2011 was the last time the Vancouver Canucks were a true contender. It wouldn’t be fair to say that this blue line can immediately compare to anything like the one they deployed when eight years ago, when the team won the President’s Trophy and fell just one game short of winning their first ever Stanley Cup championship.
But are the Canucks on the right track now?
In 2011, the Canucks utilized nine different defenders that played over 25 games each. Sami Salo, Christian Ehrhoff, Kevin Bieksa, Keith Ballard, Dan Hamhuis, Aaron Rome, Andrew Alberts, as well as younger versions of Alex Edler and Chris Tanev all played various key roles in getting the Canucks within 60 minutes of glory.