Just when you thought the defensive injuries couldn’t get any worse, Kevin Bieksa gets diagnosed with a fractured foot.  With Bieksa out, the Canucks were without 5 of their top 6 defencemen, with Alexander Edler, Dan Hamhuis, Keith Ballard and Andrew Alberts as the others all out with injuries. 

That prompted the Canucks defensive lineup to feature an almost AHL cast, with Yann Sauve, Evan Oberg and Chris Tanev all in the lineup.  Sami Salo is still getting used to the pace of the NHL since his return from injury and was being forced into playing big minutes.  Aaron Rome, was also playing a role outside of his capabilities.  The only Canuck defenseman that was playing his usual role, was Christian Ehrhoff, who was playing increased minutes as a result of the teams’ lack of NHL experience on the back end.

Vancouver has gone 3-3 in their last 6 games, which if you ask any Canucks’ fan, is incredible considering the status of their blue line.

They are still first in the NHL, 1 point ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers, however the Flyers have a game in hand.  The Canucks are still 5 points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings for first in the Western Conference, but Detroit also has a game in hand.

The Canucks are receiving some good news on defense though.  All their injured defencemen are progressing along nicely, both Keith Ballard and Dan Hamhuis returned to the lineup for last night’s contest against the Montreal Canadiens, but were unable to help the team to the win.  

With the Canucks defense slowly returning, it might take a few games for them get their legs back.  The pace of the NHL is very fast and sitting out even a few games can make it difficult to keep up.  

With the trade deadline fast approaching, the need of another defenseman is not as high now that Ballard and Hamhuis are back.  However, don’t expect General Manager Mike Gillis to sit back and do nothing, with rumors of New York Islanders’ Zenon Konopka, among others heading west to Vancouver.  

The next two games will have a strong effect on what, if any moves need to be made.  Saturday nights’ clash with the juggernaut Boston Bruins squad is the last test for the Canucks before the deadline, and playing a top team is definitely a good way to gauge your team, whether completely healthy or not.

Look for the Canucks to regain their form this week as players get back into the swing of things and others compete for their jobs.  The trade deadline is a stressful time for everyone, so players will be working extra hard in hopes they are not moved from the top teams’ roster.

Let us know what moves, if any, the Canucks have on the horizon, or should make heading in into the trade deadline.

Jordon Judge

HockeyGods