Will Mats Sundin Make the Vancouver Canucks Cup Contenders?

The Vancouver Canucks have had a stellar start to the season, tallying 39 points. They are now just one point behind division leading Calgary, and by the way, they just acquired Mats Sundin. Is it ludicrous to call the Canucks cup contenders?

Prior to the season many people, including myself, predicted the Canucks to be battling for ping-pong balls, but they have surprised everyone and now find themselves in the thick of a playoff race.

The Canucks already look like playoff contenders, with a solid line-up filled with talented players, such as Ryan Kesler, Pavol Demitra, and Kyle Wellwood. The Canucks also have one of the best goalies between the pipes, the currently injured Roberto Luongo, and now have a solid offensive attack with young talent and future hall-of-famer Sundin.

I believe that with the addition of Sundin, the Canucks are now playoff contenders, but not cup contenders.

The Western Conference is filled with superb teams like the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, and the Calgary Flames. They are all more plausible cup contenders in my opinion, and there are many other teams that can contend better than the Canucks.

With the decision of Sundin, the Canucks will be the focus of many people around the NHL, as they look to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since the 1993-94 season. That year, they were defeated by the New York Rangers, a team that seemed the consensus favorite to land Sundin.

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