Why the Vancouver Canucks Will Be Serious Title Contenders

In their 64-year history, the Vancouver Canucks have never won the Stanley Cup.

It is hard to believe that a city so passionate about hockey has only acquired the Stanley Cup once. This was way back in 1915 when the Vancouver Millionaires defeated the Ottawa Senators.

The Canucks have only reached the Stanley Cup finals twice. The last time was in 1994, when they took the Rangers to Game Seven but were eventually brushed aside.

The current Canucks team is regarded as one of the best in the West. They arguably have the best goaltender on the planet in Roberto Luongo, and this season's roster is, on paper, better than last year's. 

In last season's playoffs, the Canucks were dumped out by the Blackhawks after they worked out how to put the puck past Luongo. But it's not just in goal where the Canucks are strong. They have the Sedin twins, a lot of good young players, and new acquisitions like Mikael Samuelsson.

They haven't had the best start to the season. While they have started to get some consistency in their results, the injury to Daniel Sedin has affected them, as has the poor early-season form of Luongo.

However, they will certainly be in the playoffs and have to be considered one of the front runners in the West. They score a lot of goals, and attractive ones. They are strong defensively and have several players to come back from injuries. They may not set the league alight during the regular season, but as long as they are in the mix, they are good enough to go to the Finals.

In the West, their competition is likely to come from the Blackhawks, the Red Wings, and their divisional rivals the Flames. So what gives Vancouver the edge over these teams?

The Vancouver roster has been strengthened piece by piece over the last few years. The roster is built around Luongo and the Sedins, but management has added to their strengths.

Having a reliable and outstanding goaltender between the pipes not only helps reduce the number of goals conceded, but also gives the defence more confidence. This helps on both defence and offence as a confident defence-man has enough self-belief to hit that risky shot from the point.

The Canucks may not look too impressive on paper compared to the Red Wings or the Blackhawks, but they will be better prepared in the postseason.

The Red Wings' problems have already been exposed this season. They simply do not have as strong a roster as last season. Many key players like Chris Chelios and Marian Hossa have left. This has given young players a chance, but as we have seen in Montreal, they have been thrown in the deep end far too soon.

The Blackhawks will have issues regarding maturity. Their roster is made up of a lot of strong and young players, but this isn't enough to win the Stanley Cup.

Take the Penguins team that lost at the last hurdle in 2008. They had good youthful players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Marc-Andre Fleury, but it wasn't until players like Bill Guerin were brought in that they managed to win the Cup.

Chicago will go close, but their inexperience will prevent them going all the way—this year at least.

It is still very early on in the season, and to be picking a Stanley Cup winner in October is branching on madness. But Vancouver's roster has such a mix of youth and experience, with strength in depth in all positions, that it is hard not to take them seriously.