Nucks Misconduct - All Posts

2013 NM Fantasy Competitions 1st Round Leaderboards

2013-05-23T23:39:43Z

I've been busy lately, so I haven't had as much time to do these. Since the 1st round is long over, and the 2nd round is about to see its first elimination, it's about time I post these leaderboards before the numbers change!

What you will see below is the leaderboards for the end of the 1st round. If you don't remember who you picked, go to the side into the story stream, where all of this year's fantasy competition posts are grouped together.

First up is the team brackets competition:

Rank	Participant	1st round (East)	1st round (West)	Current total
1	Sean Larson	8	11	19
2	Passive Voice	7	11	18
3	andrew21nz	7	9	16
4	Zanstorm	8	7	15
4	Bryan Webster	7	8	15
4	jluglue	6	9	15
7	Bearodactyls	4	10	14
8	pheenster	6	7	13
8	Beantown Canuck	7	6	13
8	treved	8	5	13
8	gmonk33	7	6	13
8	notjames116	6	7	13
13	team pinnelli	4	8	12
13	Sareon	4	8	12
13	kudou	10	2	12
13	patrik e	4	8	12
13	mechanixfetch	6	6	12
18	Nathaniel Perlow	5	6	11
18	seedvt	6	5	11
18	ringhio8-20	6	5	11
18	ktownfan	6	5	11
18	007Gab	4	7	11
23	Meat Mayos	7	3	10
23	westy99	5	5	10
23	Vancouverguy	4	6	10
23	Coach Ryan	7	3	10
23	nucksandpucks	4	6	10
23	Tengeresz	4	6	10
29	reggiedunlop	4	5	9
29	missy	2	7	9
31	Twin Terror	3	5	8
31	r32argent	6	2	8
31	Slegna	2	6	8
31	DoubleN148	4	4	8
35	jwolf0	2	5	7
36	Andrew Wade	4	2	6
36	Geordie Nuck	2	4	6
38	BW79	2	0	2

Sean Larson has bragging rights over all of us, since he is the only one to correctly call ALL 8 winning teams in the 1st round. He did miss out on a few of those bonus points, though. Passive Voice got 7 of 8 teams correct, as well as a few more bonus points than Sean to come within a point of the lead. However, PV's next rounds are dependent on LA and the Habs, while Sean has a Hawks-Pens final matchup. BW79 tanked like heck, with only Pittsburgh winning their 1st round matchup in her bracket. She doesn't have them going any further, so she's likely to set competition history here for the lowest ever final point total.

Now the players competition:

Rank	Participant	Running total
1	team pinnelli	72
2	Passive Voice	71
3	gmonk33	69
4	ringhio8-20	68
4	jluglue	68
4	seedvt	68
7	Tina Poole	67
8	asapajune	66
8	Beantown Canuck	66
10	Zanstorm	65
11	embracingthehatesince94	64
12	andrew21nz	63
13	kudou	62
14	treved	61
14	patrik e	61
14	nucksandpucks	61
17	Vancouverguy	60
17	jwolf0	60
19	reggiedunlop	59
20	missy	57
20	ctas	57
22	Coach Ryan	56
23	Slegna	55
24	Andrew Wade	53
24	westy99	53
26	DoubleN148	48
27	Nathaniel Perlow	45
28	Geordie Nuck	30

It appears that the majority of you are cashing in on the Crosby-Malkin pairing, with the two of them earning a combined 20 points in the 1st round. Although team pinnelli was one of them, they pulled ahead of the pack with another 15 points between Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Passive Voice also had a Malkin-Datsyuk-Zetterberg grouping, although without Crosby, and pulled into 2nd by having 29 points between Hossa, Sharp, Chara and Lucic. Geordie Nuck is bombing hard, having only 2 players break the 5-point mark in the 1st round.

It's a little late for me to say good luck for the 2nd round, so I'll just say I'm "hoping" you're having good luck. (The "hope" is meant more as I am hoping I am beating you.)

Canucks Player Autopsy: Alexandre Burrows

2013-05-23T20:30:02Z

Who's this guy?

