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Create your best "realistic" Canucks team of all-time from any era.


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So, here's what I mean by "creating your best 'realistic' Canucks team of all-time from any era.

 

-You can choose any Canucks player from any era from your line-up.

-The player that you choose has the ability and prowess that he displayed as a Canuck.  For example, if you choose Cam Neely, it's pre-superstar Cam Neely.....not the "in-his-prime" superstar that we saw in Boston.  It's 2015 Ryan Miller not the behemoth from the 2010 Olympics.  It's late 30's Mats Sundin and/or Mark Messier (if you dare)....not their peak selves!

 

Now here is where the "realistic" part comes in.  

 

You are NOT building a Canucks all-star team.   The type of team you build in this thread is designed to play an 82 game season + playoffs.  Just like in the real world, players will be unhappy if they are not playing in the role that they are meant to play in.  So think twice about having Ryan Kesler as your 3rd line center, or having Bertuzzi on your 2nd power play unit........otherwise they will likely request a trade!  We saw what happened with Roberto Luongo in 2014 when Tortorella made Lack the starter in the Heritage Classic.  

 

1st line calibre players throughout Canucks history should play on the 1st line, while 2nd and 3rd liners should also play in the roles that they were known for throughout their careers.    

 

Try and be creative:    You can do what you want here obviously but try and avoid great and established line combinations from yester-year.  Yes, we all know that Sedin-Sedin-Burrows and Naslund-Morrison-Bertuzzi were tremendous lines.  If possible, mix it up for the purpose of this game (and because, according to the "loose" rules of this game, Burrows and Morrison aren't really first line calibre players, but rather, were riding shot-gun with their first line calibre line mates).     

 

So without further adieu, here is my team:

 

Forwards: 

 

Miller-Linden-Bure.  I *almost* went with Pettersson and Mogilny here instead of Linden and Bure, but how can you have a Canucks team without prime Linden and Bure? (i.e. two of our biggest clutch players of all-time).   

 

Sedin-Sedin-Bertuzzi.  2002 Bertuzzi + 2011 Sedins does not require much of an explanation.  They would own the half wall and cycle game and would basically be unstoppable.  I also believe that the presence of the Linden/Bure line would help the twins and Bertuzzi perform much better in the playoffs where Linden and Bure could go up against the opposing top lines and pairings.  

 

Burrows-Kesler-Hansen.   So this is the 2008-2009 version of Burrows, Kesler, Hansen.....shortly before Sundin arrived which catapulted Kesler into stardom.  This was also pre SSB Burrows that was a tremendous shut down forward playing alongside super-pest Kesler.  Obviously, 'prime' Kesler would be unhappy as a 3rd line player but pre-prime Kesler thrived in this role.  

 

Motte-Malhottra-Dorsett.   Was a toss-up for me between Dorsett and Cooke but the old school version of me believes that you need an enforcer (that can play) in the line-up to keep the opposition honest.  

 

MacEwen (remember - needs to be happy being a 13th forward.  2020 MacEwen gets the nod)

 

 

Defense: 

 

Hughes-Edler. Our two best defensemen of all-time.  Both guys are comfortable playing on their off-side and so either one of these guys could slot in on the right side with one another.

 

Jovanovski-Tanev [two high quality defensemen that perfectly complement each other due to opposing skillsets.  Could cover each others limitations extremely effectively, to the point of possibly being a super pairing. 

 

Mitchell-Salo

 

 

Burroughs

 

 

 

Goaltending: 

 

Luongo (2007-2009).  The 2007-2009 version Luongo (pre playoff Blackhawks) is head over heels the best goalie that we've ever had.  He almost singlehandedly broke and defeated the Dallas Stars during the 2007 playoffs.

 

Demko (2020).  Bubble Demko was lights out and almost single-handedly broke Vegas (mindfucked Vegas to the point where they were listless against Dallas in the 3rd round that year).

 

Management and Coaching: 

 

Coach:  Pat Quinn

 

GM:  Brian Burke

 

[will post my PP1 and PP2's later.  Same as PK1 and PK2].

Edited by Jeremy Hronek
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Fowards...  (not worrying about who is on which wing or left or right handed)

 

Stan Smyl - Cliff Ronning - Trevor Linden

Alexander Mogilny - Thomas Gradin - Pavel Bure

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Tony Tanti

Markus Naslund - Elias Pettersson - Todd Bertuzzi

 

Defense...

