I'd like to take a minute today to draw your attention to a couple of stories that have gone up at Canucks.com over the past little while.
The first one was originally posted on NHL.com last week, after their writer Arpon Basu caught up with Alex Burrows at a charity golf tournament hosted by Canadiens coach Michel Therrien near Montreal.
Clck here for the whole story.
It's a good interview. Burrows is candid and forthright when he talks about the changes that the Canucks have undergone this summer.
"They're obviously intelligent people with a plan, and last season was the first year of their plan," says Burrows of the moves made so far by Trevor Linden and Jim Benning.
Here's how Burrows breaks down the Eddie Lack trade:
"With the goalie controversy we had with Luongo and Schneider, they didn't want to have a similar controversy with Miller and Lack," Burrows said. "They signed Ryan Miller for three years, but Lack had a strong finish to the season when Miller was out with a knee injury. They traded Lack away and there were some fans who wanted a better return on the trade, but was it possible? They're not on the phone like the GM."
Well said, though I'm looking forward to the next chapter of the goalie controversy if Jacob Markstrom finally realizes his potential as hoped next season.
Burrows also speaks highly of the acquisition of Brandon Sutter and agrees that he could become a cornerstone of the team.
As a guy who has spent a lot of time on the ice with the Sedins, he has a great read on why the twins probably won't decline as dramatically as a lot of players do when they reach their mid-30s:
"The thing with them is they're so smart they're able to slow the game down to their own pace," he said. "They're so smart reading plays offensively. Both of them won an Art Ross Trophy, both of them had 100 points seasons without having an [Alex] Ovechkin shot or Patrick Kane's stickhandling or blazing speed. They just do it with their smarts, and that doesn't really change if you get older."
Burrows admits that he's sad to see Kevin Bieksa leave after playing with him for more than a decade, but he's not talking like someone who thinks he's the next veteran player who will be moved. He includes himself on the list of Canucks that he expects will have good seasons and argues, with the parity in today's NHL, that the Western Conference is wide open as far as making the playoffs.
If Burrows' attitude is representative of the buy-in that the Canucks are getting from the players in the room, that can go a long way towards creating on-ice success next season.
Brock Boeser Talks College Hockey and Making the World Junior Team
The other interesting piece on the Canucks website is a feature by Julie Robenhymer on Brock Boeser after his strong performance at the U.S. National Junior Team Evaluation Camp a couple of weeks ago.
Click here to read that piece.
Robenhymer points out that Boeser's offensive numbers are only half the story—he's a solid defensive player as well.
The 18-year-old is saying all the right things about the impact he hopes to make when his University of North Dakota hockey season starts up in October:
"I'm excited to get there and start playing games in front of the fans. I've heard it's unreal and I just can't wait," Boeser said. "I want to be a top guy there, produce for the team and get points, be someone they can rely on and help the team win. I know it won't be easy, but I'm willing to put in the work."
While Boeser had a great development camp, there's no guarantee that he'll grab a spot on Team USA in a tournament where the 19-year-olds are typically the players that shine.
Here's how American coach Ron Wilson assesses Boeser's chances of making the team:
"I've been impressed with him," said USA head coach Ron Wilson. "He's had a few really good games, but he's got to continue to work hard to make our team. We have a lot of depth and he might be on the bubble, but he's not a forgotten man. He's definitely still in the hunt. If he ends up making this team, we expect him to play a pretty important role. He's just got to continue to impress us."
On balance, that sounds pretty promising. After making all the right moves so far since he was drafted, it'll be exciting to see if Boeser can continue to build on his potential.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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