Alexandre Burrows

Position: Right Wing

Shoots: Left

Height: 6'1''

Weight: 188

Born: April 11 in Pincourt, QC, Canada

History: Signed as a free agent by Vancouver on November 8, 2005

What'd he do?

Burrows turned in a solid season for the Canucks with 13 goals and 11 assists. In a season where the Canucks were plagued with injuries, Burrows managed to stay healthy, appearing in every game except one. Burrows was the top goal scorer for the Canucks, and his 24 points were the fourth most on the team. Burrows spent plenty of time in the sin bin, racking up a team high 54 PIM in 47 games. He was also one of seven players on the team to rack up more than 10 assists. For those of you who enjoy the +/- stat line, Burrows was third on the team with a +/- of +15, ranking 25th in the NHL. Burrows also led the team with 140 shots on goal.

Against San Jose in the first round, the Canucks scored just eight goals in the four games, and Burrows had two of those. Ryan Kesler was the only other Canuck to score more than one goal. He was also scored one of Vancouver's two power play goals in the series.

So was he any good?

This season, Burrows was one of the most dependable players on the roster. He managed to stay healthy, which spoke volumes on this team during the short season. In a year where the Canucks finished in the bottom half of the league in goals per game, Burrows proved reliable to provide scoring. Sure, 13 goals in 48 games isn't elite or anything, and he was one pace for his lowest goal total in five years, but it still ranked him in the top 75 overall in the NHL (out of 895 players according to NHL.com). For staying healthy and generating scoring, Burrows was one of Vancouver's most valuable assets to the team in 2013.

What'd we like?

Remember that time he scored in six seconds to start the game against the Red Wings? No? You must have blinked. We were all convinced those jerseys had special powers at this moment.

And then there was that time where he made us think for a brief time that maybe, just maybe, this team had some life in the playoffs with their backs against the wall.

While this whacky shootout move might have backfired, it must've sounded cool on paper. And it was hilarious to watch, so I'll just leave this here for a good chuckle. Did it go in? No. But did it give you a healthy laugh? Yes.

We all like to think we'd be a good wingman for our friends. But this goal makes Burrows the wingman of the year, as it made Henrik Sedin the all-time leading scorer in Canucks' history.

So what now?

Fortunately for the Canucks, Burrows isn't going anywhere. Back in September, the Canucks signed Burrows to a four-year, $18-million contract extension. While the Canucks have a number of issues to address before getting back to the Stanley Cup Final, Burrows isn't one of those issues. He is a core part of this team, and will play a vital role in the years to come. His scoring was a little down from years past, but he still played a key leadership role, something that will be expected of him in the coming future.

Big Boy Hockey ; The Reimagining

2013-05-23T18:38:23Z

When I wrote this a little over a couple weeks ago, it was because I thought that it is an interesting question. The struggle between the two "poles" of hockey at the NHL level is nothing new. There have always been big teams that played big ( and some that played the skill game regardless of their size! ), and teams built more on skill.

The big mean team archtype have always kind of smirked at those of us that enjoy an up tempo game. They know what everyone is certainly seeing play out in front of their very eyes during these playoffs when it comes to what is and isn't a penalty in the regular season, as opposed to the playoffs.

But, some of us got fooled. Me, Mike Gillis, and fans of the beauty of the game ( don't get me wrong. I love the "brawn" of the game. My favorite thing to do as a youngin' playing the game was to deliver a perfect hit! I just love the beauty of the game a bit more now...) all thought that, coming out of the 2004 lockout, that the new rule changes would make for a certain type of hockey. One exemplified by the Wonder Twins, Daniel and Henrik Sedin.

The NHL, in 2004, changes how the game was being called, and rewarded speed and skill. Power plays that were successful, in part because they were getting more than a couple chances at it a game, we're becoming more important. I honestly don't remember the playoffs in the intervening years between then and now being any less entertaining as a result.

