Vancouver WESTERN CONFERENCE CANUCKS PACIFIC DIVISION Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin Offense The 2014-15 season was a worst-case scenario for the Canucks offense in a number of ways. The Sedin twins scored at their lowest rate in at least a decade. Alex Burrows spent much of the season injured or ineffective. Alexander Edler had a nightmare season with an ugly -39 rating. Only Ryan Kesler managed to score more than 20 goals and the team as a whole finished a dismal 28th in goals scored per game. With as much talent as the Canucks have, it was a bitterly disappointing performance. Much of the blame has to go to head coach John Tortorella, a fiery personality who seemed to have no sense for when being too fiery was too much. Tortorella is known for melting down in press conferences and even started a fight in the Calgary Flames locker room after the first period of a game. Meanwhile, former coach Alain Vigneault took the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals. Vancouver fired Tortorella despite four years remaining on his contract, and it’s hard to imagine the team won’t improve under new coach Willie Desjardins. There’s little doubt that much of Vancouver’s struggles stemmed from players being frustrated by Tortorella’s antics. Any time a team features the Sedin twins, Burrows, Kesler, and Edler, that team should be able to score some goals. It’s for that reason that I expect a turnaround in Vancouver this season. That includes a return to form for the Sedin brothers and a boost from acquisitions such as Radim Vrbata and Nick Bonino. It might not quite be enough to return the Canucks to the top of the Western Key Additions: Ryan Miller, Radim Vrbata, Nick Bonino, Derek Dorsett, Luca Sbisa Key Subtractions: Jason Garrison, Mike Santorelli, Ryan Kesler, Dale Weise, David Booth, Zac Dalpe Strengths: Goaltending, penalty killing Weaknesses: Scoring, power play, coaching Jeff Viccick/NHL/Getty Images
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