Me and a crew of Canuck writer pals are teaming up to draft the greatest Canucks fantasy team of all-time. The rules are simple: pick three forwards, two defencemen, a goaltender, a coach, and a wild card.
On day one, Rob “The Hockey Guy” Williams picked up Pavel Bure and Trevor Linden; Ryan Biech took Henrik Sedin and Christian Ehrhoff; Jeremy Davis snagged Daniel Sedin and Cory Schneider; I took Markus Naslund and Kirk McLean; Wyatt Arndt selected Mark Messier and Dan Cloutier (wait, what?); and Omarcanuck took Alexander Mogilny and Roberto Luongo.
Now it’s time for day two, starting with Rob, still riding the high of getting both Bure and Linden.
Rob: There are, like, two good coaches in Canucks history, so I’m taking the best one: Alain Vigneault.
Ryan: I’ve got a plan for my coach. Instead I’m going with Ryan "Single-handedly Beating the Predators" Kesler. I still have fond memories of that playoff matchup against the Preds. Kesler was an absolute force, carrying the Canucks through that series.
Obviously, things didn't trend well afterward but that playoff run is a fond memory for Canucks fans.
Jeremy: For my third round pick, I’m going with the oft-underrated third member of the West Coast Express: Brendan Morrison. His playmaking ability was a necessary ingredient on a line that was among the best in the NHL for a few years. Overshadowed by Nazzy and Bert, it's easy to forget Morrison's productivity, yet he sits 11th all-time in points as a Canuck, tied with Ryan Kesler, despite playing significantly less games, and in the heart of the dead puck era.
Daniel: Not going to lie: I did not expect Morrison to get picked before Bertuzzi. For me, I’m leaning towards Rob’s way of thinking: there aren’t that many great coaches in Canucks history. So I’m going with The Big Irishman himself, Pat Quinn. A two-time Jack Adams Award winner who took the Canucks to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, Quinn was also responsible for drafting Pavel Bure.
Wyatt: I take Mike Keenan.
Daniel: You’re a legend, Wyatt. But you should have taken Bill Laforge.
Wyatt: Someone needs to lead the troops into battle, and who better than Mark Messier's right hand man, Iron Mike? John Tortorella wishes he was half the angry coach Keenan was. You need this team broken down and re-built up into a better version of itself? Keenan is your guy.
Omar: I’ll take Todd Bertuzzi. Picture this: 95-96 Mogilny on one wing, 02-03 Bert on the other wing. The other teams should run and cry.
And for my first pick of the fourth round, I’m taking my first defenceman: Ed Jovanovski. I could've taken Matthias Ohlund. I chose Jovocop. My team is not about playing it safe.
Wyatt: I’m picking my wild card early, grabbing a guy who redefines the word “clutch”: Nathan Lafayette. This is a guy who knows what it takes to get to game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final. Just needs to tighten his aim a tad.
Daniel: Wow. Just...wow. I guess it’s up to me to get this back on track, so I’m going with the guy who got the whole Swede thing started in Vancouver and keeps it going as a scout: Thomas Gradin. He is sixth in points in franchise history and is arguably the second-best centre in Canucks history after Henrik Sedin; it’s just a shame he didn’t have a better team around him.
Jeremy: I take Raffi Torres.
Daniel: What in the hell? Are you trying to draft an all redhead team? Because Brendan Morrison wasn't a redhead.
Jeremy: DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND RED HEADS ON SHORT NOTICE. Look, I know Torres played just 80 games with the Canucks and scored all of 29 points. But hear me out...
Okay, I've got nothing. I thought it would be funny to collect as many red heads as possible. Also, I was going to need a wildcard/enforcer type eventually anyway, and Torres was kind of awesome.
Ryan: Time to shore up the defence and you can't go wrong with Sami Salo.
With the booming shot from the point, Salo was a great compliment to Ehrhoff and the Sedin twins during the 2010-11 season. One memory that sticks out for me was during the Western Conference finals against San Jose. The Sharks ran into penalty trouble and the Canucks PP went to work. Sami Salo loops out of the offensive zone when the Canucks have possession, Henrik feathers it through the Sharks triangle and Sami blasts it home.
At that moment, you felt that the series was done. It was just a matter of when at that point. It may be an odd goal to remember, but it sticks out to me.
Daniel: No, I vividly remember that goal too. I love how Salo just left the zone so he could get as long a run-up as possible.
Rob: I have to take Jyrki Lumme: best offensive defenceman in team history. Silky smooth skater.
Jeremy: FINALLY.
Daniel: I think we all knew that one was coming. (Editor's note: Rob kinda likes Lumme a lot)
That wraps up day two, with three coaches taken in the third round and a run of defencemen in the fourth round. Which player are you shocked hasn’t been picked yet?
Come back Wednesday for day three, when things start to go off the rails for Ryan Biech.
