NHL - Marc Crawford Sacrificed

I know how Dave Nonis feels, I really do. You know how everybody has a junk drawer? Mine is in the kitchen. A while ago I pulled it and it wouldn't open because there was so much crap in there that it jammed. I pulled and pulled until I accidentally pulled the drawer all the way out and all the junk ended up on the floor. What a mess! It looked a lot like the Canucks season. There was some stuff I liked, some stuff I didn't like and a lot of stuff that I don't know how it got there.

Well Dave Nonis took the first step in putting the stuff back in the drawer today by firing longtime coach, and bad hair guy Marc Crawford. Crawford had a year left on the deal and anyone with foresight knew when the Canucks missed the playoffs 'Crow' would never see the last year of his deal.

Was this a good move? Yes insofar that he was part of the problem. He certainly wasn't the whole problem and Nonis better make more changes if he wants to stay 'in the drawer' so to speak. The good thing about the situation is that Nonis can now put his own stamp on this team. He can hire a coach that he wants and swap in or swap out players as he sees fit. Firing Crawford should just be the first step.

So what next? It's no secret that Bertuzzi had a miserable year, and moving him gets him away from all that. Going somewhere discreet like Atlanta or Carolina or some other Eastern team where hockey is down in the pecking order behind a couple of other sports rather than the microscope that is Vancouver would be ideal. This also frees up a big chunk of salary that can go to the Sedins or Carter which should be a priority for Nonis.

Does he keep Morrison? Does he keep Naslund? There I said it out loud but you were thinking it. He looked tired down the stretch and has hinted that maybe the 'C' should go to someone else. Maybe Naslund and his large salary should go somewhere else, who knows. Clearly the 'top line' wasn't the top line this year. That belonged to the triplets and obivously they need to be signed.

What about Jovo? He might be the #2 D-man for the Canucks but look at how bad they were without him. His emotion alone can win games. I say sign him and give him the 'C'.

Auld seemed just as capable as Cloutier and had much more upside. Taller, Less injury prone, cheaper! So why keep Cloutier? I say have a yard sale and get rid of him for sure.

Linden has an option for another year at 1.5 million...no way the Canucks pick up that. Linden won't play anywhere else so the Canucks can sign him for less or give him the retired jersey treatment.

There are others as well, Ruutu, Carney, and Weinrich will undoubtedly leave. Who knows what other changes need to be made? Now obviously Nonis is not going to get rid of everybody, but he needs to make some serious changes. He needs to bring in players that will buy in to the program, and get rid of players that don't. It will definitely be a busy off-season for him that's for sure.

There are bright spots in the future though. Tough and smooth Luc Bourdon should be a lock next year, and Kevin Bieksa along with Alexandre Burrows should stay with the big club next year and at least play with some passion. Maybe we will see Jason King back after a year off with a concussion.

Nonis had a horrendous first year but did make some decent moves. He chose to keep the core intact which is what everyone thought was best back in training camp. The fact that this plan failed so badly gives him carte blanche to make changes now. So let's hope that he is able to keep things neat and tidy so he doesn't make the same big mess next year.