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CANUCKS HOCKEY BLOG

Monday, October 03, 2005

Some Final Thoughts on the Preseason

The Vancouver Canucks yesterday reduced their roster to 24 players, including the injured Jason King. Rookie defenseman Luc Bourdon was sent back to juniors; Brent Johnson, Josh Green, and Sven Butenschon were placed on waivers for assignment to Manitoba; Tomas Mojzis and Kevin Bieksa were assigned to Manitoba; and Jason Doig was released.

Some final thoughts on the preseason:
  • The biggest (and most pleasant) surprise of the preseason was the play of Luc Bourdon. He opened a lot of eyes as to his potential. He played like he belonged in the big leagues - playing big minutes, playing poised and tempting the team to keep him at the start of the season.
  • Unlike other Canucks fans, I won't be surprised if Wade Brookbank ends up becoming the no. 6 defenseman. His biggest asset remains his toughness - exactly what the team was looking for - but his skating and positional play has also noticeably improved. He played his best game in the final preseason game against Edmonton, logging a relatively mistake-free 15 minutes. In the regular season, the team's no. 6 defenseman will see less than 10 minutes of ice-time per game and Brookbank should be able to play those minutes.
  • Unless Bouck is traded or Fedorov leaves for Russia, I still believe Goren will be sent down to the Moose (at least to start the season). Goren had an impressive preseason; however, the new NHL exposed his lack of foot speed.
  • I'm not surprised that Fedorov is still with the big club. Yes, he still exhibits some of the same lazy habits as he always has... but yes, he also continues to show flashes of brilliance. He is still an asset and I can't imagine the Canucks wanting to lose an asset for nothing. Especially one with Fedorov's upside. At the very least I'm sure the team is fielding offers for him in trade.
posted by J.J. Guerrero, 3:00 PM

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