Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbob
Luongo is what 34 or 35. He can't afford to sit out a season of hockey.being under contract he can't go play elsewhere. Canucks have one more kick at the cup before major changes imo. As great as it was picking up Horvat, I don't think he can step in this year to help. If he can't help then that one chip Gillis had for immediate help is now gone. If they can't bring anyone in as a ufa (which is likely since they lack cap space) then they will have taken a step back. Should be interesting to see how they fair in the new division.
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I think the Canucks will miss the playoffs next year. A lot of similarities between them and the Flames of 2-3 years ago.
At the start of next year, they'll have too many key players on the wrong side of 30: Sedins (33), Burrows (32), Bieksa (32), and Luongo (34).
The last 2 years, their weaknesses have been masked by playing in an awful NW division. With the new division re-allignment, they'll be exposed. They'll also be icing a worse team next year than last year. Not only will several players be on the decline, but guys like Raymond and Lappiere may not be back. The Canucks don't have the cap space to keep them.
What made the Canucks a great team in their cup run was the combination of stars at their peak and role players through their depth. They also had amazing chemistry on defence, they haven't been able to reproduce since Erhoff left.