But, defensemen were getting their brains scrambled at an alarming rate, and something, rightly, had to be done. Instead of still calling the rules of interference, that one change, of allowing defensemen and forwards to slightly hold up the onrushing forechecker at the blue line again, soon became full on, both hands out checks. As each round goes forward in the playoffs, just watch what doesn't get called at the blue lines. The rest is all attitude, size, defensive zeal Skilled size guys are the new "must have players" .

Don't get me wrong. Skill is still important. It just seems that instead of highlighting Sedinery, the NHL decided that the hitting and violence should share the spotlight. I get that. I love both. But surely there is a way to call the game where they can actually call interference AND prevent the epidemic of concussions that were happening because of the out of lockout rule changes. You had a great idea NHL. The hockey was spectacular. Don't throw out the baby with the entertaining bath water.

As evidenced by our GM's comments on the game,how it is played and called, and the changes that are required, and without trying to pat myself on the back ( and ending up spraining myself somehow anyhow! )... it seems apparent that me and the boss have been thinking similar thoughts. You cannot imagine the excitement that has engendered in this fan moving forward. Why? Because it sure sounds like the Canucks are going to start playing and building with the Big Boy Hockey idea in mind. In light of the recent results, rule changes brought in and then changed, and simply the way the game is called in the second season, if you can't beat em, join em!

First up is the coach. Most of the readers here at least know that I was and am a fan of Alain Vigneault. Although I totally agree with the move yesterday, as the time had come, and the message had seemingly grown "stale" ( not to mention two first round exits. In the end, it is a results business ), I do think there might be a coach or two out there that might fit the mold better. As the "process" moves forward, we can get into that, but I imagine they will wait a bit until teams start losing out and consider dumping their own highly regarded coaches.

For now, let me just list a few of the current coaches that play "Big Boy Hockey" to some degree. Remember, it does vary. One of the most successful teams this year is the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they definitely play a hybrid of the two solitudes. ( the kind of game I want to see the Canucks play ). But, a few of the coaches that exemplify the attitude of BBH are definitely Claude Julien, Darryl Sutter, and John Tortorella, and all three of those plan on playing the game in a "hit everything, make them call everything then, pack it in around the net in your own end and block shots you pussy" style.

It varies of course. I think Joel Quenneville loves that style, but also knows he has some of the best offensive players in the NHL. Dan Bylsma, ditto. Mike Babcock. Those would be the type of coaches that I would like to see here, as opposed to the guys above.

It will be interesting as the "process" moves forward, who Mike Gillis decides on. There are guys like Lindy Ruff and Dave Tippett (maybe ) out there that seem to exemplify the former more than the latter. There are guys like Dallas Eakins possibly available, who seem to play a bit more up tempo style, while still having a defensive sensibility. Guy Boucher had some of the best offensive talent in the NHL, went on a one year wonder run, then burned out and faded away. ( I still think that if the Lightning had beat the Bruins in '11, we might not even be considering these types of changes, regardless of who won what would have been a very entertaining series. )

I have the utmost trust in Mike Gillis to pick the right guy, and to give him the kind of players that can play this kind of style. The fact that folks like Marc Spector and Damien Cox have taken to slagging the guy, instead of noticing that this is not the first time a coach lost his job for not getting playoff results, makes that trust grow even more.

Interesting times. We knew it would happen as a result of the suckage after the highs. Well, most of us did. None of it takes away from the fact that AV was the best coach statistically for the Vancouver hockey club in its history. As I close here today, I would like to thank him again for the service, the humour, and the way he seemed to genuinely be a nice man. He will have no problem getting a job. May he have success in all the games he will coach in the future, but for the ones versus the Canucks.

Canucks Player Autopsy: Jannik Hansen

2013-05-22T21:10:01Z

Who's this guy?

Jannik Hansen

Position: Right Wing

Shoots: Right

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 195 lbs.

Born: March 15, 1986 in Herlev, Denmark

History: Drafted 287th overall (9th Round) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks

What'd he do?