 

Quinn Hughes - Dave Babych

Ed Jovanovski - Doug Lidster

Harold Snepsts - Paul Reinhart

 

Goalies...

 

Kirk McLean

King Richard

(no meltdowns)

 

 

 

Edit...  Looks like you had a 13th forward and 7th D.

 

Burrows or Tiger Williams for the forward.  Garth Butcher for the blue line.

 

 

Edited by Kevin Biestra
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Just now, Kevin Biestra said:

Fowards...  (not worrying about who is on which wing or left or right handed)

 

Stan Smyl - Cliff Ronning - Trevor Linden

Alexander Mogilny - Thomas Gradin - Pavel Bure

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Tony Tanti

Markus Naslund - Elias Pettersson - Todd Bertuzzi

 

Defense...

 

Quinn Hughes - Dave Babych

Ed Jovanovski - Doug Lidster

Harold Snepsts - Paul Reinhart

 

Goalies...

 

Kirk McLean

King Richard

(no meltdowns)

 

Solid team but would the twins be happy being 3rd line players for an 82 game season?

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9 minutes ago, Jeremy Hronek said:

Solid team but would the twins be happy being 3rd line players for an 82 game season?

 

Are they the team guys we all hail them as being...  This is a roll all four lines kind of team but if ego and stuff is going to get in the way...  Well I am willing to let Mogilny and Bertuzzi go and maybe Naslund as well given I would be building for the playoffs.  I would have no problem bringing in Darcy Rota / Curt Fraser / Orland Kurtenbach for some guys who will score 35 goals instead of 50 but play a lot tougher and grittier and probably not complain about a thing.

 

I had that Linden line listed first but those guys would go into the books as the 3rd line without much complaint if it would keep the team functioning.  Stan Smyl insisted on relinquishing his C while he was still a Canuck when he wasn't going to be in the lineup every night anymore due to healthy scratches.  And Linden was kind of the unofficial captain during the Naslund years without complaint...same as Gretzky was when he arrived in LA and Dave Taylor kept the C.

 

 

 

Edited by Kevin Biestra
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5 minutes ago, AriGold said:

Not having Sedin - Sedin  - Burrows on the above teams is criminal.

 

Line 1 of every team should be Sedin - Sedin - Burrows

 

True.  Would also say the same thing about Naslund-Morrison-Bertuzzi.

 

For the intended spirit of this game however, I encourage posters to think of new line combinations and *only* have 1st line calibre players for their 1st lines, etc. (for example, Morrison and Burrows, god bless them both, probably wouldn't be considered actual first line players, just like Steve Rucchin wouldn't actually be considered a first line player in Anaheim by virtue of having been fortunate enough to play with Selanne and Kariya).  

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Going to ignore right vs left here and assume peak form. Mostly keeping past 1990. 
 

Bert-Linden-Bure

Sedin-Sedin-EP

Mogilny-Kess-Burrows

Lapierre-Malhotra-Cooke

 

Hughes-Salo

Ohlund-Jovo.

Edler-Bieksa. 
 

Demko

Luongo. 


The playoff run that Lapierre had mays be our best run as a pest/4th liner. The rest is pretty self explanatory. 

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Smyl doesn't get the credit he deserves. That guy is a warrior. Steamer has to be on the team, plus, he'd knock the snot out of, pretty much anyone who tried to abuse the Sedins. 

 

Mogilny - Pettersson - Bure

Sedin - Sedin - Smyl 

Naslund - Linden - Bertuzzi  

Odjick - Kesler - Tanti 

 

Rypien

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4 hours ago, Jeremy Hronek said:

Didn't Edler play on his off-side in 2011?  Hughes also played on the right side quite a bit in juniors if I'm not mistaken.  

I believe it was Christian Ehrhoff who primarily played RD with Edler, not the other way around.  He fired that one-timer whenever possible.  Edler has played RD in short stints but clearly as a last resort.

 

Hughes playing RD is something we have never seen in the NHL.  Despite 3 years together, Hughes-Edler was also never seen.

 

You need 3 RHD.  You need Kevin Bieksa.

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