to fill out into my frame. I was always tall, but I was never really thick. In the last couple of years, I’ve started to put on a balance and started to feel more comfortable with my body.”
Soon, he will try to get comfortable in the Chicago Wolves lineup. But he will be one to watch as the Canucks look for more grit and toughness to avoid being bounced around in the playoffs.
Tanev sporting new Chinese-friendly number
Don’t be surprised if second-year Vancouver defenceman Chris Tanev becomes a favourite of the club’s large Chinese fan base.
Tanev will sport No. 8 on his jersey this season instead of his former No. 18. According to Chinese numerology and folklore, the No. 8 is considered the number that brings the most good fortune.
“Really?” says Tanev.
He was unaware of the benefit of his new number. But perhaps Gillis knew something he didn’t.
“I didn’t ask for it to be changed,” says Tanev. “That’s the number I wore in college. Mr. Gillis told the trainers to change it from 18 to eight, and I’m happy with that. That’s what I wore growing up. I prefer that.”
Perhaps the No. 8 will help Tanev, who was also undrafted before being spotted while playing for little-known Rochester Institute of Technology two seasons ago, put more bulk on his slim frame. Unlike Archibald, Tanev does not fit the hockey prototype. Sporting shorts and a tee-shirt, he looks like he would fit in well with the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer club.
He has bulked up a bit, gaining about 10 pounds.
“I’m still working on my strength,” says Tanev. “I’m still working on my shot. Things are coming. They’re a lot better than last year.”
Veteran Keith Ballard figures the extra weight will help Tanev, who is extremely strong when it comes to getting the puck out of his zone, but not strength-wise. Ballard believes the added pounds will help him win some one-on-one battles in the corner and elsewhere.
“He’s not an overly physical player, so he’s not going to use that strength to be running guys every night,” says Ballard.
Eddie doesn’t lack foresight
Eddie Lack, who appears destined to be Vancouver’s top goaltender on the farm this season, is watching and learning from incumbents Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider in training camp.
“I watched them in practice and I learned a lot,” says Lack. “I just know, if I continue to develop, my time will come.”
He recognizes that Luongo still has a decade to go on his long-term contract and Schneider is here until his inevitable trade. Possibly this season. Why else would the Canucks bring in Legace for a look-see? So Lack, a native of Norrtalje, Sweden, is staying patient and following the example of the goaltender who did in the Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals – Tim Thomas – en route to being selected as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
“I’m just 23 years old and I’m a goalie,” says Lack. “Just look at Tim Thomas. I think he played four or five games in the NHL before he turned 30. So (I’m go to) just be patient and play my game and have fun out there.”
“I’m just trying to take care of my business,” says Lack. “It’s not something that I can control or anything. I have to play good to eventually get a shot up here, and that’s what my plan is.”
“I’m just 23 years old and I’m a goalie,” says Lack. “Just look at Tim Thomas. I think he played four or five games in the NHL before he turned 30. So (I’m go to) just be patient and play my game and have fun out there.”
Sedins like short off-season
The Sedin twins aren’t getting older, they’re getting fitter.
Despite a longer season in 2010-11, the Sedins scored better in some aspects of physical testing at camp. Henrik won’t say exactly which ones, but he admitted the gruelling VO2 exam, which measure oxygen intake during a high-intensity stationary bike ride, was one of them.
“I feel better this year,” says Sedin. “You play longer and you stay in shape and ou don’t really get those weeks where you’re not doing anything. Nowadays, if you get three or four weeks off, it’s a long time to recover from.”
He endorses tennis star Roger Federer’s claim that 40 is the new 30. Obviously, 30, which is the twins’ age until Sept. 26, ain’t what it used to be, either.
“Guys would start to tail off before, but now I think you’re going to see more guys playing longer, because you work out differently in the summer time,” says Henrik. “You get back, you’re never really out of shape, you’re always trying to stay in shape, and that makes things easy.”
But the Sedins, who led the league in scoring the past two seasons, with Henrik prevailing in 2009-10 and Daniel earning top honours last season, made sure they didn’t take it easy in the gym between June and August.