Hansen had a good regular season, putting up 10 goals and 17 assists. His 27 points was good for third on the team behind the Sedins. Despite bouncing between lines throughout the season (a testament to his versatility), he logged second line minutes - 17:33/game, placing him behind only the Sedins, Ryan Kesler, Alexandre Burrows, and Derek Roy amongst forwards. With the obvious caveat that the shortened season allows for greater statistical inconsistency, prorating Hansen's PPG over a full season would have given him a career year with 17 goals and 47 points. He also took an impressively low 8 penalty minutes on the season. His +/-, for those of you who put any stock in that statistic, was quite good at +12.

Of course, no one remembers the Canucks 2013 regular season. In the playoffs, Hansen disappeared from the score sheet and recorded 0 points in the Sharks' sweep of the Canucks. Some timely secondary scoring in the playoffs from Hansen would have significantly improved the Canucks' chances of moving beyond the first round.

So was he any good?

Leaving aside the playoffs, Hansen had a strong season for a support player. For part of the season Hansen used his speed to great effect on a line with Mason Raymond and Jordan Schroeder, and throughout the year his secondary scoring helped the Canucks earn valuable points during a season in which offense was often difficult to come by. Hansen plays an up-tempo game and his speed creates opportunities. His versatility was on display throughout the year, as he played in virtually all situations on the ice. If Hansen continues to develop, he will be a key part of the Canucks core for years to come.

What'd we like?

Remember that Hansen-Schroeder-Raymond line I mentioned? They did some beautiful stuff, such as this Hansen goal against the Minnesota Wild:

And check out the speed and nice finish on this breakaway goal:

This goal against the San Jose Sharks earned Nucks Misconduct Play of the Week honours:

It's not always pretty, but Hansen always brings the effort. Nice to see him get rewarded with an ugly hard-work goal against the Edmonton Oilers:

Speaking of effort: I called out Hansen for not producing during the playoffs, but nonetheless you've got to love his banging and crashing to help the Canucks score their only goal of Game 1 (credited to Kevin Bieksa, unassisted):

If you enjoyed those clips, want to see every goal scored by Hansen in 201, set to "Ole, Ole!"? Sure you do:

Cool. So what did we hate?

As mentioned, Hansen did not contribute offensively in the playoffs. He also missed an opportunity to prevent a heartbreaking Game 2 loss to the Sharks, hitting the post on an empty net chance and thus allowing the Sharks their chance to tie the game. While this was a sad moment, the loss (as well as the series) cannot be pinned on Hansen any more than most Canucks players. Still, if the Canucks are to have any chance of playoff success with this core of players, secondary scorers like Hansen will need to contribute more in the postseason.

Hansen is not know as a dirty player, but he received a 1-game suspension for an uncharacteristic hit to the head of Marian Hossa. There was debate amongst fans about whether this should have been a suspension, but here is the official take via Sheriff Shanahan:

So what now?

Hansen is signed through next season at an extremely reasonable $1.35 million cap hit. He will surely be due a raise after that, and if he continues to play at a high level the Canucks would do well to lock him up and, hopefully, induce him to sign a GMMG patented hometown discount. Expect Hansen to continue to provide strong depth scoring and good defensive play, including penalty kill duty, in the coming seasons.

BREAKING: TSN Reporting Canucks Fire Coaching Staff, Plus Live Gillis Press Conference

2013-05-22T20:20:46Z

UPDATE: LIVE GILLIS PRESS CONFERENCE:

TSN is reporting that the Vancouver Canucks have cleaned house, firing Alain Vigneault, along with assistant coaches Newell Brown and Rick Bowness. The firing comes after weeks of speculation following a 2nd straight 1st round playoff exit for the Canucks. Some felt that Vigneault had earned another chance because of the 5 straight Northwest Division titles, but it's apparent that the team, and most likely owner Francesco Aqualini's patience caught up with a good chunk of the fan base and finally run out. Heading into realignment and GM Mike Gillis' statement that he wished to 'hit the reset button', there's a lot of questions surrounding the Canucks, and who is going to lead this team next season is now at the top of the list. We will continue to update you on when the Canucks make this official, and in the meantime, let's see your recommendations as to who you'd like to see at the helm next year. We would like to remind that now that Mike Keenan is signed to coach in Europe, we are waiving the automatic banhammer for suggesting Iron Mike get a shot.

