Preseason Preview: Vancouver Canucks

We're heading down the stretch as it's time for another Preseason Preview. This is where we check out the teams going into the season.

Now, the Vancouver Canucks.

Team M.O.: These guys have a couple of finesse players and a whole lot of toughness. A lot of teams have scoring by committee, but this team has fighting by committee. They lost a little bit of toughness in trading Mike Brown and losing Rob Davison to free agency, but they still got more grit that a lot of other teams without them.

Last Season: They made it to the Western Conference Semifinals, where they were eliminated by the Blackhawks in six games. Considering they missed the postseason the year before, it's at least a step in a better direction.

Offense: The team locked up the Sedin twins again and will rely on them to provide a high level of first line offense. Ryan Kesler is constantly and consistently improving his game and could reasonably start breaking the 60 point barrier as long as his play continues to elevate. Alexandre Burrows took a huge step forward himself last season and may provide the team a top-six agitator, which is pretty valuable considering there aren't many who can fill that role, or at least well. Pavol Demitra still battles injuries more than the team would like to see, but when he's in the lineup, he's as good as gold. Mikael Samuelsson, who was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings, could easily round out the top six lineup with his play, which was rather productive despite limited ice time.

Looking further down the depth chart has us looking at guys who are still trying to take their game up that extra notch. Kyle Wellwood showed a lot of promise after the lockout, but has settled into a third line role as his conditioning is constantly being called into question. Steve Bernier has the tools to be one of the best power forwards in the league, yet is still trying to figure out how to put it all together. The same applies to Mason Raymond and his aspirations to start playing on the top lines. Ironically, if the three of them can form up a line together, I bet they could be good for at least 40 points if not more.

The fourth unit looks properly fortified, as veteran checking center Ryan Johnson can pivot the agitating Rick Rypien or the enforcing Darcy Hordichuk. Jannik Hansen looks to factor into the teams plans, leaving an extra spot on the roster for the team to fortify with either a depth forward, free agent, or trade/waiver wire pick up of their choice.

Defense: Mattias Ohlund left the team, meaning that someone's going to have to step up as the new go-to guy. Enter Kevin Bieska, who looks poised to be that guy. Willie Mitchell and Sami Salo return and provide solid top-four level defense for the squad. Alexander Edler may be on the younger side, but his numbers justify him having the right to compete for a high pairing spot. Shane O'Brien is one of the toughest defensemen in the league, but he has to start avoiding the bonehead plays and bad penalties if he's going to be an asset to his club. The last two spots will be decided by the guys they have going into camp. Nathan McIver has the best odds of getting a spot, followed by Lawrence Nycholat, Aaron Rome, Nolan Baumgartner, and Michael Funk

Goaltending: When Roberto Luongo's your goaltender, you don't have to worry much because you have the best goaltender in the Western Conference, possibly the league. Andrew Raycroft will act as the backup, which is slightly unfortunate when you consider he was once a promising starter. Meanwhile, Cory Schneider will be working the minors, toiling away at putting his game together so that if one of those two guys go down, he can take over. I like how this looks.

Expectations: These guys will likely take their division and will be a strong playoff team. It depends on the advancement of their players, but they have a squad that commits to their system, so I have to like the direction that they're headed in.