Canucks Keep Rolling

Wow, have things ever changed in the past few weeks. Not too long ago we saw Chicken Little running around Vancouver declaring that the sky was falling. While things looked a little bleak at that time and there was some cause for concern, there was definitely a bit of overreaction amongst the media and the fans.

The acquisition of Mats Sundin was being criticized since the Swede was failing to produce, concerns about Roberto Luongo not being himself were running rampant and generally the team just seemed to be in total disarray, particularly on home ice.

Fast forward to a few weeks later and here we are with the Canucks producing their fifth straight victory on home ice last night, toppling the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team who is neck and neck with the Canucks and about six other teams for the final few playoff spots. The Canucks now sit in fifth place in the Western Conference with a comfortable four point lead over the sixth place Blue Jackets (ok a four point lead isn’t a lot, but four points right now seems like a bit of breathing room considering how tight things have been).

The NHL trade deadline is just around the corner on March 4 and I’m sure the team has convinced management that if they are to be making moves, they will be doing them as buyers and not sellers. Having said all that though, things have been going so well, so why mess with a good thing? I don’t expect management will do anything dramatic, but if the right move comes along that can fill a hole and help the team down the stretch and in the playoffs, I’m sure management won’t hesitate.

The Canucks will next host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night. The Wild are battling to stay in the playoff race and will play hard against the Canucks, as they always do.