********************

(Mgmt note: since we got so excited at real Canucks news we posted two threads on AV's termination. Here's the copy from the other one)

After consecutive seasons with disappointing playoff performances, the axe has finally fallen on Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, as well as his assistants Newell Brown and Rick Bowness. Via TSN:

Vigneault served seven years behind the Canucks bench, compiling a regular season record of 313-170-57. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2007 and was voted a finalist on two other occasions.

His playoff record, though, was inconsistent. He took the team to the second round on three separate occasions, missed the playoffs once, and most memorably led them to the Stanley Cup Final against Boston in 2011. However, the Canucks were upset in the first round in the last two seasons, sealing his fate.

The Canucks also fired associate coaches Newell Brown and Rick Bowness.

There will be much more reaction to this news here on Nucks Misconduct, but for now what are your thoughts about the firing of AV? Good move? Knee jerk reaction? Any thoughts on who should replace him?

Regardless of your view of AV, this is definitely the end of an era in terms of Canucks coaching. Hopefully the move sparks the team to greater success next season.

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1:31 PM PT Update: Solid take from Ben Kuzma:

In the end, the Canucks couldn’t score and their 19th-ranked offence was hampered by the 25th-rated face-off percentage and it was no better against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference quarterfinal series. The Canucks were second last in playoff draws and scored but eight goals in the sweep. That’s two wins in the last 14 playoff games and just 20 goals. That’s terrifying.

Worse than that, something was missing. The product became stale and predictable, there was a shocking lack of urgency and no real press to play an up-tempo game until the Canucks had their backs against the wall in Game 4 at San Jose. That falls on the players and the coaches, too. On some level there was a tune-out factor that was building for a long time. I called for a Vigneault firing a year ago.

I’m old school. I believe if players are ultimately measured by postseason season effectiveness, the same standard should be applied to the coaches. And let’s be clear. This isn’t personal. I got along with Vigneault as well as any member of the media. I appreciated his occasional candour and outright laughter when he couldn’t control himself in Dallas when Vernon Fiddler did his hilarious Kevin Bieksa ‘Angry Face’ impersonation while returning to the bench. But this is business and it’s about winning when it matters most. And there’s nothing funny when it doesn’t occur and the winningest coach in franchise history can’t coax the most from his team.

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2:31 PM PT Update: Gillis will have a press conference at 3:30 PM PT. In the meantime they just now have the official word from the mothership:

Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks President and General Manager Michael D. Gillis announced today that Alain Vigneault has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. Associate Coach Rick Bowness and Assistant Coach Newell Brown were also relieved of their duties today. The Canucks finished the 2012.13 regular season with a record of 26-15-7 and won the Northwest Division Championship before losing 4-0 in the Western Conference Quarter-Finals to the San Jose Sharks.

"We have made the very difficult decision to relieve Alain Vigneault, Rick Bowness and Newell Brown of their coaching duties today," said Canucks President and General Manager, Michael D. Gillis. "Alain, Rick and Newell worked tirelessly to lead this team to great on-ice success. I am personally grateful to each of them and their families for their commitment to the Canucks and the city of Vancouver and wish them continued success in future."

Canucks Player Autopsy: Henrik Sedin

2013-05-21T23:57:15Z

Who's this guy?

Henrik Sedin

Position: C

Shoots: L

Height: 6’2"

Weight: 188lbs

Born: When "twin brother" Daniel split into two identical beings on his third birthday after ingesting mutated cake icing.

History: Failed in grade 10 but rebounded with the help of a tutor to get an A- in grade 12.

What'd he do?

Hank’s scoring was down marginally this year, putting up "just" 45 points in 48 games (his billionth straight season without missing any action). If you look more deeply at his profile, though, he posted this slight scoring decline in contrast to improving possession numbers against more difficult assignments. Nobody cares given the way the season ended with a whimper, but the main man in the middle is hardly a culprit at even strength. He was noticeably less effective on the power play, an issue that’s difficult to assign blame to a player or the system without a much more thorough analysis than this one.

