To start today—did anyone catch Roberto Luongo's debut on the TSN panel on Sunday?
I didn't see it myself, but TSN has posted a brilliant promo on its website where he's the "Panel Intern" behind his old backup from his first stint in Florida, established panelist Jamie McLennan.
Click here to watch.
It's still hard not to respect Luongo's willingness to poke fun at himself.
James Duthie's joke about how he's also bring Cory Schneider onto the panel, then get rid of both of them, brings us back to a key Canucks question—what will happen in net next year?
I don't see a fit with impending free agents Ryan Miller or Jonas Hiller but it sure wouldn't surprise me to see Jaroslav Halak wearing the orca next season.
Goalie coach Rollie Melanson seems like he was a bit of a behind-the-scenes puppetmaster in Vancouver this year. He has a strong relationship with Halak that goes back to their time together in Montreal, when Halak took the Habs to the Eastern Conference Final in 2010.
Based on his more recent performances, I was not keen on the idea at all.
I didn't really buy Adam Oates' story out of Washington that Halak didn't want to play against his old team, the Blues, down the stretch, so I won't hold that against him. I just see a goalie whose numbers have been in decline over the past couple of seasons and who has been consistently passed over when playoffs roll around.
I was surprised to realize that Halak is still only 28 years old. Seems like he has been around longer than that.
What about Eddie Lack, you ask?
Well,
Pass It to Bulis did a little detective work about the mysterious injury that's keeping him from playing for Team Sweden in the World Championships. They think they've uncovered a bandaged finger that could be the issue.
Click here for the story and the incriminating video, which is part of the Canucks' promo for his "Design a Mask" contest.
Assuming this is the issue, it looks like it's nothing too serious—not even as bad as the wrist injury that Ben Bishop played through for the second half of the season in Tampa Bay.
But I wonder where Lack—and Jacob Markstrom—fit into the Canucks' plans for next season. It's hard to see any kind of master plan when no one's really in charge.
It was ridiculous to thrust Lack into the No. 1 role under such dramatic circumstances when Luongo was traded in March. His play was just fine before that. Were his sinking numbers a result of his impossible situation, were they a result of this mysterious injury, or is it a truer reflection of his actual skill level?
I like Lack and I hope for the best for him. I wouldn't mind seeing him get another shot at the No. 1 spot next year, even if it means passing on this summer's free agent goalie crop.
What do you think?
Don't forget, Cory Schneider will be a UFA in 2015. Do you think he'd ever come back?
Will the Sharks Blow It?
The Los Angeles Kings are two years removed from their Stanley Cup, rather than being the defending champions. Otherwise, this series looks *so* much like the Canucks' 2011 first round battle against Chicago, doesn't it?
Darryl Sutter has made some savvy coaching moves to get his team back into the series, while their goalie has woken up. Meanwhile, Todd McLellan has placed himself in a very Canuck-like quandary by choosing to start Alex Stalock in Game 6—then losing.
Now what? Who does he start for Game 7?
As some of you pointed out yesterday, McLellan's probably coaching for his job on Wednesday. For all the Sharks' regular-season success, their reputation as playoff chokers runs deep and once it takes hold, it seems to take on a life of its own.
I wasn't one of the people proclaiming last week that the Sharks were on their way to a Cup, but I was musing on the decline of a Kings team that, once again, was laying in the weeds before making its move. We've seen this before—don't forget, they were eighth in the West the year they won the Cup.
They're winning in their usual fashion—by cranking up the grit and relying on a favorable call or two from the officials to seal the deal. They came back from 0-2 to beat St. Louis last season, and Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were part of that 2010 Flyers squad that rebounded from its 0-3 deficit to beat Boston. They know it can be done.
Speaking of favorable calls—how does Jonathan Quick not get anything more than a roughing minor for leaving his crease to pound on Joe Thornton? Goalie-on-goalie fights are frowned upon; a goalie-on-player fight is unfair beyond words with all that equipment.
Since the Sharks are cast in the role of 2011 Canucks in this saga, I can't help but feel sympathetic towards them, despite what they did to Vancouver last year. It'll be an explosive finish, no matter which way the series ends.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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