It was busy offseason for the Vancouver Canucks, with big changes to their management, coaching staff and player personnel. Jim Benning replaced Mike Gillis, and Willie Desjardins replaces John Tortorella. Long-time Canuck Ryan Kesler was dealt to their division rivals.
Use the below Tabs to view Canucks info for this upcoming season, as well as some numbers from last year.
2013-14 Record: 36-35-11, 83 points
Where they finish: 5th in the Pacific; 12th in the Western Conference; 25th in the NHL
Player Salaries: $68,975,433
Cap Payroll: $66,993,333
Retained Salary: $800,000
Cap Space: $2,006,667
Forwards: $38.17 million (13)
Defensemen: $19.million (7)
Goalies: $8.35 million (3)
Source: CapGeek.com
In: Bobby Sanguinetti D, Cal O’Reilly C, Derek Dorsett RW, Dustin Jeffrey C/LW, Jim Benning GM, Linden Vey C, Luca Sbisa D, Nick Bonino C/LW, Radim Vrbata RW, Ryan Miller G, Willie Desjardins Head Coach
Out: Benn Ferriero RW, David Booth LW/RW, Jason Garrison D, Jeff Costello LW, Jeremy Welsh C/LW, John Tortorella Head Coach, Jordan Schroeder C/RW, Mike Gillis GM, Mike Santorelli C/RW, Pascal Pelletier C/LW, Ryan Kesler C, Zac Dalpe RW/C
2014-15 Team Outlook:
A typically solid Vancouver Canucks team struggled mightily under John Tortorella, and as such, we’ve seen a ton of personnel turnover this summer.
Willie Desjardins was brought in to be the team’s new head coach, while Jim Benning came over from Boston to become the franchise’s new general manager.
Benning certainly wasn’t shy of turning the roster over, and made some big moves right out of the gate. The Canucks dealt Ryan Kesler to the Ducks for a 1st round pick, defenseman Luca Sbisa and center Nick Bonino. Benning also traded defenseman Jason Garrison to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2nd round pick, and acquired Derek Dorsett and Linden Vey from New York and Los Angeles respectively.
He wasn’t done there, though. On top of all those trades, Benning hopes he’s solidified the team’s goaltending situation with the addition of Ryan Miller, and added some pop up front in Radim Vrbata.
Vrbata is generally good for at least 20 goals, and if he’s playing with the Sedins they could make up for one of the better top lines in hockey. The Sedins may be declining a little bit, but they’re still elite players and should produce if healthy.
The Canucks don’t look like world beaters, but they have some talent on that roster and I could see them slipping into a wild card spot if the Sedins stay healthy and Ryan Miller can return to old form.
Written by Todd Cordell, who can be found on twitter @ToddCordell.
The depth chart listed below was taken from NHL.com’s 30-in-30.
FORWARDS
Daniel Sedin – Henrik Sedin – Radim Vrbata
Chris Higgins – Nick Bonino – Zack Kassian
Alexandre Burrows – Shawn Matthias -Jannik Hansen
Derek Dorsett – Brad Richardson – Linden Vey
Dustin Jeffrey – Tom Sestito
DEFENSEMEN
Alexander Edler – Kevin Bieksa
Dan Hamhuis – Christopher Tanev
Luca Sbisa – Ryan Stanton
Yannick Weber
GOALTENDERS
Ryan Miller
Eddie Lack
| Forwards | POS | HT | WT | DOB | BIRTH PLACE |
| Nick Bonino | C | 6′ 1″ | 196 | 20-Apr-88 | HARTFORD, CT, USA |
| Alexandre Burrows | R | 6′ 1″ | 188 | 11-Apr-81 | PINCOURT, QC, CAN |
| Derek Dorsett | R | 6′ 0″ | 192 | 20-Dec-86 | KINDERSLEY, SK, CAN |
| Jannik Hansen | R | 6′ 1″ | 195 | 15-Mar-86 | HERLEV, DNK |
| Chris Higgins | L | 6′ 0″ | 205 | 2-Jun-83 | SMITHTOWN, NY, USA |
| Nicklas Jensen | R | 6′ 3″ | 202 | 6-Mar-93 | HERNING, DNK |
| Zack Kassian | R | 6′ 3″ | 214 | 24-Jan-91 | WINDSOR, ON, CAN |
| Shawn Matthias | C | 6′ 4″ | 223 | 19-Feb-88 | MISSISSAUGA, ON, CAN |
| Brad Richardson | R | 6′ 0″ | 197 | 4-Feb-85 | BELLEVILLE, ON, CAN |
| Daniel Sedin | L | 6′ 1″ | 187 | 26-Sep-80 | ORNSKOLDSVIK, SWE |
| Henrik Sedin | C | 6′ 2″ | 188 | 26-Sep-80 | ORNSKOLDSVIK, SWE |
| Tom Sestito | L | 6′ 5″ | 228 | 28-Sep-87 | ROME, NY, USA |
| Linden Vey | R | 6′ 0″ | 189 | 17-Jul-91 | WAKAW, SK, CAN |
| Radim Vrbata | R | 6′ 1″ | 194 | 13-Jun-81 | MLADA BOLESLAV, CZE |
| Michael Zalewski | L | 6′ 2″ | 205 | 18-Aug-92 | NEW HARTFORD, NY, USA |
