Mats Sundin Makes the Vancouver Canucks Cup Contenders

Some may say that Mats Sundin signed with the Canucks for the money.

Others may say that he wanted to sign with a team where he could be a major influence in helping win the Stanley Cup.

I would say both, but let's focus on the contender part.

The Canucks were projected by most media outlets and pundits to finish out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference this season, as they would lack scoring punch.

Well, they have proven the nay-sayers wrong. They currently are tied with the Flames for top spot in the Northwest, and have held the division lead for most of the season. And would you look at that: they sit at ninth-best in the NHL in goals per game. The hockey world is stunned.

It really is amazing how Canucks' GM Mike Gillis revamped this club and made it more gutsy since he was hired last April. Not only did he bring in bigger players, he brought in character players. The addition of a big-name player like Pavol Demitra was something Vancouver fans were not used to.

Not all of the Canucks have found their scoring touch yet. Steve Bernier has shown hustle but has not scored the amount of goals expected of him. Taylor Pyatt has only recently begun to heat up.

But look at the emergence of Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen. These guys are gritty checkers who can chip in offensively. Kyle Wellwood was dubbed "fatty" and was cast off the Canucks squad earlier in the season. But when Pavol Demitra was injured, Wellwood got the call and has never looked back.

The Canucks have found scoring even when some of their key players were slumping. Other players would step up and contribute. CHARACTER.

Now add Mats Sundin to the equation. He's a leader, a character guy, a team player, and he's consistent.

One of the reasons why he's one of my favorite players of all time? He makes people around him play better.

Imagine Sundin on a line with Pavol Demitra and Kyle Wellwood (who he has clicked with before). It has potential dynamite written all over it.

The best part about this? It takes the heat off the Sedins, who I'm sure are tired of all the attention given to them by other teams' top checking lines. The Canucks have a terrific top two lines, and the third line of (usually) Kesler-Burrows-Hansen can put the puck in the net as well. They are super-deep at center with the addition of Sundin.

The Canucks are going to be even more of a pain to play against than they already were pre-Sundin.

I haven't even mentioned Roberto Luongo yet. But I don't really have to, do I?

The Canucks have had a solid core on defence since Luongo started playing in Vancouver. Alain Vigneault preaches defensive-mindedness from his forwards as well.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, this Canucks team is very strong in all areas, and is playing like a great team should.

Mats Sundin will accentuate that. He obviously saw the guts and character on this team. Heck, Vancouver still manages to put up wins even without Luongo in goal.

Now I see most pundits saying we're not good enough to beat Detroit or San Jose. Wake up! When a team gets into the playoffs, all bets are off. I've seen underdogs like Anaheim sweep the Wings in the playoffs before.

It is also tough to repeat as Champions in this new NHL.  I think the Canucks can match the Wings in the playoffs.

San Jose? New coach, new attitude, new Patrick Marleau. They are a force this year. But tell me the last time Joe Thornton actually led a team past a playoff round? He didn't impress me in last year's playoffs.

The Canucks lasted two playoff rounds with a lot less goal-scoring ability two years ago. The Sedins were silenced and the secondary scoring was not there.  Now they pack some serious offensive punch with the addition of Sundin—who can take control of a game all by himself—Demitra, a resurrected Wellwood, an (I'm sure) ecstatic Sedin line, and the always-surprising third line. 

Oh yeah, and a world-class goaltender between the pipes.

How can anyone say that this team is not a contender? It had a chance to do some damage in the playoffs before Sundin even signed here!

The pieces of the puzzle are in place. Time to make some noise.