Key Problems Forced Vancouver Canucks out of Contention in 2011-12 Season

The Vancouver Canucks finished a very disappointing season on Sunday, April 22. The team finished its season in the Stanley Cup finals a year ago, and suddenly finds itself with a very long summer. What happened to the team this season?

There are several problems that occurred that became the Canucks' eventual downfall. Here are several key problems for their 2011-12 season:

1. Canucks powerplay declined from first overall in the NHL to sixth right before the end of the regular season. The man advantage turned out to be a big challenge for a team that has put up the highest scoring percentage on the powerplay for two straight seasons. The big slide began after the long-awaited matchup with the Boston Bruins on Jan. 7 in Boston.

2. Key personnel changes to the team that happened in the offseason and continued during the regular season. In June, GM Mike Gillis chose to re-sign defenseman Kevin Bieksa and let Christian Ehrhoff depart to Buffalo Sabres. Ehrhoff was the premier powerplay quarterback who could fire the point shot like no other. His blasts from the point are accurate and hard and caused a lot of havoc. On Oct. 22, the team lost former-Stanley Cup champions Mikael Samuelsson in a trade with Florida Panthers that brought David Booth with no previous playoff appearance. Raffi Torres, the hit machine, left the Canucks as a free agent as well.

3. Injuries to key parts to the team was a major issue down the stretch. The long playoff run had implications for the Canucks. Ryan Kesler had to undergo a hip surgery, Mason Raymond suffered a back surgery, and both never looked the same this year. Kesler had a career year with 41 goals, 76 points in 2010-11. Raymond scored 25 goals and 53 points in 2009-10. The two missed the beginning of the season and combined for only 32 goals and 69 points. Losing Daniel Sedin to a vicious Duncan Keith elbow to the head forced the Canucks' top scorer out for 12 games, including three important playoff games.

4. Goaltending this season also wasn't as steady as it was in 2010-11. The Canucks played well defensively a year ago, and the team won the Williams M Jennings Trophy for allowing the least amount of goals in the regular season. However, they dropped to fourth this year. Defensively, the defensemen broke down in ways that fans have never seen before. Turnovers by Alex Edler, Kevin Bieksa, Keith Ballard and Chris Tanev were all guilty of that at some point in the playoffs. It ultimately eliminated them from the series.

5. The team still did not address the issue of toughness properly this season. Mike Gillis went out of his way to trade young center Cody Hodgson to Buffalo for Zack Kassian on NHL trade deadline day. That become ineffective for the team, because Kassian ended up as a healthy scratch for the final game of the playoffs in Game 5 versus LA Kings. Toughness need to be incorporated as a team identity, and they can't do it with this group of personnel. Sedin twins have way too much class to play a tough, grinding style.

When the powerplay, personnel changes, injuries, inconsistent goaltending and toughness hurt the Canucks, it is not much of a surprise the team ended up with a quick playoff exit in 2012.

However, leadership on the Canucks is definitely not a reason for concern. As reported from a friend who viewed Game 5 on CBC: "Henrik sees a bunch of teammates ignore a little girl who was asking for high fives, he gives her his game-used stick. Unreal class. Love the Sedins."

This came from an Anaheim Ducks fan who regularly watches late games of the Canucks, and he genuinely feels the Sedins set the highest standards as hockey players and as members of the Vancouver community.

As disappointed as all the Canucks fans are with the 2012 playoffs, there is always next season, and a brand new opportunity starting next October. Do not expect Roberto Luongo to be with the Canucks, however. Cory Schneider is all that a hockey team could ask for, and he will deliver as the new No. 1 goalie of the Canucks.

Thanks for your support this season.

This is Joseph Trenton reporting from Rogers Arena.