| Defencemen | HT | WT | AGE | DOB | BIRTH PLACE |
| Kevin Bieksa | 6′ 1″ | 198 | 33 | 16-Jun-81 | GRIMSBY, ON, CAN |
| Alexander Edler | 6′ 3″ | 215 | 28 | 21-Apr-86 | OSTERSUND, SWE |
| Dan Hamhuis | 6′ 1″ | 209 | 31 | 13-Dec-82 | SMITHERS, BC, CAN |
| Bobby Sanguinetti | 6′ 3″ | 190 | 26 | 29-Feb-88 | TRENTON, NJ, USA |
| Luca Sbisa | 6′ 2″ | 198 | 24 | 30-Jan-90 | OZIERI, ITA |
| Ryan Stanton | 6′ 2″ | 196 | 25 | 20-Jul-89 | ST. ALBERT, AB, CAN |
| Christopher Tanev | 6′ 2″ | 185 | 24 | 20-Dec-89 | TORONTO, ON, CAN |
| Yannick Weber | 5′ 11″ | 200 | 25 | 23-Sep-88 | MORGES, CHE |
| Goalies | HT | WT | AGE | DOB | BIRTH PLACE |
| Eddie Lack | 6′ 4″ | 187 | 26 | 5-Jan-88 | NORRTÄLJE, SWE |
| Jacob Markstrom | 6′ 6″ | 196 | 24 | 31-Jan-90 | GÄVLE, SWE |
| Ryan Miller | 6′ 2″ | 168 | 34 | 17-Jul-80 | EAST LANSING, MI, USA |
A look at the Vancouver Canucks top prospects heading into this season. Each source may use different classifications as to if a player is deemed a prospect or has graduated on from a prospect.
| RK | NHL.com | ESPN Corey Pronman |
Dobber Prospects | Hockeys Future | The Hockey News |
| 1 | Bo Horvat | Bo Horvat | Eddie Lack | Jake Virtanen | Bo Horvat |
| 2 | Brendan Gaunce | Jake Virtanen | Bo Horvat | Thathcher Demko | Jake Virtanen |
| 3 | Jake Virtanen | Hunter Shinkaruk | Jake Virtanen | Bo Horvat | Hunter Shinkaruk |
| 4 | Hunter Shinkaruk | Jared McCann | Linden Vey | Nikita Tryamkin | Jared McCann |
| 5 | Frank Corrado | Frank Corrado | Nicklas Jensen | Hunter Shinkaruk | Linden Vey |
| 6 | Nicklas Jensen | Nicklas Jensen | Hunter Shinkaruk | Nicklas Jensen | Thathcher Demko |
| 7 | Thathcher Demko | Thathcher Demko | Jared McCann | Brendan Gaunce | Frank Corrado |
| 8 | Dane Fox | Brendan Gaunce | Joacim Eriksson | Linden Vey | Brendan Gaunce |
| 9 | Jared McCann | Cole Cassels | Brendan Gaunce | Jared McCann | Cole Cassels |
| 10 | Anton Cederholm | Ben Hutton | Frank Corrado | Cole Cassels | Dane Fox |
* Dobber Prospects – Prospects based on relevance in a fantasy-hockey keeper league, not actual talent on the ice.
Vancouver Canucks Draft History from the past five years
| 2014 Draft | ||||||
| Rd. | Draft # | Player | Pos. | Team | Ht. | Wt. |
| 1 | 6 | Jake Virtanen | C/LW | Calgary (WHL) | 6′ 1″ | 190 |
| 1 | 24 | Jared McCann | C | Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) | 6′ 0″ | 180 |
| 2 | 36 | Thatcher Demko | G | Boston College | 6′ 4″ | 180 |
| 3 | 66 | Nikita Tryamkin | D | Yekaterinburg (RUS) | 6′ 7″ | 228 |
| 5 | 126 | Gustav Forsling | D | Linkoping Jr. (SWE) | 5′ 11″ | 176 |
| 6 | 156 | Kyle Pettit | C | Erie (OHL) | 6′ 4″ | 200 |
| 7 | 186 | Mackenze Stewart | D | Prince Albert (WHL) | 6′ 3″ | 240 |
| 2013 Draft | ||||||
| 1 | 9 | Bo Horvat | C | London (OHL) | 6′ 0″ | 200 |
| 1 | 24 | Hunter Shinkaruk | C/RW | Medicine Hat (WHL) | 5’11” | 175 |
| 3 | 85 | Cole Cassels | F | Oshawa (OHL) | 6′ 0″ | 170 |
| 4 | 115 | Jordan Subban | D | Belleville (OHL) | 5′ 9″ | 177 |
| 5 | 145 | Anton Cederholm | D | Rogle Jr. (SWE-JR. ) | 6′ 2″ | 204 |
| 6 | 175 | Mike Williamson | D | Spruce Grove (AJHL ) | 6′ 2″ | 187 |
| 7 | 205 | Miles Liberati | D | London (OHL ) | 6′ 0″ | 195 |
| 2012 Draft | ||||||
| 1 | 26 | Brendan Gaunce | C | Belleville (OHL) | 6′ 2″ | 205 |
| 2 | 57 | Alexandre Mallet | LW | Rimouski (QMJHL) | 6′ 1″ | 195 |
| 5 | 147 | Ben Hutton | D | Nepean (CCHL) | 6′ 2″ | 183 |
| 6 | 177 | Wesley Myron | LW | Victoria (BCHL) | 6′ 1″ | 182 |
| 7 | 207 | Matthew Beattie | LW | Exeter HS (NH) | 6′ 3″ | 173 |
| 2011 Draft | ||||||
| 1 | 29 | Nicklas Jensen | LW | Oshawa (OHL) | 6′ 2″ | 187 |
| 3 | 71 | David Honzik | G | Victoriaville (QMJHL) | 6′ 3″ | 195 |
| 3 | 90 | Alexandre Grenier | RW | Halifax (QMJHL) | 6′ 5″ | 200 |
| 4 | 101 | Joseph Labate | C | Holy Angels ( HIGH-MN ) | 6′ 4″ | 180 |
| 4 | 120 | Ludwig Blomstrand | LW | Djurgarden Jr (Swe) | 6′ 1″ | 198 |
| 5 | 150 | Frank Corrado | D | Sudbury (OHL) | 6′ 0″ | 190 |
| 6 | 180 | Pathrik Westerholm | RW | Malmo (Swe-2) | 5’11” | 185 |
| 7 | 210 | Henrik Tommernes | D | Frolunda (Swe) | 6′ 1″ | 175 |
| 2010 Draft | ||||||