So was he any good?

Unequivocally yes, Sedin remains one of the top offensive players in the league. He had the 10th best Corsi in the NHL, increasing his possession indicators for the second year in a row.

More importantly, he did so while taking on a much more team-friendly role. After peaking with 78.6% of shifts starting in the offensive zone in 2011-12, that rate fell all the way to 63.7% this year. That’s still a favorable deployment, but his line took on a more balanced role with the depth issues plaguing the middle further down the line-up. Hank also faced a much higher Corsi Rel QOC, an indicator of the quality of competition a player faces. I believe this passes the eye test, as well – the Sedin line just appeared to be in their own zone more, and the fact that their possession indicators rose at even strength despite more difficult assignments shows a versatility and maturity that hasn’t always been there.

Now, the power play also struggled, and he’s the captain of a team that limped out of the playoffs. Some blame falls on his shoulders for that, deservedly or not.

What'd we like?

This penalty shot is absolutely filthy.

Of course, the highlight of his season may have been this play, where he assisted on a Burrows goal to become the Canucks’ all time leader in points.

Some may not have liked this cheap shot on Couture in the playoffs, but I thought it was hilarious.

And finally, #trollsohard:

Cool. So what did we hate?

Again, the power play needs work. The unit fell to 22nd in the NHL with a league average number of opportunities, leaving the Canucks without what was previously a big competitive advantage (last year, they were fourth in efficacy and eighth in chances). It’s hard to just assign blame to the centreman, though the fact that his faceoff success rate dipped below 50% certainly doesn’t help (I believe studies have shown FO% isn’t a huge factor, but I’d guess it has more of an impact on special teams – somebody correct me if I’m wrong, please).

I also hate his face. Not him, but his face. As a "new" Canucks fan (I moved here in August), I was really looking forward to watching the twins more closely, as they’re extremely talented offensive players. However, the fact that they insist on matching haircuts, facial hair and generic clichés drives me nuts. You’re 32 years old, I think you can detach the bunk beds and get your own style - I'd love to see them with contrasting images, it'd be hilarious.

So what now?

That’s a great question. To get the most offensively out of the Sedins, the key for the Canucks is to improve the second and third lines, allowing them more favorable assignments and more zone starts to create with.

Another potential issue, though, is that mid-30s forwards are a risky proposition. Since 1995, there have been 132 player seasons where age 31-32 forwards averaged more than 0.75 points per game. That drops to 106 for age 33-34, a 20% drop-off. This is to be expected as players age and get injured and retire early, sure. There’s also a built-in decline as the scoring environment has decreased over time. But if we move the threshold to 0.9 points per game, the number of player seasons drops from 62 to 45, a 27% decrease. The Sedins might very well have a few good years left, but their chances of remaining elite decline with each passing year, and about a quarter of high-scoring forwards appear to fall out of the elite around this age. (Note: this needs more in-depth study and is meant as a "be careful with expectations" than a doomsday warning.) Hank needs to try and tidy up his draws and make sure he stays in excellent playing shape to remain effective in 2013-14. But the biggest impact to his performance could come from changes to the team elsewhere in the line-up.

Follow @BlakeMurphyODC

Canucks Player Autopsy: Daniel Sedin

2013-05-20T20:50:43Z

Who's this guy?

Daniel Sedin

Position: Left Wing

Shoots: Left

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 187 lbs.

Born: Sept 26, 1980 in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden

History: Drafted #2 overall in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks

What'd he do?

This is a tough season to measure due to the truncated schedule. Daniel put up 40 points in 47 games, and while that's far from bad, it extrapolates to 70 points in a full season, which would be his lowest total in 82 games since 2006. Daniel finished second on the team in goals with 12, which again puts him on pace for his lowest total in 8 seasons. A big reason for his decline in production was the woeful power play, which finished 22nd in the league and at one point was dead last.

So was he any good?