“We had a really good summer,” says Henrik Sedin. “We really tried to push ourselves. Maybe, when you get up to this age, you try to be just where you are and you don’t really try to push yourself. In the summer, we pushed ourselves to try to get in better shape. We’re happy with the results.”
If the past two seasons are any indication, Canucks fans likely will be, too.
Ballard anxious to start season
Still on the feeling-comfortable theme, defenceman Ballard is feeling much better than he did a year ago, when he was recovering from hip surgery and getting to know his teammates following a trade from Florida.
Now, Ballard, who was a frequent healthy scratch in the playoffs and at other times last season, is anxious to start the preseason. He is glad that training camps not the drawn-out affairs that they used to be. Vancouver’s camp will comprise just three days on ice – and Ballard likes it that way.
“You don’t need to be beating up on your own teammates,” says Ballard. “So you want to get out there and compete against some of the other guys.”
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Sturm looks for redemption with Canucks
It’s redemption time for the Vancouver Canucks – in more ways than one.
While the Canucks look to make up for a loss to the Boston Bruins in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals and claim the crown, several players – newcomers and returnees alike – are looking to redeem themselves after an injury riddled season.
Marco Sturm is a prime example. The Canucks’ top free agent acquisition, he is looking to revive his career after two knee operations in the past three years.
“I just want to be the player I was before my injury,” says Sturm. “That’s gonna be my goal. Right now, the knees feel great. I’m just trying to get in a rhythm again.”
Sturm had trouble finding a rhythm last season. The Bruins traded him to Los Angeles in December while he was still hurt, and then the Kings waived him and he was claimed by the Washington Capitals, who subsequently let him go after the playoffs.
He produced 16 points in 35 regular-season games with the Kings and Caps and furnished three post-season points with Washington – not bad considering his injury ordeals.
“I had to start pretty much at zero, because my strength was not there,” says Sturm. “My fitness wasn’t there all last year, so I started from zero. But the main thing was to get my strength back, so I did a lot of weights and, of course, a lot of outside running to get my conditioning.”
Signed to a one-year, $2.25 million contract, he could play a critical role as the Canucks contend with early-season injuries. The 33-year-old native of Dingolfing, Germany could play a key role as Vancouver looks to atone for the absences of second-liners Ryan Kesler (hip) and Mason Raymond (back).
“I can play on any line and, also, left wing or right wing,” he says. “It doesn’t really matter. Of course, I want to be in the top six, but I’m here to help the team out.”
Chances are he will, to some extent. Sturm has recorded seven straight 20-goal seasons, including a 2004-05 lockout season he spent play in Germany. So why did he decide to sign with the Canucks?
“I’m at that age now – I want to win – and this team’s got everything,” says Sturm. “They showed in the last two years how good they are, and I want to be in that good team, good organization, who knows what it will take to win it all, and it was a big issue.”
Other players attempting to redeem themselves are veteran goaltender Manny Legace; former No. 1 draft pick Owen Nolan, who played in Switzerland last season; enforcer Todd Fedoruk, who has been quite outspoken about his substance-abuse problems; and journeyman forward Steve Begin, who spent most of last season in the minors. All are in camp on professional tryouts with no assurance of a contract.
Meanwhile, returnees to the organization, such as Cody Hodgson, who split the season between the NHL and the minors, and Jordan Schroeder, who spent all of last season in the AHL, also have something to prove. With most of the roster set, the reclamation projects will have a hard time cracking the lineup. But coach Alain Vigneault hopes at least some will help shore up a fourth line that revolved and struggled most of last season. The Vancouver bench boss hopes to close the revolving door and go with more of a set fourth unit.
“I think if we can find an identity there for that fourth line, an identity that would help us win games, we would definitely go in that direction,” says Vigneault. “Last year, it took us quite a long time to figure out which pieces were going to go there, and it was still up in the air going into the playoffs.”
Some of the newcomers – and prospects – might also help the Canucks make up for the departures of defenceman Christian Ehrhoff and gritty winger Raffi Torres, due to free agency. Defenceman Kevin Bieksa, who redeemed himself last season after his future with the Canucks was uncertain at the outset of camp, believes they will find suitable replacements.
