The Vancouver Canucks could get off to a slow start because of Kevin Bieska’s injury.
The Vanouver Canucks need to make their way back into the playoffs, but starting off the season with a weak defense- in a dominant division, nonetheless- won’t help them achieve this goal.
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The Canucks’ new head coach, Willie Desjardins, seems to think that veteran blue liner Kevin Bieska could be ready for the start of the season- but there’s no guarantee. The 33-year-old has been out with an undisclosed injury, and while he did skate in practice today, he wasn’t paired with a healthy teammate. Instead, he skated with Frank Corrado, who has also been out with an injury.
Should Kevin Bieska be out for the start of the season, the team’s blue line would be significantly weakened. NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk expressed concerns with the remaining skaters on the Canucks’ roster:
"“The first three (defensemen on Vancouver’s healthy roster) are legitimate NHL defensemen. The next three? Well, it’s harder to say that. [Ryan] Stanton came to Vancouver on waivers, [Luca] Sbisa was a frequent scratch in Anaheim last season before being part of the Ryan Kesler trade, and [Yannick] Weber has been a fringe NHLer for most of his pro career.”"
The team is already struggling due to long-term contracts locking veteran skaters in place on the team; rather than undergoing a full rebuild the team had to settle with a minor retooling this off-season. The player they added to their offense isn’t exactly at the peak of his career, either- Radim Vrbata was a heavy source of scoring power on a goal-deprived Arizona Coyotes last season, but came nowhere near his career highs.
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