make that “Indecisive, Stupid Mike” instead of “Mad Mike”

Now that Markus Naslund has signed with the New York Rangers (2 years, $8 million dollars) the Vancouver Canucks are left with essentially no options but to improve their offense via a trade. Even if Mats Sundin decides to accept Vancouver’s ludicrous offer he will not turn the team around on his own. Sundin will need someone to play alongside him, and Vancouver currently has no one that can do that. Mason Raymond should continue to develop but I would not want to count on him to be a top six forward just yet.  Michael Grabber might also be able to crack the lineup this year, but definitely not as one of the Canucks top scoring players. Naslund would have fit nicely with Sundin, but Naslund wisely moved on to greener pastures.

The Canucks waited too long in pursuing players other than Sundin. I am not sure if they really had much of a chance with most players out there, but guys like Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, Michael Ryder, Brian Rolston, and Kristian Huselius all would have added some offence without breaking the bank. I do not think that anyone in this free agent crop is really all that great, but Vancouver needs some help, and so far all Gillis has done is retool his fourth line.  I think that Hordichuk is a good pickup, his muscle will be helpful, but we will not need any tough guys to protect a team that is made up entirely of third and fourth line grinders.

I think that the Canucks do have enough defensive depth that they can make a significant trade. Ohlund, Salo, and Mitchell would all likely yield something in return, and they could even package one of them with Bieksa or Edler if they were after some real offensive help. They would then have to sign someone else to play defense, but they could go with pretty much anyone (Mike Weaver, Aaron Miller, or someone of their ilk).

The worst possible thing that could happen now is that Sundin takes the Canucks offer and we struggle through another season and miss the playoffs.  Sundin is not the answer on his own. He is a point per game player, and is more of a setup guy than a goal scorer.  The Canucks have no finishers, at all. They need two or three offensive players to step in, not just Mats Sundin. Maybe Gillis has a plan after all. It could be that the offer to Sundin was just to make it seem like Vancouver was trying to improve the team. Maybe Gillis intends to give some young guys a chance to prove themselves this year, and then spend big next year when hopefully there is more available on the free agent market.

If the Canucks want to win a Stanley Cup the time is now.  Roberto Luongo is one of the best goalies in the league, if not the best. He has two years left on his contract, and if Vancouver has not won a cup by then, or at least been deep in the playoffs, I cannot see Luongo resigning with Vancouver. Right now Vancouver is wasting the talent of their best player, and maybe the best player that they have ever had.