“That’s what good teams do, and they adapt and they have guys step up and fill holes” says Bieksa.
Great teams challenge for the Stanley Cup year after year. While many a predicting the Canucks will regress, Bieksa believes the newcomers can help Vancouver back to the finals. There’s no doubt the veterans have the desire to return.
“It’s early in camp, but you can still kind of see the hunger out there,” says Bieksa. “The thing is, with last year and the success, we know it’s attainable now. If we play the same way and we play the right way, we’re going to be back there.”
While the Canucks look to make up for a loss to the Boston Bruins in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals and claim the crown, several players – newcomers and returnees alike – are looking to redeem themselves after an injury riddled season.
Marco Sturm is a prime example. The Canucks’ top free agent acquisition, he is looking to revive his career after two knee operations in the past three years.
“I just want to be the player I was before my injury,” says Sturm. “That’s gonna be my goal. Right now, the knees feel great. I’m just trying to get in a rhythm again.”
Sturm had trouble finding a rhythm last season. The Bruins traded him to Los Angeles in December while he was still hurt, and then the Kings waived him and he was claimed by the Washington Capitals, who subsequently let him go after the playoffs.
He produced 16 points in 35 regular-season games with the Kings and Caps and furnished three post-season points with Washington – not bad considering his injury ordeals.
“I had to start pretty much at zero, because my strength was not there,” says Sturm. “My fitness wasn’t there all last year, so I started from zero. But the main thing was to get my strength back, so I did a lot of weights and, of course, a lot of outside running to get my conditioning.”
Signed to a one-year, $2.25 million contract, he could play a critical role as the Canucks contend with early-season injuries. The 33-year-old native of Dingolfing, Germany could play a key role as Vancouver looks to atone for the absences of second-liners Ryan Kesler (hip) and Mason Raymond (back).
“I can play on any line and, also, left wing or right wing,” he says. “It doesn’t really matter. Of course, I want to be in the top six, but I’m here to help the team out.”
Chances are he will, to some extent. Sturm has recorded seven straight 20-goal seasons, including a 2004-05 lockout season he spent play in Germany. So why did he decide to sign with the Canucks?
“I’m at that age now – I want to win – and this team’s got everything,” says Sturm. “They showed in the last two years how good they are, and I want to be in that good team, good organization, who knows what it will take to win it all, and it was a big issue.”
Other players attempting to redeem themselves are veteran goaltender Manny Legace; former No. 1 draft pick Owen Nolan, who played in Switzerland last season; enforcer Todd Fedoruk, who has been quite outspoken about his substance-abuse problems; and journeyman forward Steve Begin, who spent most of last season in the minors. All are in camp on professional tryouts with no assurance of a contract.
Meanwhile, returnees to the organization, such as Cody Hodgson, who split the season between the NHL and the minors, and Jordan Schroeder, who spent all of last season in the AHL, also have something to prove. With most of the roster set, the reclamation projects will have a hard time cracking the lineup. But coach Alain Vigneault hopes at least some will help shore up a fourth line that revolved and struggled most of last season. The Vancouver bench boss hopes to close the revolving door and go with more of a set fourth unit.
“I think if we can find an identity there for that fourth line, an identity that would help us win games, we would definitely go in that direction,” says Vigneault. “Last year, it took us quite a long time to figure out which pieces were going to go there, and it was still up in the air going into the playoffs.”
Some of the newcomers – and prospects – might also help the Canucks make up for the departures of defenceman Christian Ehrhoff and gritty winger Raffi Torres, due to free agency. Defenceman Kevin Bieksa, who redeemed himself last season after his future with the Canucks was uncertain at the outset of camp, believes they will find suitable replacements.
“That’s what good teams do, and they adapt and they have guys step up and fill holes” says Bieksa.
Great teams challenge for the Stanley Cup year after year. While many a predicting the Canucks will regress, Bieksa believes the newcomers can help Vancouver back to the finals. There’s no doubt the veterans have the desire to return.
“It’s early in camp, but you can still kind of see the hunger out there,” says Bieksa. “The thing is, with last year and the success, we know it’s attainable now. If we play the same way and we play the right way, we’re going to be back there.”
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