Though his numbers declined, Daniel still had 13 more points than the guy behind him in team scoring (Jannik Hansen). Without Ryan Kesler and David Booth for much of the season, the Sedins carried the Canucks offensively.

Something that probably contributed to Daniel's lower production but can actually be looked at as a positive is the fact he took on a much tougher defensive assignment this season than in years past. Without Ryan Kesler or a reliable 3rd line centre, Alain Vigneault couldn't deploy his forwards the way he's used to, and thus relied on the Sedins to take on more defensive responsibilities. "Corsi RelQoC" is a statistic that measures a player's quality of competition based on Corsi ratings; if a player has a rating of around 1.000 or higher they're playing against some very good players night in and night out. Daniel finished the season at 0.993. Compare that to his most successful offensive season in 2010-11 when his rating was 0.174. His offensive zone start % was way down this season as well: 66% compared to an absurd 74.5% in 2010-11.

Of all left wingers who played at least 40 games, Daniel finished just outside the top 10 in quality of competition. Meanwhile he still generated a ton of offensive chances, finishing 6th amongst NHL forwards with a Corsi rating of 24.71. These are the kinds of numbers that are usually reserved for perennial Selke Trophy candidates (to compare, the man who will win the Selke this year, Patrice Bergeron, had a Corsi RelQoC rating of 0.627 and a Corsi rating of 26.62). If Daniel and Henrik can continue to prove to be reliable defensive players as they age, that only makes them more valuable.

What'd we like?

Here are a few of my favourite Daniel moments from this season. The goal against the Hawks which led to Duncan Keith's unfortunate run-in with a female reporter:

Canucks Vs Hawks - Daniel Sedin 3-0 Goal - 04.22.13 - HD (via CanucksHD)

The goal against the Kings in what was one of the team's strongest performances of the season:

Canucks Vs Kings - Daniel Sedin 3-2 Goal - 03.02.13 - HD (via CanucksHD)

The perfect bankshot goal against Detroit:

Canucks at Wings - Daniel Sedin 2-2 Goal - 02.24.13 - HD (via CanucksHD)

Daniel also moved into 2nd place on the Canucks all-time scoring list:

Daniel Sedin becomes Canucks all-time second highest scorer (Apr 22, 2013) (via Canucks)

Cool. So what did we hate?

The power play was awful this season, and some of that blame lands on Daniel and Henrik. That said, I think it had more to do with some bizarre coaching decisions and an ill-informed structure than a decline in ability from the Sedins. It's been said over and over, but failing to incorporate Jason Garrison's booming point shot onto the top unit made no sense, and neither did having Daniel work the point with Alex Edler.

That was the only real weakness in Daniel's game. He was dynamite at even strength as pointed out above.

So what now?

2013-14 will be a watershed year for Daniel Sedin and his brother. They'll turn 33-years-old, and their contracts will expire in the summer of 2014. They both expressed their intention of remaining in Vancouver, but what will the dollars look like? The term? My expectation is they will be career Canucks, but Mike Gillis has to make some major decisions on both the immediacies and the future of the team in the next year.

Are the Sedins still capable of carrying an offense? When will the transition year inevitably come when they are no longer 1st line NHL players? We're not at that stage yet, but next year is when these and other tough questions will need to be asked.

Gold For The Sedins And Sweden At The IIHF World Hockey Championships

2013-05-20T00:12:40Z

The Sedins waltzed home to Sweden, entered the tournament, and absolutely kicked ass, propelling the Swedes to a gold medal. How dominant were they?

Daniel Sedin scored 1 goal and 5 assists in 4 games. When asked post game what type of hockey "Swedish hockey" is, Daniel said: "boring." And then almost laughed. Dank was injured in the 3rd period when he was checked through an open gate by Swiss player Matthias Bieber. Daniel scored no points in the final game.

Henrik Sedin finished with an astounding 4 goals and 5 assists in the 4 games he played. Dominating. He scored 2 goals and had one 1 assist in the gold medal game. How sweet is this reaction:

(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Atta boy, Hank! Now bring some of that...