| 4 | 115 | Patrick McNally | D | Milton Academy | 6′ 2″ | 180 |
| 5 | 145 | Adam Polasek | D | PEI | 6′ 3″ | 190 |
| 6 | 172 | Alex Friesen | C | Niagara | 5′ 9″ | 186 |
| 6 | 175 | Jonathan Iilahti | G | Blues Jr. | 6′ 0″ | 167 |
| 7 | 205 | Sawyer Hannay | D | Halifax | 6′ 4″ | 190 |
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | GW | S | S% |
| Henrik Sedin | 70 | 11 | 39 | 50 | 3 | 42 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 97 | 11.3 |
| Daniel Sedin | 73 | 16 | 31 | 47 | 0 | 38 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 224 | 7.1 |
| Ryan Kesler | 77 | 25 | 18 | 43 | -15 | 81 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 239 | 10.5 |
| Chris Higgins | 78 | 17 | 22 | 39 | -14 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 216 | 7.9 |
| Jason Garrison | 81 | 7 | 26 | 33 | -5 | 57 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 181 | 3.9 |
| Zack Kassian | 73 | 14 | 15 | 29 | -4 | 124 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 91 | 15.4 |
| Mike Santorelli | 49 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 91 | 11 |
| Kevin Bieksa | 76 | 4 | 20 | 24 | -8 | 104 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 167 | 2.4 |
| Brad Richardson | 73 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 1 | 39 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 85 | 12.9 |
| Dan Hamhuis | 79 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 13 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 3.3 |
| Alexander Edler | 63 | 7 | 15 | 22 | -39 | 50 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 3.9 |
| Jannik Hansen | 71 | 11 | 9 | 20 | -9 | 43 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 112 | 9.8 |
| David Booth | 66 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 117 | 7.7 |
| Christopher Tanev | 64 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 65 | 9.2 |
| Ryan Stanton | 64 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 5 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 1.5 |
| Alexandre Burrows | 49 | 5 | 10 | 15 | -9 | 71 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 4.8 |
| Dale Weise | 44 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -1 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 10.3 |
| Yannick Weber | 49 | 6 | 4 | 10 | -7 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 70 | 8.6 |
| Tom Sestito | 77 | 5 | 4 | 9 | -14 | 213 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 16.1 |
| Shawn Matthias | 18 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 7.7 |
| Zac Dalpe | 55 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 7.7 |
| Jordan Schroeder | 25 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 12 |
| Nicklas Jensen | 17 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 10 |
| Darren Archibald | 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 9.1 |
| Raphael Diaz | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 11.1 |
| Frank Corrado | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 |
| Jeremy Welsh | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 7.7 |
| Kellan Lain | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14.3 |
| Michael Zalewski | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Andrew Alberts | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Pascal Pelletier | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Benn Ferriero | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yann Sauve | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Goalie | GPI | GS | MIN | GAA | W | L | OT | SO | SA | GA | SV% |
| Roberto Luongo | 42 | 42 | 2418 | 2.38 | 19 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 1157 | 96 | 0.917 |
| Eddie Lack | 41 | 37 | 2319 | 2.41 | 16 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 1052 | 93 | 0.912 |
| Jacob Markstrom | 4 | 3 | 200 | 3.00 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 10 | 0.868 |
| Joacim Eriksson | 1 | 0 | 36 | 10.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 6 | 0.806 |
Performance and Usage Charts for the Vancouver Canucks from last season, from Extra Skater.
